Comment is free has an article No change in attitudes by Davis Mac-Iyalla.
CANA and ACNA both have press releases about the Nigerian response to the latter:
The matter is also referred to in this report from the Living Church ACNA Expects at Least Five Inaugural Dioceses.
There is no mention on either of these websites of the support given by the Church of Nigeria (and other Christian churches) to the proposed Nigerian Same Gender Marriage (Prohibition) Act. Do CANA and ACNA support the Church of Nigeria’s position?
The story is attracting comment from secular sources in Africa, see for example:
Lagos Guardian Homosexuality and the lawmakers
afrik.com What has Africa done to organised religion to deserve this…
IHEU Leo Igwe condemns Anglican Archbishop’s homophobic outburst
Posted by Simon Sarmiento on Monday, 23 March 2009 at 8:48am GMT | TrackBackSo, we have a humanist opposing Akinola. That should be fuel for the "I'm being oppressed by the Godless humanists" fire.
And these two from the Guardian. The first reveals an appalling ignorance of homosexuality. The second reveals refreshing signs of being fed up.
"They have a choice: they can marry members of the opposite sex or stay single......Perhaps the National Assembly should be spending its time on real issues"
Very good how afrik.com leaves Akinola to the end, and that you can "see through him". Even the Lagos article, that has the silly bit about if all were homosexual no one would be born, says the legislature ought to be concentrating on other things.
I'm still waiting for the publication that applies those ethical principles outlined in Cardiff being applied to Akinola and company...
Posted by: Pluralist on Monday, 23 March 2009 at 1:31pm GMT"The Church of Nigeria, which counts more than a quarter of the world’s Anglican Christians as members, is the first Anglican province to formally accept the Anglican Church in North America as its North American partner within the Anglican Communion." - CANA Statement -
So! Nigeria now heads its own special Communion -hardly Anglican (as in related to Canterbury') but a self-anointed partnership between Nigeria and ACNA. How does this sit with the A.C.C., which has not yet accepted ACNA as a province within its purlieu? When can we expect other significant announcements of new liaisons with the new 'ghost province' in North America, and will will these affect the relationship between the Anglican Church of Canada and TEC with the rest of the Communion? These are questions which really do need to be sorted at the next ACC Meeting.
"Nigerian homosexuals are not pilloried for being gay. They have a choice: they can marry members of the opposite sex or stay single. They only draw unfavourable attention to themselves when they threaten the safety and security of the majority." - article: Lagos Guardian -
How on earth could gays possibly "threaten the safety and security of the majority" in Nigeria?
The only threat is to out-dated understandings of human sexuality and gender issues in the world of today. Until institutionalised homophobia is challenged by the Church, the violation of common human rights and responsibilities will continue to be a blot on the fabric of Christian society, And until Church Leaders like Abp. Akinola are reined in by the Anglican Communion, there will be double standards of Christianity's meaning in the modern world. Perhaps it is now time to consider whether the Anglican Communion sees organic unity as preferable to Gospel freedom.
'A group of young people under the lugubrious name of Queer Alliance stormed the House of Representatives in Abuja to protest what they say is discrimination against their fundamental human rights if a bill banning same sex marriages in Nigeria were passed.' Lagos Guardian.
'Lugubrious'?
Okay, letting that one pass. But we are also told that the QA members 'stormed' the House of Representatives. Why does every action by lesbian or gay activists have to sound like a violent or riotous event?
I wonder if the Lagos Grauniad is twinned with its UK namesake - er, perhaps not!
Posted by: Bob Samms on Tuesday, 24 March 2009 at 9:40am GMT"The only threat is to out-dated understandings of human sexuality and gender issues in the world of today."
Well, that's it, isn't it? This moves along the path of full acceptance of gay people so it has to be stopped. If not, there will eventually be one less group to feel morally superior to, and what fun would that be?
Posted by: Ford Elms on Tuesday, 24 March 2009 at 1:43pm GMTTrue, Ford. What's the point in being "orthodox" if one cannot lord it over the filthy, disgusting sinners?
Posted by: JPM on Tuesday, 24 March 2009 at 3:37pm GMTSo Archbishop Akinola would impose the teachings of Leviticus if he could, that is, he would execute gays.
In Malta he would face criminal charges for such hate speech. See this story: http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1465931
Posted by: Joseph O'Leary on Thursday, 26 March 2009 at 6:57am GMTMalta? Do you mean Sudbury, Ontario, Canada?
Posted by: Simon Sarmiento on Thursday, 26 March 2009 at 7:53am GMTYes, I was muddled because I followed the story on Patrick Attard's Maltese website. The site is well worth exploring, by the way: http://patrickattard.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Joseph O'Leary on Friday, 27 March 2009 at 3:34am GMTWell thanks lots for the brief exposure to African comments, other than the stolid Akinola sort. I wanted to believe that human rights was not a dead deal in Africa; but often cannot hear any African voice speaking up. Bravo, prayers, all.
Posted by: drdanfee on Monday, 30 March 2009 at 9:41pm BST