President Obama's declaration of support for marriage equality has created an uproar in Christian communities across America, everything from the horrendous to the courageous.
Pastor Charles Worley of Providence Road Baptist Church in Maiden, N.C., condemns President Obama's endorsement while calling for gays and lesbians to be put in an electrified pen and ultimately killed off. "Build a great, big, large fence -- 150 or 100 mile long -- put all the lesbians in there," Worley said in a sermon filmed on May 13. He continues: "Do the same thing for the queers and the homosexuals and have that fence electrified so they can't get out...and you know what, in a few years, they'll die out...do you know why? They can't reproduce!"
Wow. Obviously consistent with Christ's teaching. Another advocated execution, while still another encouraged parents to punch their boys if they exhibited effeminate tendencies. Folks, this is evil, whatever the religious convictions of these folks.
But a black pastor named Otis Moss (photo above) offered this challenge from his pulpit:
There is no doubt people who are same-gender-loving who occupy prominent places in the body of Christ. For the clergy to hide from true dialogue with quick dismissive claims devised from poor biblical scholarship is as sinful as unthoughtful acceptance of a theological position. When we make biblical claims without sound interpretation we run the risk of adopting a doctrinal position of deep conviction but devoid of love. Deep faith may resonate in our position, but it is the ethic of love that forces us to prayerfully reexamine our position.
I mention that he is African American only because there are deeply held convictions about homosexuality in the black Christian community. Another article asks "What Would Martin Do?" referring to the late, great Martin Luther King Jr.
I will leave the last word to United Methodist bishop William Willimon who encourages congregations to welcome gays and lesbians: "Jesus was notorious because of the persons he received, not those he rejected."
Have you been following this discussion, if it can be called that? What are your thoughts?
6 comments:
The first guy's an idiot. The second, not so much.
EXCELLENT point on "poor biblical scholarship." I've never read/heard someone put that quite so well.
PS - I laughed out loud at "obviously consistent with Christ's teachings." S-o-o-o dry, yet so funny! Well played!
It seems to be the two of us in conversation these days Ian. Now, I consider you excellent company, but everyone else must be at the cottage.
I made my first attempt at mentioning homosexuality in the classroom. It was a young group....age 8 and I'm not sure I handled it well but I tried. Some of them watch Glee and are seeing this topic referenced in other media as well so I felt justified in the discussion although I doubt I could find it specifically in the curriculum. I was talking about Pink Shirt Day and bullying and helping them make the connection that boys who "act like girls" are subject to bullying. I had a couple of students visibly disturbed by my mention of boys having boyfriends and girls having girlfriends but the others had nothing much to say. They didn't seem shocked or bothered by the discussion at all. So we moved on to talking about what to do when bullying is happening.
Gay rights must be acknowledged. I think people need to change their homophobic tendencies and get on with life. It really is about love.
On facebook the other day I shared a post from the Dalai Lama which said something like: we are lucky to have our brief existence on this planet...why waste it with conflict?
Interesting that both you and Ian are teachers Brenda. This is as "real world" as it gets for young people sorting through issues of sexuality. And of course the recent awareness of bullying is strongly connected to sexuality both in terms of homosexuality and the pressures on hetero kids.
Thanks.
Our board has come out and provided us specific picture books and fiction books which we must have in our school libraries, "King and King" "Mom and Mum are getting married" to name a few. Children need to see their lives reflected in text, whether it be race, colour, religion or sexual orientation. We have several families with same gender parents and so their lives should be reflected in the text their children read. As the teacher-librarian in our school, I have had some of the books challenged by right winged parents, but I use the "script" we have been given and so far no one has launched a formal challenge, as yet.
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