Typical media rubbish once again. Just toss in a few names of Christian leaders who advocate same-sex marriage and suggest the church is divided on this issue? This article is either deceptive journalism or evidence of a very confused writer. I noticed the reference from the Dean - a self-confessed gay!
The truth is that the church on the whole looks at these statements and wonders whether those quoted have ever really read the Bible? If you are a true follower of Jesus and believe the Bible then you would never make such statements. Have an opinion either way on this issue, that makes for healthy discussion, but please don't bring God and the Bible into it if you support the redefinition of marriage because you will only look foolish.

Many 'church ' leaders also think fornication and shacking up together has God's approval. Being bound by lust and perversion has always led to people twisting Scripture.

...The Church has never rejected the responsibility of pastoral care by limiting its extension into the homosexual community: But this article attempts to highjack debate by suggesting the great work performed in those homosexual communities by the Christian Church (of all denominations and creeds), as purely applicable to the incongruousness of homosexual marriage…Another failed article!

..The attack on "establishment-thought" through a continual barrage of “one-sided” pro-homosexual articles in OLO is becoming boring, (and obvious).

Whether or not same sex marriage is legal religious groups can limit marriage to those they wish to marry. I don't see why any religious bodies should have the right to control marriage under civil law. The issue is not morality but control. Churches and other religious bodies want to define marriage for other than their communicants. It is the same old story. The beasts of pray want control.

Just for reader information, this writer has been almost libellious
against the Catholic Church in previous comments, asserting most
Catholic priests are homosexual in the western world,
and cites the John Jay reports in the US.
[see previous thread comments link below]
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=13758&page=0
Alan Austin: "Certainly, the Church accepts privately that a majority of priests
in most countries are practising homosexuals without whose
ministry the Church could not operate. The John Jay reports in the US seem
to indicate that this private understanding is now coming into the open."

Nowhere, do I find the statement that a "majority of priests are homosexuals" in this report,
or that the Catholic Church privately accepts this as such. A ridiculous assertion.
http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/The-Nature-and-Scope-of-Sexual-Abuse-of-Minors-by-Catholic-Priests-and-Deacons-in-the-United-States-1950-2002.pdf

Quite the contrary. In fact the John Jay reports, state that during the period from 1950 to 2002,
a total of 10,667 individuals had made allegations of child sexual abuse.
Of these, the dioceses had been able to substantiate 6,700 accusations
against 4,392 priests in the USA.

That is only 4% of all 109,694 priests who served during the time
covered by the study. That's over a period of 50 years. These are not
civil charges by the way. Just substative accusations.

Moreover, the number of alleged abuses increased in the 1960s, peaked in the 1970s,
declined in the 1980s, and by the 1990s had returned to the levels of the 1950s.

Of the 4,392 priests who were accused, police were contacted regarding
1,021 individuals and of these, 384 were charged resulting in 252 convictions
and 100 prison sentences; 3,300 were not investigated because the allegations
were made after the accused priest had died.

Only 384 were ever charged out of 109,694 with valid accusations.
That is only 0.35% <--- Let me repeat 0.35%..
In other words 0.23% were convicted!!

Most no doubt were Marxist homosexuals who inflitrated
the Catholic Church with an defined agenda.

This has been well documented by Fr Malachi Martin, Michael Rose
and others. As for claiming the Catholic Church will change its doctrine on homosexual acts that's utterly ridiculous.

I see the usual suspects are out fulminating in force. Oddly enough, I agree with them in general. I too think it's stupid and inconsistent to be a religious believer and support gay marriage, but then that's because I think it's stupid and inconsistent to be a religious believer.

Surely anyone who has enough capacity for independent thought to see that gay marriage is a fair, rational, compassionate cause also has the capacity to see that zombie carpenters and Invisible Friends have no bearing on any meaningful aspects of real life and real-life decisions?