Thursday 12 April 2012

A love supreme does not come with caveats

As you probably have already figured out if you've been reading this blog, or if you know me out there in the real world, I am a Christian. I was raised a Christian and faith has continued to be a hugely important part of my life. We go to church pretty regularly, my wife and I had a church wedding and our daughter was baptised (rather nicely by my father who is an Anglican priest). However, I'm not one of those dinosaur disbelieving, evolution denying, climate change nay-saying, gay-hating Christians so beloved of the media. Which really brings me onto what this post is about: the issue of homosexuality and the church.

This is an issue that continually drives me up the bloody wall, mainly because the Church (and when I use the capital C I'm mainly talking about the Anglicans here, as that's my own backround) should have far weightier concerns on its mind than sexual preference. Quite why some people of faith get so hung up about sexual orientation is quite beyond me. I believe that God is love. Remember that bit about him so loving the world? Well, guess what, that includes everybody! It isn't a case of our Lord is an all-loving God, apart from this here list of people we've put together.

Also, what the church and those of faith (of whatever denomination) should be celebrating and trying to bring to everybody is this idea of the love supreme. Christians should be at the forefront of campaigning for gay weddings in church, as love between two people (of whatever gender or sexual preference) and the commitment that a marriage brings should be seen as something to treasure and encourage. To not celebrate this all-encompassing love of God would appear to suggest that there is something missing from a life of faith.

So, when there is conflict in the middle-east, issues of climate change, not to mention the many issues of justice and social rights in this country that we all face, it seems to me that the Church should be focusing its energies on fighting the good fight while opening up faith and spreading a message of love and tolerance.

Anyway, that maybe wishful thinking, but I just thought I'd let you know where I stand.

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