George Cardinal Hell has been corresponding with Australian Marriage Equality, I blogged about it here, but didn’t really talk much about the substance of his message in ‘The Christmas Letters’, so let me pick out a couple of bits for you.
….. But in Australia priests and bishops enjoy the same rights to freedom of speech and to participate in public debate as everyone else. This applies particularly to important questions of justice, and to issues which threaten to further erode the family, with all the suffering this brings for individuals and the community.
Now remember, he’s talking about gay marriage, so just what is the issue that is a threat to further erode the family? Â What is ‘all the suffering’ that it will bring to individuals and community? Â There is none of course, but it doesn’t stop him from making outlandish statements.
It is precisely the false claim that opposition to same-sex marriage in itself is a form of prejudice or discrimination which has been so damaging in undermining freedom of thought, conscience and religion in those jurisdictions overseas where same-sex marriage has been legalised.
Umm… no.  It’s not a false claim.  I know it’s not a false claim because I’m discriminated against.  You are denying marriage to a group of citizens because of their gender.  That’s what I’d call discrimination, and lets not get started on the prejudice that’s being created by your ministers during Christmas sermons. Oh, and there’s no intention to undermine freedom of thought, conscience and religion.  Nobody is asking you, Hell, to marry a bloke, oh you can’t you’re one of those celibate types, nobody is asking anyone to marry outside their consciene or religion.  Nobody is telling you that you can’t continue to believe your twaddle, but I think it’s important that you keep your twaddle to yourself and stop trying to impose it on the rest of society, that’s not too much to ask is it?  After all, you do understand that most people don’t actually agree with you and it’s unfair of you to try and influence people to your way of thinking by using your position in the church and in our society to further your cause.
The issue of same-sex marriage is not about the rights of non-heterosexual people or about equality.
Yes, it is. Â It’s exactly what it’s about.
We already have “relationship equality†in Australia, because marriage, homosexual relationships, and unmarried heterosexual relationships are all treated equally before the law.
Just semantics, Hell – you know that there is no equality because I can’t marry my Love Llama who has a willy.
As a way of ensuring that everyone is treated fairly, I support this, although I also think more needs to be done to support marriage as a relationship which is particularly important for the well-being of families and the community.
I’m not being treated fairly, not by a long shot. Â You’re not supporting fairness or equality. Â And yes, more needs to be done to support marriage as a relationship, those couples with children need help for their well-being, and the families of same sex couples are just as important as the families of opposite sex couples.
The reality of marriage is that it is about a man, a woman and children. This is how marriage has always been understood across time and cultures, and it is how Australians continue to understand marriage, as shown by the fact that most Australian couples decide to marry when they decide to have children.
The reality of marriage is that same sex couples want to do it too – and same sex couples have children. Â It doesn’t matter that marriage has always been understood across time and cultures, what matters is now. Â Same-sex couples want to have children and they want to marry – why do you stand in their way?
It would help me in considering your request for a meeting to receive an assurance that you and the AME do not regard opposition to same-sex marriage in itself as a form of prejudice and discrimination, and that you are prepared to say this publicly.
You’re joking right?  How understanding and compassionate of you.
I don’t know why anyone would take you seriously George Cardinal Hell.
You want us to take you seriously. Nice Frock
Town fool?
Actually, this is complete bullshit:
“The reality of marriage is that it is about a man, a woman and children. This is how marriage has always been understood across time and cultures”
The reality is that until recently (and currently in some places) being gay is a death sentence. Homosexuals were (and are) treated as subhuman abominations by society (read: Christian society) at large.
How “marriage” has been understood is irrelevant because until very recently, it was unthinkable for homosexuals to even be human. Much the same as black people not too long ago.
The bottom line is Christians need to wake up and realise what disgusting bigoted discriminating fucks they really are.
They whine about how “marriage has always been between a man and a woman” but forget to mention that “we also stoned to death two men or two woman who were in love”.
Assholes.
It would help activists in considering whether it’s worth wasting time meeting this dickhead to receive an assurance that he and his church do not consider same-sex couples to be in any way inferior to opposite-sex couples, that homosexual people are exactly equal in all respects to heterosexual persons, and that he is prepared to say this publicly.
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