Posted by Kendall Harmon
(On his blog TitusONENine)"I was very disgusted, upset and saddened to read the statement of Bishop Isaac Orama as quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria in a UPI story who, (if he is quoted accurately, and I am assuming that he is) said that persons involved in same sex behavior "are insane, satanic and are not fit to live."
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It was the Primates of the Anglican Communion who said at Dromantine: We also wish to make it quite clear that in our discussion and assessment of the moral appropriateness of specific human behaviours, we continue unreservedly to be committed to the pastoral support and care of homosexual people. The victimisation or diminishment of human beings whose affections happen to be ordered towards people of the same sex is anathema to us. We assure homosexual people that they are children of God, loved and valued by him, and deserving of the best we can give of pastoral care and friendship (vii).
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They were quite right to say so, and to call us to a such good standard during a stressful time. By that standard, the statement from the UPI story utterly fails. It is, however, worse than that. We are all in the global village now, like it or not, and the world is indeed flat. So what we say needs to take seriously the resonances that it may bring out in contexts other than our own. There could hardly be a worse statement in a Western context than to say of ANYONE that he or she is "not fit to live." It immediately brings to mind the Nazi language of Lebensunwertes Leben ("life unworthy of life") and in flood images and activities too horrendous and horrific for any of us to take in even at this historical distance from the events themselves.These words are to be utterly repudiated by all of us--I hope and trust. KSH"
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PS - When googling for images of Kendall, I found this pic. A good man with a conscience and a sense of humor!
Or, could this be a doctored photo?
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