ONE of the most senior bishops in the Church of England has said that homosexuals are equal to heterosexuals in the eyes of God and should not be condemned for being gay.
The Bishop of Oxford, the Right Rev Richard Harries, made his call in a paper in which he sets out the arguments in support of homosexual relationships. The issue of homosexual ordination and gay blessing is proving one of the most divisive to confront the church, even more than the issue of women priests. The bishop's intervention, while intended to bring the two sides together, looks set to intensify the debate.
In Same Sex Relations - the Unresolved Questions, which he has also released as a video and CD and published on his diocesan website, the bishop refers to St Paul's statement that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free". He argues that to this should be added the phrase: "There is neither heterosexual nor homosexual." He adds: "There are people who are predominantly attracted to members of their own sex in every age and every culture."
Colin Hart, of the Christian Institute, an evangelical think-tank, said that the bishop was close to blasphemy, adding: "He is going as far as he can without actually saying that the Holy Spirit backs same-sex relationships."
© 2000 Times Newspapers Ltd.