Matt Barber is angry that gay groups will finally be allowed to march in the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and believes the appropriate response is to have anti-gay demonstrators participate in the parade.
“Some faith-based organizations could carry banners and so forth exclaiming the truths of scripture relative to homosexual sin,” he said in an interview with the American Family Association’s OneNewsNow.
“[They could] use the opportunity to denounce what the New York City St. Patrick’s Parade organization has done here and to take them to task for casting aside the truths of scripture and disobeying the teachings of Christ.”
"What was once billed as a Catholic event can no longer be called such," Barber tells OneNewsNow. "They are openly allowing a sin-based organization to march in their parade and to effectively put their stamp of approval on what the Bible unequivocally calls sinful behavior."
Faith-based organizations that want to remain loyal to the Bible have a decision to make as to whether to participate. Barber offers a suggestion.
"Some faith-based organizations could carry banners and so forth exclaiming the truths of scripture relative to homosexual sin," he suggests. "[They could] use the opportunity to denounce what the New York City St. Patrick's Parade organization has done here and to take them to task for casting aside the truths of scripture and disobeying the teachings of Christ."
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who will be next year's grand marshal, says the parade committee "continues to have my confidence and support" – and he thanked them for keeping the parade "close to its Catholic heritage."
But the editor of Catholic World News believes Dolan should step down as grand marshal. "Why don't we just admit [the parade] has no religious significance," asks Philip Lawler, stating he believes the parade is more of a civic event that has already lost much of its ties to religion. Allowing homosexuals to identify themselves as they march in the parade, he adds, "seems a contradiction in honoring a Catholic saint."
Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, meanwhile, wonders if gay marchers will keep “their pants on”:
Responding to the decision by organizers of New York’s St. Patrick's Day Parade ending its ban and allowing for the first time an LGBT group to march behind its banner, Bill Donohue of Catholic League, a longtime opponent of allowing gays to march, asked, “Will the gays behave?”
“The reason I have to ask is that, unlike others,” he said in an interview with me on SiriusXM Progress, “they have a tendency to act up, [not keeping] their pants on.”
