From Priyamvada Gopal at the Guardian:
The Bishop of Uganda has taken a tough line on the British empire. Henry Orombi has denounced the Archbishop of Canterbury's decision to invite some pro-gay American clergy to the Lambeth conference as a "remnant of British colonialism". He and his fellow Ugandan bishops have refused to attend the conference as an act of passive resistance to the "clear violation of biblical teaching".
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This kind of tendentious anti-colonialism, coming from quarters not otherwise known for radicalism, is part of a phenomenon that might be called the "blacking" of homophobia. This dismaying process has made it acceptable for some members of cultural and ethnic minorities not only to articulate intolerant views (which they would not accept if directed against themselves), but to have these prioritised in the name of religious sensitivities and cultural difference.
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The tragedy for the larger Anglican communion is that the intolerance once spread abroad in the name of Christianity has now returned to haunt and hold back its laudable attempts to move forward. But in undoing this colonial legacy, it should not be deterred by false accusations of colonialism. Hatred is not love and homophobia is not anti-colonialism.
Please read the whole column. It's quite good. It's amazing to me that those who have experienced prejudice, exclusion, and even persecution can sign on so to supporting the very same treatment towards another group. You'd think they'd learn from their own experiences.
Mimi -- but also I cannot understand how ANY woman who has experienced what that has meant, (being a woman in a "mans world") - can not be an heartfelt ally of all who are marginalized: GLBT, HIV+, persons of color or whatever. Good grief, do they not understand that as they have been wounded, so also are others wounded -- unto death?
ReplyDeleteIt's sad, but it seems to happen so often.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. Some folks seem to be missing the capacity to empathize. Or maybe because evil was done to them, they think others should have their turn, something similar to child abuse which passes down through generations.
ReplyDeleteIn the phenomenon of neo-colonialism, the indigenous folk who assume the roles formerly undertaken by colonial officials effectively continue in a colonial mindset.
ReplyDeleteThat is a significant part of what is happening now. The absolutist authoritarianism of Orombi, Akinola et al reflects their understanding of the role of bishop as learned from English colonial bishops.
Of course, another piece of it is the new colonialism in the form of grants from the so-called Institute for Religion and Democracy and other rightwing extremists. Remember, it was Orombi himself who gloated over the "so much money" that his extremist financiers had been providing.
The colonial bishops were the models for the present day bishops, and now those same bishops are dependent on the money of another set of foreign power brokers and presumably must follow their directions.
ReplyDeleteYou'd think.
ReplyDeleteThis is a test.
ReplyDelete