About Me

My photo
Australian philosopher, literary critic, legal scholar, and professional writer. Based in Newcastle, NSW. My latest books are THE TYRANNY OF OPINION: CONFORMITY AND THE FUTURE OF LIBERALISM (2019); AT THE DAWN OF A GREAT TRANSITION: THE QUESTION OF RADICAL ENHANCEMENT (2021); and HOW WE BECAME POST-LIBERAL: THE RISE AND FALL OF TOLERATION (2024).

Thursday, September 08, 2011

A Catholic leader in Scotland attacks same-sex marriage

Scotland is across the Irish Sea from the Dioceses of Dublin and Cloyne, but you'd think that Roman Catholic leaders all around that part of the world would keep quiet at the moment, except to express contrition and penitence on behalf of their severely discredited organisation. But no, here is the highest official of the Church in Scotland, Cardinal O'Brien, still wanting the state to enforce the Church's esoteric view of morality.

It's remarkable how Catholic spokespersons will claim to side with freedom of religion, separation of church and state, etc., when it suits them for public relations purposes. But it doesn't stop the likes of Cardinal O'Brien from agitating for the state to impose their specifically religious morality whenever they think they might succeed.

Again, you'd expect that maybe the Catholic Church would favour a live-and-let-live spirit these days, not meddling in politics, or in people's bedrooms, in return for us maybe going a bit easier on it. It could concentrate on what it sees as the spiritual welfare of its members. But no. The Church is still full of unpleasant moralists and theocrats.

No comments: