Sunday, February 19, 2006

Openly gay, closeted alcoholic bishop




this post has been updated
Tammy Bruce
reports that the Episcopal Church thought they were getting an openly gay bishop. What they didn`t know was that Gene Robinson was a closeted alcoholic.

The Bishop is getting treatment for alcoholism. He says he has been dealing with alcoholism for years.

The Episcopal Church is the U.S. province of the 77 million-member Anglican Communion.

You may know that Robinson is the first openly gay bishop. But guess what. The first woman to lead an Episcopal congregation in Illinois also needed alcohol treatment and blamed it on being a "first".
There is a particular kind of stress people are under when they are the first. Being a clergy person is a stressful job - and any disease process latent in our bodies is going to be exacerbated when an extra level of scrutiny is added on."

Ohhhh the excuses, the pressure, the stress - hey if you cant cope with being a church minister, have gay sex and get pissed. I'm sure that's just what Jesus would have done.What is it with these Episcopal minsters?

He should resign. If he was a teacher he`d lose his job. There's nothing wrong by admitting his alcoholism, but keeping his addiction secret for years while attempting to be a bishop is just nutty. That's why he's not fit to be a bishop. Many have already said he is not fit to lead a church due to his sexual activities.

UPDATE
Robinson, got married in 1972, was ordained in 1973, and elected bishop in 2003. In between he left his wife for his current partner and became an alcoholic. I wonder what his advice was for people coming to him with their own problems of alcohol abuse.

Do you think parishoners will be happy footing the bill for his treatment? This is apparently covered through the churches medical insurance. He is in rehab until the end of the month and, as one blog commenter put it"POOF" hes back in the saddle.

Anyway, its pleasing to know his flock is standing behind him".There is, of course, a standing joke among Episcopalians, that wherever three or four are gathered together there you will find a fifth, (and it is our good friend Jack Daniels).

Some have said he sould be fired. Under the church's law, a bishop can be removed only for criminal or gross immoral conduct. I wonder what sort of things would be clased as gross immoral miscounduct.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let us be thankful no one in your family suffers from substance abuse. I'm not sure what century you live in, but an illness is an illness. Being in recovery myself these past 5 years, I can say your attitude is one of bitterness and hate way beyond what could be deemed emotionally stable.

One of the outward signs many forms of addiction is anger. I suggest before you cast stones, look at your own anger.

Anonymous said...

I just want to "ditto" Anonymous’ comments.

Thank God +Gene is getting treatment for the disease of alcoholism. Thank God, too, for the Episcopal Church and its witness to justice and equality for ALL God's children, this includes gays and lesbians, women and men, black and white and Hispanic, etc., etc.

Anonymous said...

So Gene has feet of clay. So do certain New Zealand conservative Christian highfliers, and at least he's done the right thing and faced up to having a drinking problem.

Alcoholism knows no boundaries of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity...or relgious affiliation, come to that.

Would you be similarly uncharitable toward a conservative
evangelical substance abuser,
Dave?

Craig Y.

bruddah said...

All have sinned. But Christians should not be slaves to sin as Gene Robinson so clearly is. The Episcopal church flaunted their apostasy by electing such a confused character as their leader.

Anonymous said...

Griag, I agree Gene has done the right thing and faced up to having a drinking problem.

When are you going to do the same and face up to having a SADD (Saame Sex Attration Disorder)?

Anonymous said...

Probably about the same time that you admit that the so-called exgay
movement is almost moribund in NZ, mon frere.

Craig Y.

Swimming said...

Craig, If it was substance abuse and alcohol abuse I would have been just as "uncharitable" - but I don think I was uncharitable.

Given that this bishop had an alcohol problem before he was even a bishop, why dont you think he faced up to his problem BEFORE he became a bishop?

Someone tell me that?

bruddah said...

What an inspirational leader! What an example to follow! What a devout life! What a testimony to the power of God!

yeah right

Anonymous said...

Rather than focusing on Gene's gayness, it might be more advisable to investigate clergy alcoholism. I doubt whether he's the only one in the Episcopal Church, or Anglican Communion, who has that problem within the hierarchy. He's just more honest about it than the others.

And hey, being gay- or straight-
doesn't automatically elevate one to paragon of virtue status.

Craig Y.