Promises, promises

In another sign that the Anglican Communion is going to fall apart over gay sex, the retiring (obviously liberal) bishop of Oxford has argued that the Bible actually supports gay marriage (!!), and that conservatives should get behind it. The Rt. Rev. Richard Harries also argued that openly gay, partnered men should be allowed to be bishops, angry that one of his own choices, Canon Jeffrey John, had to withdraw as candidate for Bishop of Reading (or maybe was bishop? Hard to tell from the story.) after his long-term same-sex relationship came to light.

That's not the funny part, of course. This is: The Telegraph story later drew attention to the fact that Anglican clergy are allowed to enter Britain's newly passed civil partnerships for same-sex couples "on the condition that they assured their bishop that they would abstain from sex." OK. Anyone want to police that? We Romans try that "living as brother and sister" stuff for those remarried without benefit of annulment. I don't think it has been widely adopted.

Of course, the evangelicals in Anglicanism had their response: "Same-sex partnerships are not congruous with the Bible," said Rev. David Bantingsaid, adding: "Sexual relations outside of heterosexual marriage are not blessed by God."

There must be a lot of unblessed sex going on out there. I hope it's not also bad sex, because I hear God gets really mad about bad sex. God thinks it is incongrous.

Anybody heard about that earthquake in Indonesia? Killed 5,000 people, left 200,000 homeless.