Another outburst from Pope Benedict

Never too far from the limelight, our international religious celebrity is back on our screens with more snippets of infallible nonsense. Yes, the vocal and vociferous pontiff Benedict XVI has unleashed another of his vocal forays into the world, tinged with all the veiled invective we have come to expect from the former member of the Hitler youth.
In his latest outburst, Pope Benedict has rounded on the British Government for their equality legislation introduced last year. This legislation prevents discrimination against homosexuals on the grounds of their sexuality. In addressing British bishops, the Pope began by sugaring the pill. He praised Britain’s “commitment to equality of opportunity for all” but then proceeded to say that the aforementioned equality legislation ran contrary to “natural law”.
What is upsetting him is that Catholic adoption agencies cannot discriminate against homosexual couples on the grounds of their sexuality, thanks to the legislation. Ironically, in criticising this reasonable approach to equality, the Pope bemoans the fact that it is unfair on religious groups because it requires them, like any other employer, to not take a person’s sexual preferences into account when hiring staff.
He says, “The effect of some of the legislation designed to achieve this goal has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs. In some respects, it actually violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded and by which it is guaranteed.”
What on earth is this “natural law” and where has it been written down, voted upon and implemented? Why is it not an issue that this elected official and in reality he is nothing more, is granted such free reign to spread these views? He is a man elected by a cabal of his peers to a position born of politics so rotten it makes fetid meat seem like a fresh bed of salad leaves.
The venerable Pope is a philosopher and uses this fact to his advantage. He extols the virtue of reason, while he stomps clod-footed over the very concept. This entire paper is not long enough to lay out the details of the philosophical arguments for and against the existence of God and, of course, absence of proof is not a proof of absence.
But, until the Pope or anybody else can prove to the world conclusively that Christianity, Judaism, Islam or a belief in fairies at the bottom of the garden are in fact true, then legitimately there can be no space for them making such statements in public life.
I do not want to deny anyone their beliefs or seem uncaring for the beliefs that people hold, but there exists a thing called Sheilaism, which I feel illustrates the point I am trying to make. In 1985, Robert Bellah wrote a book called Habits of the Heart. In that book, he interviewed a woman named Sheila Larson about her faith.
She said, “I believe in God, my faith has carried me a long way. It’s Sheilaism. Just my own little voice.” Sheila’s faith has some tenets beyond belief in God, though not many. In defining what she calls “my own Sheilaism,” she said, “It’s just trying to love yourself and be gentle with yourself. You know, I guess, take care of each other. I think God would want us to take care of each other.”
If Sheila began making public statements demanding that the Government discriminate against homosexuals and that equality legislation, which also benefits women and those with disabilities, not be introduced and was quoting “my little voice” and “natural law”, she would be rightly prosecuted for incitement to hatred.
To a non-believer, Sheila’s little voice is no more believable than the existence of the Christian God. But unlike Sheila, Pope Benedict finds himself at the head of one of the most powerful, wealthy and politically connected organisations in the world.
The level of political interference from that organisation is appalling and really should be addressed. For many years Ireland suffered at the hands of it in a most savage way and who knows to what extent it still continues to influence legislation.
Last week, the Irish Government was heavily critisised in a report from Human Rights Watch. The report revealed that Irish Catholic foot soldiers of the Pope in the pro-life movement were “grossly misleading” women in the difficult position of having an unwanted pregnancy.
“Women in need of abortion services should, as a matter of international law and human decency, be able to count on support from their Government as they face a difficult situation,” said Marianne Mollmann, the women’s rights advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “But in Ireland, they are actively stonewalled, stigmatised and written out.”
In modern society, the influence of Churches and their acolytes has no place in the political life of a nation. A government is elected by the people to serve the people; they are not there to follow the will of the Pope or any other religious leader who wishes anti-discrimination legislation to be shelved in order to restrict the rights of those it judges to be unfit.
Religious belief is not accepted as a legitimate excuse for a terrorist attack so why should it be acceptable as a basis for speech that promotes discrimination? The terrorist attack kills the innocent in a very visible way but discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation slowly and silently ruins the lives of those who suffer it.
The Pope must be made aware that his position does not grant him the freedom to promote anti-gay sentiment among his followers. Despite what he seems to think, he is subject to the laws of man just like anybody else.