Cheering, Jeering and Everything In Between

Lots of stuff going on at FB the past few days. All the way from cheers to jeers and everything in between about the Supreme Court ruling on marriage. Yep...gay marriage is legal. In all fifty states. Boys can marry boys and girls can marry girls.

Perhaps I should reword that because that is exactly one of the “look at what you did” complaints I’ve seen several times on my Facebook feed. Claims that the push is now on to have pedophilia legalized. Yep, it’s that slippery slope thing the American Family Association, Focus on the Family and Mike Huckabee etc have warned us about. I mean, it makes perfect sense that comes next. Homosexual love, pedophile love and the list goes on and on. “Love is love, no?”

Ahhhhhhh….no. There is the issue of CONSENT. Under the law, kids cannot give their consent to marry the dirty old man who lives next door. They cannot even give their consent to have sex with the dirty old man who lives next door. They aren’t old enough. Just like they are not old enough to drive a car, buy alcohol or get a tattoo. They are MINORS. And the bestiality worry. Different species but the same arguments apply. A dog, horse, cow, cat, monkey, goat etc cannot consent to marriage. They cannot consent to sexual relations. That argument is just ridiculous.

Why this became the evangelical Christian’s battle cry, pet issue, most horrendous “sin,” I can’t say. But they just need to let it go. Fairness and civil rights won. And really, aren’t Christians….followers of Jesus….citizens of another kingdom. The Supreme Court has no say in the Kingdom of Jesus.

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world John 18:36

What would Jesus do in the wake of this ruling? Would he be posting on FB about how God will judge America? Would he be worried about hypothetical slippery slope outcomes? Would he be fretting that Christians will be persecuted? News flash...He told us we would be persecuted. Christians will be persecuted. That theme (that I don’t like any more than the next guy) is ALL THROUGH the New Testament.

I think Jesus would be doing what Jesus did….proclaiming the light of a higher kingdom, a light that shines in every man, ministering to the sick, the poor, the outcasts. Proclaiming the Father to a world desperately in need of a revelation of God’s love.

“CYA” is not a tenet of the Christian faith

“The only thing that one really knows about human nature is that it changes. Change is the one quality we can predicate of it.” – Oscar Wilde

Well, yes and no….

In the recent and ongoing battle taking place in Indiana, we see a spectrum of human nature on display. Unfortunately a lot of it is just ssdd….same shit, different day. Different decade...different bias, but at the heart of it is the human tendency to sort people into categories….us and them.

Are Christians being treated unfairly in this country….even persecuted? One big issue I have with this persecution thing is that it seems many Christians are crying wolf. For so many years, Christians were the king of the hill. Now, when the law requires them to extend the same rights they enjoy to others, some cry persecution. Not being able to force our views and beliefs on others is not persecution. Having to give equal rights to religions and lifestyles we disagree with is not persecution.

But let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that Christians are losing their rights these days and they are being persecuted. Why does this comes as such a surprise…..an outrage to Christians. It’s not like Jesus did not address this when he said, “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you”(Jn. 15:20).

The recent law in Indiana is meant to protect religious folks from being sued for refusing service that goes against their sincerely held religious beliefs.  When it is factored down to its lowest common denominator, it seems earmarked to protect Christians who refuse to provide their services to gays….specifically at a gay wedding. The law is vague and there are tons of loopholes that seemed to allow businesses to refuse service almost on a whim. There is an amendment in the works that is a bit more specific but it still seems to be motivated mainly by prejudice and a “cover your ass” mentality.

As far as I can tell, Jesus never taught this. “CYA” is not a tenet of the Christian faith.

I’ve wrangled with this since the day it was announced and Facebook and the internet lit up with indignation. I’ve read articles and blog posts both pro and con. This is a big topic that goes beyond the situation in Indiana. It deals with what it means to be a follower of Jesus. I plan to share some of the stuff I’ve been reading, with my two cents worth thrown in at no additional charge.

More to come…...

Changing beliefs is not costless

Changing beliefs is not costless…..Eric Raymond

This quote reminds me of something I stumbled across not long ago. In the comment section of an article about what God expects from us when our spouse is wounding our marriage, a woman posted the following:

My husband of almost 20 yrs. decided this past year that he no longer believes in an eternal hell and has left our church.

She goes on to say that he was an elder in their church for 18 years and that that prior to him straying into new age beliefs,they agreed on spiritual things.

He is still committed to me and our 4 kids, but has wandered in new age thinking etc.

Apparently, “godly men from the church tried to reason with him to no avail.” She is depressed, anxious and tired of going to two different churches on Sunday mornings.

This change of heart has not been without cost for husband or wife.

Really? How sad that not believing in an eternal hell is such a game changer in a marriage. Where exactly is that verse in the Bible that declares we have to believe in eternal conscious torment forEVER to fit in at a church? Is that really such a deciding factor in our relationships with other Christians?

Coming out of a gay agenda fixation….

And so....the fear of a homosexual agenda....which was based, at best, on ignorance and hearsay and, at worst, downright deceit and bigotry, delegates gays to a nameless, faceless "them." As in "them vs us." It is oh so easy to demonize nameless, faceless people. They go from strangers to enemies in no time flat.

In this post, I'm going to write about two guys who, at one time, saw gays as nameless faceless thems....enemies. But their perspectives changed when circumstances forced them to take a closer look and they actually saw gays....as in, really saw them....for exactly what they are. People just like them. People just like you. People just like me.....in all of our eclectic splendor. Not carbon copies. Not exactly the same....with diversity and variation and eccentricities to rejoice in and celebrate.

The first guy was on a mission to protect heterosexual marriage. His name was Louis J. Marinelli, a conservative-Republican. The guy behind the 2010 Summer for Marriage Tour that took place in July and August 2010....sponsored by the National Organization for Marriage. In March of 2010, he hooked up with Brian Brown, director of the National Organization for Marriage about sponsoring and participating in a series of traditional marriage rallies here and there across the country. It was at one of these very rallies, in Atlanta, that the counter protestors...the folks he had "made a profession out of opposing" "became real people" almost instantly. He said

For the first time I had empathy for them and remember asking myself what I was doing.

But....it didn't stop him. He toned it down a bit....made his campaign a bit fairer and more balanced although he admits he used strong and unnecessary rhetoric. Especially the You Tube videos he produced.

And then:

One article I wrote, towards the end of October, 2010 caught the attention of a blogger by the name of RJ, who writes on the blog AmIWorking. He responded to my article about the homosexual agenda with an article addressed personally to me regarding marriage equality. In short, his article had the miraculous effect of instantly putting things into perspective for me.

At that point, between what I had witnessed on the marriage tour and RJ’s post about marriage equality, I really came to understand that gays and lesbians were just real people who wanted to live real lives and be treated equally as opposed to, for example, wanting to destroy American culture. No, they didn’t want to destroy American culture, they wanted to openly particulate in it. I was well on my way to becoming a supporter of civil marriage equality. You can read my statement retracting the statements I made about gays and lesbians here.

I read about him in an article entitled I Now Support Full Marriage Equality"

And te other guy....a former Presbyterian minister....who preached against homosexuality from the pulpit. His turning point....points....getting to know "particular people"

In the article  I preached against homosexuality, but I was wrong Murray Richmond talks about what changed his views

1. An online (platonic) friendship with a gay Christian man who had struggled with his sexuality for a long time...until he finally accepted it and himself.

2. One of his gay parishioners who had tried for years to rid himself of an attraction for men....using alcohol, therapy, marriage, support groups etc. wanted to try...in desperation...an exorcism.

3. A woman, former wife of a minister who left her for another man. She refused to dis him, saying instead that he was the best pastor she had ever known but he came to the point he could no longer live with the lie.

Richmond questions why homosexuality has been singled out as a litmus test for True Christianity in the first place, a lightning rod for self-righteousness? (A good question to ponder)

His conclusion?

.......it's easy to condemn homosexuality if you are not gay. It is much harder

than condemning pride, or lust or greed, things that most practicing Christians have struggled with. It is all too easy to make homosexuality about "those people," and not me.

Ah-ha... back to the us vs them theme

We all have our "thems." We all have our "those people." Folks we see as so different from us, there is little hope of embracing their differences. For me, it is far right wing, totally conservative folks...who are, in my view, bigoted and hypocritical, who live by the letter of the law and not by the spirit of the law.

Modern day Pharisees.

Okay....let's try to wrap up this rambling post.

A belief in a covert homosexual agenda turns individuals into clumps of nameless, faceless, dehumanized "thems" who are easy to fear/hate/mistrust.

I'm going to close with a comment from a post on a blog called "The Faulking Truth" Very interesting play on words going on there in that title. His opinion concerning a homosexual agenda. Is there one?

In reality, the gay agenda is not unlike the agendas of the civil rights or womens suffrage movements before it. It is an agenda based on acceptance and equal rights under the law and in the eyes of the general public. And unlike the extremist Christian agenda, it doesnt seek to overthrow governments or indoctrinate everyone to a homosexual or lesbian way of life.

Can fundamentalist, evangelical Christians say the same?

For The Bible Tells Me So....

As I was visiting some of the pro gay web sites last week, I came upon a video called For The Bible Tells Me So. I didn't realize it was available in its entirety (albeit in 10 segments of about ten minutes each) until I ran across a link for it on a blog called Reflections. It is a spiritual blog...not a sexuality blog.  Just another one of those curious coincidences...where I happen upon something directly related to what I'm writing about.  

I watched the You Tube videos this afternoon. The movie tells the stories of several families whose lives were directly touched by homosexuality. The families all reacted with different levels of acceptance. Not all of the stories have a happy ending. There are also lots of snippets and comments from teachers, scholars and religious leaders. Some are gay.  Some are not. 

On the official  For the Bible Tells Me So site, there are several resources specifically designed to facilitate group discussions. (Here and Here) These would also work for further study for individuals.  There are sections that go into "THE" Bible verses in more depth than the movie does. 

This movie provides a peek into the normality of many families who have gay and lesbian children.  It also puts a human face on this issue...and might dispel the stereotype many people have of a "typical homosexual." 

I think I may give this a rest for awhile.  I've posted links to many resources that take a look at alternate meanings for the "homosexuality is an abomination" verses in scripture.  Anyone interested can find lots to ponder and consider.  I may come back to this topic in the future...because there is so much more that could be said. 

Work is love made visible.....

Work is love made visible. —Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

When I came across the quote above, it reminded me of the very popular series of books by Gary Chapman that talk about our “love languages.” This particular quote captured my attention because acts of service along with words of affirmation tie for the lead as my two love languages. Supposedly there is one main language, and then sometimes a secondary language. I would be hard pressed to decide which was which. To me, they are both such important ways of expressing and receiving love….

And speaking of words of affirmation…..that reminds me of a couple of draft posts that I have “in the queue” about how to make our words count….how to uplift with our words (30,000 a day according to one author)…and not tear down. That “series” will probably follow shortly on the heels of this post....

Resources to check out about the love languages are:

A blog post I randomly happened upon via the wonders of google….

Gary Chapman’s website….

A Peacemaker?

Me a Peacemaker? Ahhh…not likely, in spite of the fact that I’ve written a lot about what peace might look like in our day to day lives, I don’t have it down…AT ALL. I am getting better at being nonreactive (meltdowns are few and far between) and accepting the “IS”ness of situations and personalities and events. I’ve been exposed to a lot of different venues that basically teach that same message. Acceptance of what is. But do I emanate a sense of peace? Ah…probably not. But along with my hope to someday see the Christ in everyone and everything (including myself), I want to sow seeds of peace and not seeds of discord.

Since I’ve plugged Gary Sigler’s website in a few posts lately, let me mention his message board, Heart 2 Heart. A core group of posters keep the discussions there going. I read there more than anything, but I do occasionally post my two cents worth. Gary recently posted a writing of his called A Peacemaker. Some snippets from the article….

“For He is our peace who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make in Himself of two one new man, so making peace” (Eph. 2:14-15).

This is God’s goal: to break down every barrier between husband and wife, brother and sister, people on the job, everyone you meet, and bring you into fellowship and true spiritual oneness. The biggest walls are self-centeredness, self-preservation, and natural feelings. When the Holy Spirit breaks down all those walls in your life and forms the character of God in you, then you will bring peace everywhere you go.

And they are big walls indeed…and he acknowledges that the role of peacemaker is not for everyone…only those willing to be conformed to the image and likeness of Christ. Eventually we all will be, yet some of us may go kicking and screaming as he convinces us to will and to do of His good pleasure. To be a peacemaker we have to give up our right to be right, to not react in the natural…and to learn to bite out tongues, to not be offended, touchy or resentful. Hmmmm....let me think this over for a while and I'll get back to you :)

Do You Hear What I Hear? Close, Active Listening...

In Neale Walsch's book, The Holy Experience, he talks about listening...about what he calls Active Listening. It is a listening beyond hearing the words. It is a listening that tears down the separation between us and fosters the concept of "oneness." I've posted some practical aspects of listening of late...this is more of a spiritual kind of listening that depends on intuition and emotions.

The excerpt from Walsch's book:

The next time you are with someone, try to gauge what they are feeling. Don’t just listen to their words, look deep inside to see if you can get a handle on what they are feeling. Read between the lines. Look past the words. Practice what I call Active Listening.

This is a form of listening in which you tune into the communication of the Soul rather than of the Mind of the person before you. Feelings are the language of the soul. This is not a language that it is impossible for you to understand. In fact, just the opposite. You can often understand a person’s feelings a lot faster than you can understand their words.

Think of how many times you have listened to a person who is distraught or frightened or very sad or deeply disappointed. Often, their words come out in jumbles, and make no sense at all. You may even have caught yourself saying, “You’re not even making sense.” You might even have used this as a defense during some verbal exchange.

A person who listens to words rather than feelings often will throw another’s words back in their face, reciting what they’ve just said word for word in order to show them that they are making no sense at all. Right about then is when the other person will say, “Can you hear anything at all about how I am FEELING?”

Right about then is when you know that you have been listening to that person’s Mind, and have made a decision to have nothing at all to do with their Soul. If that other person thinks that he or she is your “soul
partner,” this can be a devastating experience. They will wonder why you cannot hear them at the level of soul, but insist only on taking their words apart, one by one, and analyzing them to show them how silly they are being.

A few experiences such as this can change a relationship forever. Someone who was once very close to you can decide that it is not safe to remain that close—that perhaps they were never that close—because you have no idea at all of how they are feeling.

The fastest way to let someone know that you and they are One is to feed back to them exactly what they are feeling. This means giving up defense in all verbal exchanges—even arguments—and realizing that, if the two of you are One, there is no one to defend against. There is only to understand what the Totality called the Oneness of You is now experiencing. This means honestly looking at your own feelings and opening to the feelings of others.

I know I have been on both the sides of this fence...as the one not really hearing and as the one not being heard. Once is while, I think I get it right.

Blue Christian on a Red Background

Another blog you might want to check out...also written by a self described evangelical is Blue Christian on a Red Background.  But he is not your average evangelical.  As I was looking through some of his archives, he had harsh, harsh words...and well deserved for sure, for Ann Coulter and her "fag" remark...about John Edwards.  This was back in March of 2007 (sometimes I run across stuff in my meanderings in cyber space that I missed the first time around :)The next day she spoke at the "Reclaiming America For Christ Conference." 

He also had harsh words for James Dobson...and his "Letter from 2012 in Obama's America"  What a bunch of nonsense.  Blue Christian correctly identifies it as such...and refers to Dobson as 
"The Prophet of Pretend" in this very thorough critique of the "letter."  Although Blue Christian personally believes the Bible speaks against homosexuality, he gets down right worked up over some of Dobson's points about gays.  He sums his post up by saying:

We are required to bear witness to biblical ideals regarding sexuality, whether addressing homosexuality or America's norms re heterosexuality. But doing so, with great care and meekness and humility while admitting we too struggle with sexuality, is far different than Dr. Dobson's shrill, illogical, and immoral (yes indeed!) attack on our neighbors. I personally repudiate Dr. Dobson or Focus on the Family as representing the Christian Faith I believe in.
And it makes me extremely sad, not glad, to say so.

Yep, I have to agree...the whole letter is pretty sad and panders to the fear evangelical Christians have that once you let the liberals get a foothold..well, you know, the whole country will go to hell.  People will be marrying their dogs, there will be no guns, the gays will have taken over and will have converted all the straight boy scouts to little gay clones of themselves.  Please....

Neo-Calvinist / Fundamentalist / Evangelical Blogs

It's been a long time.  I feel almost a little...well, shy after being gone for close to a month?  What do I write about now anyway....since I've been gone so long??  And I've visited so many sites, thought so many thoughts.  The supply of things to comment on is virtually endless!!!  I took a trip through conservative, reformed blog land last night....following links from a great blog called The Chronicles of Indestructible Life  which is NOT reformed or conservative....and which everybody should visit.  In his blogroll, however, he has some conservative blog sites listed under the heading:

"Neo-Calvinist / Fundamentalist / Evangelical Blogs". 

He must save them there, clearly labeled so none of his readers ever wander there unawares, or perhaps, as a quick link to inspiration for his writings should he ever run out of great ideas of his own.  There is a virtual plethora of ideas and thoughts that make one's head spin.  So much to disagree with!!!  Many pages devoted to Penal Substitutionary Atonement, Spurgeon's writings, who is and is not a Christian, what is and is not truth, God's wrath, and even detailed instructions on a women's place in society (did you know that women really are not to argue with or moderate men on internet forums?  Yep, on a blog called Jackhammer (charming name) in the questions section, the following question is asked.  I'm not sure if this section consists of actual questions submitted by readers or if they are hypothetical questions made up by the group of pastors who write for the site.  Either way, the following question was posed:

Should a Man Ever Be Under the Authority of a Woman?

The answer is pretty much a "no-brainer" on a site like Jackhammer but he does include the following list which did come as a surprise to me living in the dawn of the 21'st century.

Women should hold no office in civil government.
Women should stop directing, bossing, superintending, administrating, or managing men in the workplace.
Women should cease leading churches.
Women should discontinue preaching to men.
Women should no longer challenge or moderate men in blogs and online forums.

Apparently, this ban is not just limited to women but also to effeminate men.  The author states this clearly when he says:

God didn’t intend for women to rule men or even effeminate men, men who act like women, to have authority over men.  This violates God’s intentions revealed in the Garden of Eden.

Wow...I wonder where the scripture is that instructs us on the place of effeminate men?  And who decides how effeminate is too feminine to rule other men?  My normally very conservative husband brought up a good point on this.  What about men who only have one testicle?  (which, I believe, in OT times disqualified a man from the priesthood) Is one testicle enough to qualify them as men fit to rule?  What if they have NO testicles due to injury or disease (testicular cancer comes to mind here)  What about impotent men? What actually qualifies one as a real man?  It can't be the Y chromosome since effeminate men are disqualified and they, undoubtedly, have the Y chromosome.  (Since I am guessing they believe that effeminate men are most certainly NOT BORN THAT WAY...but rather choose it as a lifestyle)  Oh please...this is just too much to consider the first day back to work after a four day Christmas vacation.  It is almost comical, don't you think? 

I should clarify, I suppose, that I am not a feminist.  I do not have an agenda or a chip on my shoulder about how society (men) has treated me and held me back and thwarted my dreams of leadership.  I am glad to be a women, I have no desire to be a leader and, at least in theory, I think that mutual submission in marriage is a great thing.  Just don't tell me I cannot challenge stone age opinions like the one expressed on this blog...

Gee...posting again was not all that difficult...once I found the right topic to loosen my tongue!!!!!