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Episcopalians believe in nothing and attend the First Universalist Church of We Believe in Nothing, according to Joseph Backholm, Executive Director of Family Policy Institute of Washington. FPIW is an affiliate of Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council and is linked to National Organization for Marriage.
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| Anti-Episcopalian Religious Chauvinist Joseph Backholm, E.D. of FPIW |
Over at Huffington Post, a pastor at the First Universalist Church of We Believe in Nothing (I actually made up that name) wrote a thank-you letter to Ms. Kardashian for making it obvious that extending marriage recognition to two people of the same gender does not diminish the institution of marriage in the least.
Backholm was responding to the article A Thank-You Note to Kim Kardashian written by Rev. Susan Russell, Senior Associate for Communication and Inclusion at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California. In her article Russell said to Kim Kardashian, “As a marriage equality activist, I cannot thank you enough for your gift of the stunning example of how the gender of the couple saying ‘I do’ clearly has absolutely nothing to do with respect for the institution of marriage.”
Apparently unable to think of a logical way to refute Rev. Russell’s thesis, Backholm slipped into schoolyard bully mode and simply impugned the religious convictions of Episcopalians. Next, Backholm set up a straw man and fought it vigorously.
Saying marriage doesn’t matter because Kim Kardashian can’t keep hers together is like saying you shouldn’t try to make healthy food choices because people eat candy bars. …
The argument that “marriage is meaningless now anyway, so you might as well let us get married too” is both bizarre, and, I would think, insulting to those in same-sex relationships. What, we’re gonna let you get married now because it’s a meaningless institution?
Rev. Russell never made statements like “marriage doesn’t matter” or “marriage is meaningless now anyway”, nor would any marriage equality advocate. Quite the opposite. Marriage equality advocates find great value in civil marriage. That is why they fight to have discriminatory marriage laws repealed.
With marriage equality advocates in Washington state gearing up to pass a marriage equality law in 2012, I think we’ve just seen a preview of the dirty below-board style that the opposition will be employing.
2 Comments
ROTFLMAO! Them thar darn ‘Piscopalians are at it again!
It’s Sunday morning. After I forward this to my Bishop at the Diocese of Olympia (WA), I’m going to go to church and say a prayer for Mr. Backholm. Since I subscribe to the philosophy that God helps those who help themselves, it probably won’t do any good. >:) However…
Thanks so much for this opportunity to keep the conversation going! In point of fact the argument in the Huffington Post piece (which I wrote) was NOT that “marriage doesn’t matter because Kim Kardashian can’t keep hers together” it was that marriage DOES matter — and what matters are the values that make up the marriage; not the gender of the couple who promise to love, honor and cherish each other until death do they part.
And if Mr. Backholm had trouble with this HuffPost piece wait til he sees the NEXT one: “Bishops Behaving Badly” … taking on the Roman Catholic Bishops in Maryland for ignoring both the First Amendment AND the Ninth Commandment!
The Reverend Susan Russell
All Saints Church, Pasadena (where we believe in God’s love, justice and compassion made present for us in the Jesus we follow … just to set the record straight.)