New Aestheism movements

[thir]

No, I don't think you are off topic, but I'm not sure what you mean by "refuse to bury". Do you mean that the priest refused to perform the Christian burial rites? Did he refuse to allow the person to be buried in 'consecrated' ground? Or is it that burials can ONLY be performed through the State sponsored church?

He refused to perform the rites. As for the second, I don't know if our church yards are consecrated ground, but you cannot refuse anyone a place there, as Christianity is a state religion and also the person was a Christian and wanted a Christian burial. As for the last, I am not sure that there are any any other burial places pt in DK at this time - maybe a few.

The latest discussions meant that gays could marry in church but the priest could refuse. Maybe fair enough, I do not know, but you can get married at the town council office - gays too - so you are not stuck. Burial is worse, Althugh you can get in the ground and people can organise their own rites or lack thereof if they want, which a fair number do. Here in UK you can organise pagan funerals with pagan rites if you wish.

Anyway it is a remarkedly hostile idea of that priest, but it has happened once before, many years ago, apparently.

I think either of the first two instances can be viewed as valid, within his religious belief system.

Well, His belief system, maybe. The cornerstone of the Danish Christianity (such as it is) is love thy neighbour. Such an intolerant person - I hate people like that, why can't he be tolerant like me? ;-))

He should be allowed the freedom to refuse.

You know - I am not sure. Not within the state church, anyway. It is not a hate church.
The thought of new churches with hate messages in DK or really really scary!

UNTIL his superiors reverse him, which in effect says that the religion accepts gays as having the same rights as heterosexuals. Because of the priests vows to the church, his personal freedoms are somewhat narrowed. Of course, he is still free to remove himself from the church and cling to his personal beliefs, but as a representative of the church he is bound by the rules and requirements of his office. The third issue is more terrifying.

Well, he was told in no uncertain terms what his duties were, but even before that had apologised profusedly. But it took a bit for the chock to settle, before other Christians could start to forgive, which they admitted they had to, that is another cornerstone :-)

There is an equally terrifying parallel here in the US, in regard to this whole equality of marriage business. A state legislator apparently proposed (sorry, can't find a link now) that all marriages within that state MUST be performed by clergy to be valid!

And when I think that marriage is actually a new idea, historically speaking..and even then priests had nothing to do with it.

This would remove marriage from the purview of the state and make it completely religious, which would mean problems for any non-religious persons, and especially for gays. And what happens when, for example, they decide that it can only be CHRISTIAN churches? No more Jewish or Muslim weddings. No Hindu weddings. Fortunately, I think the proposal was soundly defeated. But based on past performance we can be sure that he, or they, will try again.

The idea is - so weird I cannot understand it!! Why can't he just marry those who wants to, and let the rest do as they desire?? I think people like that just want to make waves - it is so obviously illogical.