"Liberalism" is a not a permission slip for "hatred"

(Based on the above article A truly liberal society would tolerate the Anglican's churche's view on sexuality) I actually found the article an interesting read. I don't agree with it. But I did feel it was well written and went to great lengths to substantiate an opinion. The problem is, for me, is what it is asking is for the Anglican Church to be given special licence to continue to practice the preaching of disrcimination ... and ultimately of the "hatred" of about 10% of the human race...

...and call it "liberalism."

Now I am very outspokenly an Atheist, so I can hardly claim to be full objective on this, but I do feel their IS a difference. As an atheist I believe in a balanced, scientific, evidential basis to all that I know. Now, the fact that an Anglican (or any person of any faith, for that matter) disagrees with me, is totally fine. The difference is that I don't preach my "belief" as "fact" - I don't teach "faith" as the voice of a higher power that is defining and creating. And I don't, through organisation, seek to teach those who do not share my understanding that they are wrong. For me, anyone who doesn't understand the FACTs of sexuality (e.g. that the human race is not the only race that behaves in such a way but IS the only race who persecutes for it) is merely lacking in inforation. But the church will attempt to preach that they are wrong.

And for me, always with religion, it comes back to children: took young to make informed decisions about what they are learning. To be indoctrinated into what are the seedlings of prejudice, ignorance and hatred, they are unable to make reasoned judgement. As an atheist I require proof of that which I learn - but ironically "proof" and "certainty" are big, big words for me. However, the church will always claim that it is guided by a deity who IS truth and that His truth can be found through the Bible, and the teachings of a man or woman standing at the front of a big stone building TELLING them that they stand in representation of an unprovable deity, who demands that they denounce 10% of the entire population as WRONG.

IN the face of all KNOWLEDGE; in the presence of all explanation; besides and despite all philosophy, science, sociology, politics, ...and all other forms of thought and learning that we are so blessed with (allegedly by Him), the Anglican church holds attitudes that are contrary to and, at times, devising and insightful.

So, I respect the right of an Anglican to have their views (just as I cannot ever PROVE that there is no God, no matter how much I attempt), but what I disagree with is that it should be allowed as an organisation to continue to uphold and preach, and promote a decisive attitude.

Islam is being challenged at the moment and people are challenging those who would misuse it to teach hateful messages. We are even trying to promote in society this notion that religion should not be allowed to groom minds into discrimination and hatred.

When two people love each other, what right does any organisation (note, not the faith) have to continue to teach others that those two people must be treated as "less" - lesser than animals - lesser as people - less worth of love? Just because they are different.

IN my view, if the Anglican church has anyone to blame for it facing a backlash against it's beliefs, perhaps they should question the very deity for whom them claim to represent.. So this is not, for me, aquestion of whether the Anglican Church should be "allowed" to hold such views. Indeed it should - but it should also be prepared, and take responsibility for the fact that it holds views on sexuality which are unacceptable...to society. And as an organisation that positions itself within society as one that aims to TEACH people...it must understand that its views on Sexuality are not accepted. We change. Society CHANGES. We don't torture and murder black people any more. We don't allow bus seats to be reserved for one colour; we don't allow gender to decide whether you can vote; we don't allow hatred and prejudice to govern our decisions (or at least that is am ideal we strive for, anyway...we are still a long way off!). So if the Anglican Church wants to stay in the past and continue to be prejudice...then NO...it does not have the right or place to claim that "LIBERALISM" is some kind of permission slip to preach what is nothing less than selective hatred. Put simply, in my more angry times, I merely say "how dare you presume to hide behind faith in order to deliver a message of discrimatory and devisive hatred?" CW