Papal Bull

[andygates]

So the Pope is visiting to remind British lawmakers that the Equality Bill is scary, in that it may remove the Church's ability to discriminate against people.

What's wrong with that picture?  *facepalm*

Comments

[andygates.livejournal.com]

The nub of this (once you get past the anti-Harman screed) is "it is illiberal to enforce liberalism" and that's bunk. It's the interpretation of liberalism as so open that it'll let anything in, even fascists: so open-minded that its brain has fallen out.

"We shall tolerate everything except intolerance" is a better liberal truism. It sounds similar, but it works: if you accept intolerance then you accept the diminishment of tolerace over time. If you believe (as I do) that the greatest benefit to the greatest number comes from the greatest tolerance, then intolerance must be challenged at all times.

Popeface's argument, anyway, is bogus. He implies that hordes of poofs will try to get senior positions in the church. Why on earth would they want to do that? How on earth would they do it when the church is strictly hierarchical - you don't just get to be an Archbishop by applying on monster.com. Senior people are known in the ecosystem. It's bogus as point of fact and it's rhetorically bogus because it clearly uses the slippery-slope "and then where will we be?" threat.

Why, we might end up with a church full of skirt-wearing boy botherers!

How would they even tell the difference?

[ladyjulian.livejournal.com]

The whole 'they'll make us put poofs in the church' thing is nonsense anyway; religioners get an exclusion clause: http://www.equalities.gov.uk/pdf/Equality%20Bill%20and%20Religion%20for%20press%20and%20website%20%283%29.pdf

[andygates.livejournal.com]

So it's not even mere homophobic scaremongering, it's an outright lie?

[ladyjulian.livejournal.com]

Basically, yes.

Although they could be compelled to offer 'services' (eg the adoption row again) to gayerists, and they could be compelled to employ gayerists as accountants or cleaners. But there's absolutely no suggestion that they will have to employ gay people or women in a religious role such as a priest.

[andygates.livejournal.com]

I wonder how sexual preference informs accountancy in the Church's mind? Or cleaning? The mind boggles.

And this as the US Joint Chiefs recommend to end Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell, too. Weird old world, eh?