30 November, 2011

Polygamy ruling revisited: Judge takes swipe at ‘alarmist’ views of gay ‘marriage’ opponents | LifeSiteNews.com

Polygamy ruling revisited: Judge takes swipe at ‘alarmist’ views of gay ‘marriage’ opponents | LifeSiteNews.com
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1 comment:

  1. Hi Tim,

    I would go further than the Chief Justice of the B.C. Supreme Court and remind Catholics that slippery slope arguments (as used by the Catholic Bishops in their opposition to same-sex marriage) are inherently poor arguments - even if the outcomes somehow, someday accidentally coincide with the prediction. If polygamy is ever legalized in Canada, it will either be because material harm cannot be established, or because religious rights are regarded as so privileged that they trump individual and societal rights.

    You questioned why I would assign "malice" to the intentions of your Bishops on this issue. My response is simple: Why would I not? They used poor arguments at best, and fear mongering propaganda at worst. They did not march into the public square to protect their flocks or themselves, they marched out using propaganda and fear mongering in a shameful attempt to thwart the legitimate civil aspirations of gay and lesbian Canadians. How is that not malicious? I won't speculate here on their motives for such malice - I simply point out the blindingly obvious.

    As chance would have it, I corresponded with one of your Bishops back in 2005 on this issue (we both know him quite well from our seminary days). I pointed out the many weaknesses in his arguments - which he arrogantly dismissed. He preferred anecdotal evidence and extrapolated the worst traits in a single gay men, and painted all LGBT citizens with the same brush. That would be like me judging all straights by the charteristics of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. Ridiculous.

    Yes - I welcome your Bishops in the public square. I welcome every single believer from every colour of the religious rainbow into the public square. But when you all come into the square, is it so much to ask that you:

    a) Leave your scriptures and theology at the door. RCC scripture and theology is deeply flawed (as I have pointed out on many occassions) and the others are in no better shape. We have no reason to prefer one sect's god and revelations any more than any other. It adds nothing to the debate.

    b) Bring honest, well reasoned, and empirical evidence with you.

    c) Avoid propaganda. Leave your fear mongering and pandering to the lowest common denominator in your episcopal palaces and in your church pews.

    Notwithstanding the bigotted pseudo-science that is cranked out south of the border to demonize gays, there is no credible evidence to support denying gay and lesbian couples equal treatment under the law.

    There is a reason why you lost in the courts. There is a reason why you lost in the parliaments. There is a reason why you have even lost the heart and minds of ordinary Catholics on this issue - you are wrong. You have no credible evidence to support your claims of harm with respect to same-sex marriage.

    What amazes me, is that the religious right (as typified in the LifeSite "news" article), still pushes on with the fiction that same-sex marriage had anything at all to do with the polygamy decision. In black and white they acknowledge that the polygamists'entire argument was based on religious freedom, and yet they still persist in this fiction. The Chief Justice was right to smack them.

    What an echo chamber you folks have built for yourselves.

    Cheers...Martin

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A Roman Catholic Evangelical Priest of the Diocese of Pembroke, Canada. Shown in my profile photo with my canine companion, Mateo.

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