Despite death threats, gay bishop plans civil union
It’s ‘what God is calling me to do,’ says controversial clergyman
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 10:25 a.m. CT, Thurs., May. 8, 2008
Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson knows he is inviting death threats by entering into a civil union with his gay partner on the eve of his church’s biggest ecclesiastical conference. And he says it is worth it, because he is doing what God asks of him.
“When your life is at stake, you learn that there are things in life that are much worse than death,” Bishop Robinson told TODAY’s Matt Lauer Thursday in New York. “That’s the great reward of being a Christian. Not living your life — that’s worse than death. And if something were to happen to me, I would know that I am doing what I discern God is calling me to do.”
In 2003, Robinson became the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church when he was elected by the congregations of New Hampshire. Dubbed “the most controversial Christian in the world,” he faced death threats then and wore a bulletproof vest during his consecration. Now, he has announced that he will “marry” Mark Andrew, his partner of some 20 years, a move sure to outrage conservatives in his religion.
He said he is entering the civil union because he wants his partner as well as his two daughters from a previous marriage to have the same legal protections afforded heterosexual couples.
“I am simply not going to put my life in jeopardy without putting into place the protections for my beloved partner and my children and my grandchildren that are offered to me in a civil union,” Robinson said. “I think any husband or wife would want to do that.”
Banned from conference
The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the Church of England, or Anglican Church. Once every 10 years, Anglican bishops from around the world gather in England to pray and discuss church policy and doctrine at what is known as the Lambeth Conference. Robinson has been told he cannot attend the conference this July as a full participant because of protests from conservative congregations, mainly in Africa and Latin America. But he is going anyway, to stand outside the meetings and testify for others like him.
“The table that God invites us to includes everyone, and the church is going to get it wrong sometimes,” Robinson said. “I think the Archbishop of Canterbury has gotten this wrong by not inviting everyone. I’m going to go and offer myself and talk with anyone who wants to talk to someone who is unashamedly gay and unashamedly Christian.”
He knows that some people will not accept that.
“My life is under threat again for my attending the Lambeth Conference this summer, but we’re told in Scripture that it will always be costly to follow in God’s way,” Robinson said, his tone full of calm conviction. “When you try to love the world the way God loves the world, you’re going to get in trouble. The prophets of Judaism got in trouble. Jesus got in trouble.”
Conflict within the church
When he became a bishop in June 2003, he had appeared on TODAY and told Lauer that he would consider stepping down if his presence created a rift in the church. Since then, about 100 of the 8,000 Episcopal parishes in the United States have split with the American church and aligned themselves with the conservative Anglicans in Africa. Robinson pointed out that it is a very small number as a percentage of all congregations.
“It’s important to keep that in proportion,” he said. “But conflict is no surprise to the church; it’s been there from the very beginning.”
In any event, he no longer sees that he has a choice in whether to remain as bishop or not. “I’ve come to understand that this is a particular historic role that God is calling me to play at this moment,” Robinson told Lauer. “God has seemed so palpably close in this, there’s no way I could regret this. My job as a bishop of the church is to exhibit God’s love for all of God’s people, especially my enemies.”
He has written a book, “In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God,” published Thursday. In it, he writes, “It's time that progressive Christians rescue the Bible from the Religious Right, which has held it hostage and claimed it as its own private territory for too long.”
Robinson feels that people who use the Bible to condemn homosexuals fail to understand Scripture. It is called an abomination for a man to lie with another man as with a woman, but, he writes, the Bible also says it is an abomination to eat pork or shellfish, to wear clothing made of two different fibers, or to sow two different types of seed in the same field.
“We’ve often misinterpreted Scripture,” Robinson told Lauer. “We’ve used Scripture to justify slavery; the subjugation of women. And now we’re realizing that what the Bible initially seems to say about same-sex relationships is not actually what we’re talking about today — faithful, monogamous, lifelong-intentioned relationships between people of the same sex.”
- Re: Despite death threats, gay bishop plans civil unionposted on 05/09/2008
我刚到美国就听说这个主教,非常同情他。小时候看《牛氓》,最受不了的就是那个红衣大主教面对儿子死亡时的感觉, 总是想,爱就是罪吗? - posted on 05/09/2008
啬色:爱殇
·啬 色·
当我再次见到约翰时,他已神态安详地躺在他橡木的棺材里。一点都不意外的,我发现那个深色的,中式牌位被他的双手紧紧地护在胸前。深吸一口气再慢慢呼出,我在殡仪馆小小告别厅的后排座下。看看周围,除了我就只剩零星几位老人,他们都是约翰同一个养老院的伙伴。一位殡仪馆穿黑色制服的工作人员正在角落打瞌睡。他显然非常知趣地决定不打扰我们静悄悄的追思。我看前排坐着的那几位老人好像在低头祈祷,他们的肩膀轻轻抽动着,我笑了,我想,如果约翰看到他的老伙伴又在为他不肯向主屈服的老灵魂祈祷,他一定会气得从棺材里跳起来。我们的约翰不信神,在他的心里从没有过上帝,从那时候开始,上帝就从他的字典里消失了。
那时候,文森被判无期徒刑,因为,谋杀!
我和约翰认识已经5年了,他是我的房东。虽然没两年他就进了养老院,但我还是定期地去看望他,所以,我们算是老朋友了。他有一栋4卧室的镇屋,我和另一位来自印度的女孩分租了其中两间。虽然,屋中的陈设还保持着50年代的风格,但环境整洁清爽,特别是租金廉宜,在这个寸土寸金的大城这样的租价实在难得,所以,我立刻下定搬了进去。那时的约翰已经风烛残年,时日无多了。在他皱纹交错,象开了一朵菊花的老脸上,一双蓝眼总象是蒙着一层泪膜,混沌不清。他是个好房东,从不在杂费上对房客苛求,从不为琐碎小事唠叨不休。我们平时甚至不会意识到他的存在!他从不在客厅停留,很少到厨房来,他有专用的卫生间,所以,如果不是偶尔从他房内透出断断续续的歌声,我真的以为他已在空气中消失。那张年代久远的老唱片在留声机上咿咿呀呀地唱着:过去的好时光,好时光,让我带你回家乡……
那年冬天,阴雨连绵,寒气逼人。窗上结着厚厚雾气,然后化成细细水流爬满玻璃。屋里暖炉烧得火旺,可还是抵不住阴冷寒气的侵袭。不出所料的,老约翰病了。没几个老人能平安度过这样的冬天。他躺在床上虚弱地咳着,喘着,语不成句。社区医生来看了看,说是老毛病复发,留下药就走了。约翰的手颤抖着给我写了字条,请我为他准备简单的三餐,免去这期间的房租作为感谢。我想就是不免房租,我也会这么做吧,我看不得老人吃苦!
约翰的病反反复复缠绵了快整个冬季。有一次他已被病痛折磨得濒临弥留,但他神情平静安详,只是不停地抬起右手指着窗边的桌子,我那时才注意到小桌上摆着个白绸覆盖的东西,旁边是两只蜡烛,前面是一个香炉,这好像,这好像是中式古老的香案供桌呀!约翰半闭着眼睛,但他却抖着手坚定地指向那个香案。我忽然明白了他的意思,快速将那个覆盖白绸的东西递给他。他紧紧抱着它。我看他久已混沌的眼中闪过一丝微光,已经不能言语的嘴角慢慢翘起,他好像笑了,满足地,感恩地,笑了。从那天一直到洋水仙发芽开花,那个物件一直陪伴在他床侧。春天来到的时候,约翰的病终于好起来了。他说他又熬过了一年。那口气并不欣喜反而透着不甘和遗憾。我想,象他这种孤寂的,没有妻儿的老人活着也是一种负担吧。
一个春日的午后,约翰将我叫进他的房间,窗外的草坡上摇曳着金灿灿的洋水仙,老人就坐在斑驳的阳光里。他拿起枕边的那个东西,郑重地,小心翼翼地掀开白绸。啊!原来我真的猜对了。白绸下是一个深色木质的中式牌位。它静静地躺在老约翰手中,好象一个被爱抚的灵魂。老人久久没有言语,他低着头,轻轻细致地摩挲着那个木牌,我只看到他温柔的侧脸。然后,他向我举起灵牌,问:“这上面刻的是Vinson的中文译名吗?”我看了看那几个端正的金色宋体字,“对,刻的是文森的灵位。”约翰欣慰地笑了。他显然早已知道这个答案,他不过是希望再次听到别人的确认罢了。约翰仍然低着头,温柔,细致地抚摸着文森的灵牌。
他低沉,沙哑的声音回荡在空旷的房间里,“文森是我的学生,也是我的爱人!他死的时候还不满21岁,而这一切都是我的错!我没有出庭为他做证,我,我只是软弱地跪在教堂里为他祈祷。那个女人被害死的时候,文森正在我的房间里。他求我圣诞节时不要回乡下庄园,他求我不要和朱莉订婚,他求我留下来。可,可,可我都没有答应,我拒绝了他,就在我们刚刚欢好过的时候,就在那个女人被杀的时候,我拒绝了他。那是一九五七年呀,在那个时候甚至还没有gay这个单词。如果别人发现了我们的关系,我,我,我实在无法想象做为他的大学老师我们将面对什么样的处境。文森可能会被关进疯人院,而我将坐牢,永无翻身之日。所以,所以,那天,我和他狂欢一场,然后,告诉他,我们的关系结束了。让他以后都不要再来找我。真是一语成签,他永远都不会再来找我了。我,我,我到现在都还记得他开门离去时的样子。他惨白的脸色,他绝望的笑容。”老人的声音越来越低直到变成低不可闻的喃喃细语。
我悄悄走出他的房间。跑到市立图书馆去查五七年的报纸,当年这一案件相当轰动,所以各个大报都有报道。幻灯片上的简单的文字看在我眼里仿佛字字带血,句句含泪!一个冬夜,一栋公寓楼里的年轻女秘书被人扼颈致死,唯一的犯罪嫌疑人是19岁的文森丹都,公寓的守门人和一位女佣先后看到他面色苍白,神情绝望,恍惚地从楼中跑出。最轰动也是最不可思议的部分就是:这位年轻的文森拒绝交代案发时他的行踪,拒绝出庭作证,同时拒绝辩护。虽然,从他被捕时起他就象疯了般不断叫喊他是无辜的,他的不合作态度还是令他很快就被定了罪。一级谋杀,终身监禁,永远不得保释,不得假释!幸运的是小文森并没有真正在监狱里度过终生。他在入狱的第二年就被打死了,在一次监狱骚乱中,他被活活打死了!
这件当时轰动街巷的事就象所有发生在我们身边的事一样很快就被人们遗忘了。谁活着,谁死了,只要不关乎自己,没有人在意!只有,老约翰,又苟活了几十年,现在终于也解脱了,躺在棺材里的老约翰,他记得青年文森所有的事,准确地说是所有在他开门离去前的事。约翰甚至没有上庭旁听,他只是跪在教堂里向他天上的父求恳,尽管,他很清楚这位天父最反感什么。当他得知文森的死讯,他是不是找了唐人街的灵媒,他是不是求来文森的灵牌,他是不是想听听他年轻的爱人最后的话语?!
尘归尘,土归土。小小墓园里,芳草茵茵,树影斑驳。清风吹来时,沙沙沙,我仿佛听到某个守候经年的灵魂的耳语!
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