Laughing stock...

The Church of England’s recent ‘pastoral statement’ insisted that sex is only for married heterosexuals, and that “Sexual relationships outside heterosexual marriage are regarded as falling short of God’s purpose for human beings.” It sounded divisive and uncharitable to me… and now almost 3,000 people, including 800 members of the clergy, have signed an open letter to the archbishops of Canterbury and York, saying that the pastoral statement has made the Church of England a “laughing stock to a nation that believes it is obsessed with sex”.

The church is deeply divided over the roles of women and gay people in the Christian ministry, and the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has the devil’s own job in reconciling the liberal and conservative wings of the church. My question: why bother? As for “laughing stock”, well, I know funnier jokes. I don’t know why gay people would even want to join the homophobic Church of England. If the Church of England wants to issue another pastoral statement, maybe this would do:  “We appreciate that no one cares any more what we say, and that, essentially, we are just talking to ourselves”.

Licensed today: St Oran's chapel on the Isle of Iona...