We have commented here about the extremist anti-gay political efforts of Nigerian Anglican Arch-Bishop Akinola including his support of a bill that would criminalize reading this website.
We have also discussed how the ex-gay ministries and their leaders have in many cases shifted focus away from those who are struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions and now are primarily political activists.
Now we find reported on the virulently anti-gay conservative Anglican website, Virtue Online, that ex-gay Mario Bergner may have encouraged Akinola in his anti-gay efforts by providing to him – four years ago – ex-gay materials including Jeffrey Satinover’s Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth and Bergner’s own Setting Love In Order.
The Archbishop responded:
The position of the Church of Nigeria on the sexuality agenda of the “West” is well known. Your message to us at this time has further reinforced our position that the society does not have to pull the Church by the nose. We have a duty to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to all.
So it seems that at least some of the blame for the current chaos in the Anglican Church can be laid at the feet of the ex-gay movement.
UPDATE:
As noted by commenter Jimbo below, the original source of the emails may have been the conservative Anglican Mainstream
What I find terribly interesting about this, as an outsider, is that the Anglican church was born when a powerful man, a king, disagreed with the Catholic church’s teachings on marriage and relationships.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_England#History
So now sex/relationship issues just might cause another split. Fascinating.
I heard Mario speak around that time, and he indicated he was sending copies of the books to all 38 Anglican primates around the world. This was motivated by the fact that General Convention 2003 was going to discuss rites of blessing for same-sex couples (which was on the agenda for a long time, before the consent to the election of Gene Robinson was on the radar).
Someone needs to send all 38 Anglican primates a well-researched rebuttel to those books especially Mr. Science Fiction Jeffrey Satinover’s stupidity.
The report mentioned above appears to have been lifted from an Anglican website (of an ex-gay/anti-gay persuasion) based in the UK, and the original article with link can be found here.
This will anger people, but 2 b just, Christianity & Islam forbid homosexual & lesbian activities. Incidentally, they must criminalize sex change surgeries-bad surgeries.
Getting 2 this Anglican Nigerian bishop, if homosexuals & lesbians don’t wan 2 go 2 prison for homosexual activities in NIgeria, then don’t engage in them. In countries where it’s a crime to engage in homo&lesbian behaviors, homosexuals aren’t punished because of their attractions. They’re punished because of their sexual behaviors. It’s similar to throwing pot users in jail in the U.S. Pot users aren’t jailed because of their attraction to use drugs, they’re punished because of pot use behavior. Sexual attraction likewise is irrelevant & the Anglican Nigerian bishop wants to end homosexual behaviors even if
Not 2 spam, but as noted, I want it to be a crime to perform sex change surgeries. If somebody has GID, then they must be given counseling to overcome GID, not mutilations.
Finishing on that Nigerian Anglican bishop, as noted, in Nigeria & in Muslim countries, homosexuals & lesbians aren’t sent to jail because of sexual orientation-they’re sent to jail because of sexual behavior which is a crime in those nations.
There are countries where a man & his wife can go to jail if they perform oral sex & sodomy. We punish people for behavior, not for thoughts. I have no problem if they make these sexual behaviors a crime & the Nigerian Anglican bishop is doing what his religious convictions say is bad. I’m not a Christian, but sex in my view is supposed to be between a man & woman-the procreational way, though I support birth control. Y r u irate @ the Nigerian bishop 4 wanting 2 make a crime behaviors he regards as bad?
According to some interpretations of their respective holy books, yes. And according to others, not.
That doesn’t follow at all.
We’ll start practicing global abstinence the same day you do.
Is that your professional opinion? Because it’s not that of the APA.
Really? In the country I live in, we don’t punish people for those behaviors at all anymore. Besides which, we don’t punish people for all behavior, now do we?
That’s nice. And how about I start a religion that says writing in text-message shorthand is an abomination and must be outlawed? Would you support my efforts to do what my religious convictions say are bad? Of course not.
Because thinking something is bad isn’t a reason for outlawing it. Showing that it harms others or infringes on their rights is. And because one shouldn’t encode one’s one religious views into law.
Skemono, ur thoughts have been observed. I’m not a Christian, nor am I a Muslim, but I agree with the Nigerian Anglican minister 2 a great extent, though not on all points.
I’m n/i in what the APA & AMA says. U don’t have 2 b an expert 2 understand the medical harms of sex change surgeries & the hormones r medically harmful. Making it a crime 2 perform sex change surgeries is synonymous 2 laws against using drugs. I’m also against vasectomies & plastic surgeries in most cases, unless 1 has been a cancer or burn victim. Surgeries must only b done if it’s needed in order to live.
But let’s stick 2 the topic. Yes, in the U.S. laws have been repealed against homosexual & lesbian activities, along with oral sex & sodomy between fully knowing & willful adults. But the truth is that H&l groups only tolerate views favorable 2 their sexual activities while engaging in censorship (Chris Kempling in Canada) & in some cases even violence (2002 Mary Stachowicz case in Chicago).
I wouldn’t care so much about homo&lesbian activities between fully knowing & willful adults, if incidents such as what happened to Dr. Chris Kempling didn’t happen. I would still b against their behaviors, but I wouldn’t care so much. The reason I support this Nigerian minister is because of what happened to Dr. Chris Kempling.