Letter: Leave the judgments to Jesus

The passage of Proposition 8 was bigotry. I suggest the zealots reread their Bibles. If homosexuality is a sin, as judged by God alone, Jesus would have been the first to extend his hand, sit for dinner, and commune with our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. Judgment does not belong to petty men and women who base their views on man’s biblical interpretations, religious dogma, preconceptions or bigotry.

The passage of Proposition 8 denies equal protection and rights. The Supreme Court will strike down Proposition 8 as such.

Read the rest at Chicoer.com!

Why the Christian Right is Really Wrong

I am not one to fault anyone for having views of faith. Who and how you worship is a very personal thing in my eyes and I do not believe there is a right or wrong God, faith or style of worship. I do feel very strongly however we should maintain a separation of church and state, but not perhaps for the reason you may believe. I recognize that many “Christians”, especially many evangelicals do not like, approve of, or condone in anyway the GLBT community. I stand behind the freedom of that choice. Unlike being gay however, acceptance and understanding is a choice. So, it is my opinion those who chose not to accept those different from themselves are actually dealing with much greater issues than we know. Hate is caused by fear, fear is from the unknown, the unknown is ignorance and ignorance is bliss. There is so much going on in the lives and minds of those who hate that it just may be impossible for those persons to change.

So, what is the reason I believe in separation of church and state? It’s simple really, I’ve already stated it. There is no right or wrong when it comes to religion. It is not my place, or anyone else’s to say that Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Taoism or any other religion is right or wrong. Therefore, if you interject religion into government, you are pushing one particular faith onto the people as a whole, and that is wrong.

I would like to take the opportunity however to address the group who most often pushed their religious agenda onto the governing bodies of this great nation…Christians. I have found it simply appalling how the so called “Christian Right” finds it necessary to continually medal in the political realm. There again, it’s not because they are Christian, and I don’t agree with their faith, for it’s not for me to judge. However it is those very people who teach biblically how their savior (Jesus Christ) was wrongly judged and hung on a cross to die that want to do the same to the GLBT community. They judge us, they hold us in contempt, they treat us they same way Jesus was treated by his enemies…they persecute us.

I also find it very odd how so many Christians feel they are qualified to speak, if not for Jesus, for God. There is not a day go by that I don’t read a blog, hear a radio voice, or see it on cable TV. Even in the mainstream media you’ll find those who feel they are the authority on God and what God likes, dislikes, loves and hates. Somehow by claiming to be a Christian, you are automatically qualified to run the world. You automatically know what’s right, what’s wrong, what’s good and what’s bad.
You have the Fred Phelps’ of the world who claims that God hate fags. You have the Janet Porters who spew hate toward people of differing races, nationalities and sexual orientations on a daily basis. You have the James Dobson’s and Donald Wildmon’s who claim to have a personal enough relationship with God that he (or she) has made them the next messiah, the bearer of God’s will.
Then you have those who will stand up in your face and tell you that being gay is wrong because the bible, Jesus or God (or all three) says so.

One problem here, I would be willing to bet that most of those who so freely toss out religious rhetoric haven’t even completely read the Bible. They have taken certain passages and have run with them not knowing, or understanding the true meaning behind what they are saying. Show me one person who personally knows anyone who made an actual contribution to the Bible, and I will be willing to listen. Perhaps the Bible is the word of God, but let’s not forget, if it is, it’s the word of God written through other people in a time before any of us walked the earth, and we all know how things get lost in translation. When the Bible was written, the word virgin meant a woman who had not yet given birth, not one who had not had sex. The word abomination meant something out of the norm, not a deviant passage to hell.

The fact is, people, especially Christians use religion to control. They are smart enough to realize how difficult it is to disagree with the ultimate authority, but not smart enough to realize they are not the authority. If God disapproves of my life, the life he gave me, the person he created and placed on this earth, then let him decide. There is no one person who is qualified to make that call and those very people who feel qualified to cast that judgment are the same ones who have used the Bible to oppress and control for generations.

Christianity, whether wrong or right, is not the majority religion. Christianity also has been around for thousands of years less than many other religions. Again, I’m not saying its wrong or right, but I am saying Christians, who ask not to be judged by anyone other than their God, who they do NOT know, are the ones who are the first to judge anyone who doesn’t believe exactly as they do…irony at it’s best, and the best reason to keep church and state separate!

Connecticut KofC Donates Big $ for Prop 8

The war against gay-marriage is getting pretty crazy.  In Connecticut, the New Haven-based Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization, is now one of the largest contributors to the “Yes on 8″ campaign.  Proposition 8 is a November ballot measure in California which would make it illegal for same-sex couple to marry.

According to the California Secretary of State website, The Knights donated $250,000 in February and $! million in August.

To date, supporters, of the Anti-gay measure have contributed an estimated $50 million to take away the right of same-sex couples to marry.  A large majority of the funds have come from “Christian” organizations.

I am very curious.  How many hungry children could $50 million feed?  How many homeless could $50 million house?  How much illness could $50 million cure?  More importantly, if Jesus had $50 million, what would he do with it?

Sex and Politics Go Hand in Hand

You may be asking yourself, “What does she mean, sex is political?” Well, it’s quite simple.

Politics are our views and actions based on materialistic ideals. You can learn a lot about somebody by asking them what their political views are. For example, people who are pro-life aren’t just pro-life because they believe killing is wrong; they just can’t picture themselves being put on trial for killing an unborn child. Politics are personal and self-centered. People pick and choose their lovers based on so many political factors that have absolutely nothing to do with romance. Does he have a good eye color? Was she an acceptable beer pong partner? If we have kids, will they be attractive based on our looks? Are his pants designer? Does he go tanning, and if so, does that mean that he’s possibly gay?

And what about people who base their sexual preferences on political party affiliation? “I won’t sleep with him because he’s a Republican.” That’s just crap. It almost seems like people assume that during sex, their partner will begin to blurt out their views on tax cuts and abortion. Unless, of course, you’re participating in some orgy on the White House lawn accompanied by Bill Clinton (he wouldn’t miss it for the world) and Larry Craig (he’s not gay! He said so himself!), I doubt that would ever even happen. But then again, I never thought I would see a man who could have played poker with Jesus on the Republican ticket. Touché, America, touché.

Read the rest at hofstrachronicle.com.

Who Does God Hate More? Homo’s Or…..

Like many of you, I suspect, I have been wondering who Jesus Christ would have liked least, Africans or homosexuals. Most of the available evidence suggests He would have found it a pretty close call, all things considered. By “available evidence”, I mean the most eminently flexible of texts, the Bible.

Read more at gay-religion.blogspot.com.