Episcopal Bishops Rebuke Kansas Anti-Gay House Bill 2453 With Religious Righteousness

[iandhr]

Source: Huffington Post

On Wednesday, Kansas' Republican-dominated House passed Bill 2453, which makes it legal for individuals, groups, and businesses to refuse services for same-sex couples if they believe it goes against their religious beliefs to do so.

Though the bill claims that it "protects the rights of religious people," some people of faith are against it, explaining that legalizing discrimination doesn't protect religious freedom at all.

Two bishops of the Episcopal Church, the Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe and the Right Reverend Michael P. Milliken, urged the rejection of Bill 2453 in a joint statement sent to all members of the Kansas Senate:

Some people regularly suggest that the Church should stay out of politics, but we regret to observe that the current political agenda is encroaching upon fundamental principles that Christians, and people of all faiths, hold dear: compassion for the poor, safety for all people and equality for everyone.


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/14/episcopal-bishops-kansas-house-bill-2453_n_4790890.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

[theHandpuppet]

1. Thank you, Revs. Wolfe and Milliken

For setting the right example.

[MuseRider]

2. Not even all the Christians in Kansas

are crazy. This was welcome to read last night in the paper. Thanks, I did not even think to post it.

[MH1]

5. Episcopalians tend to follow Christ a little more closely than some other "Christians"

Many so-called "Christians" want to emphasize certain things that were NOT emphasized by Christ (or even mentioned in some cases), at the cost of not doing what Christ actually told us to do, which is basically to have compassion and love for everyone equally - the Bishops' letter spells it out pretty well.

[secondvariety]

11. And their music

is beautiful. I'm not a member of the Episcopal Church, but I've been moved to tears by the Evensong services.

[theHandpuppet]

6. Why would you bring Pope Francis into this?

Francis does not support equal rights for LGBTs. In fact, the Kansas Catholic Conference was among the backers for this repulsive bill.

[Bluenorthwest]

7. Francis has not even bothered to utter a word against the Uganda 'jail for life law' in spite

of the fact that his Church is the largest religion in Uganda and he is spiritual leader of 42% of that country. People here tell me his words are very valuable because his followers are so attentive. Yet in this case when his words could do so much, he is definitively silent.
Not one word. Months this thing has been coming. The facts do not fit the narrative the Francis promoters want to tell. But the facts remain the facts.

[Fred Sanders]

4. The Kansas Republican Party IS religion in politics, they are a perfect example of why the

Constitution bans religion in politics, it results in insane hatred and division.

Meanwhile it is all about Cry Wolf about Russia and other countries, gay bashing as a government policy, but burying their heads in the sand about the wolves in America.

What part of "unconstitutional" does the lazy, hazy free press not get?

Was America so much more enlightened even a few years ago, its own current President still "evolving" while considering whether to support the anti-gay federal Defence of Marriage Act in the courts?

[bkanderson76]

8. 'Compassion for the poor, Safety for all people and Equality for everyone'.....evidently

this ideology escapes the mind of those in Kansas.

[hrmjustin]

9. I am glad our Bishops spoke out against this EVIL bill.

[drm604]

10. I wonder how these people would feel

if someone refused to serve narrow minded bigots because doing so would be against their religious beliefs?

They wouldn't like the result if religion-based discrimination became the law of the land and they became the victims, but they're fine with themselves being the excepted group that's allowed to discriminate as they see fit.

[blkmusclmachine]

12. Finally, a voice of REASON. Much unlike KKKansas and it's Theocratic Fascist Lawbreakers, uh,

Lawmakers.


All my opinion, of course.




What the fuck is wrong with Kansas?!?!

[VA_Jill]

13. A small island of sanity

in the land dominated by Gov. Brownshirt and his GOTP troops.

[arely staircase]

14. I feel kinda bad about skipping Mass today after reading that.

I will still go have a late brunch with mimosas at my local new wine bar so as to remain an Episcopalian in good standing.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

15. The Episcopal Church has been pretty good on LGBT issues

and others, so much so that its last General Convention earned hate articles from the likes of the Wall Street Journal.