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The Pope vs gay marriage

Mon Apr 13 10:08AM

Last week Tony Blair urged Pope Benedict XVI to change his views on gay marriage, arguing that the religious leader has an "entrenched attitude" that is in need of a rethink.

The Pope is firmly opposed to any relaxation of the Church's traditional stance on homosexuality, contraception or any other area of human sexuality and he describes homosexuality as a "tendency" towards an "intrinsic moral evil".

In an interview with Attitude magazine the former prime minister said: "We need an attitude of mind where rethinking and the concept of evolving attitudes becomes part of the discipline with which you approach your religious faith."

Historically religion has dictated onto society how people should be living their lives but now the opposite has started happening - society is demanding the church changes to keep up with their modern lifestyles.

Once upon a time when religion and politics were entwined by the monarchy people were punished for not following religion to the letter. As monarchs' powers gradually dwindled so too did the power that religion held over this, and many other countries, around the world.

But does this loss of power mean that religion should now adapt to suit us and our notions of what is right and wrong? Certainly the Pope does not think so.

The whole premise behind religion is that each faith knows it is right. Religion is the most irrationally stubborn belief known to man and so a change of stance will often look like an admittance of being wrong.

Some aspects of religion have been left behind, but often these changes have been imposed on them by serious changes in law. Very infrequently have religions changed to follow society's wishes.

And why is that? If the Pope were to take advice from Tony Blair and change his stance on gay marriage he would effectively be saying Catholicism was not 100% right. And if it was wrong about gay marriage what else could it be wrong about?

Comments1 - 10 of 3056

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I think Tony Blair has proved that his thoughts of any kind leave a lot to be desired.
Catholic religion is doing fine just as it is thankyou.
April.

From elaine.shanley on Mon Apr 13 10:17AM
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It all depends whether you accept the authority of the Bible. If you do, homosexuality is an evil vice.

From jeremyhamer637 on Mon Apr 13 10:20AM
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It all depends whether you accept the authority of the Bible. If you do, homosexuality is an evil vice.

From jeremyhamer637 on Mon Apr 13 10:21AM
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I think that the Pope is right to stand his ground on this issue. The views of religious leaders may not be popular but they have stood the test of time.

From taylor_pg on Mon Apr 13 10:21AM
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It's entirely legitimate to call on the Pope to change his views about homosexuality - although it wouldn't just be the Pope who would have to change those views in the Roman Catholic Church, for any real change to take place. What is of much more questionable legitimacy is Tony Blair's position as a religious commentator. He seems to see no disconnect at all between the single-mindedness with which the Pope adheres to his moral theology and the single-mindedness with which he, as Prime Minister, adhered to his own moral theology with regards to the Iraqi invasion and war. He really should not and cannot be allowed to get away from the fundamentally compromised (if not debased) standing he must surely hold in any discussion about ethics, morality or what having a religious faith means and entails.

From peteruk123 on Mon Apr 13 10:24AM
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The Pope is right to maintain the status quo within the Roman Catholic faith.
I feel that the Church of England is a prime example of a religion that has lost its way and tries to be all things to all men. The problem with adopting that concept is where do you draw the line at what is acceptable and what is not.

From midon98 on Mon Apr 13 10:26AM
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This isn't about one religion or another. It's about what the bible says. GOD is the one who doesn't approve homosexuality, it's not the Pope, it's not a religion, it is GOD himself. So if someone disagrees, it's because they don't believe in God or because they simply don't want to obey him. It's not rocket science, men have certain organs that women don't and that's because we are created in such a way that we attrack each other and as a result you find love, true happiness and the chance to have your own children. Why should the creation contradict the Creator? You can't use a blender to heat food, you can't use a microwave to blend, can you?

From antonellacmv on Mon Apr 13 10:27AM
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The bible dictates a lot of rules that are not feasible to live by and would hinder any advances in technology or way of life. If, as a rule, religion was to be followed by the book and was not open-minded, we would all still be living in the dark-ages. I personally believe that religion has lost all of it's original meaning anyway and has just become a means of prejudicing against people.

From bbeenn on Mon Apr 13 10:28AM
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Tony Blair's "worldly views and expertise" have nearly been the demise of Great Britain, does he truly believe he has the wisdom to dabble with and revise the bible? The Pope has a right to voice his beliefs without an ex PM "encouraging" him in ANY direction!

From phil.debra on Mon Apr 13 10:28AM
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Most religions have morals which are no longer relevant to the way of life of many. It is about time that religions, particularly the catholic church recognised that any relationship, as long as it is loving and about mutual respect is valid and should be recognised. The Bible is full of contradictions and should not be followed to the letter.

From roycoleman123 on Mon Apr 13 10:28AM
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