Religion Dispatches
…ublican party had a lot to say in the last year about exactly what kind of welcome immigrants should be given—that is, none). Douthat seems nostalgic, sentimental over a time when fewer women earned college degrees, when husbands and wives believed children were the key to successful marriages, when gay marriage (which he condemns for “formally sever[ing] wedlock from sex differences and procreation”) was not a “no brainer,” and when women did the…
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…for what they are and in no way squander. Secondly, even though the son is welcomed back, no questions asked, it’s understood that he’s not going to go out and do it again. The message to LGBT people is clear: you’re welcome and forgiven, but going back to that “lifestyle” is forbidden. I hope my reservations are unfounded, because so much is at stake in this move. If time reveals this new organization to be nothing more than a shuffling of the T…
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…eists breathed a sign of relief when Richard Dawkins was mocked on South Park, thinking, “finally, we’re becoming a part of American culture.” And so we say to every newcomer: Welcome, welcome to the fold. Take the sacrament of laughter. Now you’re one of us. We’re ridiculous, and we admit it freely….
Read More…odel it”, Tracy Robinson added. Catholic Church: Bishop Says Church Should Welcome ‘Unconventional Couples’ The Religion News Service’s Josephine Mckenna reported last week that Bishop Nunzio Galantino, leader of the Italian Bishops Conference and an ally of Pope Francis, said the church should welcome “unconventional couples” who are in “irregular matrimonial situations.” He said, “The burden of exclusion from the sacraments is an unjustified pri…
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…ic priests from blessing same-sex unions by tweeting “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You.” The tweet was deleted within an hour following a backlash from Twitter users who pointed out that there are still parts of the denomination that do not, in fact, welcome LGBTQ+ members. Marketing itself (however flat-footedly) as the progressive, welcoming face of American Christianity makes sense as a way of distinguishing The Episcopal Church on the religio…
Read More…lesbian relations “morally acceptable.” The new language is nonetheless a welcome change for LGBT Catholics, who obviously weren’t thrilled at being referred to as “intrinsically disordered,” though that does remain the official doctrine of the church. “That positive language is more affirming and will give many people hope. It is much more respectful, and offers a sense of welcome that LGBT people have been seeking for decades,” said Marianne Du…
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…loving people. Such efforts to micromanage the morals of others find scant welcome in contemporary society. The voting men were ostensibly horrified by the notion that same-sex couples might have any redeeming features, or that there might be “charity in its caring…” rather than “weakening of its faith…” (par. 46 of the early draft) if divorced and remarried people receive communion. Dear God, what crumbs they quibble over and fall on their crozie…
Read More…losophy, is co-founder of a blog called Spiritual Friendship that seeks to promote celibacy as an admirable option for gay Christians. He said he believes that a majority of U.S. Catholics now support same-sex marriage, which became legal in all 50 states under a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June. Mr. Belgau doesn’t expect the church to change its teaching, but suggests that there might be ways to make gay couples feel more welcome — comparable to…
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…US Christianity as a whole, at one point exclaiming: “Welcome infidelity! Welcome atheism! Welcome anything! In preference to the gospel as preached by these divines!” Douglass’s journey into freethinking was greatly abetted by his German-born collaborator and paramour, Ottilie Assing, who introduced him to the work of notorious infidels Ludwig Feuerbach and David Friedrich Strauss. In later years Douglass kept busts of these radical thinkers pro…
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…all. But it is something. The first mention, “The desire to offer genuine welcome is a sentiment expressed by synod participants across diverse contexts” (B1.2), refers in part to LGBTQ+ people who’ve been marginalized. But there’s no suggestion that teachings, practices, or injustices will change. In other words, come and be welcome on the institution’s terms but do not expect your relationships to be blessed, much less sacramentalized, and prep…
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