Canterbury condemns Uganda's anti-gay law

The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken out. President Obama has made a statement. Even Rev. Rick Warren, who has cozy ties to those promoting this legislation in Uganda, has made a strong statement condemning the criminalization of homosexuality (something Rowan Williams overlooks).

And Benedict?

The leader of one of the most powerful, populous churches in the world? The voice of conscience for millions of Christians? The representative of a church that tells us it stands unambiguously for human rights?

Silence.

Why?

Why does it take "weeks of intense pressure" for the world's religious leaders to do the obvious right thing? Do they act only when their own interests are at risk? They are unworthy of their positions and should resign in shame!

Well I'm very happy that Rowan Williams finally has spoken up, and that a bit more clearly than is his usual fussy habit when it comes to queer folks facing prejudice, mistreatment, and baseline violence all around our planet. Uganda in fact represents where our real Anglican believer consensus is, at least in significant part; as progressive believers in Los Angeles or Canada or elsewhere also represent a different significant part of where our real Anglican consensus stands. Simply put, the antigay Anglicans would pretty much prefer to maintain three traditional things: (A) special state and church power, and I say power advisedly since power must exist to overrule the citizenship contributions, physical peace and safety, and self-determination of queer folks themselves, ... so power to negatively sanction and punish queer folks as traditionally reserved to straight folks; plus (B) flat earth notions that something unethical obtains for same sex behaviors that does not also obtain for opposite sex behaviors ... this is getting a bit silly and bit odd and a bit crazy, given what we know empirically these days, a repeat of the old straw man intellectual dilemmas that revolved around Galileo-Copernicus-Bruno and the discovery of the Solar System/Cosmos - not territory which yields new truth; plus (C) standard traditional claims that religious people who dilly-dally with prejudice and violence occupy some special higher ethical and religious realm, compared to the dirty awful queer folks on the lower rungs of Creation. If we belivers keep lying down with these dogs, we will continue to scratch and itch with the fleas of violence. Alas. Lord have mercy.

WHAT??? A regligous leader getting involved with politics? I thought that wasn't allowed if the issue was homosexual marriage or abortion.

The Bishop of Rome has the power to request that his bishops in Uganda speak out clearly and forcefully AGAINST such violent and hate filled anti-homosexual laws but he has not done so. The Archbishop of Canterbury only spoke after enormous prodding and public outcry and his words did not address the repercussions these draconian measures would have on real human beings. This is shameful behavior and it points to the homophobia of both of these "leaders". Silence was their position and nothing was said in a timely fashion that addressed the gravity of violence of these proposed Uganda laws.

Well, well, well. Let's set aside our usual sexual politics - anti/pro homosexuality - for a change, and ask ourselves why most of us have never had similar urgent concerns or instantaneous angery outburts for the 1000s and 1000s of Ugandan children, women and men who continue to be maimed and slaughtered in the northern region of Uganda by some diabolical gang of murderers (call them demented rebels if you will)?

Why are we the so called Christian issue driven in our so called concerns for those who are less fortunate in one way or another?

As we pound on our keyborads in the safe confines of homes/offices/cafes, Catholic children, women and men continue to die needlessly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Uganda and in parts of West Africa, yet one never hears, bloggs or reads about mounted campaign efforts to address their plight. Why is it so? Is it because they are "Africans suffering from self-inflicted African political problems"? Or those people on the African continent?

I am sure if the affected populations were "gay/lesbian Africans" the whole world would have been flooded with horror stories aired 24/7 by all the major news networks. And the UN, European Union, included the lawmakers on Capital Hill (in Washington DC) would have jumped right into action and came to their immediate rescue.

However 'silence has always been the position of many of us living in the western nations and nothing is ever said in a timely fashion that addresses the gravity of wanton destraction of life and property in many African countries.'

And that is very hypocritical of us American/Canadian/British/European Catholics and other Christian groups. Why pick and choose for the sake of expediency and political mileage? WHY?

WHAT A SHAME! WHAT A SHAME! When we turn a blind to those most in need. WHAT A SHAME on us all who never condemn the "shocking severity" of wars, arms sales, economic exploitaion by well known congolamerates and their cohorts.