More on the “witchhunt”

Two interesting pieces in the NY Times, today, on the Vatican’s inspection of US Seminaries and the so-called “witch hunt” taking place regarding gay seminarians (not, it must be noted, ordained priests). The first is an op-ed piece by Amy Welborn who examines exactly what this inspection – which some are finding so troubling – [...]

“Witch Hunt”: Goodstein drops the ball

There are only a handful of reporters at the NY Times I really respect, and Laurie Goodstein, who covers religion, has been one of them. She is generally very balanced in her reporting, very careful to make sure she is presenting all sides. She doesn’t do it in this piece, though. This piece, while taking [...]

It’s called hating the sin and loving the sinner

To some folks – even a few of my readers, from whom I would expect better – it all seems very mysterious – like the height of hypocrisy: Senator Rick Santorum speaks out (a little too forcefully for my taste, but he’s not my senator) about the homosexual lifestyle and agenda, and so – somehow [...]

Democrats out another gay guy

One of the reasons I had to leave the Democrat party, after a lifetime, was because I couldn’t stomach the double-standards anymore. Just as I couldn’t stand to hear that the lesbian seduction of a 13 year old girl in the play The Vagina Monologues was considered a “good” rape (the play has now re-written [...]

Gay-bashing hoax, the BBC spots a flock of Christians and more!

Another Hate Crime Hoax: Stories like this really fry my beans. I have gay folk in my family, and it really peeves me to no end to read about someone who has defaced her own car and carried on about being bashed for her sexuality, and for two reasons: The first is because if someone [...]

In the Spirit of Christmas: A Letter to Maureen Dowd

Dear Ms. Dowd; I have just finished reading your sad and unfunny column from yesterday’s NY Times. While I don’t normally read yesterday’s news, my time has been so taken up with another issue that I was (quite unusually) glad to happen upon your writing, even a day late. You would, of course, have no [...]

The Book of Tobit is useful and under-utilized

Earlier, I wrote that I am in the process of putting together the liturgy for my brother’s funeral. That’s not just a hard sentence to write, it is a difficult task to set oneself to. It requires a willingness to say, “yes, I suppose this must be done, and better to do it now, when [...]