Opera singer’s husband is banned from taking church services

Opera singer’s husband is banned from taking church services

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norman lebrecht

December 14, 2015

Harriet Sherwood reports in the Guardian that Jeremy Davies, a priest for 42 years, has been refused permission to officiate by the bishop of Winchester following his marriage to an opera singer Simon McEnery.

Confused? Not as much as the Church appears to be …

Read on here.

davies mcenery

 

Comments

  • Will Duffay says:

    Jeremy was previously precentor at Salisbury Cathedral, and had the perfect voice for the job. Now retired from that position, he is still allowed to take services in the Diocese of Salisbury.

  • Tim Walton says:

    It’s about time ALL religions brought themselves into the 21st century and stopped behaving like homophobic bigots.

    Ask any religious person if they believe in the teachings of Jesus. If they say Yes. Then ask them why there is not a single sentence (verse) in the bible where Jesus actually makes a comment about same sex love. He said ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself’. He did NOT add unless they are Gay.

    • William Safford says:

      You may be wrong, although not in the way one might expect.

      “There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.”

      –John 13:23

    • Simon S. says:

      Matthew 5:18: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

      This obviously includes Leviticus 18:22: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”

      Diclaimer: This is Jesus’ position, not mine.

      • Yo mama says:

        That is true, but by being crucified and rising from the dead, Christ fulfilled said law; thus, relieving us from our obligation to abide by it. At least that is this layman’s understanding of this convoluted religion. And if that’s not accurate, then why is it okay for people to divorce, eat pork and wear cotton/wool blend clothing (all also verboten in Leviticus)?

      • William Safford says:

        Only if you reject New Covenant eschatology.

    • Anon says:

      Wanting to keep your religion, but also wanting to live under enlightened principles without dogma and practicing freedom of thought, a strange idea and an oxymoron. Just let go of the religion, simple as that.
      Of course you can also become a vegetarian and sit inside a steak house all day complaining about the omnipresent meat on the menu. Same nonsense.

  • James Alexander says:

    A. Why would you want to be part of an organisation that didn’t want you?
    B. Religion is irrational belief in the supernatural based on revelation maintained by dogmatic tradition!

    • Simon McEnery says:

      James, people’s religious beliefs are often profound and deeply held, and those who feel called to ministry often feel it’s an integral part of their personality. And sometimes those people are gay. Now, we usually as a society say we uphold freedom of belief. Should that freedom not be available to gay people? Or should there be no-go areas for gay people? For Jeremy, the Church has been an integral part of his life for most of his life. He has helped to form it; he loves it. It’s actually quite hurtful when people say, ‘why don’t you just leave?’ or, ‘you knew the rules, don’t complain.’ The Church is also like a family, and like families everywhere, someone sometime might shout, ‘who did you say you were marrying? Over my dead body!’, but that’s no reason to leave. You stay; you fight your corner. This is Jeremy’s family, his home. We stay: we fight our corner.

    • Simon S. says:

      Hear, hear!

      You can’t blame a vegetarians’ association for excluding a member that has repeatedly been seen eating beefsteak in pulic.

      Disclaimer: I’m an agnostic meat eater.

      • Simon McEnery says:

        Except of course that’s a false comparison. The church is institutionally homophobic, not essentially. There’s a difference. It used to be (and to some degree still is) sexist. Do you think women should leave it or try to improve it from the inside?

        • Anon says:

          Not true. The church is ideologically and dogmatically against homosexuality. “The church” is also not homophobic, its not a phobia, its dogma. Different thing. The church is also sexist by dogma, not by choice.
          You fail completely in basic understanding, what religion is fundamentally.
          Religion is based on dogma. You can not reform dogma. You can only overcome it, throw it out, and with it religion altogether.
          The only reason why we can accept the church in our times, is because of the structurally ingrained social benevolent contributions to society.

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