"Joy and pleasure are as real as pain and sorrow and one must learn what they have to teach. . . ." -- Sean Russell, from Gatherer of Clouds

"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." -- Helyn D. Goldenberg

"I love you and I'm not afraid." -- Evanescence, "My Last Breath"

“If I hear ‘not allowed’ much oftener,” said Sam, “I’m going to get angry.” -- J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings

Friday, August 10, 2012

Through the Looking Glass


Another TGL Award, this time to the leader of the Presbyterian Church in Australia. From Pink News:

As Australia prepares to propose marriage equality, the Reverend David Jones told Melbourne’s Herald Sun:

“We continually are told that the legalisation of same-sex marriage would end perceived discrimination against same-sex couples who are currently not able to marry under federal government law.

“But at least from the church perspective, opposition to such legalisation has nothing to do with discrimination. Plain and simply, Christians oppose same-sex marriage because the Bible, the word of the God who created male and female and also created marriage, clearly and distinctly says that marriage is between one man and one woman – which means not between two men or two women.”

I'm beginning to think that the American and Australian versions of English are mutually incomprehensible. Dictionary.com defines discrimination thus:

[T]treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit: racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.

That's pretty much what I've always thought it meant, but apparently there's a different meaning in Australia that's completely the opposite of what the word means in America. Or maybe it's like the idea that American "Christians" have about being called bigots See, in their minds, it's apparently OK to be bigoted if the Bible says it's OK.

In short, all I can say to Reverend David Jones is "Fine, your Bible says it's OK to discriminate. You're still discriminating."

I'll be generous and just suggest that the Reverend doesn't get it.

(Via)

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