Methodists...

According to an article in the Guardian, Methodists will decide this week whether to take a significant step towards allowing same-sex marriage. The Methodist church set up a task group in 2016 to consider its definition of marriage in the light of legal and social changes. A report from the group (to be presented to a conference this week) highlights “the hurt felt by those who perceive that the current definition implies they are ‘lesser persons’ ”. Yes, I can see that many gay and lesbian people might feel marginalised by the church’s traditional teachings. However, the report also mentions feelings of “alienation and distress” among those adhering to a traditional definition of marriage. Honestly, what kind of “distress” is involved in letting other people live their lives how they want? Homosexuality isn’t compulsory, and it can't be 'caught' like a disease. In fact, the presence of gay people on planet earth inconveniences the righteous in no way at all. The only “alienation” that traditional Christians might suffer is detachment from common sense.

Just licensed: a shot of some miserable old bugger waiting for a bus on the Isle of Skye (according to his watch, the bus is thirty years late)...