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  in each and every society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
  

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1. <?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:blogger='http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd="http://schemas.google.com/g/2005" xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463</id><updated>2024-03-19T05:23:19.564-07:00</updated><category term="Gay"/><category term="Homosexuality"/><category term="LGBT"/><category term="Trans"/><category term="Transgender"/><category term="phobia"/><category term="phobic"/><title type='text'>A CHRISTIAN VOICE FOR GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER RIGHTS</title><subtitle type='html'>&quot;A Church that doesn&#39;t provoke any crisis, a gospel that doesn&#39;t unsettle, a word of God that doesn&#39;t get under anyone&#39;s skin, a word of God that doesn&#39;t touch the real sin of society in which it is being proclaimed, what gospel is that?  Archbishop Oscar Romero (1917-1980)  &quot;Never let other people define your reality or put you into bondage to their ways of thinking.&quot;  Jerry Maneker.</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default?redirect=false'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><link rel='next' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default?start-index=26&amp;max-results=25&amp;redirect=false'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>797</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-494467836595521900</id><published>2015-05-01T09:38:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2015-05-01T09:42:13.476-07:00</updated><title type='text'>CHURCHES ARE AFRAID OF LOSING THEIR TAX-EXEMPT STATUS IF SCOTUS AFFIRMS THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE</title><content type='html'>&lt;br /&gt;
2. <div class="p1">
3. <span class="s1">Mike Huckabee: "I respect the courts, but the Supreme Court is only that -- the supreme of the courts. It is not the supreme being. It cannot overrule God," he said. "When it comes to prayer, when it comes to life, and when it comes to the sanctity of marriage, the court cannot change what God has created."  [See.<a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/30/1381466/-Mike-Huckabee-Supreme-Court-cannot-overrule-God#">http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/30/1381466/-Mike-Huckabee-Supreme-Court-cannot-overrule-God#</a>]</span></div>
4. <div class="p1">
5. <br /></div>
6. <div class="p1">
7. My assessment is that beyond their hatred of gay people, the fear that SCOTUS may well affirm same-sex marriages is chilling to those pastors and other professing Christians because, although pastors will be free to not marry same-sex couples, their churches may well lose their tax-exempt status if they don't follow the law of the land.  Once same-sex marriage is viewed as constitutional, pastors will be free to discriminate, but at the cost of their churches losing their tax exempt status.  In my opinion, this is the main reason we're seeing such desperate rhetoric while SCOTUS deliberates the constitutionality of same-sex marriage.  In America, the best perspective is to "follow the money!"</div>
8. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/494467836595521900/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=494467836595521900&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/494467836595521900'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/494467836595521900'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2015/05/churches-are-afraid-of-losing-their-tax.html' title='CHURCHES ARE AFRAID OF LOSING THEIR TAX-EXEMPT STATUS IF SCOTUS AFFIRMS THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-2423177310815563233</id><published>2014-12-10T13:40:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2014-12-11T15:02:00.529-08:00</updated><title type='text'>CHRISTIANITY AND HOMOSEXUALITY</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style=&quot;background-color: black; color: #eeeeee; font-family: verdana, &#39;comic sans ms&#39;, &#39;times new roman&#39;; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;Many years ago, after my giving a talk on how the Bible doesn&#39;t condemn, but actually affirms, same-sex love, a woman with a gay brother, raised in a Christian family, asked me to write out &quot;talking points&quot; on the subject of the consistency between Christianity and homosexuality, so that she could share that information with her brother. This article is the result of my answering her request.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
9. <span style="background-color: black; color: #eeeeee;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
10. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">Hitler's propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbles, stated what is, unfortunately, a profound truth. He said that no matter how big the lie, if it's repeated often enough, people will come to believe it. Just as that axiom proved true in Nazi Germany, it certainly proves itself to be true regarding the relationship between Christianity and homosexuality. For centuries, we have been repeatedly told from assorted pulpits throughout the world that homosexuality is a "sin," so that so many professing Christians and others come to think that it's a no-brainer, that it is, in fact, a "sin." </span></span><br />
11. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
12. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">The fact is, as the Reverend Troy Perry has said, "Jesus came to take away our sins, not our sexuality." In addition, as I have said for many decades, "Never let other people define your reality or put you into bondage to their ways of thinking!" </span></span><br />
13. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
14. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">Simply put, if we remove the patriarchal and legalistic trappings of "Christianity," that presents the false gospel of legalism perfectionism, and exclusion, we see that the only Gospel to be found in Christianity, the Gospel of grace, faith, love, peace, reconciliation, and inclusiveness demands that we embrace all of God's children, we be authentic as God created us to be, and we recognize that we commit a grievous sin when we reject the wonderful gift bestowed upon us by God, the gift of being able to love another person. As Rev. Troy Perry has said, "God didn't create someone whom He could sit around and hate!" </span></span><br />
15. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
16. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">You also commit a grievous sin if you reject the sexual orientation given you by God! We are to never chafe under the sovereign choices of God, and so many LGBT Christians fail to recognize that they are God's gift to the Church and to society! Always remember, God has gifted you with the capacity to love and that you are God's gift to the Church and to this world! </span></span><br />
17. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
18. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">As I read a while back, "We are not here to prove ourselves to the world, but to be ourselves in the world!" This is a good point and truth worth meditating on each and every day of our lives. Read Isaiah 2:22 and Galatians 1:10 for further confirmation of this truth! </span></span><br />
19. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
20. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">I hope these talking points are of help, not merely to address the prejudice of others, prejudice that, unfortunately, rationality and facts are frequently unlikely to penetrate, but that they affirm all of us as God's children, and once and for all erase any possible reason for anyone to have shame or self-loathing because of sexual orientation, or for any other reason. God is not stupid and God doesn't make any mistakes! </span></span><br />
21. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
22. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">Here are the talking points that I hope you find useful: </span></span><br />
23. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
24. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">1. All of the Commandments are fulfilled by loving God and loving others. We are never to judge others. (Matthew 7:1; Romans 2:1) Read Romans 1 in detail and then Romans 2:1. </span></span><br />
25. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
26. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">2. The "clobber passages" in Leviticus and Deuteronomy concern the "Holiness Codes" that have been fulfilled in Jesus. "Toevah" means "abomination" or "detestable" as related to idolatry and cult prostitution that were engaged in by the Canaanites. </span></span><br />
27. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
28. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">3. The Bible also contains prohibitions against eating shell fish; there are also the cultural practices of stoning to death those who commit adultery, stoning to death those who work on the Sabbath, stoning to death recalcitrant children, women not being allowed to talk in the Church, women not being allowed to teach men, women always keeping their heads covered in church, not wearing mixed fibers in one's clothes, etc. Why not picket Safeway for selling shell fish and picket K Mart for selling shirts made of cotton and polyester? </span></span><br />
29. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
30. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">4. The "sin of Sodom" (Genesis 19) has nothing to do with homosexuality. It deals with gang rape. Whenever Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned in the Bible, homosexuality is never mentioned as its sin. Its sins are primarily inhospitality and not taking care of the poor. </span></span><br />
31. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
32. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">5. In a tribal society, living on the edge, surrounded by enemies, homosexual activity is condemned because in this way people can't "be fruitful and multiply." However, we are no longer a tribal society living on the edge; it's inappropriate to blindly translate the cultural practices of ancient societies to contemporary society as witness as a widow having to marry her husband's brother. If she loved that man, that's wonderful. But if she didn't love that man, she still had to marry him and one can't legitimately argue that God is in favor of serial rape! </span></span><br />
33. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
34. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">6. If homosexuality was so important, why is it not mentioned in the Ten Commandments; why did the prophets never write about it; why didn't Jesus ever condemn it? If it were that important, don't you think that it would have been mentioned in at least one of these contexts? </span></span><br />
35. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
36. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">7. Why was the centurion so concerned about this particular slave as recorded in Matthew 8? After all, slaves were a dime a dozen. As it says in Luke, this is a slave who was "dear to him." (Luke 7:2) Why is the Greek word "pais" translated as "servant" in English, when this Greek word is best translated "slave boy?" "Doulos" is the Greek word for slave! A slave boy was frequently one who had a romantic-sexual relationship with an older man; that may well be why the centurion was so concerned about this particular slave boy and asked Jesus to heal him. If such a relationship was a sin or in any way inappropriate, wouldn't Jesus have taken this opportunity to condemn or censure the centurion for having such a relationship? Instead, Jesus merely commended the centurion on his faith and promptly proceeded to heal the man's slave boy. </span></span><br />
37. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
38. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">8. Same-sex love is certainly affirmed in reading of the relationship between King David (called "a man after God's own heart") and Jonathan. See 1 Samuel 16:12;20:1-23;35-42;20:41;28:32-34;20:12-17;42; 2 Samuel 1:26. If one reads the account of Deborah, a Judge and esteemed warrior in Israel, one comes away with a feeling that she may well have been transgendered, as she certainly didn't live up to the cultural expectations of how a "woman" is to behave. (See Judges 4:1-24) </span></span><br />
39. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
40. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">9. Particularly in the New Testament, same-sex love is never condemned! What is undoubtedly condemned is male cult prostitution, as seen in the fact that in Corinth, where the Book of Romans was undoubtedly written, there were many religions, one of them being the fertility cult of Aphrodite. Here, sex was frequently a worshipful act in homage to various pagan deities for purposes of fertility, having the crops grow, etc. </span></span><br />
41. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
42. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">10. The word "homosexual" never appears in any biblical manuscript, as it was a word coined in the late 19th Century and first appeared in an English Bible translation, the Revised Standard Version, in 1946. The Greek word used for "homosexual," arsenokoitai, is an obscure word that doesn't seem to appear in any other ancient writings, and may very well have been only used by the Apostle Paul. Its literal meaning is "male bed." No one knows what Paul was referring to but, if he wanted to denote same-sex love, there were other words available to him that he could have easily used. </span></span><br />
43. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
44. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">11. The word translated "effeminate" in 1 Corinthians 6:9 is malakoi. It means "soft." It's used elsewhere in Scripture to denote soft clothing. (Matthew 11:8) In this context it probably refers to people of soft morals, or people who lack courage. In any case, to translate it as "effeminate" in a pejorative way would contradict Paul's assertion of the equality of men and women in Christ. (Galatians 3:28) </span></span><br />
45. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
46. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">12. Regarding the word "para physin" that is usually translated "against nature," this phrase is also used in regard to God's welcoming the gentiles into the fold. (Romans 11:21-24) The phrase is probably best translated, "unexpected," or something not done in the usual way. </span></span><br />
47. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
48. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">13. Biblical principle must always trump biblical practice! The biblical principle is the Gospel, the Good News, of God's grace (unmerited favor) to us that we appropriate through our faith in Him. (Romans 5:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-9) As Peter J. Gomes writes in his excellent book that I strongly urge you to read, The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart, when we read any passage of the Bible we must try to discern what it says, what it means, the subtext, the context, what we bring to the text, and what we take out of the text. Much of the mind-set and many of the words that appear in Scripture don't mean what we think they mean from our perspective. </span></span><br />
49. <span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" />
50. <span style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;">14. As Christians we are to show forth the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and live out the Gospel of grace, faith, love, peace, reconciliation, and inclusiveness. We are in no way to align ourselves with wolves in sheep's clothing who stigmatize and oppress gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people for their own psychological, political, social, and financial gains, particularly when they have absolutely no Scriptural authority to do so. </span></span><br />
51. <span style="background-color: yellow;"><br style="font-family: verdana, 'comic sans ms', 'times new roman'; font-size: 13px;" /></span>
52. &lt;span style=&quot;background-color: yellow;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, &#39;comic sans ms&#39;, &#39;times new roman&#39;; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;There is much more that can be said on this matter! There are many other web sites as well that deal with the integration of Christianity and homosexuality, such as the web site of the&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mccchurch.org/&quot; style=&quot;font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Metropolitan Community Churches&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, &#39;comic sans ms&#39;, &#39;times new roman&#39;; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;, and my blog,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.christianlgbtrights.org/&quot; style=&quot;font-family: verdana; font-size: 13px;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;A Christian Voice For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Rights&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: verdana, &#39;comic sans ms&#39;, &#39;times new roman&#39;; font-size: 13px;&quot;&gt;, that has many relevant links that you may find of interest and might be of help.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/2423177310815563233/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=2423177310815563233&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/2423177310815563233'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/2423177310815563233'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2014/12/christianity-and-homosexuality.html' title='CHRISTIANITY AND HOMOSEXUALITY'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-7255801002394545864</id><published>2014-12-01T16:25:00.002-08:00</published><updated>2014-12-01T16:25:35.400-08:00</updated><title type='text'>LGBT PEOPLE ARE NOT QUEER</title><content type='html'>&lt;div class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;
53. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Some definitions of “queer”
54. are “abnormal” and “deviant,” and when LGBT people apply these names to
55. themselves they are consigning themselves to pariah status in the eyes of
56. potential Straight allies and others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> 
57. </span>The whole point of this Civil Rights movement must be to have people see
58. that being LGBT is normal, and a mere variation of statistical norms that exist
59. in each and every society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
60. <div class="MsoNormal">
61. <br /></div>
62. <div class="MsoNormal">
63. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In his book, <u>Outsiders</u>,
64. the late Howard S. Becker said that there is nothing intrinsic in the quality
65. of an act that makes it deviant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>An act
66. or, in this case, a person, is only considered “deviant” when the label of
67. “deviance” is successfully applied to that act or person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
68. <div class="MsoNormal">
69. <br /></div>
70. <div class="MsoNormal">
71. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Hence, in this context, when
72. LGBT people define themselves as “queer,” they are applying the label of
73. “deviance” to themselves, and giving tacit permission to others to view them in
74. that light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Therefore, they are enabling
75. people to give themselves permission to see them as “the deviant,” “the other,”
76. “the outsider,” and even “the pariah” in society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
77. <div class="MsoNormal">
78. <br /></div>
79. <div class="MsoNormal">
80. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Here, the people who define
81. themselves in this way seem to be comfortable, if not to revel, in their status
82. of being an outsider, and not being seen as fully equal to heterosexuals. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Witting or unwitting self-loathing might well
83. be the basis of tenaciously hanging on to that word as a self-identifier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>One of the reasons that same-sex marriage is
84. so important is that beyond cementing the sanctity of the marriage of two gay
85. people it is showing all who have eyes to see that save for affectional/sexual
86. orientation there is no difference between LGBT people and heterosexuals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
87. <div class="MsoNormal">
88. <br /></div>
89. <div class="MsoNormal">
90. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Many years ago, I wrote about
91. this thesis on someone else’s blog and was shocked by the level of hostility I
92. received from those who were wedded to seeing themselves as “queer.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>I was accused of being ignorant, of not
93. knowing what I was talking about, of having hostility to LGBT people, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>I’m not easily shocked, but I was shocked by
94. the level of hatred directed toward me when I said that LGBT people are normal,
95. and must not be seen as abnormal in any way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
96. <div class="MsoNormal">
97. <br /></div>
98. <div class="MsoNormal">
99. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">These people reveled in
100. seeing themselves as being deviant or outsiders, and wanted others to see them
101. as being deviant or outsiders as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> 
102. </span>To say that they were shooting themselves in the foot is a gross
103. understatement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
104. <div class="MsoNormal">
105. <br /></div>
106. <div class="MsoNormal">
107. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I’m happily surprised at the
108. rate that same-sex marriage has increased in the U.S.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>However, I’m afraid that there will be a
109. backlash, given the reactionary political sensibilities of much of the
110. electorate as seen in the recent midterm elections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
111. <div class="MsoNormal">
112. <br /></div>
113. <div class="MsoNormal">
114. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It is vital that there is a
115. human face placed upon LGBT people to which others can relate as being of like
116. kind and deserving of full and complete equality in every facet of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>By referring to oneself as “queer,”
117. permission is given for others to view LGBT people as “the other, “ “the
118. stranger,” and even worthy of discrimination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> 
119. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
120. <div class="MsoNormal">
121. <br /></div>
122. <div class="MsoNormal">
123. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We have a reactionary United
124. States Supreme Court, and one of our allies, the elderly Ruth Bader Ginsberg,
125. just underwent a procedure to remove a blockage from her heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>We can’t be sanguine about future rulings
126. from that court affirming same-sex marriage as a Constitutional right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
127. <div class="MsoNormal">
128. <br /></div>
129. <div class="MsoNormal">
130. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">And referring to LGBT people
131. as “the other,” and “the deviant,” which are synonyms for “queer,” can do
132. nothing but help assure further discrimination by people, including the
133. judiciary, in retarding, if not revoking, many of the gains made in the fight
134. for full LGBT equality in all dimensions of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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525. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/7255801002394545864/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=7255801002394545864&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/7255801002394545864'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/7255801002394545864'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2014/12/lgbt-people-are-not-queer.html' title='LGBT PEOPLE ARE NOT QUEER'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-7197432851856715605</id><published>2014-10-30T13:08:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2014-10-30T13:11:17.860-07:00</updated><title type='text'>WHY EVERY CHURCH MUST BE OPEN AND AFFIRMING</title><content type='html'>This is an article that I posted many years ago, delivered as a sermon, and appeared in &quot;Whosoever,&quot; a blog that caters to LGBT people and their allies:&lt;br /&gt;
526. <div id="content-wrap" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; clear: both; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
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529. "…O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths." (Isaiah 3:12)</h4>
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531. "…he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry." (Isaiah 5:7)</h4>
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533. Many years ago, I was asked by the then-pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Chico, Lynn Bolich, to speak to the congregation and community members who would attend as to why gay people should not be ordained to the ministry. Conventionally reading the Bible, I saw such words as “abomination” and “against nature” ostensibly associated with homosexuality, and I thought it was a no-brainer. To my current embarrassment, I gave that speech.</div>
534. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
535. Subsequent to giving that speech, I started to think more deeply about the issue and asked myself the question, “Why would someone voluntarily choose to become part of a despised minority group?” I started searching the Scriptures, looking up the original languages to see what they meant and, more importantly, what they didn’t mean. I also read extra-biblical sources on the subject and finally decided that the Bible not only did not condemn same-sex loving relationships but, in fact, tacitly affirmed them.</div>
536. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
537. I examined the relationship between David and Jonathan and saw that even a cursory reading of the biblical account of their relationship showed King David, called a man after God’s own heart (1Samuel 13:14), to have been at the very least a bisexual. (1Sam. 20:30-31; 41-42; 2Sam. 1:26; 9:1) Moreover, in Matthew 8, a centurion beseeches Jesus to heal his servant. The typical Greek word that is translated “servant,” although a more accurate translation is “slave,” is doulos. However, in Matthew 8, the Greek word that is translated in the King James Version of the Bible as “servant” is pais and, given this account as recorded in Luke 7 that says that this slave (doulos) was “dear unto him” (Luke 7:2), it may very well be translated “slave boy.”</div>
538. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
539. The term “slave boy” was a term that was commonly used to describe one who was in a homosexual relationship in those times. That may well be why the centurion was so concerned about this particular slave. This being a reasonable and probable translation in Matthew 8 given the context (Such as seen in Charles B. Williams, The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the People.), it is interesting that Jesus never condemned the centurion’s relationship with his slave boy, and He had the perfect opportunity to do so if He felt that their relationship was in any way sinful or inappropriate. Jesus merely commended the centurion on his faith and promptly proceeded to heal the man’s slave boy.</div>
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541. The legalists and the self-righteous, smug fundamentalist professing Christians, who seem to monopolize the media, don’t speak for Christianity—at least not the Christianity that I know. These purveyors of a false Gospel impose their prejudices on the Bible, selectively picking certain verses that they feel affirm those prejudices, and preach a message of legalism and perfectionism that is diametrically opposed to the Gospel of grace, faith, love, peace, reconciliation, and inclusiveness.</div>
542. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
543. The Apostle Paul, who adamantly fought legalism (Acts 15; Ephesians 2:8-9), saved his harshest words for those who preach a false Gospel. He said in Galatians 1:8 concerning those who preach a false Gospel, “…let him be accursed.” He felt so strongly about those who preach legalism rather than the Gospel of grace that he repeated himself in the very next verse.</div>
544. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
545. To be “accursed” is to be damned by God! In other words, he wrote, “God damn them.” (Galatians 1:8-9) Once can’t use any stronger language than that!</div>
546. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
547. These preachers of a false Gospel have wittingly or unwittingly attempted to hijack the true Gospel and redefine Christianity in their own twisted image of God, the Bible, the world, and of themselves. They make Christians look like a pack of hate-mongering, harsh, judgmental freaks and I terribly resent it!</div>
548. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
549. Every single church and denomination is obligated to embrace and welcome into its fellowship everyone who worships Christ as his or her savior, and afford each such person full rights of inclusion, including the partaking of every sacrament of the Church, as befit members of the Body of Christ! Yet, many denominations are struggling with issues surrounding the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (hereafter to be called GLBT) people. The struggle is said to largely center on biblical interpretation regarding gay people and their relationships, as well as Christian tradition, despite the fact that Jesus says we make void the Word of God by our traditions. (Matthew 15:3)</div>
550. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
551. Many people who seek to deny GLBT people rights of ordination, marriage, and other rights and privileges that accrue to others, may be well-intentioned, but they are misinformed. The root of this misinformation is largely the religious leadership that seeks to impose their world-views that bespeak ignorance and insensitivity upon not only other people, but upon the Bible and upon God Himself.</div>
552. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
553. Just as Peter’s experience of Cornelius in Acts 10 showed him that even Gentiles were receiving God’s Spirit, we must realize that GLBT Christians can receive, and many have received, God’s Spirit as well, as the reception of God’s Spirit has absolutely nothing to do with one’s sexual orientation. Many people in the Church still think of GLBT people as Peter and Paul once thought of Gentiles. Yet God told them, and us, “…What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” (Acts 10:15)</div>
554. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
555. Peter and Paul called the Jewish Christian church in their day to not merely tolerate Gentile Christians, but welcome their full inclusion. Similarly, in our day we are being called by God to not merely tolerate GLBT Christians, but welcome their full inclusion in every aspect of the Church and society.</div>
556. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
557. Had it not been for adherence to God’s revelation concerning inclusiveness, Paul would not have had a ministry to the Gentiles (Acts 13:47), and had it not been for Paul and his ministry, Christianity would likely be but a mere sect of Judaism, rather than its fulfillment! We must obey God; not man-made dogmas, rules, regulations, and traditions!</div>
558. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
559. On June 17, 2004, Reuters reported, “The Roman Catholic Church in Massachusetts is considering firing gay employees who marry their same-sex partners in the only American state where such unions are legal, a church official said on Thursday.” Hence, even though the law in Massachusetts permits same-sex marriage, the Roman Catholic Church, viewing gay relationships as “intrinsically disordered,” may seek to discriminate against those who take advantage of that law.</div>
560. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
561. Given the extensive sex abuse scandals that have rocked that denomination, it would seem prudent for it to take the beam out of its own eye before tackling what isn’t even a speck in another’s eye. Yet, sexuality and sexual orientation are such highly charged topics for them, and most others, that they may feel free to disregard the law and discriminate against people who seek to make a lifetime commitment to each other before God and the community through the sacrament of marriage.</div>
562. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
563. Marriage is a matter of love, but also a matter of legal and property rights! Just ask anyone who has gone through a divorce! As citizens, GLBT people have every right to partake of the same rights and privileges, as well as the responsibilities, as other citizens.</div>
564. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
565. Why would we allow a bunch of celibate men, men who seemingly choose to deny a core part of the self, a deep primal urge and vehicle for the _expression of deepest intimacy between two people, be allowed to define romantic and sexual reality for us? In this vein, we must ask, “Why are so many ‘religious’ people, clergy and non-clergy alike, so obsessed with others’ love and sexual lives that they read into Scripture, taking a few passages out of context and without regard to the original languages, justification for discriminating, stigmatizing, demonizing, and oppressing GLBT people, which judgment and discrimination is clearly un-Scriptural?” Their prejudices have clearly blinded them to the biblical mandate to love others and not judge or oppress them!</div>
566. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
567. The Gospel of love trumps any particular verse or verses of Scripture, particularly those taken out of context and interpreted without regard to the original languages. In Leviticus, the men who sought to gang rape the two angels weren't gay, as Lot wouldn't have offered his virgin daughters to them. If they were gay, young women certainly would have been no inducement to them. The issue was gang rape, abusing others, not sexual orientation or gay relationships.</div>
568. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
569. Indeed, whenever Sodom and Gomorrah are mentioned in Scripture, homosexuality is never mentioned as its sin. Rather, the sins that are dealt with are inhospitality and not taking care of the poor. Moreover, if the two angels who visited Lot’s house had been women, it is unlikely that those professing Christians who discriminate against GLBT people would be condemning heterosexuality!</div>
570. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
571. The word translated "homosexual" in some translations (Such as the New English Bible: New Testament.) is arsenekoitai, an obscure Greek word, which actually means "male bed." It probably refers to male cult prostitution (See the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.) that was not uncommon in much of the ancient world, where sex was sometimes a worshipful act to various pagan deities and to have the crops grow. Paul was most likely talking about the use of sex for these purposes. In this connection, it is important to note that the word “homosexual” does not appear in any of the biblical manuscripts, as the term was coined in the late 19th century, and first appeared in an English Bible translation in the 1946 edition of the Revised Standard Version.</div>
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573. Moreover, prohibitions against homosexual activity in ancient Israel was done in the context of a tribal society living on the edge, surrounded by enemies, that had to "be fruitful and multiply" in order for it to survive. Therefore, all types of sexual activity had to be geared to procreation. The sin of Onan, coitus interruptus, was to do otherwise. (Genesis 38:9-10)</div>
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575. Romans 1:21-32 that is erroneously used to condemn gay people talks about those who turned their backs on God. Even though many professing Christians and clergy have turned GLBT people away from the church, many of these people still worship God. Many of them have long, fulfilling relationships. For example, one gay couple who attend our church has been together for 40 years.</div>
576. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
577. In any case, what those who quote from the first chapter of Romans to erroneously condemn gay people apparently don't read is the very next verse: "Therefore Thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things." (Romans 2:1)</div>
578. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
579. The word "abomination" frequently refers to anything the Gentiles did. For example, eating fish without scales was an abomination. Also, the Greek words that are translated "against nature," para physin, are also used in reference to God when He brought the Gentiles into the covenant relationship with Him. (Romans 11:24) Hence, the term “against nature” is not necessarily meant to be pejorative; may well refer in Romans 1:26-27 to heterosexuals who engage in homosexual acts as seen in cult prostitution.</div>
580. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
581. In 1Corinthians 6:9 the word "effeminate" is used. The Greek word is malakoi, and it means "soft." It's used elsewhere in Scripture to denote soft clothing. In this connection, it probably means people of soft morals or people who lack courage.</div>
582. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
583. It is important to realize that homosexuality is never mentioned in the Ten Commandments, never written about by the prophets, and never discussed by Jesus. If it were that important, it would have likely been dealt with in at least one of these contexts!</div>
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585. Yet these facts, and many others that have been put forth, are not likely to change the minds and hearts of those who actively discriminate against GLBT people. Those who spend a great deal of their time condemning other people “in the name of God,” by picking and choosing selected verses of Scripture without seeming regard to context and original languages, may well be materially and psychologically gaining a great deal from these endeavors, all the while claiming that they are being faithful to the Bible.</div>
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587. Just one example as to how these people don't seem to be as ‘Bible believing’ as they would have us believe: Jesus specifically condemned divorce and remarriage, saying that those who did so, absent fornication, were themselves committing adultery. (Matthew 19:9) I don't hear many homophobic clergy condemning these people and telling them that they should leave their current spouse and either reunite with their previous spouse or remain single. Nor should they! My point is that many of their constituents are made up of these people who give them tithes, offerings, and contributions and they don't want to bite the hands that feed them. They have, however, helped drive many GLBT people away from the church, so these people become viewed as “safe” targets to persecute.</div>
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589. The Gospel of love negates any attempt to misrepresent, stigmatize, demonize, or oppress other people. Those who seek to exclude GLBT people from partaking fully in the life of the Church and society have missed the message of the Gospel!</div>
590. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
591. In any case, it's inappropriate to blindly apply the cultural practices of ancient societies to contemporary society, as it does not do justice to the Bible; the Bible makes no such claims for itself; to do so cheapens the Bible. As Peter J. Gomes wrote in his superb book, The Good Book: Reading The Bible With Mind And Heart, when we read the Bible we must take account of what it says, what it means, the text, the subtext, the context, what we bring to the text, and what we take out of the text. Without such examination, we have the egregious example of many Black churches, ministers and lay people, aligning themselves with the KKK to fight against same-sex marriage.</div>
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593. What is interesting in this context is that the KKK has demonstrated against same-sex marriage. So, the Vatican, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (that, even with its checkered sexual history, talks of traditional family values) and others who oppose equal rights for gay people are aligning themselves with the KKK that opposes equality for all citizens. And these professing Christians have the temerity to do so "in the name of God."</div>
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595. For far too long we have listened to people who just uncritically assume that what they heard from the pulpit or Sunday school, as ignorant and hateful as it may be, regarding GLBT people is true. Being gay is not a lifestyle! It's a life! It's not a choice, any more than being straight is a choice!</div>
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597. Moreover, although each minority group has its own particular history, each has suffered from misinformation, discrimination, stigma, and oppression. Unfortunately, the Church has been the last institution in society to accept the disenfranchised and "least among us." As has been noted for many years, the Church has been, and continues to be, the most racially segregated institution that exists on Sunday mornings in our society. In addition, the major justification for oppressing minority groups has been appeal to the Bible. Witness the subjugation of women, slavery, and segregation.</div>
598. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
599. Even the most "Bible believing" Christian would not condone such biblical practices as stoning to death adulterers, stoning to death those who work on the Sabbath, requiring all women to wear long hair, women not talking in church, women not teaching men, not wearing mixed fibers in our clothes, etc. Yet these are all taught in the Bible!</div>
600. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
601. The Bible is part of God's revelation to us. It gives us a glimpse into a small part of God's heart and a few of His many dimensions. God didn't stop talking to His children 2,000 years ago! He still speaks to us regarding His will for our lives, and to proclaim in each generation, in and for His name, the cause of justice, and to manifest Jesus’ love toward others.</div>
602. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
603. God bless the work of Soulforce that seeks justice for GLBT people, the United Federation of the Metropolitan Community Churches that largely minister to GLBT Christians, the Online magazine, "Whosoever," for which I have written a great deal, that is primarily geared to GLBT Christians, and to the work of Rembert Truluck who points out the destructive aspects of Bible abuse and how misuse of the Bible has caused the untold suffering of GLBT people. They have excellent web sites! It is these, and other such ministries, that have undoubtedly saved, and immeasurably enriched, the lives of countless GLBT people, Christian and non-Christian alike, who were previously wracked by feelings of guilt, shame, self-loathing, and condemnation, hitherto believing the lies and ignorant pronouncements emanating from much of the Church.</div>
604. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
605. The seemingly oracular pronouncements regarding GLBT people and their relationships by those who parade their ignorance as “Godliness” have helped lead to the suicides, bashings, and murders of countless GLBT people. Indeed, in this connection, it is estimated that gay youth have at least three times the suicide rate of non-gay youth.</div>
606. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
607. Make no mistake, every drop of blood shed by GLBT people either through suicide, bashing, or murder, are on the hands of all those religious leaders, their followers, and their allies who spew forth their ignorance, prejudice, and hate against GLBT people and their relationships! These wolves in sheep’s clothing take the Bible, God’s love letter to His children, and selectively and perversely use it as a club to condemn others, and deny GLBT people full inclusion in the Church and in society.</div>
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609. The tradition-bound parts of the Church have so indoctrinated people, many of whom have never even set foot in a house of worship, that many people even disown their own children when they “come out” and divulge their sexual orientation to those whom they thought unconditionally loved and cherished them. There are many children living on the streets because their own parents trusted ignorant clergy and their followers over their God-given duty and privilege to nurture and embrace their own children!</div>
610. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
611. The Church should concentrate on the real sins that deserve our attention and that cry out to God for redress, such as invading another country on false pretenses; the working poor who can't afford medical insurance; the Supreme Court ruling that people can't sue their insurance company in state court for denying needed medical services; many elderly people having to decide whether to buy food or medicine; the gigantic rip off perpetrated by drug companies, hospitals, and the medical establishment on sick and vulnerable people. Why not focus on and address issues such as these, instead of obsessing on who loves who and who sleeps with whom? Such obsession tells us much more about the pathetic and moribund state of much of the Church than it does about the reality of the lives of GLBT people.</div>
612. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
613. Indeed, those who seek to exclude others from full fellowship in church, and in secular society, commit the greatest sin of all: the sin of pride. Jesus “…spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)</div>
614. <div style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 12px;">
615. Through out our lives, we have been bombarded with ignorant, homophobic messages from much of the Church world that don’t resonate with, and do contradict, the revelation of God in the Person and words of Jesus! Let’s not let the ignorant, the haters and hate-mongers, many of whom gain psychological, social, and financial advantages by their condemnation and exclusion of GLBT people, define Christianity for us.</div>
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617. We must rise above their ignorant and hateful pronouncements, cynically made "in the name of God," "tradition," "church law," and "family values," and finally practice Christianity. Hear Jesus' call for inclusion of all of His people, and let's fulfill His mandate for us to love our neighbor by embracing in every facet of our lives His GLBT children, whom He gave as a gift to the church and society to be cherished every bit as much as He cherishes us.</div>
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667. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/7197432851856715605/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=7197432851856715605&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/7197432851856715605'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/7197432851856715605'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2014/10/why-every-church-must-be-open-and_30.html' title='WHY EVERY CHURCH MUST BE OPEN AND AFFIRMING'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-8214014552347473644</id><published>2014-04-01T09:23:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2014-04-01T09:23:47.714-07:00</updated><title type='text'>AN OPEN LETTER TO POTENTIAL STRAIGHT ALLIES OF LGBT PEOPLE</title><content type='html'>
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714. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
715. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">There are
716. to be no second-class citizens in the United States!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>We established a long time ago that “separate is not equal,”
717. and all American citizens are entitled to enjoy equality under the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Any society that presumes to refer to
718. itself as “decent” and “civilized” must not in any way discriminate against any
719. group of people through its laws or their enforcement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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721. <br /></div>
722. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
723. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">We should
724. have learned this painful lesson during the struggle for African American civil
725. rights, and we must now apply that lesson in this struggle for full and equal
726. civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (hitherto referred to
727. as LGBT) people. LGBT people are entitled to the same rights and privileges
728. that accrue to all other citizens of the United States<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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730. <br /></div>
731. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
732. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Gay
733. people are certainly entitled to full and equal civil rights, including the
734. right to marry!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The lies and other
735. nonsense purveyed by many self-proclaimed arbiters of “morality,” often cloaked
736. in the guise of religion, that same-sex marriage destroys “the sanctity of marriage”
737. is ludicrous on its face!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
738. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
739. <br /></div>
740. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
741. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">I have
742. been married to my wife for fifty two years, and I can’t see how same-sex
743. marriage will in any way negatively impact my marriage or in any way destroy
744. the sanctity of my marriage!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>No
745. rational person can believe that same-sex marriage in any way compromises the
746. institution of marriage, an institution that has taken many forms in our
747. history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
748. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
749. <br /></div>
750. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
751. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">As a
752. Christian, I am profoundly embarrassed and outraged by those professing
753. Christians who are in the vanguard of discrimination against LGBT people; who
754. spew hateful rhetoric, borne out of their ignorance and/or their hatred and/or
755. their avariciousness, that is diametrically opposed to anything Jesus said,
756. lived, or taught to all who would claim to be His disciples!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">   </span>Indeed, Jesus saved His harshest
757. words for those who claimed to be “godly” and yet sought to put yokes of
758. bondage onto others!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
759. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
760. <br /></div>
761. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
762. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Christians
763. love other people, and the only Gospel to be found in Christianity is comprised
764. of: grace (God’s unmerited favor to us), faith (trusting God over and above
765. seen circumstances), love, peace, reconciliation, and inclusiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>There is no other Gospel!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
766. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
767. <br /></div>
768. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
769. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jesus
770. makes it abundantly clear that we are to love and not judge or condemn
771. others!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Any professing Christian
772. who thinks that he/she is representing Jesus by doing the very opposite of what
773. Jesus told us to do is not only seriously misled, but is woefully misleading
774. the public, many of whom are gullible enough to take the purveyors of the false
775. gospel of legalism and perfectionism seriously.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
776. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
777. <br /></div>
778. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
779. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Moreover,
780. we are under the Constitution of the United States and we are not a
781. Theocracy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Since when are we to
782. take a group of people’s understanding of the Bible, an “understanding” far
783. more informed by their preconceived prejudices than it is by anything else, and
784. enshrine those prejudices into our laws of the land; impose those prejudices
785. onto a minority group that all too many professing Christians and others view
786. as being relatively “safe” to persecute?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
787. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
788. <br /></div>
789. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
790. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
791. discrimination against LGBT people in the names of “Christianity,” “morality,”
792. “tradition,” “the well being of our children,” and any other specious reasons
793. given for this oppression has many of us saying: “Enough is enough!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>We’re not going to take it anymore!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
794. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
795. <br /></div>
796. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
797. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">For those
798. of us who are Christians, we are sick and tired of having those who would hate
799. and/or discriminate against others presume to speak for us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>For those of us who are heterosexual,
800. we are sick and tired of watching our LGBT sisters and brothers be
801. oppressed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>For those of us who are
802. LGBT, we are sick and tired of being viewed and treated as second-class
803. citizens, denied marital and other rights and benefits that heterosexual tax
804. paying citizens are given and take for granted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
805. <div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
806. <br /></div>
807. <div class="MsoNormal">
808. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">In sum,
809. LGBT rights activists demand full and equal civil rights that every other
810. citizen of the United States possesses, and we won’t rest or stop until that
811. goal is achieved!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
812. <div class="MsoNormal">
813. <br /></div>
814. <div class="MsoNormal">
815. <br /></div>
816. <div class="MsoNormal">
817. <br /></div>
818. <div class="MsoNormal">
819. <br /></div>
820. <div class="MsoNormal">
821. <br /></div>
822. <div class="MsoNormal">
823. <br /></div>
824. <div class="MsoNormal">
825. <br /></div>
826. <div class="MsoNormal">
827. <br /></div>
828. <div class="MsoNormal">
829. <span style="font-family: "Arial Bold";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">                                                                           </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
830. &lt;!--EndFragment--&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/8214014552347473644/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=8214014552347473644&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/8214014552347473644'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/8214014552347473644'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2014/04/an-open-letter-to-potential-straight.html' title='AN OPEN LETTER TO POTENTIAL STRAIGHT ALLIES OF LGBT PEOPLE'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-2690519138300206052</id><published>2014-03-27T17:47:00.007-07:00</published><updated>2014-03-27T17:47:54.499-07:00</updated><title type='text'>THE ROLE OF CAPITALISM IN CREATING HOMOPHOBIA</title><content type='html'>
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871.  
872.  
873.  
874. <!--StartFragment-->
875.  
876. <br />
877. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">I'm a disciple of Christ
878. first and foremost!  Actually, I'm very theologically conservative in that
879. I believe in the Resurrection and ascension of Jesus into heaven, the virgin
880. birth, that Jesus is God incarnate, that the Bible is the inspired Word of God
881. (if seen contextually and accurately translated), and in virtually all
882. theological and Christological contentions that conservative theologians
883. support.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
884. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
885.  
886.  
887. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of course, I vehemently
888. disagree with homophobic clergy, be they evangelical or mere haters who seek to
889. frame their hate in the name of "Christianity."  And, it must be
890. acknowledged, that there are many self-defined and self-deluded evangelical
891. Christians who speak from the hateful preconceived prejudices that exist in
892. their hearts!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
893. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
894.  
895.  
896. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, secondarily, I
897. also agree with Marx’ analysis of capitalism, save for his dismissal of
898. God.  As much of organized religion does serve as "the opiate of the
899. masses," and that many people create God in their own image, Marx was
900. unfortunately correct.  He was dead wrong, however, when he proffered
901. that there is no God and that God is a mere fiction created by the gullible.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
902. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
903.  
904.  
905. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">However, I don't want to
906. deal with this particular issue here, but I do want to deal with the role of
907. Capitalism that Marx correctly said "contains the seeds of its own
908. destruction."  Some of those seeds in the U.S. can be seen by the
909. fact that capitalism requires many workers to live lives of exploitation, and
910. that exploitation has as one of its results the need for affirmation that often
911. comes by creating one or more out-groups, constructed enemies, so that one can
912. feel better about him/herself and feel morally superior, as well as cement
913. in-group solidarity that shared hate can bring to those who are exploited.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
914. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
915.  
916.  
917. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Wealthy people can, of
918. course, be homophobic, but that homophobia may in great part be used to
919. influence the exploited workers to cast as the enemy groups other than those
920. who are, in fact, exploiting them.  Workers are needed in order for
921. capitalists to be successful, so they must be lulled into believing that they
922. have a stake in capital property, as well as a stake in the values of the
923. capitalists, the power elite; what better way of deflecting workers' animus
924. against capitalists who are exploiting them than to monopolize the media, manipulate
925. the media, to get many Straight people to think that Gay people are somehow a
926. threat to the well-being of children, families, "our American way of
927. life," and religion?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
928. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
929.  
930.  
931. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The capitalists, the owners
932. of the means of production and the media, have a vested interest in having
933. workers fighting against each other rather than direct their resentment where
934. it should belong.  Outsourcing, diminishing of workers' salaries in
935. proportion to the economic gains of the corporate elite must be subordinated in
936. workers' psyches by encouraging a war of all against all, be it against Gay
937. people, Jews, African Americans, immigrants, women, etc.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
938. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
939.  
940.  
941. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is not to say that
942. homophobia doesn't occur in the absence of capitalism, for I am a firm believer
943. in Original Sin!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>It is to say that
944. in developed countries such as in the U.S., where survival of the fittest, the
945. hallmark of Social Darwinism without which it is impossible to understand much
946. of the values and fabric of the U.S., and in the ideology of many workers who
947. have no vested interest in believing this sociopathic axiom, an axiom that can
948. be heard on a daily basis on most of talk radio, leads to the seeking out of
949. scapegoats against whom to vent their frustrations and resentments borne of
950. their own economic oppression and exploitation.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
951.  
952.  
953. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Marx called this
954. phenomenon, "false consciousness," where people act against their own
955. best interests because they are misdirected by the media and other institutions
956. ruled by the capitalists.  Homophobia is one such manifestation of false
957. consciousness! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
958. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
959.  
960.  
961. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Let's face it, why would
962. anyone care if two adult people of the same sex love each other?  Why
963. would there be people making a veritable career out of condemning Gay people
964. unless there was money to be made by doing so, and/or unless they were fearful
965. of being Gay themselves?  Why would most churches have such animus against
966. Gay people unless they were acting as agents of the power elite and/or were
967. comprised of clergy many of whom are self-loathing Gay people?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
968. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
969.  
970.  
971. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">When there is relative
972. scarcity of goods and services that capitalism demands for the owners of the
973. means of production to maximize their profits, workers become frustrated and
974. angry, and they seek out all sorts of constructed "enemies" against
975. which to direct their anger, so that they can remain safer than they would if
976. they directed their frustration, anger, and aggression against those creating
977. their exploitation; direct that very frustration, anger, and aggression against
978. groups that they feel are safe to persecute, and seek to justify their
979. persecution of that constructed enemy by lying about them, often doing so in
980. the name of God. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
981. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
982.  
983.  
984. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now, the major scapegoats
985. that serve to assuage the frustrations and consequent aggression of the
986. exploited are Gay people!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
987. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
988.  
989.  
990. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Carl Jung once said that only
991. the tortured are torturers!  And one doesn't have to be a Marxist to
992. understand this truth!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
993.  
994.  
995. <br />
996.  
997.  
998. <br />
999.  
1000.  
1001. <br />
1002.  
1003.  
1004. <div class="MsoNormal">
1005. <br /></div>
1006. &lt;!--EndFragment--&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/2690519138300206052/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=2690519138300206052&amp;isPopup=true' title='8 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/2690519138300206052'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/2690519138300206052'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-role-of-capitalism-in-creating.html' title='THE ROLE OF CAPITALISM IN CREATING HOMOPHOBIA'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>8</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-2482853984163433312</id><published>2014-03-08T12:17:00.001-08:00</published><updated>2014-03-08T12:20:45.580-08:00</updated><title type='text'>SNAKES IN THE GRASS WHO PROFESS TO BE CHRISTIANS</title><content type='html'>Some right wing &quot;evangelical Christians&quot; have poured a ton of energy and money to criminalize LGBT people and have blood on their hands in their fight to realize the &quot;Anti-Homosexuality bill&quot; that just passed in Uganda, affirming life imprisonment for Gay people. &amp;nbsp;These haters, and their followers, and all those who seek to deny LGBT people full and equal civil rights in society, are snakes in the grass who pass themselves off as Christians. &amp;nbsp;Just reading the Sermon on the Mount would show any reasonable person that they are diametrically opposed to Jesus&#39; claims upon His disciples&#39; lives.&lt;br /&gt;
1007. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #373737; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 21px;"></span><br />
1008. <div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
1009. <i>For the last five years, human rights advocates around the world been discussing how U.S. conservative figures were integrally involved in the creation of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill (originally called the “Kill the Gays Bill”). <a href="http://politicalresearch.org/Africa" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Vast amounts of research</a> have been produced on the involvement of conservatives such as<a href="http://www.politicalresearch.org/profiles-on-the-right-rick-warren/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rick Warren</a> (who posted a YouTube video supporting California’s Prop 8 only to later take it down and deny it ever happened), and hours of undercover footage were taken of <a href="http://www.politicalresearch.org/profiles-on-the-right-scott-lively/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Scott Lively</a> (famous for claiming the Nazi Party was really a gay club in his book <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Pink Swastika</span>) in Kampala, Uganda, advocating the bill’s creation with local political and religious leaders.</i></div>
1010. <div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
1011. <i>As evidence of their involvement has spread throughout the U.S., the public’s sentiment on these characters’ involvement has soured considerably. This was exacerbated when, last month, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law, ascribing life-in-prison sentences to LGBTQ people in the African nation, criminalizing advocacy of homosexuality, and requiring authority figures (parents, teachers, doctors, etc.) to report LGBTQ people to the government.</i></div>
1012. <div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
1013. <i>The American public is finally taking notice. Story after story in major media outlets (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/25/ugandan-tabloid-prints-list-top-200-homosexuals?CMP=twt_gu" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Guardian</a>, <a href="http://www.politicalresearch.org/video-rev-kapya-kaoma-discusses-the-u-s-religious-right-behind-ugandas-anti-gay-law/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Real News Network</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/watch/us-influence-helps-draft-uganda-anti-gay-bill-169013315638" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Rachel Maddow Show</a>, and the <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/gay-washington/evangelicals-are-winning-the-gay-marriage-fight-in-africa-and-russia-20140123" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">National Journal</a> in just the last few weeks) is running about these right-wing evangelicals’ involvement, and the millions of dollars they’ve poured into Uganda, Nigeria, Russia, and elsewhere in carefully crafted campaigns to train local pastors and political leaders how to use culture wars-talking points for an all-out attack on LGBTQ people.</i></div>
1014. <div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
1015. [For the full article see<a href="http://www.politicalresearch.org/2014/03/06/scott-lively-rick-warren-the-pr-campaign-to-whitewash-the-rights-anti-gay-uganda-history/#"> here</a>.]</div>
1016. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/2482853984163433312/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=2482853984163433312&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/2482853984163433312'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/2482853984163433312'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2014/03/snakes-in-grass-who-profess-to-be.html' title='SNAKES IN THE GRASS WHO PROFESS TO BE CHRISTIANS'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-6352638177581520533</id><published>2014-01-31T12:09:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2014-01-31T12:12:03.319-08:00</updated><title type='text'>A MOTHER&#39;S LETTER CONCERNING HER GAY SON AND ALL OTHER GAY PEOPLE</title><content type='html'>My good friend, Don Charles, on his excellent blog, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;http://christthegaymartyr.blogspot.com/2007/08/mothers-rage.html&quot;&gt;Christ the Gay Martyr&lt;/a&gt;,&quot; quoted a letter from a woman with a gay son, and it&#39;s worth repeating here.&amp;nbsp; This sensitive, intelligent woman speaks the truth to ignorant and/or hateful homophobes who make Gay kids&#39; lives unbearable, and even drives many of them to attempt or actually carry out suicide.&amp;nbsp; Religious bigots pervert understanding of the Bible to condemn Gay people, and falsely parade their bigotry and hate as being &quot;righteous.&quot;&amp;nbsp; Professing Christians who in any way condemn LGBT people are witting or unwitting tools of the devil, and it&#39;s high time that that fact was broadcast in any and every venue possible.&lt;br /&gt;
1017. <br />
1018. Here is that mother's letter:<br />
1019. <br />
1020. &lt;i&gt;Many letters have been sent to the Valley News concerning the homosexual menace in Vermont. I am the mother of a Gay son, and I’ve taken enough from you good people. I’m tired of your foolish rhetoric about the “homosexual agenda”, and your allegations that accepting homosexuality is the same thing as advocating sex with children. You are cruel and ignorant! You have been robbing me of the joys of motherhood ever since my children were tiny.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My firstborn son started suffering at the hands of the moral little thugs from your moral, upright families from the time he was in the First Grade. He was physically and verbally abused from First Grade straight through high school because he was perceived to be Gay. He never professed to be Gay or had any association with anything Gay, but he had the misfortune not to walk or have gestures like the other boys. He was called “f*g” incessantly . . .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In high school, while your children were doing what kids that age should be doing, mine labored over a suicide note, drafting and redrafting it to be sure his family knew how much he loved them. My sobbing 17-year-old tore the heart out of me as he choked out that he just couldn’t bear to continue living any longer, that he didn’t want to be Gay, and that he couldn’t face a life without dignity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You have the audacity to talk about protecting families and children from the homosexual menace, while you yourselves tear apart families and drive children to despair! I don’t know why my son is Gay, but I do know that God didn’t put him, and millions like him, on this Earth to give you someone to abuse. God gave you brains so that you could think, and it’s about time you started doing that!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At the core of all your misguided beliefs is the belief that this could never happen to you, that there is some kind of subculture out there that people have chosen to join . . . if it can happen to my family, it can happen to yours, and you won’t get to choose. Whether it is genetic or whether something occurs during a critical time of fetal development, I don’t know. I can only tell you with an absolute certainty that it is inborn!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you want to tout your own morality, you’d best come up with something more substantive than your heterosexuality. You did nothing to earn it; it was given to you. If you disagree, I would be interested in hearing your story, because my own heterosexuality was a blessing I received with no effort whatsoever on my part. It is so woven into the very soul of me that nothing could ever change it. (Here&#39;s a question) for those of you who reduce sexual orientation to a simple choice, a character issue, a bad habit or something that can be changed by a 10-step program . . . are you saying that your own sexual orientation is nothing more than something you have chosen, that you could change it at will? If that’s not the case, then why would you suggest that someone else can?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You invoke the memory of the brave people who have fought on the battlefield for this great country, saying that they didn’t give their lives so that the “homosexual agenda” could tear down the principles they died defending. My 83-year-old father fought in some of the most horrific battles of World War II, was wounded and awarded the Purple Heart. He shakes his head in sadness at the life his grandson has had to live. He says he fought alongside homosexuals (sic) in those battles, that they did their part and bothered no one. One of his best friends in the service was Gay, and he never knew it until the end, and when he did find out, it mattered not at all . . .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You religious folk just can’t bear the thought that as my son emerges from the Hell that was his childhood, he might like to find a lifelong companion and have a measure of happiness. It offends your sensibilities that he should request the right to visit that companion in the hospital, to make medical decisions for him, or to benefit from tax laws governing inheritance. &quot;How dare he?&quot; you say. These outrageous requests would threaten the very existence of your family, would undermine the sanctity of marriage. You use religion to abdicate your responsibility to be thinking human beings. There are vast numbers of religious people who find your attitudes repugnant! God is not for the privileged majority, and God knows my son has committed no sin!&lt;/i&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/6352638177581520533/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=6352638177581520533&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/6352638177581520533'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/6352638177581520533'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-good-friend-don-charles-on-his.html' title='A MOTHER&#39;S LETTER CONCERNING HER GAY SON AND ALL OTHER GAY PEOPLE'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-720440834305002803</id><published>2013-12-28T12:42:00.001-08:00</published><updated>2013-12-28T12:45:43.788-08:00</updated><title type='text'>&quot;Duck Dynasty: Hollywood, Go Screw Yourself&quot;</title><content type='html'>The relative acceptance of homophobia is part and parcel of the relative acceptance of racism, which has been allowed to again rear its ugly head.  When we fight against discrimination of one minority group, we are fighting against discrimination of all minority groups.  Therefore, it is in everybody&#39;s interests to fight against homophobia and racism, and boycott businesses and media outlets that in any way support such discrimination.&lt;br /&gt;
1021. <br />
1022. <i>Too many people are dismissing the action of A&E at reinstating Phil Robertson so soon after suspending him from Duck Dynasty. It's just a TV show, they say, and we have all of these wins on marriage equality -- and look at Utah!
1023.  
1024. But this is not about, "Oh, we're 'winning,' so who cares about Duck Dynasty? As long as our so-called "friends" in Hollywood promote and tolerate this kind of hate for money, we've not won much.
1025.  
1026. Tomorrow they'll throw an AIDS benefit to assuage their guilt, or come out and say some wonderful things about LGBT people, while making millions of dollars by promoting hate against us, shrouded in religious beliefs, and raising America's kids on hate. And the racism they're promoting with Phil Robertson, who posited that blacks were happier under Jim Crow, while they claim to be so inclusive and anti-racist, is appalling, and shows the height of Hollywood hypocrisy.</i><br />
1027. <br />
1028. &amp;nbsp;[For the full article, see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/re-duck-dynasty-hollywood_b_4510283.html&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.]</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/720440834305002803/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=720440834305002803&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/720440834305002803'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/720440834305002803'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/12/duck-dynasty-hollywood-go-screw-yourself.html' title='&quot;Duck Dynasty: Hollywood, Go Screw Yourself&quot;'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-7661202709373423848</id><published>2013-12-21T10:42:00.001-08:00</published><updated>2013-12-21T15:10:54.895-08:00</updated><title type='text'>&quot;UTAH MAY BE THE 18TH MARRIAGE EQUALITY STATE&quot;</title><content type='html'>This turn of events is particularly compelling, given that this ruling is applicable to Utah, the home of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints which, along with the Roman Catholic Church, are the largest homophobic religious organizations that have put out tremendous amounts of money in seeking to defeat marriage equality.&lt;br /&gt;
1029. <i><br /></i>
1030. <i>Utah may be the 18th marriage equality state, although it is becoming difficult to figure out how to number them.  Today, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby granted an injunction to the plaintiffs in Kitchen v. Herbert, a federal constitutional challenge to Utah’s statutory and state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.  Shelby, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, ruled that the right of same-sex couples to marry is a “fundamental right” under the 14th Amendment, and that the state had shown no rational basis to deny this right to same-sex couples.  Shelby did not stay his order, and the Salt Lake County Clerk’s office began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples shortly after the decision was announced, although the state might still file an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit.</i><br />
1031. <i><br /></i>
1032. <i>Two Utah lawyers, Peggy Tomsic and James E. Magleby, filed suit on behalf of three same-sex couples, two of which had been denied marriage licenses by county clerks, while the third couple was married in Iowa and is seeking recognition of their marriage in their domicile state of Utah.  The case moved quickly to summary judgment, the cross-motions being argued just weeks ago.  Judge Shelby’s opinion may be the first ruling to reference yesterday’s marriage equality ruling by the New Mexico Supreme Court, in a footnote listing the states that have adopted marriage equality through court decisions.  It is definitely the first federal court ruling since the Supreme Court’s decision in U.S. v. Windsor to hold that same-sex couples have a federal constitutional right to marry, guaranteed by the 14th Amendment’s due process and equal protection clauses.</i><br />
1033. <br />
1034. <br />
1035. [To read the full article, see <a href="http://www.artleonardobservations.com/utah-may-be-the-18th-marriage-equality-state/">here</a>.]  This article is worth reading in full.<br />
1036. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/7661202709373423848/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=7661202709373423848&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/7661202709373423848'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/7661202709373423848'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/12/utah-may-be-18th-marriage-equality-state.html' title='&quot;UTAH MAY BE THE 18TH MARRIAGE EQUALITY STATE&quot;'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-1754248484554463522</id><published>2013-11-09T16:49:00.001-08:00</published><updated>2013-11-09T16:49:28.799-08:00</updated><title type='text'>&quot;NEW SCIENCE CONFIRMS HOMOPHOBIC MEN HAVE INTENSE HOMOSEXUAL IMPULSES&quot; </title><content type='html'>&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot; style=&quot;font-family: &#39;Sans Serif&#39;, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;[The study] asked heterosexal&amp;nbsp;men how comfortable and anxious they&amp;nbsp;are around gay men. Based on these scores, they then divided these men&amp;nbsp;into two groups: men that are homophobic, and&amp;nbsp;men who are not. These men were then shown three, four-minute videos. One video&amp;nbsp;depicted straight sex, one depicted&amp;nbsp;lesbian sex and one depicted gay male sex. While this was happening, a device was attached&amp;nbsp;to each participant’s&amp;nbsp;penis. This&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penile_plethysmograph&quot; style=&quot;-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.2s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;device&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;has been found to be triggered by sexual arousal, but not other types of arousal (such as nervousness, or&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/fear&quot; style=&quot;-webkit-transition-delay: initial; -webkit-transition-duration: 0.2s; -webkit-transition-property: all; -webkit-transition-timing-function: ease-in; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;&quot; title=&quot;Psychology Today looks at Fear&quot;&gt;fear&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;– arousal often has a very different meaning in psychology than in popular usage).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot; style=&quot;font-family: &#39;Sans Serif&#39;, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;&quot;&gt;When viewing&amp;nbsp;lesbian sex and straight sex, both the homophobic and the non-homophobic men showed increased penis circumference. For gay male sex, however,&amp;nbsp;only the homophobic men showed heightened penis arousal.&amp;nbsp;Heterosexual men with the most anti-gay attitudes, when asked, reported not being sexually aroused by gay male sex videos. But, their penises reported otherwise.&amp;nbsp;Homophobic men were the most sexually aroused by gay male sex acts.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
1037. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Sans Serif', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;">[See<a href="http://www.feelguide.com/2011/06/16/new-science-confirms-homophobic-men-have-intense-homosexual-impulses/"> here</a>]</span></span><br />
1038. <br />
1039. I wrote about this phenomenon a few years ago.  Whenever I hear a rabid homophobe, the first thing I think is that that person is gay him/herself! <br />
1040. <br />
1041. Sigmund Freud called this phenomenon "<a href="http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/psychoanalysis/definitions/reactionformation.html">Reaction Formation</a>."  Reaction formation occurs when one has an internal conflict and seeks to resolve that conflict by vociferously asserting the very opposite of what he/she actually feels.<br />
1042. <br />
1043. So, whenever you hear a rabid homophobe, realize that that person may very well likely be gay!</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/1754248484554463522/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=1754248484554463522&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/1754248484554463522'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/1754248484554463522'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/11/new-science-confirms-homophobic-men.html' title='&quot;NEW SCIENCE CONFIRMS HOMOPHOBIC MEN HAVE INTENSE HOMOSEXUAL IMPULSES&quot; '/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-5945426216760354902</id><published>2013-10-07T14:22:00.002-07:00</published><updated>2013-10-07T14:22:44.230-07:00</updated><title type='text'>CHURCHES MUST FORFEIT TAX-EXEMPT STATUS</title><content type='html'>
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1088.  
1089. <br />
1090. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1091. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
1092. I’ve often contended, there are two venues in which civil and sacramental
1093. rights for LGBT people must be fought: the courts, and homophobic churches the
1094. influence of which cannot be underestimated. In the latter venue, peaceful and
1095. continual picketing during services of selected homophobic churches in each
1096. city or jurisdiction, showing how their false gospel of exclusion is
1097. antithetical to the Gospel of grace, faith, peace, reconciliation, and
1098. inclusiveness, should be undertaken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
1099. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1100. <br /></div>
1101. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1102. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">When
1103. you hit, or threaten to hit, discriminatory institutions in the pocketbook, we
1104. might reasonably expect them to tone down their hateful rhetoric and
1105. discriminatory actions; withholding funds, such as removing churches’
1106. tax-exempt status, can be a major way of gutting the homophobic rhetoric and
1107. actions that exists in many, if not most, denominations and churches, because
1108. those churches would then lack sufficient funds to bankroll the prevention of
1109. equal civil rights as has hitherto existed. For the Roman Catholic Church and the
1110. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to give just two examples, to
1111. enjoy tax exempt status is, in my opinion, a profound injustice!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
1112. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1113. <br /></div>
1114. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1115. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">I am
1116. a Christian who is quite theologically conservative, and not only don’t I see
1117. any warrant to prevent same-sex marriage, or justify any type of homophobia, in
1118. the Bible, I am also adamant about the need for the separation of Church and
1119. State.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
1120. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1121. <br /></div>
1122. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1123. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Currently,
1124. the Church and the State have become so enmeshed with each other that most
1125. “conservative” churches extol as virtues Americanism, patriotism, militarism,
1126. and capitalism. Indeed, most of the institutional Church is a handmaiden of the
1127. State, and often parrots the ideology of the power elite in secular society,
1128. and does so by calling it “biblical.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
1129. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1130. <br /></div>
1131. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1132. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Of
1133. course, nothing could be further from the truth! If anything, the Bible,
1134. particularly in the New Testament, subscribes to anything but capitalism, as
1135. can be easily seen when reading Acts 2:44-45; Acts 4:32-37.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
1136. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1137. <br /></div>
1138. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1139. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
1140. any case, it’s a profound tragedy that it’s quite likely that if you ask the
1141. average person to say the first word that comes to his/her mind when the word
1142. “Christian” is said, “Love” is not likely to be that word! We’re far more
1143. likely to hear words such as “sin” and “discrimination,” thanks to the
1144. perversion of the Gospel of grace (the only Gospel to be found in Christianity)
1145. that exists in most of the institutional Church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
1146. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1147. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">It
1148. is crucial that discrimination, be it in the religious or secular arena, be
1149. taken to the judiciary, and not pathetically taken to the public to win their
1150. votes on this or any civil rights matter! And, we must do our best to remove
1151. public funding of church and para-church organizations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
1152. <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 19.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
1153. <br /></div>
1154. <div class="MsoNormal">
1155. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">After all,
1156. if clergy within denominations and churches really have faith in God to provide
1157. for their needs, they don’t need tax-exemption to help fund their operation!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
1158. &lt;!--EndFragment--&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/5945426216760354902/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=5945426216760354902&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/5945426216760354902'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/5945426216760354902'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/10/churches-must-forfeit-tax-exempt-status.html' title='CHURCHES MUST FORFEIT TAX-EXEMPT STATUS'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-1875346021415253635</id><published>2013-08-12T17:28:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-08-12T17:46:21.573-07:00</updated><title type='text'>WE MUST BOYCOTT RUSSIA AS HOST OF THE OLYMPICS</title><content type='html'>&lt;br /&gt;
1159. <i>Mr Putin signed a new bill into law in June banning "homosexual
1160. propaganda" - making it illegal to give anyone under 18 information
1161. about homosexuality.</i><br />
1162. <i><br /></i>
1163.  
1164.  
1165.                        
1166.                            
1167.                            
1168.  
1169.                            <i>
1170. Anyone deemed to be promoting gay rights, or "non-traditional
1171. relationships" to young people in Russia could now be arrested and
1172. fined, or in the case of foreigners, detained and deported.</i><br />
1173. <i>
1174. Critics say the law is intentionally vaguely-worded and part of a broader crackdown on gay rights in Russia.</i><br />
1175. <i><br /></i>
1176.  
1177.  
1178.                        
1179.                            
1180.                            
1181.  
1182.                            <i>
1183. The country’s sports minister has said the law will apply to athletes
1184. and spectators at the Sochi games, due to be held in the Russian Black
1185. Sea resort next February.</i><br />
1186. <i><br /></i>
1187.  
1188.  
1189.                        
1190.                            
1191.                            
1192.  
1193.                            <i>
1194. In his open letter, Stephen Fry said: "The IOC absolutely must take a
1195. firm stance on behalf of the shared humanity it is supposed to represent
1196. against the barbaric, fascist law that Putin has pushed through the
1197. Duma.</i><br />
1198. <i><br /></i>
1199.  
1200.  
1201.                        
1202.                            
1203.                            
1204.  
1205.                            <i>
1206. "An absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 on Sochi is simply essential.</i><br />
1207. <i>
1208. "Stage them elsewhere - in Utah, Lillyhammer, anywhere you like. At all
1209. costs Putin cannot be seen to have the approval of the civilised world.</i><br />
1210. <i><br /></i>
1211. [See <a href="http://news.sky.com/story/1126391/gay-rights-calls-for-russia-olympic-boycott">here</a>.]<br />
1212. <br />
1213. Despite moral weaklings like President Obama who thinks that we should still participate in the Olympics to be held in Russia the homophobia of which matches that of many backward African countries, I think it is essential that we make a definitive moral statement that once and for all takes the moral high ground.  And the only moral high ground one could take is to boycott Russia's hosting the Olympics!<br />
1214. <br />
1215. Should we participate in the Olympics in Russia, we would be complicit in lending legitimacy to Russia's systematic and legally enshrined imprisonment of LGBT people and allies; giving tacit permission for its citizens to bash and even <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/06/03/uk-russia-killing-gay-idUKBRE9520A120130603">kill</a> LGBT people. <br />
1216. <br />
1217. The best way we can show our revulsion at Russia's legalized homophobia, as well as support all LGBT people and allies everywhere, is to make a definitive statement that we will have no patience with any country that would cause untold harm to its LGBT citizens.  Moreover, by holding the Olympics in a place other than Russia would cost Russia a lot of credibility, and we have seen in the past that one of the best ways to make a definitive statement, and even some gains, about matters of equal rights is to publicly embarrass the oppressor.<br />
1218. <br />
1219. And to put an additional and finer point on it, any LGBT athlete or ally, despite their rationalizations, who participates in, or attends, the Olympics should they be held in Russia, is the equivalent of an Uncle Tom during the eras of slavery and segregation in the U.S.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/1875346021415253635/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=1875346021415253635&amp;isPopup=true' title='6 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/1875346021415253635'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/1875346021415253635'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/08/we-must-boycott-russia-as-host-of.html' title='WE MUST BOYCOTT RUSSIA AS HOST OF THE OLYMPICS'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>6</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-7782118810603266506</id><published>2013-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-27T08:00:07.807-07:00</updated><title type='text'>THERE MUST BE NO HOMOPHOBIC CHURCHES</title><content type='html'>Now that the Supreme Court has struck down DOMA, and stated that the proponents of Prop. 8 had no standing in the matter, thereby paving the way for same-sex marriage in California, I can imagine that many professing Christians will harp on their mantra that they are being persecuted; that religious liberty has been threatened by these rulings. &amp;nbsp;In this connection, I want to reprint an article I wrote several years ago, that I also gave as a sermon, that puts the lie to those assertions:&lt;br /&gt;
1220.  
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1265.  
1266. <br />
1267. <div style="mso-outline-level: 4;">
1268. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">               </span></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">                         </span></span></div>
1269. <div style="mso-outline-level: 4;">
1270. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><i>"…O
1271. my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy
1272. paths." (Isaiah 3:12) </i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
1273. <div style="mso-outline-level: 4;">
1274. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><i>"…he
1275. looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry."
1276. (Isaiah 5:7) </i></span><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
1277. <div style="mso-outline-level: 4;">
1278. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
1279. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Many years ago, I was asked
1280. by a pastor of a Presbyterian Church to speak to the congregation and community
1281. members who would attend as to why gay people should not be ordained to the
1282. ministry. Conventionally reading the Bible, I saw such words as “abomination”
1283. and “against nature” ostensibly associated with homosexuality, and I thought it
1284. was a no-brainer. To my current embarrassment, I gave that speech. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1285. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1286.  
1287.  
1288. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Subsequent to giving that
1289. speech, I started to think more deeply about the issue and asked myself the
1290. question, “Why would someone voluntarily choose to become part of a despised
1291. minority group?” I started searching the Scriptures, looking up the original
1292. languages to see what they meant and, more importantly, what they didn’t mean.
1293. I also read extra-biblical sources on the subject and finally decided that the
1294. Bible not only did not condemn same-sex loving relationships but, in fact,
1295. tacitly affirmed them.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
1296.  
1297.  
1298. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">I examined the relationship
1299. between David and Jonathan and saw that even a cursory reading of the biblical
1300. account of their relationship showed King David, called a man after God’s own
1301. heart (1Samuel 13:14), to have been at the very least a bisexual. (1Sam.
1302. 20:30-31; 41-42; 2Sam. 1:26; 9:1) </span><br />
1303. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1304. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Moreover, in Matthew 8, a centurion beseeches
1305. Jesus to heal his servant. The typical Greek word that is translated “servant,”
1306. although a more accurate translation is “slave,” is doulos. However, in Matthew
1307. 8, the Greek word that is translated in the King James Version of the Bible as
1308. “servant” is pais and, given this account as recorded in Luke 7 that says that
1309. this slave (doulos) was “dear unto him” (Luke 7:2), it may very well be
1310. translated “slave boy.” </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1311. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1312.  
1313.  
1314. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The term “slave boy” was a
1315. term that was commonly used to describe one who was in a homosexual relationship
1316. in those times. That may well be why the centurion was so concerned about this
1317. particular slave. (If he was a young boy, this would be considered pedophilia,
1318. and not condoned by the Bible.) This being a reasonable and probable
1319. translation in Matthew 8 given the context (Such as seen in Charles B.
1320. Williams, <u>The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the People</u>.),
1321. it is interesting that Jesus never condemned the centurion’s relationship with
1322. his slave boy, and He had the perfect opportunity to do so if He felt that
1323. their relationship was in any way sinful or inappropriate. Jesus merely
1324. commended the centurion on his faith and promptly proceeded to heal the man’s
1325. slave boy. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1326. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1327.  
1328.  
1329. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The legalists and the
1330. self-righteous, smug fundamentalist professing Christians, who seem to
1331. monopolize the media, don’t speak for Christianity—at least not the
1332. Christianity that I know. These purveyors of a false Gospel impose their
1333. prejudices on the Bible, selectively picking certain verses that they feel
1334. affirm those prejudices, and preach a message of legalism and perfectionism
1335. that is diametrically opposed to the Gospel of grace, faith, love, peace,
1336. reconciliation, and inclusiveness. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1337. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1338.  
1339.  
1340. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Apostle Paul, who
1341. adamantly fought legalism (Acts 15; Ephesians 2:8-9), saved his harshest words
1342. for those who preach a false Gospel. He said in Galatians 1:8 concerning those
1343. who preach a false Gospel, “…let him be accursed.” He felt so strongly about
1344. those who preach legalism rather than the Gospel of grace that he repeated
1345. himself in the very next verse. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1346.  
1347.  
1348. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">To be “accursed” is to be
1349. damned by God! In other words, he wrote, “God damn them.” (Galatians 1:8-9)
1350. Once can’t use any stronger language than that! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
1351. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1352.  
1353.  
1354. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">These preachers of a false
1355. Gospel have wittingly or unwittingly attempted to hijack the true Gospel and
1356. redefine Christianity in their own twisted image of God, the Bible, the world,
1357. and of themselves. They make Christians look like a pack of hate-mongering,
1358. harsh, judgmental freaks and I terribly resent it! </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1359. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1360.  
1361.  
1362. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Every single church and denomination
1363. is obligated to embrace and welcome into its fellowship everyone who worships
1364. Christ as his or her savior, and afford each such person full rights of
1365. inclusion, including the partaking of every sacrament of the Church, as befit
1366. members of the Body of Christ! Yet, many denominations are struggling with
1367. issues surrounding the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
1368. transgender (hereafter to be called GLBT) people. The struggle is said to
1369. largely center on biblical interpretation regarding gay people and their
1370. relationships, as well as Christian tradition, despite the fact that Jesus says
1371. we make void the Word of God by our traditions. (Matthew 15:3) </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1372. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1373.  
1374.  
1375. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Many people who seek to
1376. deny GLBT people rights of ordination, marriage, and other rights and
1377. privileges that accrue to others, may be well-intentioned, but they are
1378. misinformed. The root of this misinformation is largely the religious
1379. leadership that seeks to impose their world-views that bespeak ignorance and
1380. insensitivity upon not only other people, but upon the Bible and upon God
1381. Himself. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1382. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1383.  
1384.  
1385. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just as Peter’s experience
1386. of Cornelius in Acts 10 showed him that even Gentiles were receiving God’s
1387. Spirit, we must realize that GLBT Christians can receive, and many have
1388. received, God’s Spirit as well, as the reception of God’s Spirit has absolutely
1389. nothing to do with one’s sexual orientation. Many people in the Church still
1390. think of GLBT people as Peter and Paul once thought of Gentiles. Yet God told
1391. them, and us, “…What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.” (Acts
1392. 10:15) </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1393. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1394.  
1395.  
1396. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Peter and Paul called the
1397. Jewish Christian church in their day to not merely tolerate Gentile Christians,
1398. but welcome their full inclusion. Similarly, in our day we are being called by
1399. God to not merely tolerate GLBT Christians, but welcome their full inclusion in
1400. every aspect of the Church and society. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1401. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1402.  
1403.  
1404. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Had it not been for
1405. adherence to God’s revelation concerning inclusiveness, Paul would not have had
1406. a ministry to the Gentiles (Acts 13:47), and had it not been for Paul and his ministry,
1407. Christianity would likely be but a mere sect of Judaism, rather than its
1408. fulfillment! We must obey God; not man-made dogmas, rules, regulations, and
1409. traditions! </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1410. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1411.  
1412.  
1413. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">On June 17, 2004, Reuters
1414. reported, “The Roman Catholic Church in Massachusetts is considering firing gay
1415. employees who marry their same-sex partners in the only American state where
1416. such unions are legal, a church official said on Thursday.” Hence, even though
1417. the law in Massachusetts permits same-sex marriage, the Roman Catholic Church, viewing
1418. gay relationships as “intrinsically disordered,” may seek to discriminate
1419. against those who take advantage of that law. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1420. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1421.  
1422.  
1423. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Given the extensive sex
1424. abuse scandals that have rocked that denomination, it would seem prudent for it
1425. to take the beam out of its own eye before tackling what isn’t even a speck in
1426. another’s eye. Yet, sexuality and sexual orientation are such highly charged
1427. topics for them, and most others, that they may feel free to disregard the law
1428. and discriminate against people who seek to make a lifetime commitment to each
1429. other before God and the community through the sacrament of marriage. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1430. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1431.  
1432.  
1433. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Marriage is a matter of
1434. love, but also a matter of legal and property rights! Just ask anyone who has
1435. gone through a divorce! As citizens, GLBT people have every right to partake of
1436. the same rights and privileges, as well as the responsibilities, as other
1437. citizens. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1438. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1439.  
1440.  
1441. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why would we allow a bunch
1442. of celibate men, men who seemingly choose to deny a core part of the self, a
1443. deep primal urge and vehicle for the _expression of deepest intimacy between
1444. two people, be allowed to define romantic and sexual reality for us? In this
1445. vein, we must ask, “Why are so many ‘religious’ people, clergy and non-clergy
1446. alike, so obsessed with others’ love and sexual lives that they read into
1447. Scripture, taking a few passages out of context and without regard to the
1448. original languages, justification for discriminating, stigmatizing, demonizing,
1449. and oppressing GLBT people, which judgment and discrimination is clearly
1450. un-Scriptural?” Their prejudices have clearly blinded them to the biblical
1451. mandate to love others and not judge or oppress them! </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1452. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1453.  
1454.  
1455. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Gospel of love trumps
1456. any particular verse or verses of Scripture, particularly those taken out of
1457. context and interpreted without regard to the original languages. In Leviticus,
1458. the men who sought to gang rape the two angels weren't gay, as Lot wouldn't
1459. have offered his virgin daughters to them. If they were gay, young women
1460. certainly would have been no inducement to them. The issue was gang rape,
1461. abusing others, not sexual orientation or gay relationships. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1462. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1463.  
1464.  
1465. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Indeed, whenever Sodom and
1466. Gomorrah are mentioned in Scripture, homosexuality is never mentioned as its
1467. sin. Rather, the sins that are dealt with are inhospitality and not taking care
1468. of the poor. Moreover, if the two angels who visited Lot’s house had been
1469. women, it is unlikely that those professing Christians who discriminate against
1470. GLBT people would be condemning heterosexuality! </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1471. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1472.  
1473.  
1474. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The word translated
1475. "homosexual" in some translations (Such as the New English Bible: New
1476. Testament.) is arsenekoitai, an obscure Greek word, which actually means
1477. "male bed." It probably refers to male cult prostitution (See the New
1478. Revised Standard Version of the Bible.) that was not uncommon in much of the
1479. ancient world, where sex was sometimes a worshipful act to various pagan
1480. deities and to have the crops grow. Paul was most likely talking about the use
1481. of sex for these purposes. In this connection, it is important to note that the
1482. word “homosexual” does not appear in any of the biblical manuscripts, as the
1483. term was coined in the late 19th century, and first appeared in an English
1484. Bible translation in the 1946 edition of the Revised Standard Version.</span><o:p></o:p><br />
1485. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1486.  
1487.  
1488. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Moreover, prohibitions
1489. against homosexual activity in ancient Israel was done in the context of a
1490. tribal society living on the edge, surrounded by enemies, that had to "be
1491. fruitful and multiply" in order for it to survive. Therefore, all types of
1492. sexual activity had to be geared to procreation. The sin of Onan, coitus
1493. interruptus, was to do otherwise. (Genesis 38:9-10) </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1494.  
1495.  
1496. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Romans 1:21-32 that is
1497. erroneously used to condemn gay people talks about those who turned their backs
1498. on God. Even though many professing Christians and clergy have turned GLBT
1499. people away from the church, many of these people still worship God. Many of
1500. them have long, fulfilling relationships. For example, one gay couple who
1501. attend our church has been together for 40 years. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1502. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1503.  
1504.  
1505. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">In any case, what those who
1506. quote from the first chapter of Romans to erroneously condemn gay people
1507. apparently don't read is the very next verse: "Therefore Thou art
1508. inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest
1509. another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things."
1510. (Romans 2:1) </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1511. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1512.  
1513.  
1514. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The word
1515. "abomination" frequently refers to anything the Gentiles did. For
1516. example, eating fish without scales was an abomination. Also, the Greek words
1517. that are translated "against nature," para physin, are also used in
1518. reference to God when He brought the Gentiles into the covenant relationship
1519. with Him. (Romans 11:24) Hence, the term “against nature” is not necessarily
1520. meant to be pejorative; may well refer in Romans 1:26-27 to heterosexuals who
1521. engage in homosexual acts as seen in cult prostitution. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1522.  
1523.  
1524. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">In 1Corinthians 6:9 the
1525. word "effeminate" is used. The Greek word is malakoi, and it means
1526. "soft." It's used elsewhere in Scripture to denote soft clothing. In
1527. this connection, it probably means people of soft morals or people who lack
1528. courage. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1529. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1530.  
1531.  
1532. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">It is important to realize
1533. that homosexuality is never mentioned in the Ten Commandments, never written
1534. about by the prophets, and never discussed by Jesus. If it were that important,
1535. it would have likely been dealt with in at least one of these contexts! </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1536. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1537.  
1538.  
1539. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Yet these facts, and many
1540. others that have been put forth, are not likely to change the minds and hearts
1541. of those who actively discriminate against GLBT people. Those who spend a great
1542. deal of their time condemning other people “in the name of God,” by picking and
1543. choosing selected verses of Scripture without seeming regard to context and
1544. original languages, may well be materially and psychologically gaining a great
1545. deal from these endeavors, all the while claiming that they are being faithful
1546. to the Bible. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1547.  
1548.  
1549. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Just one example as to how
1550. these people don't seem to be as ‘Bible believing’ as they would have us
1551. believe: Jesus specifically condemned divorce and remarriage, saying that those
1552. who did so, absent fornication, were themselves committing adultery. (Matthew
1553. 19:9) I don't hear many homophobic clergy condemning these people and telling
1554. them that they should leave their current spouse and either reunite with their
1555. previous spouse or remain single. Nor should they! My point is that many of
1556. their constituents are made up of these people who give them tithes, offerings,
1557. and contributions and they don't want to bite the hands that feed them. They
1558. have, however, helped drive many GLBT people away from the church, so these
1559. people become viewed as “safe” targets to persecute. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1560. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1561.  
1562.  
1563. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Gospel of love negates
1564. any attempt to misrepresent, stigmatize, demonize, or oppress other people.
1565. Those who seek to exclude GLBT people from partaking fully in the life of the
1566. Church and society have missed the message of the Gospel! </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1567. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1568.  
1569.  
1570. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">In any case, it's
1571. inappropriate to blindly apply the cultural practices of ancient societies to
1572. contemporary society, as it does not do justice to the Bible; the Bible makes
1573. no such claims for itself; to do so cheapens the Bible. As Peter J. Gomes wrote
1574. in his superb book, <u>The Good Book: Reading The Bible With Mind And Heart</u>,
1575. when we read the Bible we must take account of what it says, what it means, the
1576. text, the subtext, the context, what we bring to the text, and what we take out
1577. of the text. Without such examination, we have the egregious example of many
1578. Black churches, ministers and lay people, aligning themselves with the KKK to
1579. fight against same-sex marriage. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1580. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1581.  
1582.  
1583. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">What is interesting in this
1584. context is that the KKK has demonstrated against same-sex marriage. So, the
1585. Vatican, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
1586. Day Saints (that, even with its checkered sexual history, talks of traditional
1587. family values) and others who oppose equal rights for gay people are aligning
1588. themselves with the KKK that opposes equality for all citizens. And these
1589. professing Christians have the temerity to do so "in the name of
1590. God." </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1591. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1592.  
1593.  
1594. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">For far too long we have
1595. listened to people who just uncritically assume that what they heard from the
1596. pulpit or Sunday school, as ignorant and hateful as it may be, regarding GLBT
1597. people is true. Being gay is not a lifestyle! It's a life! It's not a choice,
1598. any more than being straight is a choice! </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1599. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1600.  
1601.  
1602. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Moreover, although each
1603. minority group has its own particular history, each has suffered from
1604. misinformation, discrimination, stigma, and oppression. Unfortunately, the
1605. Church has been the last institution in society to accept the disenfranchised
1606. and "least among us." As has been noted for many years, the Church
1607. has been, and continues to be, the most racially segregated institution that
1608. exists on Sunday mornings in our society. In addition, the major justification
1609. for oppressing minority groups has been appeal to the Bible. Witness the
1610. subjugation of women, slavery, and segregation. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1611. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1612.  
1613.  
1614. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Even the most "Bible
1615. believing" Christian would not condone such biblical practices as stoning
1616. to death adulterers, stoning to death those who work on the Sabbath, requiring
1617. all women to wear long hair, women not talking in church, women not teaching
1618. men, not wearing mixed fibers in our clothes, etc. Yet these are all taught in
1619. the Bible! </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1620. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1621.  
1622.  
1623. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Bible is part of God's
1624. revelation to us. It gives us a glimpse into a small part of God's heart and a
1625. few of His many dimensions. God didn't stop talking to His children 2,000 years
1626. ago! He still speaks to us regarding His will for our lives, and to proclaim in
1627. each generation, in and for His name, the cause of justice, and to manifest
1628. Jesus’ love toward others. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1629. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1630.  
1631.  
1632. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">God bless the work of
1633. Soulforce that seeks justice for GLBT people, the United Federation of the
1634. Metropolitan Community Churches that largely minister to GLBT Christians, the
1635. Online magazine, "Whosoever," for which I have written a great deal,
1636. that is primarily geared to GLBT Christians, and to the work of the late
1637. Rembert Truluck (<u>Steps to Recovery From Bible Abuse</u>) and Rick
1638. Brentlinger (<u>Gay Christian 101</u>) who point out the destructive aspects of
1639. Bible abuse and how misuse of the Bible has caused the untold suffering of GLBT
1640. people. It is these, and other such ministries, that have undoubtedly saved,
1641. and immeasurably enriched, the lives of countless GLBT people, Christian and
1642. non-Christian alike, who were previously wracked by feelings of guilt, shame,
1643. self-loathing, and condemnation, hitherto believing the lies and ignorant
1644. pronouncements emanating from much of the Church. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1645. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1646.  
1647.  
1648. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The seemingly oracular
1649. pronouncements regarding GLBT people and their relationships by those who
1650. parade their ignorance as “Godliness” have helped lead to the suicides,
1651. bashings, and murders of countless GLBT people. Indeed, in this connection, it
1652. is estimated that gay youth have at least three times the suicide rate of
1653. non-gay youth. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1654. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1655.  
1656.  
1657. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Make no mistake, every drop
1658. of blood shed by GLBT people either through suicide, bashing, or murder, are on
1659. the hands of all those religious leaders, their followers, and their allies who
1660. spew forth their ignorance, prejudice, and hate against GLBT people and their
1661. relationships! These wolves in sheep’s clothing take the Bible, God’s love
1662. letter to His children, and selectively and perversely use it as a club to
1663. condemn others, and deny GLBT people full inclusion in the Church and in
1664. society. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1665. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1666.  
1667.  
1668. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The tradition-bound parts
1669. of the Church have so indoctrinated people, many of whom have never even set
1670. foot in a house of worship, that many people even disown their own children
1671. when they “come out” and divulge their sexual orientation to those whom they
1672. thought unconditionally loved and cherished them. There are many children
1673. living on the streets because their own parents trusted ignorant clergy and
1674. their followers over their God-given duty and privilege to nurture and embrace
1675. their own children! </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1676. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1677.  
1678.  
1679. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Church should
1680. concentrate on the real sins that deserve our attention and that cry out to God
1681. for redress, such as invading another country on false pretenses; the working
1682. poor who can't afford medical insurance; the Supreme Court ruling that people
1683. can't sue their insurance company in state court for denying needed medical
1684. services; many elderly people having to decide whether to buy food or medicine;
1685. the gigantic rip off perpetrated by drug companies, hospitals, and the medical
1686. establishment on sick and vulnerable people. Why not focus on and address
1687. issues such as these, instead of obsessing on who loves who and who sleeps with
1688. whom? Such obsession tells us much more about the pathetic and moribund state
1689. of much of the Church than it does about the reality of the lives of GLBT
1690. people. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1691. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1692.  
1693.  
1694. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Indeed, those who seek to
1695. exclude others from full fellowship in church, and in secular society, commit
1696. the greatest sin of all: the sin of pride. Jesus “…spake this parable unto
1697. certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised
1698. others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the
1699. other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank
1700. thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even
1701. as this publican. I fast twice in the week. I give tithes of all that I
1702. possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his
1703. eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a
1704. sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the
1705. other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that
1706. humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14) </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1707. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1708.  
1709.  
1710. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Throughout our lives, we
1711. have been bombarded with ignorant, homophobic messages from much of the Church
1712. world that don’t resonate with, and do contradict, the revelation of God in the
1713. Person and words of Jesus! Let’s not let the ignorant, the haters and
1714. hate-mongers, many of whom gain psychological, social, and financial advantages
1715. by their condemnation and exclusion of GLBT people, define Christianity for
1716. us. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1717. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
1718.  
1719.  
1720. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">We must rise above their
1721. ignorant and hateful pronouncements, cynically made "in the name of
1722. God," "tradition," "church law," and "family
1723. values," and finally practice Christianity. Hear Jesus' call for inclusion
1724. of all of His people, and let's fulfill His mandate for us to love our neighbor
1725. by embracing in every facet of our lives His GLBT children, whom He gave as a
1726. gift to the church and society to be cherished every bit as much as He
1727. cherishes us. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
1728.  
1729.  
1730. <div class="MsoNormal">
1731. <br /></div>
1732. &lt;!--EndFragment--&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/7782118810603266506/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=7782118810603266506&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/7782118810603266506'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/7782118810603266506'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/06/there-must-be-no-homophobic-churches.html' title='THERE MUST BE NO HOMOPHOBIC CHURCHES'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-5199484492404408188</id><published>2013-06-26T12:41:00.002-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-26T13:04:33.528-07:00</updated><title type='text'>DOMA STRUCK DOWN AND PROP. 8 SHOWS THAT PROPONENTS HAVE NO STANDING</title><content type='html'>&lt;i&gt;In a victory for gay rights advocates and a legal win for Attorney General Martha Coakley, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional, a ruling that means thousands of families in Massachusetts will no longer be denied Social Security, medical benefits and other protections tied to marriage laws.&lt;br /&gt;“This ruling is a victory for equality and civil rights for all,” Coakley said in a statement. “By striking down DOMA, the highest court has ensured that married same-sex couples are treated equally under federal law.”&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
1733. <br />
1734. <i>In a statement released as he spends time in California with family, Gov. Deval Patrick said, “By affirming the principle that people come before their government as equals, today's Supreme Court decision striking down DOMA is a win for the American people. I applaud the Court's decision on Prop 8 in California as well. Freedom includes keeping government out of people’s most personal and intimate choices, and affirming human dignity. Today's decisions do that.”<br /><br /> </i><br />
1735. <br />
1736. <br />
1737. <br />
1738. <br />
1739. <br />
1740. The Libertarian Party applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today to strike the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law that discriminates against non-heterosexual marriages.<br />
1741. <i>The Libertarian Party has supported marriage equality since its founding in 1971.</i><br />
1742. <i>"The Republican Party has never supported marriage equality," said Laura Delhomme, 2013 Libertarian candidate for delegate in Virginia. "Democrats, despite their alleged support of civil liberties, only added a reference to same-sex marriage to their party platform in 2012 — when it became politically convenient."</i><br />
1743. <i>DOMA was pushed through by a GOP-led Congress and signed by a Democratic president.</i><br />
1744. <i>"This is a landmark victory for personal freedom," said Geoffrey J. Neale, chair of the Libertarian National Committee. "The Democrats and Republicans who have advanced, defended, and let stand government intrusion into the private contracts and choices of consenting adults will be remembered for their inhumanity on this issue."</i><br />
1745. <i>Ending DOMA means that the federal government will recognize the legal marriages of same-sex couples in states that recognize marriage equality. This is a good first step toward ending government discrimination that has affected millions of Americans.</i><br />
1746. <i>Libertarian candidates have long rallied for marriage equality. This year, Robert Sarvis, Libertarian Party of Virginia candidate for governor, along with Delhomme and several other candidates for legislature, have vowed to press for recognition of same-sex marriage in Virginia.</i><br />
1747. <i>Libertarian candidates in New Jersey, the only other state that is holding legislative races this year, are also calling for marriage equality.</i><br />
1748. <i>"Same-sex couples are denied the right to marry because the governor vetoed the marriage equality bill that would have guaranteed their civil rights," said Ken Kaplan, Libertarian for governor in New Jersey. "I will sign such a bill."</i><br />
1749. <i>The Libertarian Party platform states that "Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the government's treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws."</i><br />
1750. <i>A recent poll from ABC News/Washington Post shows that 58 percent of Americans support marriage equality, a rapid change from just a decade ago, when only 39 percent supported it. Americans are coming around to the Libertarian view that big government does not belong in our lives, whether it’s our bedrooms or our wallets. </i>[Taken from the <a href="http://www.lp.org/news/press-releases/libertarian-party-applauds-doma-strikedown">Libertarian Party's web page</a>.]<br />
1751. <br />
1752. <i><br /></i>
1753. <i><br /></i>
1754. <i><br /></i>
1755. <i><br /></i>
1756. <i><br /></i>
1757. &lt;br /&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/5199484492404408188/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=5199484492404408188&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/5199484492404408188'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/5199484492404408188'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/06/doma-struck-down-and-prop-8-shows-that.html' title='DOMA STRUCK DOWN AND PROP. 8 SHOWS THAT PROPONENTS HAVE NO STANDING'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-6463610462029501583</id><published>2013-06-24T08:00:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-24T08:00:05.740-07:00</updated><title type='text'>A BRIEF RESPONSE TO NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT GAYS IN THE CHURCH</title><content type='html'>
1758.  
1759.  
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1801. <!--StartFragment-->
1802.  
1803. <br />
1804. <div class="MsoNormal">
1805. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></span></div>
1806. <div class="MsoNormal">
1807. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
1808. article appeared in my June 22<sup>nd</sup> column entitled, “Christianity and
1809. Society,” that appears in the “Sacramento Valley Mirror.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
1810. <div class="MsoNormal">
1811. <br /></div>
1812. <div class="MsoNormal">
1813. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"><i>“He hath
1814. shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to
1815. do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God”</i></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"> (Micah 6:8)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
1816. <div class="MsoNormal">
1817. <br /></div>
1818. <div class="MsoNormal">
1819. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">With the
1820. exception of relatively few denominations, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
1821. transgender (LGBT) people are fully welcomed in churches or allowed to partake
1822. of all the sacraments of those churches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> 
1823. </span>Most churches view homosexuality as a sin!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
1824. <div class="MsoNormal">
1825. <br /></div>
1826. <div class="MsoNormal">
1827. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Roman
1828. Catholic Church views homosexuality as being “disordered,” and its practice as
1829. being “intrinsically evil.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>And most other churches, in one way or another, concur
1830. with this view.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;"> </span></div>
1831. <h1>
1832. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">This
1833. view seems to arise from a relatively few selected Scripture verses that have
1834. nothing to do with one’s having a homosexual orientation, but has to do with
1835. same-sex expressions of idolatry to false gods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>An excellent book that goes into great detail on the subject
1836. of Christianity and homosexuality is written by Rick Brentlinger entitled, <u>Gay
1837. Christian 101: Spiritual Self-Defense for Gay Christians - What the Bible
1838. Really Says About Homosexuality</u>, and I strongly urge all Christians to read
1839. this book. This book eruditely and incisively debunks all of the apparent
1840. justifications that professing Christian homophobes when invoking the Bible to
1841. support their erroneous contentions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> 
1842. </span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1843. <h1>
1844. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">The
1845. reality is that I can use the Bible to far better affirm slavery, segregation,
1846. and the subordination of women that I can to assert that homosexuality is in
1847. any way sinful, unless the latter is used as a means of idolatry or temple
1848. prostitution to appease or beseech false gods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>In any event, the big lie has been that God condemns
1849. homosexuality within the context of same-sex love, and when a lie is repeated
1850. often enough, many people come to believe it as true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Hitler’s minister of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels , used this
1851. fact to manipulate the minds and behaviors of most in Nazi Germany, and it has
1852. been no less effective in making most of the institutional Church homophobic.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px; font-weight: normal;"> </span></h1>
1853. <h1>
1854. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">As the
1855. above verse of Scripture enjoins us, we must do our very best to live just lives
1856. so that we can be salt and light in a sin-sursed world; be merciful to others
1857. and always be humble when reading Scripture and in our walk of faith with
1858. God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>In all our pronouncements and
1859. attitudes, we must be humble, always recognizing that God is far bigger than
1860. the Bible; He can’t be put in a box that meets our personal and/or cultural
1861. biases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Frequently, people read
1862. the Bible and impose their own biases on the text, when they should let the
1863. Bible speak to them in its own terms, always recognizing the biases they may be
1864. bringing to that text.<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1865. <h1>
1866. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">Moreover,
1867. we can easily fall into the trap where we worship the Bible, rather than our
1868. frequently inscrutable God Whose ways are past finding out; Whose ways are
1869. higher than our ways; Whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts. (Romans
1870. 11:33, Isaiah 55:9)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>It is easy to
1871. fall into dogmatism and legalism, particularly when we perceive we have a
1872. vested interest in maintaining our paradigm or way of seeing a particular subject,
1873. such as what we perceive to be “normal” sexual expression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>If we let the Bible speak to us, rather
1874. than impose our own biases upon it to justify ourselves and our perceptions we
1875. will, indeed, be able to walk more humbly with our God.<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1876. <h1>
1877. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">As I
1878. get older, I realize not only how little I know about the mysteries of life,
1879. but also how many gray areas of life there are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Sometimes, even willful sinning, known to be a sin by the
1880. person, may be beyond his or her control, and may be the best for that person to
1881. be used by God in his or her brokenness. (2Corinthians 12:9)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>And, although God is not the author of
1882. sin, that sin, as all sins, is still covered over by the Blood of Christ and
1883. through that brokenness, God can best use that imperfect crock of clay through
1884. whom to work His will.<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1885. <h1>
1886. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">If a
1887. person has to spend his or her life suppressing emotional/sexual feelings and
1888. activity within the context of monogamy, he or she can become warped to the
1889. point that God can’t use that person as He would like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>After all, God knew when He saved us
1890. everything we would do, and even every sin we would commit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1891. <h1>
1892. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">He
1893. saved us because of His love for us, and because He could use us to work His
1894. will in us and in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>This
1895. fact is certainly true for LGBT people as well!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>God doesn’t only choose heterosexuals to be His own possession!<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1896. <h1>
1897. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">We show
1898. our love for God by fulfilling the commandments that Jesus prescribed: love God
1899. with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; love our neighbor as
1900. ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>And LGBT people are our
1901. neighbors!<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1902. <h1>
1903. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">Frankly,
1904. I think that God is much more concerned with “corporate sins” than with
1905. “personal sins,” especially those that are imagined constructed sins!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Downsizing, mergers and ensuing
1906. layoffs, technology that displaces individuals and families, an economy that
1907. requires most couples to work outside the home often to barely make ends meet,
1908. homelessness and our callousness to the poor and disenfranchised, an
1909. increasingly sociopathic culture which diminishes human worth and dignity,
1910. honed to a fine art in the medical and drug establishments so as to main a
1911. robust “bottom line,” etc. are the sins that cry out for vengeance from God
1912. rather than one’s affectional/sexual desires.<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1913. <h1>
1914. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">Regarding
1915. Scripture verses that are often used to condemn LGBT people, in the Old
1916. Testament people were to be fruitful and multiply, anticipating the birth of
1917. the Messiah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Clearly, in this
1918. context, homosexual conduct was forbidden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>In the New Testament in Romans 1:21-32 and in 1Corinthians
1919. 6:9 the thrust of Paul’s argument is that once having known God one turns his
1920. or her back on God and worships the gods of this world, be it sex, alcohol,
1921. pride, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>When one worships any
1922. one or more gods of this world over and above God Himself he or she is not fit
1923. for the kingdom of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1924. <h1>
1925. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">This is
1926. the thrust of Paul’s arguments in these verses of Scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>And the worship of the false god of
1927. homophobia also represents this type of idolatry that God hates!<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1928. <h1>
1929. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;">The
1930. Bible is called “the lively oracles of God” because it speaks anew and afresh
1931. to each generation, with its own particular problems and struggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>By reading the Bible both literally and
1932. literately, we see that we are dealing with lively things that must always be
1933. approached with the utmost humility; the humility that must also be manifested
1934. when we walk with God on our journey through life.<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1935. <h1>
1936. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1937. <h1>
1938. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1939. <h1>
1940. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1941. <h1>
1942. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1943. <h1>
1944. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1945. <h1>
1946. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt; font-weight: normal;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
1947. <div class="MsoNormal">
1948. <br /></div>
1949. <div class="MsoNormal">
1950. <br /></div>
1951. <div class="MsoNormal">
1952. <br /></div>
1953. &lt;!--EndFragment--&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/6463610462029501583/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=6463610462029501583&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/6463610462029501583'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/6463610462029501583'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-brief-response-to-negative-comments.html' title='A BRIEF RESPONSE TO NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT GAYS IN THE CHURCH'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-1482805698542370002</id><published>2013-06-11T13:46:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2013-06-11T13:46:55.806-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Pope admits &#39;gay lobby&#39; in Vatican administration: report</title><content type='html'>&lt;i&gt;Pope Francis has admitted the existence of a &quot;gay lobby&quot; inside the Vatican&#39;s secretive administration, the Roman Curia, allegedly exposed during a leaks scandal, according to a Latin American Catholic website.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
1954. <i><br />Back in February Italian media claimed that a secret report by cardinals investigating the leaks included allegations of corruption and blackmail attempts against gay Vatican clergymen, and on the other hand, favouritism based on gay relationships.</i><br />
1955. <i><br />"In the Curia, there are truly some saints, but there is also a current of corruption," the pope is quoted as having said during an audience last week with CLAR (the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious Men and Women).</i><br />
1956. <i><br />"There is talk of a 'gay lobby' and it's true, it exists. We have to see what can be done," the 76-year-old pontiff is quoted as saying on the Reflection and Liberation website, which was flagged up by religious news agencies on Tuesday.</i><br />
1957. <br />
1958. [To read the full article, see&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iU4aIVOP7PtAYA_lObb9Jwoc4bTw?docId=CNG.2475056ff909c774b4be9873230af1df.6b1&quot;&gt; here&lt;/a&gt;.]</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/1482805698542370002/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=1482805698542370002&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/1482805698542370002'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/1482805698542370002'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/06/pope-admits-gay-lobby-in-vatican.html' title='Pope admits &#39;gay lobby&#39; in Vatican administration: report'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-7310268686455064132</id><published>2013-05-21T11:22:00.002-07:00</published><updated>2013-05-21T11:22:53.705-07:00</updated><title type='text'>&quot;Researchers establish link between racism and stupidity&quot;</title><content type='html'>&quot;In an analysis of two large-scale, nationally representative United Kingdom data sets (N = 15,874), we found that lower general intelligence (g) in childhood predicts greater racism in adulthood, and this effect was largely mediated via conservative ideology.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&quot;A secondary analysis of a U.S. data set confirmed a predictive effect of poor abstract-reasoning skills on antihomosexual prejudice, a relation partially mediated by both authoritarianism and low levels of intergroup contact. All analyses controlled for education and socioeconomic status.&quot;&lt;br /&gt;
1959. <br />
1960. For the full article, see the following link: <br />
1961. http://www.ucanews.com/news/researchers-establish-link-between-intolerance-racism-and-stupidity/41572</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/7310268686455064132/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=7310268686455064132&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/7310268686455064132'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/7310268686455064132'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/05/researchers-establish-link-between.html' title='&quot;Researchers establish link between racism and stupidity&quot;'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-2760015943481126219</id><published>2013-05-07T17:31:00.003-07:00</published><updated>2013-05-07T17:31:51.440-07:00</updated><title type='text'>HARVEY FIRESTEIN GIVES A TERRIFIC EXPOSITION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE GAY</title><content type='html'>Please read the following piece and interview with noted actor and playright, Harvey Firestein, and also watch the brief video of his interview with Barbara Walters where he delineates what it means to be Gay. &amp;nbsp;This is the best exposition of what it means to be Gay that I have heard by a very literate, sensitive, very well-known person who came out when he was very young.&lt;br /&gt;
1962. <br />
1963. To read the interview and see the video, please click&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.davidmixner.com/2013/05/five-questions-forharvey-fierstein.html&quot;&gt; here&lt;/a&gt;.</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/2760015943481126219/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=2760015943481126219&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/2760015943481126219'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/2760015943481126219'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/05/harvey-firestein-gives-terrific.html' title='HARVEY FIRESTEIN GIVES A TERRIFIC EXPOSITION OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE GAY'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-3870134103706178442</id><published>2013-05-06T11:01:00.004-07:00</published><updated>2013-05-06T11:02:44.585-07:00</updated><title type='text'>THE REAL ESSENCE OF HOMOPHOBIA AND GAY RIGHTS</title><content type='html'>This is an excellent, brief, video that I strongly urge you to watch.&lt;br /&gt;
1964. <br />
1965. http://www.upworthy.com/watch-a-preacher-attack-gay-marriage-and-totally-change-his-mind-on-the-spot?c=bl3</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/3870134103706178442/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=3870134103706178442&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/3870134103706178442'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/3870134103706178442'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/05/this-is-excellent-brief-video-that-i.html' title='THE REAL ESSENCE OF HOMOPHOBIA AND GAY RIGHTS'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-6774243128180880374</id><published>2013-05-01T15:16:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-05-01T15:26:39.966-07:00</updated><title type='text'>JASON COLLINS THE VICTIM OF TWITTER DEATH THREATS</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;&quot;&gt;The following are some Twitter death threats given to Jason Collins, the one of the first athletes in professional sports to come out: [http://www.tmz.com/2013/05/01/jason-collins-death-threats-gay-nba/]&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
1966. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
1967. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">-- "Yous a dead f****t talkn on tv Boy."<br />-- "Listening to Jason Collins describe his gayness as 'beautiful' makes me wanna puke. And kill him."<br />-- "Jason collins comes out the closet! Kill that biiitttchhhh!!!"<br />-- "First jason collins say he gay.. Now he on espn w lipgloss on  kill him now !!!"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">-- "Jason Collins should get the death penalty lol how u a 7 foot gay dude lol the west is crazy smh"<br /><br />We can't underestimate the hatred visited upon LGBT people in the larger society.  This may well be undoubtedly true among many of those who are sports fans.  </span><br />
1968. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
1969. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Many of these fans value the "cult of macho" and despise the feminine that they summarily equate with gay men. These haters are also likely to have contempt for women who are in powerful positions in society, and are also likely to be xenophobic as well.  </span><br />
1970. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
1971. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">To say they are a danger to our society is a gross understatement, and I fear for the life of Jason Collins, and for all other athletes who have Collins' courage to finally be authentic and come out as the people they are.</span><br />
1972. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
1973. &lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Jason got it right when he wrote, &quot;Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it&#39;s a good place to start. It all comes down to education.&quot; LGBTQ youth face unique challenges that can be compounded by intolerance -- even if the hurtful messages aren&#39;t directed to them personally. Too often, the fear and hate directed at aspects of who they are by adults or team members they look up to can contribute to high risk behaviors, including possibly attempting suicide. &lt;/i&gt;[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/abbe-land/jason-collins-courage-in-_b_3193476.html]&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/6774243128180880374/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=6774243128180880374&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/6774243128180880374'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/6774243128180880374'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/05/jason-collins-victim-of-twitter-death.html' title='JASON COLLINS THE VICTIM OF TWITTER DEATH THREATS'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-4234918589298320659</id><published>2013-04-10T15:45:00.003-07:00</published><updated>2013-04-11T08:55:33.797-07:00</updated><title type='text'>&quot;Gay Will Never Be the New Black: What James Baldwin Taught Me About My White Privilege&quot;</title><content type='html'>But there is a distinct parallel parallel between the two Civil Rights movements, and that fact must not be ignored. &amp;nbsp;Similarly, as I have written countless times, there is no &quot;Q&quot; when it comes to Gay people. &amp;nbsp;&quot;Queer&quot; means &quot;abnormal,&quot; and LGBT people are definitely not abnormal. &amp;nbsp;However, absent these facts, the following article is a good one.&lt;br /&gt;
1974. <br />
1975. <div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
1976. "As a white gay man committed to advocacy, I was naturally drawn to [James] Baldwin and eager to hear what he had to say about LGBTQ equality in America. What I discovered, though, was not at all what I was expecting. Baldwin, more than anyone else, taught me that although I am gay, I am white, and that being white always involves persistent privilege that must be recognized and accounted for. Baldwin explains that white LGBTQ men and women feel slighted precisely because they know that had they been straight, they would have been heirs to incomparable privilege. In a 1984 interview with Richard Goldstein, then the editor of the <em style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-style: italic !important; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Village Voice</em>, Baldwin <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=bcWljeEqnKUC&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=%22Now+that+may+sound+very+harsh,+but+the+gay+world+as+such+is+no+more+prepared+to+accept+black+people+than+anywhere+else+in+society.%22&source=bl&ots=Bh618PoHg_&sig=CPTk4A4tGEeoLLZtrS1QNMNBqlY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=husaUfHCCpGE8ATMm4CgAw&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Now%20that%20may%20sound%20very%20harsh%2C%20but%20the%20gay%20world%20as%20such%20is%20no%20more%20prepared%20to%20accept%20black%20people%20than%20anywhere%20else%20in%20society.%22&f=false" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #ed4a4b; cursor: pointer; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" target="_hplink">said</a>, "I think white gay people feel cheated because they were born, in principle, in a society in which they were supposed to be safe. The anomaly of their sexuality puts them in danger, unexpectedly." He went on to say:</div>
1977. <blockquote style="background-color: #f0f0f0; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; color: black; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 13px; font: normal normal normal 13px/20px Georgia, Century, Times, serif; line-height: 20px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; padding-top: 15px;">
1978. Their reaction seems to me in direct proportion to their sense of feeling cheated of the advantages which accrue to white people in a white society. There's an element, it has always seemed to me, of bewilderment and complaint. Now that may sound very harsh, but the gay world as such is no more prepared to accept black people than anywhere else in society."</blockquote>
1979. [For the full article, see &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/todd-clayton/gay-will-never-be-the-new-black_b_2639537.html?utm_hp_ref=tw&amp;amp;utm_hp_ref=fb&amp;amp;src=sp&amp;amp;comm_ref=false&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;.]</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/4234918589298320659/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=4234918589298320659&amp;isPopup=true' title='8 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/4234918589298320659'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/4234918589298320659'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/04/gay-will-never-be-new-black-what-james.html' title='&quot;Gay Will Never Be the New Black: What James Baldwin Taught Me About My White Privilege&quot;'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>8</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-921240468035011792</id><published>2013-04-08T19:35:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2013-04-08T22:04:14.458-07:00</updated><title type='text'>AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH&#39;S ATTITUDE TOWARD ABUSE VICTIMS</title><content type='html'>&lt;span class=&quot;Apple-style-span&quot; style=&quot;border-collapse: collapse; color: #333333; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;&quot;&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
1980. <div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
1981. Unless God calls one to celibacy, one cannot suppress our most primal urge without some dire consequences emanating from this abnormal, even dangerous, practice.  Such suppression leads to all sorts of psychological and social traumas that range from psychological depression all the way up to sexual abuse of young people.  What makes clergy sexual abuse especially egregious is that God is often invoked by the priest to emotionally manipulate the young person into forcibly being cooperative in that molestation or rape. I truly think that many RC clergy's focus on demonizing LGBT people has a lot to do with their projection of their own frustrated wish-fulfillments, as well as their immature, if not warped, view of sexuality. </div>
1982. <div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
1983. "Homosexuality is only an issue because of the church's public stance on it. It should go without saying that there is no link with abuse. But Richard Sipe believes there may be a link between abuse and celibacy. In 1990, he published a 25-year American study showing that at any one time, 50% of priests will have been sexually active in the past three years. That figure has been replicated in other places: Spain, Holland, Switzerland and South Africa. "O'Brien and Scotland are not alone or exceptions," says Sipe.</div>
1984. <div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
1985. "The Catholic church has created a hierarchy of sexual morality with celibacy at the pinnacle. But that can create distortions. Sipe's studies suggest around 70% of priests display psychosexual immaturity. Celibacy, he argues, is not something most people can achieve. When legitimate sexual outlets are forbidden, some turn to illegitimate ones. "The majority of clergy are unable to deal with sexual deprivation in healthy ways," he argues. Around 6% of priests will have sex with minors. In Australia, abuse by Catholic priests is six times higher than other churches combined."</div>
1986. <div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
1987. Please read the full article <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/07/catholic-priests-unmasked-god-boys">here</a>.</div>
1988. <div style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 13px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
1989. <br /></div>
1990. </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/921240468035011792/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=921240468035011792&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/921240468035011792'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/921240468035011792'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/04/an-investigation-into-catholic-churchs.html' title='AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH&#39;S ATTITUDE TOWARD ABUSE VICTIMS'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-6458443700331970026</id><published>2013-03-17T11:48:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2013-03-17T11:49:09.465-07:00</updated><title type='text'>&quot;THE TRANS EVANGELIST&quot; BY SISTER PAULA</title><content type='html'>I just finished reading the book, &quot;The Trans Evangelist.&quot; It was
1991. superb!!!! It warmed my heart to read it, and I hung on every word.
1992. Sister Paula epitomizes the fact that God's ecclesia, His called out
1993. ones, aren't housed within any set of walls, but recognize each other
1994. through the unconditional love they show. Throughout the years, Sister
1995. Paula has continued to be an inspiration to all Christians and others,
1996. trans or not. God bless her for all the wonderful work she has done and
1997. continues to do. I strongly urge all people to read this book and get a
1998. glimpse of the wonderful, multifaceted world that God has created, and
1999. which Sister Paula so eminently demonstrates by her life and in her
2000. wonderful autobiography.<br />
2001. <br />
2002. The following is the link where you can purchase this excellent book:<br />
2003. <br />
2004. http://www.amazon.com/The-Trans-Evangelist-Transgender-Pentecostal-Preacher/dp/1893075230/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1363546078&amp;amp;sr=8-1&amp;amp;keywords=the+trans+evangelist</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/6458443700331970026/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=6458443700331970026&amp;isPopup=true' title='4 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/6458443700331970026'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/6458443700331970026'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/03/i-just-finished-reading-book-trans.html' title='&quot;THE TRANS EVANGELIST&quot; BY SISTER PAULA'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>4</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688218899576616463.post-5979765662011547536</id><published>2013-03-01T08:30:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2013-03-01T08:30:16.875-08:00</updated><title type='text'>RECENT ACTIVITY ON PROP. 8</title><content type='html'>NEWS RELEASE&lt;br /&gt;February 27, 2013&lt;br /&gt;FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE &lt;br /&gt;(415) 703-5837&lt;br /&gt;Social Networks&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;Print Version&lt;br /&gt;Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Files U.S. Supreme Court Brief in Support of Marriage Equality&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;SAN FRANCISCO -- Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the United States Supreme Court arguing that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional and the initiative’s sponsors do not have the right to claim to represent the interests of California by defending the law in federal court.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“Equal protection under the law is a bedrock of our Constitution and fulfills our nation’s binding principle that all people are created equal and should live free of discrimination,” said Attorney General Harris. “I look forward to the day when all Californians are granted their full civil rights and can marry the person they love.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In August 2010, a federal district court invalidated Proposition 8 on the grounds that it violated the equal protection guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution by taking away the right of same-sex couples to marry, without a sufficient governmental interest. Governor Jerry Brown and Attorney General Harris both refused to defend Proposition 8 on the basis that the law is unconstitutional.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The amicus brief lays out the harm done by Proposition 8 by preventing marriage between gay and lesbian couples.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“The sole yet profound effect of Proposition 8 was to take away the right of gay and lesbian couples to call their union a ‘marriage’ and to strip loving relationships of validation and dignity under law. It did not change any of the legal rights and responsibilities afforded same-sex couples and their children under California law,” the amicus brief states. “To be clear, Proposition 8’s sole purpose was to prevent same-sex couples from marrying. There is absolutely no legitimate or rational state interest in doing so. Proposition 8 is therefore unconstitutional.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The brief affirms that creating a stable home for children is an important interest served by marriage under California law – and one that is furthered by allowing all couples to marry. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“The state’s interest in protecting children, including the over 50,000 children in California being raised by same-sex parents, is poorly served by allowing so many of them grow up feeling inferior because their family unit is not validated and honored by law,” the amicus brief states. “California’s interests in protecting all of its children – and their basic dignity and understanding of fairness and justice – are best served by allowing same-sex couples to enjoy the same benefits of marriage as opposite-sex couples.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Attorney General Harris also argued that the sponsors of Proposition 8 cannot defend the law in federal court because they do not have legal standing to bring this appeal. The brief argues that, unlike state officials, the sponsors lack enforcement authority and therefore do not suffer “injury-in-fact” as a result of a federal district court’s judgment enjoining Proposition 8’s enforcement.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;“The decisions below invade proponents’ interest only to the extent that they, like other voters, have a generalized interest in the enforcement of Proposition 8,” the amicus brief states. As a result, the Proposition 8 sponsors “can only assert the kind of undifferentiated interest in the validity of state law that this Court has held to be insufficient for [legal] standing.”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the matter on March 26.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In May 2011, Attorney General Harris filed a similar amicus brief in California Supreme Court.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A copy of the U.S. Supreme Court amicus is attached to the online version of this release at www.oag.ca.gov.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; </content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/feeds/5979765662011547536/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2688218899576616463&amp;postID=5979765662011547536&amp;isPopup=true' title='3 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/5979765662011547536'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2688218899576616463/posts/default/5979765662011547536'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://christianglbtrights.blogspot.com/2013/03/recent-activity-on-prop-8.html' title='RECENT ACTIVITY ON PROP. 8'/><author><name>Jerry Maneker</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/00748201321055468172</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='31' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ1cF-UnOyUaGBrqMczrbttyiG8nJ81ImwalEsa_1-o40ag7S-PdUif95JJ2EzRD4LkBlfFHnPiRjDP20w3IIVCNqPQQe99au3dgVPhYAZ7OFgd5pLa4QofcV9NTLhg/s220/DrManeker.jpg'/></author><thr:total>3</thr:total></entry></feed>

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