On disorganized religion and Amendment One

From the Charlotte Observer:

There is a long history behind understanding biblical texts and what one discovers is that there has never been any diversity of interpreting biblical teaching on homosexuality until the last few decades. The suggestion that the Bible is unclear on this topic has no historical veracity.

It's not so much that the Bible is unclear, it's that current scholars (like yourself) choose to ignore so many other teachings which society has outgrown, like slavery being okay, adultery being a capital offense, etc. And then there's 1 Corinthians 12/25:

That there should be no schism in the body; but that members should have the same care one for another

The reason I bring up schism is because the author of this opinion piece has taken a very active role in the division of the Presbyterian Church:

A committee of the Presbyterian Church (USA), in its report to the 219th General Assembly, has accused a sister denomination of violating ecumenical etiquette and is urging dialogue in the future.

The General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical Relations (GACER), in response to accusations that the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) was recruiting dissatisfied PCUSA congregations, will make its report when the assembly meets in July. The task force was formed from a 2008 General Assembly overture asking the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) to investigate the charges.

Another sore spot for the investigative committee is the alleged assistance, by way of written materials, legal advice and personal visits, given to congregations. The report lists NWAC, along with the Presbyterian Lay Committee, as resource providers for congregations considering departure.

But it's not just the congregations that Fortson and others have their eyes on, it's also church properties.

It's not enough for this pastor to toss the Bible in there to butress his anti-gay position, he's got to try to piss off African-Americans, too:

It is claimed that gay marriage is the moral equivalent of the civil rights movement in an earlier generation. Many African-Americans see no connection whatever between skin color and sexual orientation. The jury is still out on homosexuality; there is no verifiable gay gene nor are all psychologists in agreement on the complex causes behind gender identity. Equating a “right” to gay marriage with historic civil rights legislation is without factual merit and is offensive to many black Americans.

There may not be a "gay" gene, but there's definitely an asshole gene. This is one of the reasons I no longer attend church.