Monthly Archives: May 2013
Faith, Pride, and Chat this Friday
Don’t forget Faith, Pride, and Chat, our informal social evening, is taking place on Friday, 31 May at 7 p.m in St George’s Church on High Street. More detail….
Andrew McFarland Campbell’s Very Short Guide to Debunking The Six Traditional Clobber Passages
There are six passages traditionally used to say you can’t be gay and Christian: Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and 1 Timothy 1:9-10.
Genesis 19 is about gang rape. Anyone who says this has anything to say about consensual relationships has bigger problems than Biblical interpretation.
Leviticus is part of the Law of Moses, which is not binding on Christians. In any case the verses use an obscure Hebrew idiom that is rather unclear (as can been seen in the KJV translation).
Romans 1 26 and 27 does speak about same-sex relationships in a negative light, but then again verses 25 and 25 speak about opposite-sex relationships in an equally negative light. Nobody believes that Romans 1 teaches you can’t be straight and Christian.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 Timothy 1:9-10 use an obscure Greek word, arsenokoites, which is also used to refer to heterosexual sin. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 also uses the word malakos, which is not a sexual term. If these passages were supposed to be about same-sex relationships, the writer could have used a lot of other, more common, terms.
IDAHO Services 2013
Changing Attitude Ireland is hosting several events for IDAHO (the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia) this month.
| Date | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 12 May 2013 | 3.15 p.m. | St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin (map) Speaker: Canon Mark Gardner |
| Sunday, 12 May 2013 | 7.00 p.m. | St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick (map) Speaker: Canon Marie Rowley-Brooke |
| Sunday, 12 May 2013 | 8.00.p.m. | St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny (map) Speaker: Bishop Michael Burrows |
| Friday, 17 May 2013 | 8.30 p.m. | St Catherine’s Church, Newry (map) Organised in conjunction with Newry Rainbow Community. An ecumenical evening of sacred song and reflections. |
| Sunday, 19 May 2013 | 10.30 a.m | St Anne’s, Shandon, Cork (map) Speaker: Jerry Buttimer TD Music by Choral Con Fusion |
| Sunday, 26 May 2013 | 4.00 p.m. | St Columb’s Cathedral, Londonderry (map) Speaker: Archdeacon Scott Harte |
Equal Marriage Seminar by Accepting Sexuality
Accepting Sexuality, an informal group of Methodists, is holding a seminar on equal marriage, on Wednesday 22 May at 7.30 pm in the Skainos building, 239 Newtownards Road, Belfast. (Sandwich tea beforehand from 6.30 pm.)
Legislation is going through the Houses of Parliament, and while it doesn’t cover Northern Ireland, it has prompted a debate on how we understand marriage. The seminar aims to discuss and understand the issues involved, to help people to think these through and to reach their own conclusions.
James Grannell (editor of University College Dublin’s independent student newspaper) will provide an analysis of the debate; Revd Diane Clutterbuck is bringing a biblical and historical perspective; and Stephen Reain-Adair will speak from his own experience. There’ll be a chance for discussion, too.
If you are going to attend, please contact Revd David Cooper on tdavidcooper@btopenworld.com.
Faith and Pride 