Newton, CT pastor forced to apologize after interfaith sermon

The Family Research Council, a strongly anti-gay group, states: " Anti-miscegenation statutes (interracial marriage bans) were intended to keep persons of different races separate. Marriage statutes, on the other hand, are intended to bring persons of the opposite sex together."

So in other words, we must ban gays from being able to marry, so they will marry people of the opposite sex? Or, is the logic, and I am using a broad definition with them, is that a heterosexual couple are about to take their marriage vows until they see Brian and Greg take theirs? Or Judy and Laura?

The House of Commons has taken an initial vote to expand marriage equality in Great Britain/United Kingdom, to gay couples. It's not there yet, it still has to go to the House of Lords, for instance. Why a House of Lords still exists in 2013 in Britain, I have no idea. There are 89 people in the House of Lords who get their position because of who were their parents. There are 25 members who are clergy with the Church of England.

Why these people have any say over anything whatsoever to do with the average Brit, is a gross injustice. By the way, we base our U.S. Senate on the House of Lords, though the House of Lords is still more a bit more undemocratic then the U.S. Senate, where a Senator who represents 450,000 people is equal to one that represents 40 million.

Pastor Rob Morris of Newtown, Connecticut's Christ the King Lutheran Church, provided the closing benediction at an interfaith event this past Dec. 16, for the children shot at Sandy Hook elementary. Though I am an atheist, I understand that to some religion is a source of comfort. But, this is what amazed me.

Pastor Morris was admonished and forced to apologize by Pastor Matthew Harrison, president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, under whose authority the Newton church falls. The grave offense was "joint worship with other religions." See, giving aid and comfort to the family of those whose children were murdered, along with their friends, co-workers and neighbors is something that should not be tolerated.

Better to ignore all other religions because of course the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has the absolute "truth" about religion, Christianity and the universe. Heck, they probably knew early on what was happening on the T.V. show, Lost. The arrogance of fundamentalist religious types, once again, has no match. Though I do not know if there was a historical Jesus, but if there was one and he was as good as those who worship him say he was, he would be ashamed of one Pastor Matthew Harrison.

Finally, a quote by C.S. Lewis on how religious laws on marriage/divorce should not be the same as civil ones. C.S. Lewis being one of the leading apologists for Christianity in the past century and a half and someone still quoted on a good basis by Christian conservatives today.

Before leaving the question of divorce, I should like to distinguish two things which are very often confused. The Christian conception of marriage is one: the other is quite the different question-how far Christians, if they are voters or Members of Parliament, ought to try to force their views of marriage on the rest of the community by embodying them in the divorce laws. A great many people seem to think that if you are a Christian yourself you should try to make divorce difficult for every one. I do not think that. At least I know I should be very angry if the Mohammedans tried to prevent the rest of us from drinking wine.

My own view is that the Churches should frankly recognize that the majority of the British people are not Christian and, therefore, cannot be expected to live Christian lives. There ought to be two distinct kinds of marriage: one governed by the State with rules enforced on all citizens, the other governed by the church with rules enforced by her on her own members. The distinction ought to be quite sharp, so that a man knows which couples are married in a Christian sense and which are not.