Church Of England Affirms Gay Sex Is A Sin

No, you didn’t misread the title. This is happening now in the UK in 2o22. Here are some selected extracts from a recent article in The Guardian:

“Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the global Anglican church, has sought to mollify conservative bishops around the world by “affirming the validity” of a 1998 declaration that gay sex is a sin. He told more than 650 bishops attending the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference that, for “a large majority” of conservative Anglicans, questioning biblical teaching was “unthinkable”.”

The term ‘unthinkable’ is an irony that will not be lost on most atheists. In the same article, Justin Welby went on to say:

“In many countries, [it] would make the church a victim of derision, contempt and even attack. For many churches, to change traditional teaching challenges their very existence.” In a letter sent to bishops shortly before what was described as a “robust discussion” on sexuality, Welby said the 1998 resolution, known as Lambeth 1.10, was “not in doubt”.

The above statement can be broken down in several ways. Are Anglican churches fearful that the very congregations they rely on for their existence will turn against them? That is, the same congregations the Anglican churches have taught to believe that homosexuality is an abomination, according to divine law. Now they are worried that any relaxation of those attitudes on homosexuality will come back to bite them. This is a situation entirely of their own making. Claim that Biblical scripture is the divine word of God, and you have nowhere to go.

However, there are some tensions within the Church of England and the larger Global Anglican Church, as The Guardian reports:

“The issue of sexuality – or human dignity in conference parlance – is the most contentious in the 12-day meeting, which has been postponed twice from 2018. Divisions over same-sex relationships have been a running sore in the Church of England and the global church for decades”.

Lambeth Conference 2022: Section 1.10 – Human Sexuality

Following on from the extracts and comments above, the Lambeth Conference 2022 spent time discussing human sexuality. There will be no surprises to come, given the Church of England’s (Anglican Church) stance on homosexuality. Here are some selected extracts, but please do read the whole article here:

“Human sexuality is the gift of a loving God. It is to be honoured and cherished by all people. As a means for the expression of the deepest human love and intimacy, sexuality has great power.

The Holy Scriptures and Christian tradition teach that human sexuality is intended by God to find its rightful and full expression between a man and a woman in the covenant of marriage, established by God in creation, and affirmed by our Lord Jesus Christ. Holy Matrimony is, by intention and divine purpose, to be a life-long, monogamous and unconditional commitment between a woman and a man. The Lambeth Conference 1978 and 1998 both affirmed ‘marriage to be sacred, instituted by God and blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ’.”

Let us just start with the religious claim that ‘human sexuality is the gift of a loving God’.  Then add the biblical claim that man (sic) was made in God’s image. It’s plain to see why the Anglican church and most other religions are destroying themselves with convoluted contradictions on homosexuality.