FlaGator
04-20-2009, 10:49 AM
Gay Episcopal Bishop suggests throwing the baby out with the bath water...
The first openly gay Episcopal bishop told a Los Angeles gathering yesterday that the church should begin mending divisions over the issue of same-sex marriage by getting out of the civil marriage business altogether.
During a visit to St. Michael and All Angels Church, the Rev. Gene Robinson said he favored the system used in France and other parts of Europe in which civil marriage - performed by government officials - is completely separate from religious vows. In the United States, the civil and religious ceremonies often are combined by the cleric signing the government marriage license.
"In this country, it has become very confusing about where the civil action begins and ends and where the religious action begins and ends, because we have asked clergy to be agents of the state," said Robinson, bishop of New Hampshire.
Robinson, whose election six years ago was decried by some in the Episcopal Church and praised by others, supports gay marriage and had his own civil commitment ceremony with his longtime partner blessed in the church last summer.
He said that "untangling" the roles of clergy and government would focus discussion of same-sex marriage on civil rights rather than religion.
Whole story here (http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090420/NEWS01/904200372)
It's interesting that he made a big deal with much fanfare about having is civil union performed in a church. Now after getting what he wanted, he says the church should consider no performing civiling binding marriages any more.
The first openly gay Episcopal bishop told a Los Angeles gathering yesterday that the church should begin mending divisions over the issue of same-sex marriage by getting out of the civil marriage business altogether.
During a visit to St. Michael and All Angels Church, the Rev. Gene Robinson said he favored the system used in France and other parts of Europe in which civil marriage - performed by government officials - is completely separate from religious vows. In the United States, the civil and religious ceremonies often are combined by the cleric signing the government marriage license.
"In this country, it has become very confusing about where the civil action begins and ends and where the religious action begins and ends, because we have asked clergy to be agents of the state," said Robinson, bishop of New Hampshire.
Robinson, whose election six years ago was decried by some in the Episcopal Church and praised by others, supports gay marriage and had his own civil commitment ceremony with his longtime partner blessed in the church last summer.
He said that "untangling" the roles of clergy and government would focus discussion of same-sex marriage on civil rights rather than religion.
Whole story here (http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090420/NEWS01/904200372)
It's interesting that he made a big deal with much fanfare about having is civil union performed in a church. Now after getting what he wanted, he says the church should consider no performing civiling binding marriages any more.