Superfunkomatic - Observations of the Socially Inept

give me a break - a religious figure in calgary, alberta, canada - F. B. Henry, Bishop of Calgary has out and out cut down lesbians and homosexuals from trying to establish their basic human rights to marriage as a formal contract in canada - equating it with pornography, prostitution and all that apparently “infects” our upstanding values.

homosexuals and lesbians are unfortunately the last bastion of overt prejudice in our country. funny that in his statement he says that race and ethinicity are not factors in marriage any more, yet not so long ago inter-racial marriage was a taboo in most churches.

see his statement:
[url=]http://www.rcdiocese-calgary.ab.ca/[/url]

Send your constructive feedback, his e-mail is located at the bottom of the page. [url=]bishopfh@rcdiocese-calgary.ab.ca[/url]

I’ve sent mine -

dear bishop henry,

i’ve recently seen reports on cbc as well as the internet about your comments about same sex marriage, and frankly i’m a bit surprised. you are not an elected official in my riding, or any other in calgary, and i respectfully suggest that your views do not represent all calgarians, albertans or many canadians. i feel ashamed as a calgarian, albertan and canadian that you are given media time to voice opinions that are held by a specific group, yet our entire populous get painted with the brush of your comments.

i respect your right to your opinion, and i can see your point based on your religious views but that should not limit the rights of others outside your faith basic common rights - like recognition of love in the form of a formal/legal contract.

if the view is that members of your religious faith should not marry those within the same sex, so be it. but i’m not sure i understand how that relates to views of those not represented by your faith. to each is own, perhaps your comments should best be directed to the converted, and not to those who are trying to establish recognition of basic human rights and freedoms outside that faith. i’m neither a member of an organized religion nor a homosexual - and i’m not concerned about what lesbians or homosexuals do in their private lives, no more than i’m concerned about those who have views opposed to mine or people within your faith.

perhaps the keyas a public figure should be to promote and project tolerance, love and support for our fellow brothers and sisters, that much i do know from religion and its precepts. do onto others as you would have them do onto you. i can only ask, what would your reaction be if your beliefs or core lifestyle were called into question and you become the pariah that you are making lesbians/homosexuals?

UPDATE - a quick e-mail response minutes later.

[i]Dear Mike
My arguments were not based on religion ( speicifically bracketed my faith)
but on reason and natural law and therefore open to and for anyone. you
rcomments make me wonder if you even read the pastoral letter.
[url=http://www.rcdiocese-calgary.ab.ca/]http://www.rcdiocese-calgary.ab.ca/[/url]
Peace, Bishop Henry[/i]

Yes, apparently i did miss something there “natural law” and “evil act” seem to jump out at me.
if not based on “bracketed my faith” then what other possible reason could there be for opposing it.
maybe i’m missing another thing, duh, he’s speaking as a representative of his faith on the diocese’s website - how is that not tainted by his religious views?

i think what offends me most is the fact that changing the charter of rights in canada has absolutely no direct affect on his life, but would have vast effects on changing the rights of one small group in canada - the entire point of a charter of rights - no group, no matter how small, can be discrimated against or treated differently based on who they are, period.

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