Posted on 04/19/2005 12:27:44 PM PDT by Clint N. Suhks
To: Assignment Desk, Daybook Editor
Contact: Inga Sarda-Sorensen of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, 212-620-7310, ext. 230
News Advisory:
-- Timely Issue of Anti-Gay Religious Bigotry is the Focus of April 21 Forum; Leaders from All Faiths are Urged to Join the Effort and Reclaim the Notion of What it Means to be 'Moral' in America
Fed up with being portrayed by conservative and right-wing religious leaders as the antithesis of all things moral, lesbian and gay people are stepping forth to shatter the notion that they are somehow "ungodly," "unworthy" and incapable of possessing spiritual and religious values -- and they're urging leaders of all faiths and orientations to join them. This hot-button issue is the focus of a forum titled Turning It Around & Taking It Back: Religion Activism in a Time of Dissent, on Thursday, April 21, 7 p.m., at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, New York City. Suggested donation: $6.
How does one counter the anti-gay rhetoric, and what role should progressive religious institutions take in fighting bigotry? How can liberal people of faith reclaim what it means to be "moral" in America?
"Tough questions, but questions we absolutely must tackle," says Amy Lavine, co-founder of Out & Faithful: LGBT People, Religion and Spirituality, a program of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. "Rather than sitting by passively -- and getting pummeled by the right wing -- we're entering this national discourse and turning around the discussion to focus on what we see as unifying values. We hope this inspires others to work against the polarization in our country. We hope it encourages dialogue, rather than confrontation."
Panelists include the Rev. Jimmy Creech of Soulforce, Debanuj Dasgupta from Queer Immigrant Rights Project, Rev. Valerie Holly of Unity Fellowship of Christ Church and Jay Michaelson from Nehirim: A Spiritual Initiative for LGBT Jews.
They will fail. This Papal appointment has the stamp of God's approval on it, and for a reason. We now have a Pope who is going to grapple with the great moral questions of the day - those who are opposed to that message are simply out of luck.
Regards, Ivan
Excellent question!! The answer is to remember that Christ came into the world to forgive sin, not to tolerate it.
They won't ever give up, will they? I can see them after they pass on to the other side, taking their case to God, trying to get Him to accept their lifestyle.
In your haste to slam conservatives you also have slammed our new Pope...nice job "communicating" there.
This would imply that, at some time in America, Homosexuality was considered to be moral and the Religious Right has snatched the notion away. That time never existed.
True enough!! Let's go a little further and state, without equivocation, that at NO TIME in recorded history has this perversion been accepted.
There are numerous good reasons for that beyond the Bible; mental and physical health are two which spring to mind.
P: And of course, they will look for the wild-eyed mouth-foamers to substantiate their rhetoric.
CNS: In your haste to slam conservatives you also have slammed our new Pope...nice job "communicating" there.
Clint,
You don't get it.
I am not saying that anyone who opposes the gay activists is a wild-eyed mouth-foamer.
I am a Christian.
I am a Conservative.
I oppose homosexual activists.
I am just saying that there is a way to argue the matter that builds support for OUR cause, and there is a way to do it that builds support for THEIR cause.
Calm, compassionate, loving argument works in our interest.
Wild-eyed, foaming-mouthed screaming works in their interest.
How can I be more clear on this?
Reclaim? Reclaim what? Perhaps they should start by not lying. There is nothing to reclaim. What they want to do is redefine -- sex, faith, truth, biology, logic....you name it!
Am I the only one who sees the irony of the fact that it was the "evil" culture of Southern Evangelicals that first invented rock n' roll music? Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Elvis, etc,....they all came from religious backgrounds. And as dysfunctional as they were, they still respected moral values, even if they couldn't always live up to those values. Whereas the rock artists and fans of the late 60's and beyond seem to think that moral values are obsolete.
Most of those old rockers from the 50's, at some point, recorded albums of religious hymns. Maybe all the anti-Bible Belt bigots ought to consider that those old rockers understood the need for a moral compass to keep them from being completely taken over by hedonism, and that the culture that first gave us rock n' roll understands the dangers of its excesses better than anyone else.
DING!
GLBT people are absolutley loved by God but they too often mistake the word "love" for the word "permission" (as we do we all).
GLBT people are absolutley loved by God but they too often mistake the word "love" for the word "permission" (as do we all). A Church that warns people of the dangers of sin (in all its forms) is a Church that truly loves.
What does it mean to "hate the sin"? As applied to homosexuals particularly, how do you hate the sin without at least some rejection of the sinner? Does "hate the sin but love the sinner" really mean "love the sin and be indifferent to the fate of the sinner"?
If loving the sinner means keeping your lips zipped about his evil ways then why do we condemn other evil deeds, and how do we preach repentance if we can't mention specific sins? How do we raise children in the way they should go if we cannot comdemn their sinful ways? How do we seek God's righteousness if it is bad to acknowledge wrongs? How do we set any standards at all, moral or otherwise?
Should we love child molesters? Rapists? Any sinner, or just some sinners?
I do not think love and truth are at odds in God's eyes. Only to humans are they often incompatible. God is love. God is truth. And God is holy. These things in their true forms are not at odds with each other. Condoning evil is injustice, and that is not loving to anyone.
This phrase pretty much says it all. Just the fact that there is such an organization shows just how far we've sunk.
Homosexual Agenda Ping.
Gotta ping out the pings. Naturally those who want to violate God's laws don't like those who adhere to and promote God's laws.
Duh.
The funny thing is, those who demand tolerance from us can't tolerate dissent or disagreement. They want everyone else in the world to shut up and kowtow to them and their dysfunctional, sinful, unnatural, and unhealthy desires and practices.
Let DirtyHarryY2K and me know if you want on/off this pinglist.
Well .. they're really going to love the new Pope - he said, "homosexuality is an intrinsic moral evil".
I wonder how the Episcopal chuch is going to deal with that - in their church services they used to swear allegiance to the Holy Roman Church.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
CANNOT RECLAIM WHAT YOU NEVER HAD!
Oh and you ARE ungodly, and immoral! Nothing frightens these homos more than the truth. The fear it so bad, they concoct stories (lies) to defend their denial.
Like Rush said today, we get to the point that we have too many robberies, these peoples answer to the problem is make robbery legal. Just stop arresting for it.
Makes as much sense!
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