The Arch Bishop of Canterberry Says Gay Sex is OK


Right wing Christianity is in an uproar because Archbishop Justin Welby said sex, between two genders or between one gender, is OK if it is part of a committed relationship. He admitted not everyone agrees with this but it is how he sees it. 

Bishop Welby recognizes the Western culture has moved on from condemning gays, trans and bi and the faith needs to stay out of the condemnation business. It could be also that he has read the Bible and cannot find the condemnation others claim is there. Certainly any Christian conservative will site chapter and verse where it is claimed intimate relationships between people of the same gender is a sin but the message is always prefaced with, "What this means is,,,," 

The Bishop reflects what I have read of public opinion in England. A majority of the public supports gays and gay marriage. It seems logical to me that aliening religious views with views of the public is what all religions must do in the long run. Liberal branches have already done this and will, I think, reap benefits over the long run.

Then there is the question of why Christianity in any of its forms ever had an opinion about gays or gay marriage anyway. If gay marriage is going on, it has the same impact on Christian churches as would be the case if there were no gay marriages. Preachers and the church should stay out of the marriage business and passing moral judgement on sexual relationships altogether. I've read the majority of weddings are no longer held in churches.

Perhaps it is accurate to say Bishop Welby has come to understand his church's place, the place of all of Christianity, in modern society. That place is on the sideline, not in the middle trying to drive the train.

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