Jesus Creed
From Graham Spiers, and more of this fine specimen of civility can be found at the link. This article is about the passing of legislation in Scotland on same-sex marriage, Cardinal O’Brien’s principled opposition, and the vitriol of those who oppose the man. Spiers:
CRITICS of Cardinal Keith O’Brien’s position on gay marriage have got this principled man so wrong.
I can see it has been another easy week in the business of abusing and ridiculing Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the father of Scotland’s Catholic community. In the pastime of mocking religion and religious figures in my country, O’Brien effortlessly leads the way in the custard-pie stakes.
The sorry subject, as ever, is that of gay marriage. The cardinal holds a view on this which, as it happens, is wholly opposed to my own: he detests the notion, and deplores the road that the Scottish Government is embarked upon, which is to have a gay marriage bill forthcoming by the end of the year, and same-sex marriages legal in Scotland by 2015.
Although I intellectually disagree with him, my admiration for O’Brien grows with an almost equal fervour with every passing week.
He is a strong and resolute Christian man. He is a spiritual leader of deep empathy and understanding. He is, according to those who know him, a warm and engaging character, qualities which I’ve no doubt sprang from his pre-celebrity years of humble parish work in places such as Cowdenbeath, Kilsyth and Bathgate among others….
What this church leader detests is not people, but ideas. On gay marriage, yes, he has open loathing for the notion of same-sex couples being shacked up, even more so when it is assisted by the state. But this is because he believes it drives a coach and horses through the very heart of Christian doctrine.
The foundation stone of any Christian doctrine is the Bible, and on this score O’Brien has every right to stand up for what he believes.
Indeed, amid the vagaries and vicissitudes of biblical interpretation, he may well be right on the subject of biblical authority and same-sex relationships….
What is O’Brien, if he believes in the sacred word, to do? Simply ignore it? He finds himself grossly out of step with the progressive, intellectual mood of modern Britain – although, intriguingly, not with ordinary Britons themselves – so should he simply allow his beliefs to be submerged beneath the rubble of modern values? Well, alas for his detractors, he’s not for that at all….
However, what I reject is the castigation of a decent and impressive Church leader, simply because he refuses to abandon his principles. O’Brien is that man in Scotland, standing foursquare against what he views as a modern ill-wind.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In