A national survey of the number of homosexual clergy in the Church of England will take place this year, according to gay rights campaigners.
Inclusive Church, a network of individuals and organisations working for better recognition of minorities, says the survey will be the first of its kind and will prove that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) clergy play a crucial role in the everyday life of the church.
The online survey will ask participants whether they are single, in a relationship, and have had a blessing or thanksgiving service to celebrate their partnership. They will also be asked what position they hold and which part of the country they work in.
If the survey does not include the number of Homosexually oriented clergy who wish to remain celibate based on their theology, then it will be largely worthless.
“The survey would start in late November and take about six months to complete; it would be conducted by a firm specialising in population research.”
To email 7500 people when they already have the data base? When they already know who the gay clergy are?
Heck, Moses did a faster (and bigger) job of counting people in the wilderness?
Else they will email 100 Southwark clergy and multiply the number to represent the entire C of E 🙂
The purpose of this survey seems to be an an ill-disguised attempt to out all homosexuals in the church hierarchy, and by so doing, force them to join the pro-homosexual fight, and to call all England’s attention to just how crucial homosexuals are to the operation of the CofE. The message clearly will be “WE are the establishment, whether you like it or not.”
I don’t know, but maybe our Brit friends can say whether so blatant an attempt will be met with sympathy or with contempt at such coercion. And it IS coercion, isn’t it? Larry
[blockquote]Online survey?[/blockquote]
You’ve got to be kidding? About as reliable as those push polls you see all over the Internet. It is very easy for anyone with with half a mind to do so to post any number of responses so long as they have a computer and know how to delete cookies and/or create user accounts on that computer. Not mention organized solicitation of responses from special interest groups.
Maybe the heterosexual clergy should swamp this fiasco with their responses.