We live in our cultural context where gays and lesbians are regarded as criminals, punishable by long-term imprisonments. We also live in a country where gays and lesbians are violently persecuted, mistreated, hated, and ostracised... We as Black Africans know the hurts and permanent damage caused by our past experiences, which still linger on to the present... We have gone through that, and we don't want to go that way again. —the Rt. Rev. Godfrey Mdimi Mhogolo, Anglican bishop of Central Tanganyika, as quoted by Pat Ashworth writing in "Gay question is ‘not central to faith’ says Tanzanian bishop"

If you've followed the struggles of the Anglican Communion, the world's third largest Christian body (depending upon who's counting), you may have the impression that the African churches are uniformly anti-gay. Bishop Mdimi's statement makes clear the falsity of that impression, as does the former Archbishop of Capetown, Desmond Tutu, of anti-apartheid fame—

.... Dr Desmond Tutu, berated African Churches for focusing on homosexuality at the expense of the pressing needs of South Africa.

Dr Tutu told a press conference at the World Social Forum in Nairobi: “I am deeply, deeply distressed that in the face of the most horrendous problems — we’ve got poverty, we’ve got conflict and war, we’ve got HIV/AIDS — and what do we concentrate on? We concentrate on what you are doing in bed.”

The usual suspects are behind the commotion, about which I hope to do a post someday.

There is a web site unabashedly calling itself Virtue Online, which is devoted to keeping the Anglican pot boiling. The article I cited was reprinted there, where it drew some choice and presumably virtuous comments—

From "Brother Carlo"—

Sodomy is so central to the Episcopal religion that it has replaced the Eucharist as the chief sacrament! Blessings.

And my favorite from "ZachD," who either skipped his medication or has a marvelous sense of humor, take your pick—

Dr. Tutu.! Are you all kidding me, here?
Who cares about Dr.Tutu!?

This man represents the World Council of Churches!

Anyone for the all seeing eye of Osiris?

This man and his ilk is largely responsible for the devilspawn that now infiltrates all corners of God's green earth! I don't give a rat's you-know-what about any of this stuff, except that we must all pray earnestly that God Himself will take care of that collective scourge! (At least the RC's see what is at work there.)

Whew! That's better!

Can you feel the relief?

Tags: * Anglican Anglicanism Anglocatholicism Anglocatholic Africa gay homophobia religion Christian Christianity antigay ECUSA Episcopal religious lunacy