tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911068236939343613.post6583891185215016812..comments2023-08-24T16:41:19.306+01:00Comments on Let nothing you dismay: Really sorry about that, Trevor!Michael Gollop http://www.blogger.com/profile/00076220518083389674noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2911068236939343613.post-35990291340582589342011-06-23T05:42:14.011+01:002011-06-23T05:42:14.011+01:00The Church of England is under pressure to allow o...The Church of England is under pressure to allow openly gay clergy to be made bishops, while the Catholic Church only permits men to be priests, but the head of the Government-funded equalities watchdog said they are entitled to rule on their own affairs.<br />"The law doesn't dictate their organisation internally, in the way they appoint their ministers and bishops for example," he said.<br />"It's perfectly fair that you can't be a Roman Catholic priest unless you're a man. It seems right that the reach of anti-discriminatory law should stop at the door of the church or mosque.<br />"I'm not keen on the idea of a church run by the state.<br />"I don't think the law should run to telling churches how they should conduct their own affairs." <br /><br />But on the other hand, if you are not a clergyman, but a lay person who is trying to live out your faith in the 'world', the state can punish you. Vide: the couple who owned a lodging place, and refused to rent rooms to same-sex couples.<br /><br />Rdr. James Morgan<br />Olympia, WA USAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com