Bishop Gene Robinson announces his divorce

From here:

RNS CIVIL UNIONBishop Gene Robinson, whose 2003 election as the first openly gay Episcopal bishop rocked Anglican Communion, has announced his divorce from his longtime partner and husband.

[….]

“As you can imagine, this is a difficult time for us — not a decision entered into lightly or without much counseling,” Robinson wrote in a letter. “We ask for your prayers, that the love and care for each other that has characterized our relationship for a quarter century will continue in the difficult days ahead.”

Why, I wonder, is the other partner in an all male marriage often referred to as the “husband”, yielding a relationship with two husbands? Why isn’t one of them a wife? The word “husband” comes from the Old Norse word hūsbōndi, meaning “master of a house”. The muddle is undoubtedly a corollary of the more profound confusion of two men pretending to be married: a marriage can’t have two men and a house can’t have two masters.

Love Free or Die

Love Free or Die is the title of a documentary film about Gene Robinson, the first – but not the last – overtly homosexual bishop in The Episcopal Church.

The title of the film seems to imply that Bishop Robinson would prefer death to the fettering of his sexual inclinations. As things turned out, not only is he still with us but he became a bishop, a darling of the Anglican liberal establishment and has had a movie made about him. To add to the collection of “firsts”, Robinson was the first bishop to wear a bullet-proof vest at his ordination, demonstrating a determination to avoid the second option mentioned in the title of the documentary.

Naturally, the bishop is a hero to the Diocese of Westminster, so it is allowing Integrity Vancouver to screen the documentary in one of its churches: St. David’s Anglican Church. In spite of having a title that is an amalgam of Born Free and Die Hard, the film isn’t particularly popular: this is its first appearance in Canada and, in order to entice people to see it, St. David’s showing is free.

Here is the trailer in which, oddly enough, those who oppose same-sex marriage are clearly homophobic bigots and those who are for it are pioneering justice-seekers forging a bright new world full of love, compassion and – gay bishops.

 

Having instigated 7 years of Anglican havoc, Bishop Gene Robinson to retire in 2013 because of the strain

From here:

The first openly gay Episcopal bishop said Saturday that he will retire in 2013, due in part to the “constant strain” on him and his family from the worldwide backlash against his election seven years ago.

Bishop V. Gene Robinson, whose consecration convulsed the global Anglican fellowship, said he was announcing his retirement early so the transition would be smooth for the Diocese of New Hampshire. He assured congregants that he is healthy and sober after seeking treatment for alcoholism five years ago. He will be 65 when he steps down.

Robinson revealed his plans at the annual diocesan convention in Concord.

“The fact is, the last seven years have taken their toll on me, my family and you,” the bishop said, in prepared remarks released by the diocese. “Death threats, and the now-worldwide controversy surrounding your election of me as bishop have been a constant strain, not just on me, but on my beloved husband, Mark.”

The thought of the constant strain on Gene and, his beloved husband Mark, tears at the heartstrings, but surely even someone as dopey as Vicki Gene could have foreseen the aggravation his consecration would cause. Of course, his main worry is for himself and those who agree with him, not the 70 million equally aggravated Anglicans who don’t

New police guidelines on how to arrest a witch

In summary, if you don’t want to be incarcerated in a re-education camp by the diversity Gestapo, don’t. Arrest a Christian instead.

From here:

Usually, police officers take a pretty dim view if they stumble upon anyone who is blindfolded, naked and tied by their hands.

But tonight is Halloween and the boys in blue have been told not to throw the spellbook at gaudy-painted witches and their rituals.

Officers have been given a 300-page ‘diversity handbook’ with a list of dos and don’ts when approaching  followers of a range of religions from atheism to Zoroastrianism.

The guidance includes a ban on touching a witch’s Book Of Shadows which contains their spells and handling their ceremonial dagger.

And the online handbook advises officers not to jump to conclusions if  they come across a bizarre pagan ritual.

It says: ‘Some ceremonies include a blindfolded , naked participant whose hands may be bound. This is in accordance with ritual and has the full consent of the participant.’

Here’s one such willing participant in pagan revelries pictured before the blindfold and handcuffs come out: