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THE LEADER OF the Liberal Democrats in the UK has declined to directly answer if he believes being gay is a sin.
Cathy Newman asked Tim Farron about the issue during an interview on Channel 4 News.
Echoing previous comments he made, Farron said: ”I’m not in a position to go making theological pronouncements and, I can promise you one thing, over the next six weeks, I’m not going to spend my time talking theology or making pronouncements.”
He added: “As a liberal I’m passionate about equality, about equal marriage, about equal rights for LGBT people, for fighting not just for LGBT rights in this country but overseas.
“Just because I’m a Christian, I think it’d be a bit boring for everybody to spend the next six weeks asking me to make theological pronouncements and I’m not planning to do so.”
His comments were criticised by some people as unacceptable and outdated.
Others, including Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Featherstone, a prominent same-sex marriage supporter, defended Farron’s record on LGBT issues.
Farron previously abstained from votes on same-sex marriage, later saying he regretted this.
In a 2015 interview with Channel 4 News, Freeman also asked Farron if he believed that being gay was a sin. He gave a similar answer at the time, saying: “We are all sinners.”
Farron then denied that a Christian couldn’t be a liberal, saying of the Lib Dems:
This is the party that is based upon religious tolerance and indeed the tolerance of people who are not religious at all and defending the rights of every individual, whether they be a member of a minority or not.
Last week, Farron criticised the persecution of gay people in Chechnya, telling PinkNews: “These reports from Chechnya are truly horrifying, and represent an extreme manifestation of increasing homophobic brutality and intolerance in Putin’s Russia.
“The UK government must strongly condemn this disgusting violence, and use every possibly opportunity to raise this with the Russian government, as well as in the UN and other international bodies.”
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Couldn’t care less what his religious beliefs are once he keeps them separate from his politics. That’s what really matters.
@Ricky Spanish: Just like we do here?
@Ricky Spanish: that’s not possible. People’s beliefs affect how they vote on things.
@Ryan Comiskey: Not always especially religious beliefs. Christians voting for same sex marriage for example.
“Christians voting for same sex marriage for example.”
Then they’re not christians – they’re just confused fools. Cherry pickers.
@Ryan Comiskey: That’s not really for you to decide. Each individual gets to identify what religion they are. They don’t have to check with you whether they are confused or not and certainly not whether they are fools. Perhaps trying to be open minded about other people might help you.
@Ryan Comiskey: Come down off your high horse before you get dizzy up there, good lad
@Ricky Spanish: my opinion is exactly for me to decide, you derp.
@Ryan Comiskey: You don’t get to decide whether other people are Christian or not and calling other people fools because they believe something different to you is rather closed minded in my….Opinion!
“calling other people fools because they believe something different to you is rather closed minded”
People over the age of 7 with imaginary friends are the definition of fools.
@Ryan Comiskey: Well said Ryan. It’s time we stopped giving these idiots a platform.
@Ryan Comiskey: Hate to break it to you but your opinion is not fact.
@CeannairBlue: where did I say it was? Try reading.
@CeannairBlue: That’s a funny thing to say when you consider the religious are always confusing belief’s as facts.
@Les Behan: I wasn’t aware you’d met all 6.2bn people with a belief in a higher power ?
@CeannairBlue: Funny, I never claimed I had but you proved my point beautifully for me, so for that I thank you.
This man insists on keeping his religious views to himself. Isn’t that what liberals have been wanting for ages?
@Neal, not Neil.: Being able to place aside your religious or non-religious views and accept others’ rights to live their lives as they choose is the epitome of liberalism. He’s pretty consistent with that.
@Chris Mansfield: Exactly.
@Neal, not Neil.: Couldn’t agree more. Instead of criticising him for have religious views. People should be praising him for having the maturity to set those aside when it comes to his voting record.
@Ricky Spanish: Or. He knows if he speaks what he really feels he will be lambasted publicly and have a poor election. I think this is far more likely.
@Nial D: If that’s the case why didn’t he just lie about his beliefs when he was asked?
@Neal, not Neil.: Yeah, you’d think so. But, no, in the eyes of too many preachers of tolerance today, you must conform to the prevailing orthodoxy, and conform totally. It’s not enough to live and let live, you’ve got to actively like what other people think, say and do.
Very naive of him to think that this question won’t now dominate every interview he has.
@Soccer T’s:
Yes true, and yet Brithan is going through its greatest state of flux since the second world war and the issue is about this.
But Christians don’t claim that ‘being gay’ is a sin.
It’s ‘homosexual acts’ that are deemed sinful.
@kevin: what makes someone gay?
@kevin: Christianity/Islam/Judaism also consider menstruation, shellfish, rasher and leaving an uncovered glass of water by your bed to be sins.
The teaching that certain foods are unclean and menstruation is only in Torah and Koran not Christian teaching….You might have noticed there is no ban on rashers here…
@Ryan Comiskey: What makes someone Gay? – well maybe a nice ice-cream on the beach or maybe a lotto win>?
@John003: Leviticus. It’s the third book of the Old Testament, Christian Bible (most of which the Christian & Jewish faith share a belief in). Have a read, check out all the sins you’re committing just by existing.
Yes the Jewish Torah…..We are not Jews….Christians have new Testament not the Jewish law including diet laws….We don’t have circumcision for example….Christians have grace not old testament law…..
@John003: Circumcision was widely practiced in Ireland prior to Vatican 2.
@John003: nothing you’ve said is accurate, but then there’s probably no point discussing it with you, I’ll try anyway! The Jewish Bible is called the Tanakh, the Torah is one three books included in the Tanakh. The Christian Old Testament portion of the Bible and the Jewish Tanakh share what are known as protocanonical book, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and so on (39 in total).
The book of Leviticus, chapters 11-15 instruct followers on “purity”, this covers, menstruation, foods, clothing, etc.
Books 17-26 cover the holiness code; this covers what kind of sex you can engage in, how animals or slaughtered (food and sacrifice) and how you should treat your slaves.
You should read it, you’re probably incredibly impure and breaking dozens of laws daily, sure we all are.
The first five books of the old testament Jews called the Torah apply to Jews….No Christian religion has them as religious law or dietary laws….NONE….The Mosaic law is for the Jews….Koran had some of them also….New Testament is for Christians law is replaced by grace….We don’t observe Jewish dietary or religious laws…There are no koeser Christian shops with meat prepared according to Mosaic law….They NEVER existed….
It’s funny watching people argue over which type of bullsh*t is the most accurate.
@John003: Even little children who don’t care about this sh!t but are being indoctrinated regardless have a better understanding than you do. Go talk to one of the creepy men wearing a black dress with a white choker, ask to see a Bible, open it to the first chapter, does it say Genesis?
@kevin: Yet they don’t deem child abuse to be sinful. The Bible promotes child sacrifce, genocide, ethnic cleansing, misogyny and violence against women and children, how can one be ‘Liberal’ and adhere to so-called ‘Christian’ beliefs?
How the fook can you be a liberal christian? It’s an oxymoron.
@Ryan Comiskey: You’re and oxymoron.
@Old Gabby Johnson: an
@Old Gabby Johnson: crap effort – wanna try for a 3rd time?
The same way that liberals are pro Islam. Do not be fooled into believing that Liberals are progressive. They are merely repressed bigots with the iq of a stapler.
@Ryan Comiskey: Your sunglasses are stupid too.
@Old Gabby Johnson: do you have anything to actually add on here, you troll?
@George Orwell: Here comes Georgie with his wild generalisations again. Everything is so simple in your little bigoted world. “To the uneducated an “A” is just 3 sticks”. Using Orwells name as a handle is beyond insulting to the great man
@Soccer T’s:
Orwell itself was a pseudonym, so anyone can use it. As for comparing the writings of Eric Blair to what this Orwell is writing, there is a vast difference.
George I am so offended I can barely breathe. How dare you compare a liberal to a stapler. What kind of person are you. It is so insulting to staplers. A stapler is a useful tool…..
FFS ! If he keeps the UK in Europe who cares what he thinks .
@Mrs M: You do realise they’ve had the vote ????
Big deal, i always find it strange to ask if x or y is a ‘sin’, I personally don’t believe in this ‘sin’ nonsense so to be called a sinner is of absolutely NO consequence to me – call me a sinner all you want.
@Meanderingsz: Well, it is kind of a big deal only because the man is clearly an idiot, and idiots in positions of power are dangerous. Obviously sin is a ridiculous concept that shouldn’t be taken seriously but somehow still is.
You cropped Sue Perkins’ tweet and left out the crucial information she imparted regarding what year it currently is
(It’s 2017)
Surely, while the Church teaches that homosexuality is a sin it does not eternally condemn any sinner. Mr Farron needs to address how he, as a person in power, would deal with a situation arising other than brushing it under the carpet by abstention.
@Damocles: Why does he have to do this, his beliefs are his own matter, as long as he doesn’t let them influence his politics, I don’t care if he worships Chtulhu, or a floating teapot
@Larissa Caroline Nikolaus: Christians don’t (or shouldn’t) stop being Christians when they leave their place of worship. Maybe it’s different for the Teapotists.
Religion, what’s the point?
@Bewarethebeardz: my fictitious God is far better than your fictitious God. Indeed my fictitious God is a real God and you fictitious god is idolatrous and false. Therefore I have to put you and your family to the sword so as to respect my fictitious God who is all loving and all forgiving but only if you really worship him totally.
More fuel for the perpetually offended….FFS!!
@Enda Kennny: are you offended that they’re offended?
@Karen Wellington: why? Would it offend you if i was offended that they are offended?
Actions or inaction speak.
He abstained from voting on same sex civil marriage issues. Enough said.
I don’t know if Christianity deems being homosexual as sinful or homosexual sex as sinful but the problem is that Christians have to obey their religious dogma in every day life and that may involve discrimination. If Christians think that homosexuality or homosexual sex is so ful that will influence their approach to civil legislation.
Roman Catholicism regards homosexuality as intrinsically disordered. This caused Roman Catholic bishops and some of their flock to use religious dogma as a basis for opposing same sex civil marriage.
What a bitch. What is her problem? Why the hell should he give his personal views when as he said, he’s passionate about equality and it’s about going out there fighting for people individuals freedom. Is she going to ask any of the non christian politicians that question ?
@Missyb211: he has made a point of regularly bringing up that he is a Christian and he abstained from a vote on same sex civil marriage which he later explained as being due to his Christianity. The questions were invited by his past conduct and expression of religious views. I think that it was a legitimate series of questions.
I blame them Greeks they invented….
What’s the problem, he supports lgbt rights and has an impeccable record of work with same… He’s awkward answering regarding his religions view on gays, lgbt is sinful according to many religions… That’s a fact silly as it sounds
What on earth has theology gotta do with sexual orientation ??
Faith in mankind would be nice…..some polititions need dragging by the short n curlys into the this century. Surely religious affiliations cannot contine to underpin every political mandate in Ireland ?
Hardly a surprise. The UK is easily the most extremist Christian country on the planet. ‘God’ is the first word you learn if you attempt to study legalese in Britain’s unwritten constitution and the role of their Monarchy.
Only God can judge and the Bible tells us not to judge others, so what is the ptoblem?
The thick would want to move on its 2017
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He’s a hypochristian.
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