In all the excitement about the elections in the Diocese of Los Angeles and Louisiana, and the statement from Lambeth Palace about the election of Mary Glasspool, I missed this article.
Man of God backs govt against gaysApparently, this man of God and prince of the Anglican Church made this statement during a funeral.
Stephen Otage
Kampala
A senior member of the Anglican Church has thrown support behind the government move in a bid to phase homosexuality out of the country.
Rev. Michael Esakan Okwi said on Friday that not even “cockroaches” who are in the “lower animal kingdom” engaged in homosexual relations.
“What about the human being who was made in God’s image?” he asked at the funeral service in All Saints Cathedral - Kampala for Tom Omongole, the former Resident District Commissioner of Bukedea.
Rev. Okwi also lectures Theology and Philosophy at the Uganda Christian University. The law prescribes a seven-year jail term for gay sex and a death penalty for certain types of offences like homosexual rape.
It was introduced as a private member’s Bill by Ndorwa West MP David Bahati and has since kicked off an international storm with a number of Western governments and human rights groups describing it as hateful.
This week, Dr Nsaba Buturo, the Minister for Ethics and Integrity, told a news conference at the Uganda Government Media Centre, that the country would not bow to foreign pressure over homosexuality, which he again denounced as an immoral practice that is unacceptable in Uganda.
Countries like Sweden have threatened to withhold aid to Uganda over the proposed law. During the recently concluded Commonwealth Summit in Trinidad and Tobago, the anti-gay bill acquired instant international notoriety.
Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, eh? What a giant of "the faith first received from the fathers"!
I'm thinking that, in all probability, we won't hear from +++Himself about the proposed genocide of LGBT people in Uganda, much less a rebuke of this prelate from Kampala.
+++He's much too busy rebuking The Diocese of LA in particular and warning The Episcopal Church in general for taking the risk of doing the work of the gospel.
Meanwhile, not even a peep about the self-avowed, unrepentant, practicing heterosexual man with clear revisionist tendencies who was elected Bishop of Louisiana.
No wonder the Church of England is losing members.
Never mind. Even Kendall Harmon, that peripatetic and ubiquitous Canon Theologian of all 'orthodoxy' from the Diocese of South Carolina has published a very revealing piece entitled, "A Look Back at Rowan William's Statements in 2003" when +Gene Robinson was duly elected and consecrated Bishop of New Hampshire.
An old lion roars in the winter of the church.
Yawn!
Even Cody Sanders, writing an op-ed cover piece for the Associated Baptist Press, asks "On Gay Rights: Is there Any Common Ground?" Mr. Sanders just wants the violence and hate crimes against LGBT people to stop and wonders if we all might agree on that.
You'll be amazed at the comments. Okay, maybe you won't. Call me naive, but I was.
Then again, "cockroaches" just need to be exterminated. You know. We've done this before. In Germany. In the 40's. "Vermin" - in whatever form - always need to be exterminated.
Never mind. As for me and my house, we will praise the Lord for The Episcopal Church and keep our eyes on Jesus.
Suddenly, I find myself praying even more fervently that wonderful prayer from the BCP Office of Compline.
"Shield the joyous."
And, this: "May God Bless +++Rowan Williams, and all the Prelates of 'orthodoxy' and self-proclaimed 'defenders of the faith', and keep them far away from us."
A hearty "Amen!" to your final prayer.
ReplyDeleteTruly, at some point, these ignorant comments (e.g., that of the "Reverend" Okwi) just leave me speechless.
The Hutus used the term when trying to annihilate the Tutsis so it has real "local" violence associated with it.
ReplyDeleteFor Rev. Okwi to refer to anyone as less than human is appalling. It is never permissible to refer to anyone as less than human.
ReplyDeleteI am disgusted that Rowan Williams responded to the Rev Glasspools election and has not responded to Rev. Okwi and the bill against homosexuals in Uganda.
It just reaffirms my belief that freedom is not a right. It is a privilege. It can be given with the stroke of a pen and taken back just as quickly. It is a privilege that must be fought for. Nothing comes without cost and that cost is sweat and sometimes even blood. And, like all things that can be written into and out of law, constant vigilance must be maintained. You can never take your liberty for granted. Not for one day, not for one minute. These lessons have recently had to be re-learned in this country with the fundamentalist right trying to take back hard won marriage equality victories; and just did so in California. It just comes as a body blow when it’s your own princes of the church throwing the punches. They are supposed to be a continuation in the Apostolic tradition of the original disciples of Christ. They are supposed to exemplify Christ’s ministry on earth, not make a joke of it. If the young among us think that the fight for equality was an interesting footnote in gay history, this is a wake-up call.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Hutus and the Tutsis were the first thing that came to my mind, too, Shelly. First way to get people to hurt someone, or give yourself justification to hurt them yourself, is dehumanize them.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Rowan Wlliams does not care for the people in Africa. His focus is on what TEC does which does not lead to death but celebrates all the children of God. By his silence he has endorsed the killing of human beings in Africa.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure glad that everyone has noticed that Rowan managed to get a statement out on this issue but so far, mums the word on the Ugandan legislation. Mustn't offend the Ugandans with their kill the gays bill.
ReplyDeleteThe Affirmation Declaration is a different response.
ReplyDelete