Trying to find the middle ground.

I don't normally bother to write about controversial subjects and believe me this is certainly not the start of controversial posts. I am just sick, sore, and tired of the rabid voices that are heard on the radio, that are spoke on the television, and that project their thoughts via the letters pages of local newspapers. I for one feel that no one is speaking on behalf of the people they profess to represent in either their staunch defence or their rampant attack. I am of course talking about the whole "gay" issue within the Church of Ireland.

I do not agree with the so called spokesman for Changing Attitudes Ireland, I feel that he has some sort of agenda and indeed I also feel that the organisation as a whole is destroying the relationship of the Gay individual with the Church as a whole. Not all Gay people want such a rabid, out and out attack on the fundamental traditions of the Church. Indeed there is a silent majority within that scion of the Church, that is not being heard. It is not that they don't want to be heard, they simply do not wish to be soiled by Changing Attitudes Ireland. Neither do they want to be seen as being in league with this extremist pressure group.

No one that Numenorian Exile knows, (people who would be classed as Gay) wants to redefine marriage, no one is asking for that. There are people who seem to think that the Church needs to change at once. It is a disgrace and all the while the only voices that are being heard are these media whores, who give cheap theological sound bites at the expense of the individual within the church.

There is a great level of arrogance within Changing Attitudes Ireland, and also in the extreme Evangelical wing of the Church. All the while the quiet contemplative Christian suffers. There is no talk of love from either side, certainly not the love of Christ, the love of God, none of this. It is baseless arguments that result in a merry go round of emotions, with emotive language being bandied about. No one is talking to the individual.

Quite simply no one is asking for marriage to be redefined, no one is asking for the Prayer Book to be changed, no one believes, or indeed, has believed this to be an issue. The only reason this has come about is because certain individuals want it brought to bear. 

In truth, the people on both sides have got it wrong. They claim to speak on behalf of certain groups within the Church, they do not. They claim to have all the support of the Church, they do not. No one is taking the middle ground, no one is dealing with the issue on a rational level. One thing that really annoys me is that outsiders of the Church of Ireland feel the need to flex their theological muscle as it where. We have converts from the Roman Church, hypocrites, proclaiming messages on behalf of Anglicans, and we also have converts to Rome from Anglicanism giving us their half penny theology. This infuriates me. On the other side we have rabid Evangelicals from the non-conformist churches giving us their exegesis on scripture. They should all be silent. Silent !

There needs to be a middle ground, there is no issue. The matter should be closed. Ideally CAI should disband, and also the Evangelical wing should remove their pressure on the Bishops. Things need to return to the way they once where. Other wise the Church will eat it's own head.