Seattle Archbishop lies to promote bigotry and discrimination

[TechBear_Seattle]

Small surprise there. In response to this article in today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer, I wrote this letter to the editor:

On Tuesday, July 25, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Archbishop Alexander Brunett's friend-of-the-court brief to the Washington State Supreme Court on the matter of equal marriage in this state. In that brief, the Archbishop states that extending marriage rights to same-sex couples is an attack on the Catholic Church's freedom of religion, threatens the Church's authority to perform legal marriages and opens the Church up to discrimination lawsuits. To put it bluntly, Archbishop Brunett is lying.

The Roman Catholic Church, and all other religious groups, has always had the power to decide who may or may not participate in their religious rituals. The Church routinely refuses marriage to non-Catholics, people who are divorced, and anyone else the Church deems "unsuitable," even though discrimination on the basis of religion or marital status is illegal under federal and state law. Would that change if equal marriage became a reality? Certainly not.

Further, there are many religious organizations on the record as supporting equal marriage. The Unitarian-Universalist Association, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, the United Church of Christ, and many other Christian and non-Christian groups have stated their intent to celebrate same-sex marriage as soon as legally possible. Where does Archbishop Brunett get off dictating to them what they can and can not do? Does freedom of religion apply only to the Roman Catholic Church and no one else?

Archbishop Brunett is free to speak his mind; unlike him, I believe in freedom. But when community leaders lie in order to perpetuate civil injustice for the sake of their personal bigotries, it is necessary that those lies be challenged.

(Signed, etc.)

Not as eloquent or diplomatic as I probably could/should have been, but dammit, I get awfully tired of having to defend my rights against bigoted blowhards who use "religious freedom" to excuse their screams of "Segregation now! Segregation FOREVER!"

[meegbear]

1. Excellent piece!

You go girl! ... er ... bear! :thumbsup:

[NanceGreggs]

2. May I correct you on one thing?

"Not as eloquent or diplomatic as I probably could/should have been ..."

You could not have been more eloquent, and you were WAY MORE diplomatic than this idiot deserved!

Beautifully written piece! :applause:

[ccpup]

3. People have been using

religion since the dawn of time (or at least since the rise of Christianity) to seperate the "desirables" from the "undesirables". The arguments we use to rail against such blatant power and monumental, close-minded stupidity are, I suspect, similar to the arguments made 100, 200, 700 years ago. Religion will always seek to divide and put people in their "place" and people like you and I will always respond by trying to bitch-slap them into something resembling common sense and intelligence.

[ccpup]

4. Very good letter

by the way. :toast:

[insleeforprez]

5. On a related note...

Washington (state) Supreme Court will announce their ruling on the gay marriage issue TOMORROW (Wednesday).