Monday, September 12, 2005

Archbishop Akinola; "Gays Produce Hooligans"

Peter Akinola, the Archbishop of Nigeria, was the recent recipient of the Kairos Journal Award. A press release, written by Cynthia Brust, Assistant Director of Communications for the American Anglican Council, contains this quote;

The Kairos Journal Award is given to individuals who demonstrate exemplary fidelity to the authority of Scripture and exceptional pastoral courage in their efforts to restore the prophetic voice of the Church, said Journal publisher Emmanuel A. Kampouris.
Here is the latest essay written by Akinola and published by Kairos. Allow me to reproduce an excerpt of the essay that we must assume the good folks of Kairos consider an excellent example of "exceptional pastoral courage";

...To opine that, unknown to humans, God had hitherto created some people to be homosexuals and lesbians (i.e., sexual orientations) is tantamount to creating God in our own image and introducing a cancerous element into the fabric of the African understanding of marriage and family.

Homosexuality and lesbianism, like divorce, breed a society of single parents which gives rise to a generation of bastards. And in the context of much poverty and lack of education, this further produces an ill-bred generation of hooligans, portending much terror to the peace and stability of the society.

Homosexuality and lesbianism thrives on many sexual aberrations and improvisations typical of human selfishness and greed in the name of pleasure and self-actualization.

In a society where many women are finding it difficult to have husbands of their own due to the depletion of men by many factors, homosexuality will exacerbate the existing social disequilibrium, leading to much social unrest.

Granted, the American society as a super-power is in the forefront of human adventure. However, in this case of human sexuality, it is nothing but adventure in ungodliness. For people like Gene Robinson, who was married for years with children, to wake up one morning and discover that they are homosexuals is nothing but adventurous promiscuity and unfaithfulness. The Church condones that at her own peril. If this is not yet clear to many today, it will surely be tomorrow.
So, according to the Archbishop;

1. There is no such thing as "homosexual orientations."
2. That notion has introduced a "cancerous element" into our understanding of marriage and family.
3. Homosexuals, lesbians, divorcees, and single parents are responsible for a generation of bastard hooligans.
4. Homosexuals and lesbians are just plain selfish.
5. Homosexuals are depriving women of husbands.
6. Gene Robinson woke up one day and discovered he was homosexual.

Six outrageous statements in five paragraphs. And for this he is given an award for "exceptional pastoral courage"?

There are many buffoon bishops within the Church, so it might appear that the best response to this apparent relapse of "foot in mouth disease", an ailment that has troubled Akinola for some time, would be to simply dismiss him as just another eccentric cleric. If only we could. The problem is, he is suffering from a dual diagnosis, the second malady being megalomania. From an article entitled Africans set to found rival Anglican church;

...In a new African-based Anglican community they plan to replace the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams as their spiritual leader with the Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Jasper Akinola, and exclude homosexuals from full church life.

A leading gay vicar - who asked not to be named - said: "I fear for Rowan Williams if he attends the Alexandria Conference. Anglican dissidents will publicly announce that Archbishop Akinola is their new spiritual leader and that there is no place for the present Archbishop of Canterbury in the new community based in Alexandria.

"I also hear that African Anglicans plan to place a throne in a conference room and ask Archbishop Akinola to sit in it - while Dr Williams is supposed to stand by and watch...
If what some Anglicans want is to break away from the Anglican Communion and appoint their own Alexandrian Pope, I say, go with God. But, as I've said before, I really hope that they take a closer look at Akinola before enthroning him. Even with my limited diagnostic skills, it seem quite evident to me that this is a man in desperate need of professional help.

J.

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