“The actions taken by the New Hampshire Episcopalians are an affront to Christians everywhere. I am just thankful that the church’s founder, Henry VIII, and his wife Catherine of Aragon, his wife Anne Boleyn, his wife Jane Seymour, his wife Anne of Cleves, his wife Katherine Howard, and his wife Catherine Parr are no longer here to suffer through this assault on our ‘traditional Christian marriage.’”
The Christian Century, which published this zinger in the Sept. 20, 2003, issue, attributes it like this: “From an editorial in the Los Angeles Times (August 16), in response to the Episcopal Church’s making Gene Robinson of New Hampshire its first gay bishop.”
Hmm. I can’t find the passage in the Times archive — but I do find it at Looka (9.11.03, fifth item), where it’s attributed thusly: “Letter to the editor, Los Angeles Times, August 16, 2003.” And I find it prominently displayed on The Onion of church Web sites, Landover Baptist Church, where the quote is attributed to the oughta-be-real Betty Bower. So, did the letter appear originally in the Times, or is this just a great joke that is gaining a bit of Web-enhanced credibility? And does it matter? I’m still laughing . . .