Tom Peterkin on the Kirk

As a member of the Kirk (albeit one who rarely actually goes) I am dismayed to read of the case of Rev Scott Rennie, the homosexual clergyman who has moved his boyfriend into the manse.
It has been reported today that almost one third of Church of Scotland ministers have signed a petition attacking his appointment to Queen's Cross Parish Church, Aberdeen.
It reminded me of an event I covered in Belfast - a place where religion and intolerance have often gone hand-in-hand.
The occasion was the United Kingdom's first lesbian wedding, a celebration which happened in Northern Ireland because of a legal quirk that meant that the Province has a shorter registration period for civil partnerships than GB.
It was held at Belfast City Hall and was hilarious. The guest list consisted of some extraordinarily flamboyant guests from local gay scene wearing the campest costumes imaginable.
Not on the guest list, but in attendance nonetheless was a crowd of hardline presbyterian ministers many from Ian Paisley's church. Waving placards saying "Save Ulster from Sodomy", they bristled with moral indignation as they denounced the guests as "fruits" while shouting "filth, filth - you're going to hell".
But the demonstrators, who really stole the show were two friends of the happy couple who satirised the clergymen by dressing up in their own presbyterian minister outfits. These consisted of toothbrush moustaches, dog collars, hideous tweed jackets and Y-fronts (no trousers).
They carried their own placards. One said: "Bring back slavery". The other said: "Earth is flat."
It was a most effective piece of satire.
Thankfully, the Kirk has traditoinally displayed more tolerant views than those expressed by the clergy in Belfast on that day. But this petition has led me to wonder why some good Christians seem so keen to cast the first stone.