Posted on 12/18/2005 2:52:48 PM PST by sionnsar
With Great Britain’s first same-sex civil unions set to be recognized under law on Dec. 21, an informal poll conducted by the advocacy group Changing Attitude suggests uneven enforcement of disciplinary procedures spelled out in a July 25 pastoral letter by the House of Bishops.
The new law on civil unions will allow same-sex couples to register their partnership with the state. Registration entitles the couple to most of the same civil benefits as heterosexual married couples. In the July 25 pastoral letter, the Church of England’s House of Bishops said the new law does not change doctrine or discipline.
“Sexual intercourse, as an expression of faithful intimacy, properly belongs within marriage exclusively,” the bishops said. Clergy may enter into a civil partnership, they added, provided they “give assurances to his or her bishop that the relationship is chaste. The letter further states that clergy should not provide services of blessing for other clergy or members of the laity who register a civil union.
Founded in 1995, Changing Attitude claims a membership of 1,000 persons worldwide. In a statement published on its website, the organization describes itself as “a network of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual members of the four Anglican churches of the United Kingdom…” dedicated to working “for change in the church’s understanding of human sexuality.”
Of the bishops Changing Attitude surveyed, the organization reports that “none are going to ask their clergy any questions about their sex lives, or even whether their relationship is consistent” with the standards discussed in the House of Bishops’ July 25 pastoral letter. “They are more worried about obsessive conservatives from neighboring parishes who discover that a clergy person has registered their partnership, and wages a public campaign either against the clergyperson or against the bishop. They will also be deterred by the potential for negative publicity, which would make them look foolish.”
The group advises that “It is better to be discrete. If you find yourself having a conversation about a registered civil partnership] with your bishop, he is very likely to encourage you to tell him the minimum necessary, and in the first months of the new law, you would be wise to offer the minimum.”
Only a handful of Church of England bishops have revealed their individual views on civil partnerships, according to Thinking Anglicans, a website which reports news, events, documents and commentary “on what it means to be a Christian, particularly in Britain today.”
In a pastoral letter to the diocesan synod, the Bishop of Chichester, the Rt. Rev. John Hind, urged everyone to remember “their overriding obligation of charity. This should include a willingness to think the best, rather than the worst of each other. These issues touch the heart of both the gospel and of our personal identity and integrity.”
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. What, exactly, would be the point of such a partnership?
Is there even ONE person on planet Earth, dumb enough to believe that homosexuals who enter a "civil partnership", aren't going to have sodomistic sex? "Chaste relationship" my a... uh, never mind, that would be a very bad way to phrase it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.