The head of the Russian Orthodox church, Alexei the second has declared that homosexuality is a mental sickness. He laments society tolerating homosexual behavior and believes that gayness is a danger to Russia and the Christian world in general. I don't understand why priests, Patriarchs, rabbis, rebbes e.t.c. have to make such comments. If they truly want to honor the Divine then they should show tolerance and love to G-d's creation. And homosexuals are a wonderful part of G-d's creation. G-d has blessed gays and lesbians and declared them Holy.

Actually that wasn't what he said at all. He said that even calling homosexuality a mental illness was a disgrace and a way for some people to to justify sin or put a human face on something that was a sin.

"...Attempts are made to justify homosexuality by calling it a disease, the patriarch said. Yet kleptomania can also be considered a disease, he argued. 'Why then no one advertises kleptomania while homosexuality gets advertised via gay parades?' he said. 'It is advertisement that is being forced on people who are a very long way from it,' Alexy said"

Sorry, IT, I dont read into this at all he is saying that calling it a mental illness is a disgrace.

The true skinny on it- and I tell it direct- "Homosexuality is basically disgusting bullshit and keep it away from the believers, you sick f**ks" is what he may have said instead because I would have respected it a hell of a lot more.

He is actually almost insinuating that homosexuality is less than a disease, which makes the first posters assumption of referring to it as a mental illness closer than your assumption that him saying that calling homosexuality a mental illness is a disgrace less accurate.

Oh well- when is the next trip and when is your niece coming out as a lesbian or other nephew coming out as transexual so you can take them under your well-to-do, perfectly skulpted, perfectly partnered and all knowing ass- I mean, wings?

kick - I think what ITJock tried (correctly) to say was that the the Patriach said, "even calling homosexuality a mental illness [[as opposed to a SIN]] was a disgrace [[in that it is not severe enough to describe the depravety of homosexuality]] and a way for some people to to justify sin or put a human face [[disease]] on something that was a sin." Then he provides a quote to support it.

You're on the same side.

The Russian patriarch has called homosexuality both a sin and a mental illness. The Russian patriarch and Roman Catholic pope have made outrageous statements like this and attempt to condemn a large segment of humanity to hell. They need to speak out against pedophiles and war and leave glbt folks alone.

the Russion Orthodox patriarch has lost any sort of moral authority since he supports the current Russian regime

and let's not even start on the Pope's lack of action against the child molestors and such in the Catholic Church