bobjots : redux

He said: "We have no choice about this. Those who want to practice lesbianism or be gays must stand aside and let those of us who respect the biblical teachings continue with our work."

He was speaking after he arrived from a crucial worldwide Anglican conference held in Jerusalem, Israel, that discussed homosexuality.

However, an organisation calling itself the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya has disagreed.

In a statement sent to the media, the organisation said: "Every human being has sexual rights. Whether or not individuals personally disagree with the sexual orientation and sexual practices of men who have sex with men, or men who have sex with both men and women, and women who have sex with women, the fact remains that these groups of people exist in Kenyan society, as they always have."

Kogo said the church had extensively discussed the matter at the just-ended conference where it was agreed that all followers of the church must stick to the Bible.

The bishop yesterday attended a prayer service at the St. Mathews ACK Pro-Cathedral in Eldoret where he read a communiqué from the Jerusalem conference attended by more than 1,200 bishops and other clergy.

What troubles me is this - that the paper could not (or would not) find a Christian voice that objected to this and what this prohibition itself implies.

Personally, I am of the opinion that homosexual practice is against the natural order of creation. Why? Call it prejudice or cultural conditioning or my own reading of Scripture. Nonetheless, I would strongly oppose any attempts to marginalise what is already an extremely marginalised community in some societies, including our own. In fact, we ought to be starting to take steps to reverse the marginalisation. Even if we find the act itself wrong, who are we to tell others that they are sub-human and not deserving of the same rights and dignity as their fellow human beings?

When the Church itself starts telling people whom they consider to be sinners to stay outside the Church, is the Church saying that it is perfect and without blemish? A cursory reading of the Church's story, both current and historical, would tell us that she is definitely not! Perhaps it might do some good if some folks took time off to take a wider reading of the Bible, perhaps re-looking at the account in Mark 2:13-17:

Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Kyrie Eleison! Christe Eleison! If the Church closes her doors to those whom it considers sinners, none of us would qualify to be in the Church at all - including those called to the episcopate!

The Nairobi Star report reminded me of some folks who shall remained unnamed; folks who committed to take the lead in ensuring public safety during a public event but left everyone to fend for themselves just because someone's personal morality and sensibility got offended.

Don't give me the nonsense about lewd lyrics and performance. The boycott occurred hours before the regrettable incident by Carburetor Dung. Here's one of the songs that the holier than thous got so offended about enough to leave everyone in a lurch. And the lyrics to one of the other "offensive" songs, Demokrasi Tanpa ISA (from the "offending" band's website itself).

Perhaps we ought to think about it a bit .. why should the Devil have all the good music?

Looks like we Christians don't have the monopoly in having hypocritical and skewed perspectives on personal and public morality.