The Bishop of Los Angeles has challenged California voters who backed the successful ballot initiative to ban gay marriage to examine their consciences and banish their ignorance on homosexuality.
In a statement released on Nov 5, the Rt Rev J Jon Bruno (pictured) called upon Californians who supported Proposition 8 “to make an honest and dedicated effort to learn more about the lives and experiences of lesbian and gay humanity whose constitutional rights are unfairly targeted by this measure. Look carefully at scriptural interpretations, and remember that the Bible was once used to justify slavery, among other forms of oppression.”
With 99 per cent of precincts reporting, voters backed Proposition 8 by 5,376,424 to 4,870,010 votes, or 52 per cent to 48 per cent. Proposition 8 amends the state constitution to specify that only marriages between one man and one woman would be recognized as valid in California — overturning a May 2008 state Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.
Bishop Bruno and the bishops of San Diego, California, Northern California, El Camino Real, and the bishop of the provisional diocese of San Joaquin lent their support in September to the “no” campaign.
Every year it gets easier to see why someone might just leave the country to get away from the Anglican church. Thanksgiving is coming up. We all have to be thankful this character isn’t our bishop.
The bible has been used to justifiy a lot of things but that does not make it right to do so. I am not so sure that it condones slavery as much as its critics would like to think.
I wish I was smarter than God…what a blessing and yet at the same time a burden for Jon Bruno…not to mention being smarter than all the voters of CA put together…
The premis bothers me most. I’m not in favor of ignorance but I (and most others) know far too much about homosexuality.
Don
Which constitution is JJ talking about?
‘However, Bishop Bruno stated he was placing his trust in the courts to nullify the will of the people. “It is only a matter of time†he said, before the “narrow constraints†of Proposition 8 “are ultimately nullified by the courts and our citizens’ own increasing knowledge about the diversity of God’s creation.‒
Well, of course. That’s why we have elections. So judges can turn around and make the laws for the Great Unwashed.
Paging Harrison Bergerac.
Poor Jon, no one in authority to ram it down the peoples throat, no one to tell the people to like it or dialogue till they do like it, so the people must be ignorant. There is no right to marry that I know of. It is an activity regulated by the state. I can’t marry my sister, my mother, or my wife sisters while I am married to my wife. Get over it Jon.
I think Bp Bruno is ignorant of how much conservatives DO know about homosexuality – and why what we know persuades us more fully to oppose so-called “gay rights.”
this must be a double whammy for them because the state went to obama; most people voting democrat for pres and shooting down gay marriage at the same time…of course what are they going to say, that intelligent people voted against them??? why does this issue keep coming up? the people have spoken, let it be the last word already!
Where’s all that talk about “polity” now? And I wonder how the courts will strike down as unconstitutional something that is… wait for it… IN THE CONSTITUTION!
No. 9: Not only that, but there’s another important matter that Bp Brunoi needs to face: As the WSJ notes, “A number of commentators have noted the irony that a larger black turnout than usual put the bans on same-sex marriage over the top. But the fact that 94% of blacks in California voted for Mr. Obama and about 70% voted to ban same-sex marriage there should be more than an odd historical footnote.” It appears to be the case that Bp Bruno is arguing the moral equivalence of gay rights and equal rights based on race to a degree that African-Americans themselves do not accept. But then we knew that already, didn’t we?
The arrogance of this man is startling. Where is the love for his enemies? It is startling that this leader always sees his recourse in the civil courts and not through quiet Christian reconciliation or prayer.
The TEC folks who supported Gene Robinson’s consecration did so on the basis that the people of NH voted for it and, after all, the will of the people, was sancrosanct.
Except, I guess when the will of the people goes against what you want.
The blatant hypocrisy is what is so frustrating.
As someone who watched my cousin slowly die of AIDS (we were raised in the same family so he was more like my brother) along with his lover and all of their circle of obviously non-“ignorant” friends, I am deeply disgusted by statements of phonies such as Bruno who say I don’t understand homosexuality and the devastating effects of the homosexual lifestyle on those in the lifestyle, their families and loved ones.
Wait, I thought it was just the long-ago Bible authors who didn’t understand homosexuality as we do today. Now contemporary Californians (L.A., San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, etc.) are ignorant, too?
[i] Slightly edited by elf. [/i]
” Nullify the will of the people”
This statement is probably the most ludicrous banality I have ever heard.
Just possibly this clown should move to Saudi thereby raising the IQ of the two countries.
So much for democracy.
Alrighty – what do the Elves think about “TEC = gay gnosticism” from comment #14?
This is insulting.
Prop 8 passed–in the land of fruits & nuts, mind you (I should know. I’m one of them!)–by a MARGIN of more than half-a-million people.
Is this an appropriate time to remember how many Episcopalians there are in California? We can assume it’s not 1/2 million, even when you count members-who-don’t-attend and churches that have left but are still on the books.
Let’s be very clear about the fact that if Bishops Bruno, Andrus, and Mathes had managed to convince every single episcopal man, woman, child, and blessed animal that darkened the door of an Episcopal church this year to vote no on 8, it would not have altered the result one little bit.
I…R…R…E…L…E…V…A…N…C…Y…
nullify the will of the people
It’s the American way??? Sheesh.
[blockquote]Alrighty – what do the Elves think about “TEC = gay gnosticism†from comment #14? [/blockquote]
That it’s a pretty good summation? Seriously, if your best rebuttal is to urge suppression of the view, your arguments are pretty weak.
[i] Please do not turn this thread into an ad hominem attack on Bp. Bruno or we will have to close comments. [/i]
Well, it was a good summation of TEC. Can’t have that, can we?
#16 – I will wait on the elves ruling, but the phrase was not mere sarcasm. It is descriptive of Bp. Bruno’s position (and by extension) TEC’s – anybody who disagrees with the LGBT agenda is “ignorant.” Gnosticism was a “secret knowledge” only available to a certain illuminated elite. When it comes to LGBT issues, TEC keeps asserting an special understanding over and above Scripture, tradition, Chrisitian consensus, other cultures, other times, other places… so I think my description is accurate to TEC’s thought system.
I have a very serious, sincere and troubling question – if the American people, warts and all, are too “ignorant” to decide things, who gets to decide? And by what right? It sort of mirrors the problem we’re having in the church, doesn’t it? – where do you place authority?
Someone pointed out on another blog (Chris Johnson?) that the Book of Common Prayer [i]defines[/i] marriage as between a man and a woman. If Jon Bruno doesn’t like it, why doesn’t he go join the metropolitan church?
Sherri2, where do you place authority is exactly the key problem in so many areas in this country including the Episcopal Church. Two days ago i heard a Mormon “spokesperson” speak about Prop 8 and it’s passage. “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, ” she said. Profound. For some reason this blog popped into my head? Go figure.
Why is it a light thing for +Bruno to call us oppressors and label us slavers?
If you are going to link to articles that include insults, stereotypes, demonization or other “fighting words,” perhaps those posts should have a “warning: offensive content” label.
Or, use the “comments by email only” method if you are going to post overwrought stuff like this.
We need Elves on both ends of these exchanges – warn us before we blunder into this kind of hateful stuff.
[i] This elf agree with #24.[/i]