What's the point of unity?

I've just read a hugely distressing piece in the BBC News website:

Anglicans to halt gay ordinations

Basically the Church of England told the Episcopal Church to toe the line, and rather than stick to their principles -- the principes that gay people are as God made them are and just as entitled to love, marry, and serve the Lord as anyone else -- they bent and did what Canterbury told them to do, mostly because the African bishops were getting all medieval on Canterbury.


"The meeting was attended in part by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who urged the Episcopal Church to make concessions for the sake of unity."

Here's what I want to know: What's so hot about "unity"?

If two bodies of people have diametrically different positions about something, why force one body of people to compromise their principles for the sake of staying in the same club. What's wrong with leaving? What's so bad about saying "you know what? We're never going to agree on this issue, and if agreement is a condition of membership, we'll just be over here in our own, new clubhouse on the other side of the lake, k?"

WHY ARE PEOPLE'S CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS BEING COMPROMISED FOR "UNITY"?

I also liked this bit:

"The Episcopal bishops did reaffirm their commitment to the civil rights of gay people and said they opposed any violence towards them or violation of their dignity."

Do they really not see that keeping gay people second-class citizens and denying them the basic right to marry IS a violation of their dignity??? What's with this attitude that physical abuse is the only form of oppression?

The other side

Recently while giving a talk at some small college or other in Virginia (or was it North Carolina? anyway...) Prof. Richard Dawkins was asked by a student "What if you're wrong?"

It's actually an interesting question, but one that shouldn't just be directed at scientists. Why not consider what we believe from the perspective of the other side? Why not examine the other possiblities?

So I put it to you: tell us what you believe, and then tell us what happens if you're wrong.

Why is no one ever wrong anymore?

Tonight I was listening to two people I know well, respect, and care about have an in-depth discussion on the economics of ecological sustainability. Both of these men are intelligent and informed, but disagreed vehemently on a particular point. They went in circles for 30 minutes while I cleaned the kitchen around them. Eventually the discussion was ended, but it was never concluded. Neither one could see the other's point of view, and neither one's position had shifted one iota.

This got me thinking: how come no one is ever wrong any more? I can't remember the last time I heard someone say "Gee, that's a good point; I hadn't thought of it that way," or "You know, you're right. I'm going to have to reconsider my position on that." Have we completely lost the ability to change our minds (assuming it's an ability we ever had)? Or do we always approach every topic with out minds made up, no matter how little information we actually have?

So here's today's question: When was the last time someone changed your mind about something by presenting you with information you previously lacked or through the pursuasiveness of their logic?