Despite its often reactionary positions, once upon a time the Catholic Church gave a semblance of respect to science and knowledge. That phenomenon seems to be crumbling rapidly under the leadership of the Nazi Pope and the ignorance embracing bishops and cardinals Benedict XVI and his less than saintly predecessor have appointed. The latest example of the slide towards ignorance is the establishment of an "ex-gay" ministry in the diocese of Maine. Coincidentally, the move comes just in time to begin disseminating propaganda in the run up to the vote on restoring same sex marriage in November. In the grand scheme of things, one would think the Church had larger problems to focus on. How about the worldwide sex abuse scandal. Or perhaps defending against the fact that Adam and Eve never existed and, therefore, the Church's entire storyline of the "Fall" and the need for Christ's death and resurrection as the Messiah collapse in ruins? Those matters seemingly don't matter to Bishop Richard Malone (pictured above), head of the Portland diocese. No, for Malone, depriving gays of equality under the CIVIL laws trumps all else. Rather than being called "
Courage, the program ought to be named "Snake Oil" or perhaps "Self-Deception." "Here are some highlights from the
Bangor Daily News on this disingenuous stunt:
PORTLAND, Maine — Bishop Richard Malone, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, announced Thursday the formation of a new ministry to support people with same-sex attraction. Malone announced in a press release the establishment of a local chapter of Courage, a worldwide spiritual support group based in Norwalk, Conn.
Courage was founded in 1980 in the Archdiocese of New York. The organization now has has more than 100 chapters and more than 1,500 people on its electronic mailing list worldwide, according to information on its website. The program is patterned after 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Rev. Mark Doty, pastor of Hammond Street Congregational Church and a gay man, said Thursday in an email that he was offended by “the notion that ‘persons with same-sex attraction’ would require a support group.
“In my view, it is presumptuous and wrong-headed to equate homosexuality with addictive behavior,” said Doty, who was ordained by the United Church of Christ. “Same-sex loving people reflect an orientation, a way of viewing the world. To my mind, what takes genuine courage is for people to love and serve God and openly acknowledge that they are also lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.
Courage support groups practice a policy of anonymity and confidentiality. The local chapter will meet where there is a need and the locations will be disclosed only to those who plan to participate.
Despite its often reactionary positions, once upon a time the Catholic Church gave a semblance of respect to science and knowledge. That phenomenon seems to be crumbling rapidly under the leadership of the Nazi Pope and the ignorance embracing bishops and cardinals Benedict XVI and his less than saintly predecessor have appointed. The latest example of the slide towards ignorance is the establishment of an "ex-gay" ministry in the diocese of Maine. Coincidentally, the move comes just in time to begin disseminating propaganda in the run up to the vote on restoring same sex marriage in November. In the grand scheme of things, one would think the Church had larger problems to focus on. How about the worldwide sex abuse scandal. Or perhaps defending against the fact that Adam and Eve never existed and, therefore, the Church's entire storyline of the "Fall" and the need for Christ's death and resurrection as the Messiah collapse in ruins? Those matters seemingly don't matter to Bishop Richard Malone (pictured above), head of the Portland diocese. No, for Malone, depriving gays of equality under the CIVIL laws trumps all else. Rather than being called "Courage, the program ought to be named "Snake Oil" or perhaps "Self-Deception." "Here are some highlights from the Bangor Daily News on this disingenuous stunt:
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Adam and Eve and the Fall? Google First Scandal.
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