It may seem obvious, after approximately infinity headlines about prominent religious figures with mildly life-consuming homosexual hobbies, or what feels like equally infinite headlines about children killing themselves because they can’t bear to be alive and be gay one more day, that even genuine religious convictions can’t make you straight. (I believe this is also known as “not being able to pray away the gay.”) But no! For a number of Christian colleges and universities, the concept of gay Christian people is too much to grasp.
This week The New York Times spoke with several queer students who attend conservative religious schools like Baylor University, but still want to be able to start an on-campus organization for discussing issues of sexuality and orientation. Their voices are remarkably mature and considered, especially when compared with the strictly scripted reactionary statements from the adults involved.
“It’s like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object,” said Adam R. Short, a freshman engineering student at Baylor University who is openly gay and has fought, without success, for campus recognition of a club to discuss sexuality and fight homophobia.
“The student body at large is ready for this,” said Saralyn Salisbury, [Samantha] Jones’s girlfriend and also a senior at Baylor. “But not the administration and the Regents.”
And in contrast:
“Baylor expects students not to participate in advocacy groups promoting an understanding of sexuality that is contrary to biblical teaching,” said Lori Fogleman, a university spokeswoman.
Ms. Fogleman’s position would be more understandable were it not for the wake of recent suicides among college-age youth, and even more recent studies about how much less likely that is to happen when gay kids aren’t told there’s something wrong with them. Or wait, sorry, that they have “an understanding of sexuality that is contrary to biblical teaching.”
Perhaps the most prominent example is the controversy at Harding University of Arkansas: queer students at this conservative religious university put together an anonymous and frankly amazing zine to address the way they felt trying to exist as queer people in the environment that Harding fostered for them. It included personal stories, and also heartbreakingly relevant quotations from Scripture that they felt spoke to their personal struggle.
“I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries for liberation from their harsh oppressors. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come to rescue them.”
-Exodus 3.7-8
After the incredible and admirable revolutionary actions of queer students at Harding – the secret but perfectly coordinated dissemination of their zine on campus, as well as the huge undertaking of putting it together – their work has, of course, been blocked by the school’s administration.
At chapel, Harding’s president, David B. Burks, told students that “we are not trying to control your thinking,” but that “it was important for us to block the Web site because of what it says about Harding, who we are, and what we believe.” Mr. Burks called the site’s very name, huqueerpress.com, offensive.
Doesn’t that kind of say it all?
This story is about a lot of things, and all of them are important enough to be considered separately. First there’s the individual stories of these students, who are already at eighteen or nineteen or twenty brave enough to embrace their religious identity and their sexual orientation, and to refuse to bow to figures telling them that they must give up one to have the other. Second, there’s the writing on the wall (get it? Anyone?) for the future of the religious community and the country: these students are locating the resistance against their identities with the adults in the situation, not with their peers, who might be assumed to be the most threatened by the “dangerous” sexuality of their roommates and friends and classmates. Right now, the conservative evangelical community is one of the most powerful anti-gay forces in the country. They have money, privilege and authority, and they use it to hurt us in Congress, in our homes, in our workplaces, at the voting booth, and in the minds of our friends and family. But if this is the next generation of committed evangelicals, things could be changing relatively soon. If a whole generation of future conservative Christians are growing up with friends like Adam Short and Samantha Jones, who are out and outspoken, the anti-gay crusade might be nearing the end.
And finally, and perhaps most comforting: the lives and struggles of these kids prove that this isn’t about religion, or the Bible, or God. This is about power. The adults who run these schools aren’t better Christians or better people than their students; the kids who attend schools like Harding and Baylor – even the gay ones! – chose to go to a religious school over all their other options, presumably because pursuing a life of faith and spiritual commitment is important to them. They’re not dumb and they’re not naive; they know their Scripture, they know their values, and they know their religion. They also know there’s nothing wrong with them. So it seems like it stands to reason that the people who do still harbor the belief that there’s anything sinful or shameful about being gay aren’t coming from a place of God-given inspiration; they’re coming from a place of fear and a need to control. If today’s generation of queer kids in religious communities can realize this through stories like Adam and Samantha’s, then that might be the most important thing of all.
“Second, there’s the writing on the wall (get it? Anyone?)”
lawlz Daniel.
This weekend, I picked up my Bible and flipped through Leviticus to figure out what all the gay fuss is about. The sneaky Biblical writers threw in that no man shall lie with another man in a section about how it’s a sin to be incestuous. Just one line about how being gay is bad. There are pages outlining how a man has to live outside of the community because of his “dirty emissions”. Honestly, I know I’m not saying anything new here, but it’s just astounding how much time and effort and pain and money goes towards 3 sentences in a massive book whereas all the other laws and regulations are RECOGNIZED as being irrelevant.
Anyways, back to topic at hand: I read this article on Jezebel/Gawker? (same thing), and I was shocked at a few posters saying “Well, if they’re gay, then why do they go to a Christian college?” That makes as much sense to me as saying “Well, if you believe in evolution, why do you believe in God?” Mutual exclusivity does not exist there, people.
The Bible was written about 2000 years ago – and way after Jesus was wandering about. I think that anyone who follows it’s rules and regulations to the letter should maybe re-examine their life. (Nothing against religious people, I was educated at a faith school for 7 years) I just feel that some religious people take it all too seriously – personally I really love Harry Potter but I’ve never bought an owl and run full pelt at a wall at Kings Cross station….at least I haven’t done that recently…
Are you seriously analogising religious practice with an interest in Harry Potter? Because personally I really love Harry Potter, but I’ve never assumed it was at all similar to 2000 years of theology. I’m not a biblical literalist & I agree with your point about rules and regulations, but find the angle you’re coming from unsettling.
I think Emy was just joking and referring to how arbitrary many religious practices are :)
Hey Emy, if your analogy was a joke / saracasm, then I have to apologise. I’m in an environment where people are saying that sort of stuff to denigrate religion, so I see that I’m in a frame of mind where I could misinterpret comments like yours.
that last paragraph is amazing. I wish I could print it out and give it to my deeply conservative pastor brother-in-law.
Rachel – this entire article was very eye-opening and I loved it.
However – you totally got me with the whole last paragraph and, especially, this “They’re not dumb and they’re not naive; they know their Scripture, they know their values, and they know their religion. They also know there’s nothing wrong with them. So it seems like it stands to reason that the people who do still harbor the belief that there’s anything sinful or shameful about being gay aren’t coming from a place of God-given inspiration; they’re coming from a place of fear and a NEED TO CONTROL.:
That really struck me! THESE Christian students have realized that they can be gay and love God because God made all of us (if that’s your belief) and yet the school officials cannot comprehend that truth! Oh, wait, yes they can but since it would TOTALLY shoot their ENTIRE gay-hating-because it’s ok to because the bible says so-belief in the foot! It’s SOOO about control and that sucks for these students!
well, i think that the school officials think of having gay sex as a sin–so it’s not that they don’t believe god loves these kids, it’s that they think they are DOING something that’s wrong. most christians think it’s okay to be gay, but not to have gay sex, and that you need to recognize that wanting to is “wrong.” so to them, the issue is that the students want to start a club about how something they consider wrong is okay. it’s not about the kids’ identities to them, it’s about their actions.
do i believe this bullshit? hell no. but that’s their logic. (i survived 12 years of catholic education).
I think the specific take on homosexuality varies with different denominations. I knew that the Catholic Church had taken the position that it isn’t a sin to be gay, but a sin to act on being gay – talk about splitting hairs. Still, I know that others believe that being gay is choice, because why would God have created anyone gay since He’s against it. This is my mother’s stance…
Paper0Flowers flipped through Leviticus to figure out what. You can’t “flip” through the Bible it must be read and pondered to “figure out what”. If you ask, most people will tell you of Sodom, (where we get the word sodomy) and God’s wrath(fire and brimstone),Genesis18:20-19:28. however God points out in Ezekiel 16:49 the iniquity(sin) of Sodom was “pride”(proud to be an American?), “fullness of bread”(fastfood, bigbox?), and an “abundance of idleness”(got entertainment?), neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy(“dependent”on government? homeless?). Leviticus is not the only place homosexuality is condemned, but all sin is condemned. The reason people attend private “Christian” schools, is they learn more! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Hey hey, I’ve read my fair share of the Bible – I took a Bible studies course in university and have since read most of the Bible in my spare time. I was flipping through Leviticus AGAIN to find the actual passages regarding homosexuality. Don’t assume that I just dug it out hapharazardly.
Also, about the rest of your paragraph – you seem to have misinterpreted my initial comment. I was merely commenting that it’s absurd that these very fierce anti-gay agendas defend themselves with a few lines taken OUT OF CONTEXT, whereas equally valid and long-explained points in the Bible are completely ignored.
And yeah, I know about Sodom. Don’t even get me fucking started on how it condones rape as long as it’s towards women.
You can “flip through” the Bible like you flip through anything else you’ve read before. Or if you’re not a Christian, like any other book you’re not particularly interested in.
The rest of your comment was either too incoherent or too reliant on a different type of Christian thinking than I grew up with, so whatever.
I think Theophile is pointing out that the ‘sin of Sodom’ is not homosexual sex (often called ‘sodomy’) but pride, gluttony, laziness and lack of proper social concern and assistance for the needy. She also suggests that the current mainstream (non-LGBT) US way of life and politics is very similar to that which got Sodom and Gomorrah condemned and destroyed in the Bible.
And pointing out that for some inexplicable reason many Christians are simply cherry-picking passages from the bible to fit whatever pre-existing biases/beliefs they have. Of course if you look hard enough, you can find a passage that could be with the powers of human imagination seen to or twisted enough to support almost any argument (just like statistics!) many then have the gall to accuse others of doing just that.
This is great! It’s really heartwarming that so many young evangelical Christians are changing their minds about homosexuality. I know that even with the ones I know, while they might still be anti-gay they’ve at least learned to keep quiet about it – and a lot of them still take part in activities opposing anti-gay bullying, like Day of Silence, because even if they’re not sure how they feel about homosexuality they know people shouldn’t be harassed for it.
It’s hard to take this as a complete victory, though, because the religious right is oppressive on a number of other issues – religious freedom in schools, abortion, etc. – and bigoted positions on these issues continue to be as popular with young evangelicals as ever.
Baylor University is ready for a Sexual Identity Forum. Most of the student population and even many of the professors are ready for it. They are just afraid to show their support openly because of what has happened in the past. Short and Samantha are awesome people who have fought and are continuing to fight for our rights here at Baylor. Thank you guys.
~this is just a little of my view on what is happening here. I’m too tired to write more or coherently.
i would like to emerge from my lurking to say shout out to all the gay boys in the choir at oral roberts* university.
i went to that school for one semester and then transferred to a public school in my home state. while there were i met some SERIOUSLY homophobic people, but most of my friends didn’t really give a shit when i came out to them. i think that would be the attitude of most of the student body. the administration, however, is still a long way away from addressing any kind of sexuality.
*i know, i know. we’ve heard every joke. including student made t-shirts that said “oral is for lovers” and had a picture of the founder and his wife on it. also, it’s the alma mater of ted haggard.
gaychristian.net! We love you there.
I graduated from one of these notorious Christian colleges not long ago. Things are changing! Not only among the students – the faculty are speaking out on quite a few campuses, advocating for LGBT students who are otherwise too easily silenced. It’s scaring the shit out of administrations cross-country.
Oh Baylor. I was watching a fball game between them and my home school and the people in front of me were just horrible, shouting things like “GET UP QUEERS” or “YOU RUN LIKE A FAG” and of course they were super riled up and I didn’t want to start a commotion but I was there with a gay friend of mine, who benchpresses and runs like a pro and was just dying to clock them both out, and the whole situation was a combination of sad amusement and anger that they were saying such things.
(but there are tons of tolerant baylor people too! I know a good 20.)
My friend and I were having a conversation about hiring employees directly out of college. He works in human resources and said that even though he’s a Christian, it’s difficult for him to regard a degree from an “evangelical” college or university as being legitimate. He thinks most of the benefits of attending college come from outside the classroom, because it’s there that you meet and interact with new people, encounter new ideas and (ideally) grow as a person. It’s also the place where your preconceived notions and prejudices are most likely to be challenged for the first time, and where you learn either to defend them or reject them in favor of better ideas. He brought up the lack of religious and cultural diversity at these campuses as evidence that evangelical schools shortchange their students in that regard.
Articles like this only reinforce his point. If so-called institutions of higher learning continue to enshrine this sort of petulant stupidity in their official handbooks, who could possibly take them seriously? Obviously, the vast majority of their students will not be entering the clergy, but will instead be pushed into the real world, where gay people live and breathe. They might even need to work with them! Instead of a challenging experience that introduces them to the realities and possibilities of the wider world, students at these schools are given a social education that is the equivalent of a science curriculum designed by the Flat Earth Society.
The fact that we can’t have LGBT groups on our campus is sad and frustrating. This does not mean though, that we are lacking in religious and cultural diversity (at least here at Baylor). I know people of all backgrounds. Many of our professors are accepting and supportive of the LGBT community and the other communities here that are anything but Baptist. It is our administration that isn’t ready to change. I have come out at Baylor and have not had any bad experiences. This is not to say we don’t have people on this campus who are homophobic and think that if you aren’t a christian you are wrong, but what campus doesn’t have these people? I have learned many things about different religions and cultures and in return have taught several people about the LGBT community.
one of my professors went to baylor and yesterday she recommended me a book about lesbian eroticism
that sounds wrong…it was in the context of literary/queer theory
context is good to know
I attend a secular university where it is not possible to study religion or theology, and the time I found my beliefs most challenged was when I deliberately went overseas to study theology. All of a sudden I was with a bunch of people from diverse backgrounds who had an interest in religion and wanted to argue it with me for hours. Passionate and detailed and reasoned dialogue. I guess what I’m trying to say is, to have the experience your friend says is best offered by secular education, I actually found it necessary to leave secular education and seek out a religious environment. I would also say that secular ideological hegemony is unfortunately common on secular campuses, and it can be stifling in a similar way to religious hegemony.
In terms of hiring – I would think that it would be better HR practice to hire based on which universities offer the better technical training. People vary too much to make inferences about social skills on the basis of their educational institution (also, that’s kind of discriminatory, no?). Those sorts of things can be worked out with more certainty and less stereotyping at interview.
I go a secular college too, but we have a thriving religion department. We can also take classes at 4 other schools in the area, all of which offer classes in religious studies. There are many religious students on my (super gay friendly) campus, including large Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu populations and smaller Baha’i, Pagan/Wiccan, etc. groups. I agree with where you’re coming from re: hiring practices, but I just want to point out that many secular schools promote religious diversity (secular school doesn’t necessarily = secular students), whereas most Evangelical Christian schools promote just one. Does this make sense at all? Also, this obviously isn’t everyone’s experience in secular vs. religious schools, just my own!
Hey, totally. I am glad that your school takes such a positive approach to diversity, religious and otherwise, it sounds like an awesome place.
Like you, I do not want to imply that my experience is everyone’s experience. I guess that’s the thing, universities vary greatly as do forms of religious practice, so it’s nearly impossible to speak of this in simple terms.
Something I would be really interested to know is what people think of same-gender universities, like Wellesley or Barnard or Smith. To me, an education at a women’s college could be an awesome opportunity for personal growth. But would others see this as negative b/c students are exposed mostly to one gender, in the same way that students at faith universities are exposed mostly to one faith? Or am I making a false analogy?
I agree with your assessment of secular schools. I also agree that interaction with people of different faiths can be an enriching experience. That’s why I commented here. I don’t think my friend is right to automatically dismiss degrees from these schools as garbage, but I do think things like this will only reinforce his (and his colleagues’) perception of these schools as unenlightened and essentially useless. In his defense, though, he wasn’t talking about the Notre Dames and Baylors of the world. He was talking, specifically, about Liberty, Oral Roberts, Judson and their ilk. Those sorts of schools rarely offer the best education, social or otherwise, by any measure.
Sure, and I think I should make it clear I was attempting to respond to your friend’s views, not imputing them to yourself.
I am not from the US, so I don’t know much about specific American universities. However, I’m leery of making judgments about candidates on the basis of the school they come from. I work in law, and there’s a lot of bias against lawyers who don’t come from the elite universities. My experience has been that the absolute brightest come from the top universities, though of course the bright ones aren’t always the best lawyers. Beside that, though, I’ve found that strong students from weaker universities perform better than average students at top universities. So I guess I’d be inclined to consider the whole package, rather than make an assumption about capability based on educational institution.
I take your point about perception, though.
““It’s like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object,” said Adam R. Short, a freshman […].”
I BELIEVE MR. SHORT HAS SEEN ‘Imagine Me & You’! I WISH TO CONGRATULATE MR. SHORT AND ASK HIM WHAT A LILY MEANS!
I don’t mean to burst your bubble or anything, but I’m pretty sure the origins of that saying (in English) comes from a Chinese proverb or philosophy or something. :B
I think we all know that it comes from The Dark Knight.
Did it mean “I dare you to love me” in that movie too?
And World of Warcraft.
who are you ?//
Awwwwwww I love the bit with the lily!!! My boyfriend got me lilies after we watched the movie together. First time he got me flowers =)
I won’t lie, I googled that line to make sure it was from something other than Imagine Me & You because I could not believe he referenced that movie… haah
I can say, as a gay Christian girl who came out to her conservation Christian mother and Southern Baptist deacon father last weekend, currently has mother assigned homework of looking through the Bible for all it says on homosexuality and then explain it to her mother so her mother can settle how she feels about “this”, is college hunting while avoiding Texas (home state) colleges, and is forbidden by her mom to let people know she’s a lesbian so it won’t get around to people at their church (this includes her older sister who still lives at home), this article is greatly appreciated. <3
Here have some background from me:
I’ve gone to the same church my entire life. I was that kid in elementary school that wasn’t allowed to: listen to anything but Christian music, read Harry Potter or see the movies, sleepover at friends’ houses on Saturday nights because church services were Sunday morning, watch certain TV shows, believe in Santa, or watch Bambi. I became a Christian in 2004 (I was in 4th grade). That was before I thought about feelings for and attractions to girls or anyone else for that matter. I still have the faith I had then now; actually, I’d say it’s grown over the years. The fact I’m lesbian does NOT change my faith. John 3:16 (NIV) says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Now, ‘whoever’ is whoever (meaning whatever person; anyone that), not ‘whoever is straight that’. In addition, I’ve never found any ‘how to become a Christian’ instructions that mention sexuality. Moreover, the instructions and definition I got when I asked about being a Christian from Sunday school teachers, my parents, and my pastor were Romans 10: 9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” That’s what I believe and I don’t care if I am yelled at for it. My best friend in the world is a gay Muslim, and she’s one of the most awesome people you will ever meet, we’ve been friends for 8 years, do DOS together every year since we learned about it (even before either of us were out), and have decided we’re pretty much twins. (I could seriously write pages about why my best friend is awesome). I feel like the best way to end my rambling would be some “I’m gay and that’s okay” sort of saying. So: I’m a Christian gay and that’s okay. And I think my life’s awesome.
I wish the Christian majority was like you, honestly.
“I’m a Christian gay and that’s okay.”
I like this. Can I use this?
all of this.
You’re a Christian gay and that’s more than okay – that’s awesome.
Seriously thank you for this, I really struggle with the whole religion / sexuality thing (actually not so much whether it’s ok to be queer & Christian – for me it is that the queers I know are overwhelmingly hostile to faith, which leaves me feeling like there is nowhere that will accept the whole truth of who I am. It is always good to know there are others out there and that they’re okay with these two aspects of who they are.
All the best to you and to your friend :)
Oh. Hey. Hello. We should be friends.
Or at least you can add a +1 to the number of people looking for a place where queer and faith aren’t mutually exclusive. That always makes me feel less lonely/lost.
Thank you for writing… just knowing that there are others out there does make me feel better, actually.
I’m sorry if this is a little forward, but if you want to discuss it more, I would love to hear from you :) what with these fancy social networking functions we now have and all. It’d be nice to talk with someone who’s in a similar headspace.
I also feel the exact same way… even though I completely 100% believe that being Christian (or Muslim, for that matter) and being gay are completely compatible somehow I have personally struggled to reconcile my sexuality and gender with a firm commitment to Christianity. Honestly, I hold myself most accountable. I could do something about it. Also, I too went to a super secular college and live in a super secular city and let’s just say it’s not the best environment to contemplate your faith. I miss the strong religious community I grew up with and I envy people who have a firm belief in God (and don’t go crazy because of it, obviously).
Hey, thank you for sharing your experience, I could relate to a lot of it. It is good to know I am not alone. All the best :)
You are amazing. Good luck with your mom/family. I know that situation is stressful to say the least.
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I don’t know what that shame feels like. I will always be grateful for that.
I want that to be the norm…so I’m going to apply for seminary after I get my bachelor’s.
And for that, you win that the universe :)
This is really amazing and interesting and it gives me hope for the future. I really liked the last paragraph, especially this part:
“The adults who run these schools aren’t better Christians or better people than their students; the kids who attend schools like Harding and Baylor – even the gay ones! – chose to go to a religious school over all their other options, presumably because pursuing a life of faith and spiritual commitment is important to them. They’re not dumb and they’re not naive; they know their Scripture, they know their values, and they know their religion.”
Honestly, I really respect all of the queer kids who choose to go to conservative Christian colleges. I’m looking at colleges now and I’m only looking at liberal schools that are accepting of the queer community (granted, I’m also an atheist so a Christian school wouldn’t really work). I think it’s incredible that they’re doing what they’re doing and I wish I could find them and give them a hug.
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So, just clicked this link to avoid studying and I want to scream!! Why didn’t I take a class with Mr. Z when I was a bear? Maybe because I was busy writing papers about why I believe evolution and creationism can coexist. Ha coexist.
Kadence: (avoid TX, and OK is worse) although I am older than you I now consider you my hero. The longer you hold it in the longer you are saying to the conservative society around you, “I also think there is something wrong with me”. The messed up thing is that the “wrong with me feeling” came from that conservative society we grow up with.
On another note, I think it is wrong for the LGTBQ community to take their frustrations out on religion like in some of the first comments. It is the religious people (adults and students, sorry they are not all like Samantha) not the religion that is the problem.
I would like to possess the same optimism that Rachel has but I have to disagree. MrZ I don’t think Baylor’s ready for a Sexual Identity Forum. I’ve personally had people brag to me that they imidiately deleted the email explaining that a certain group would be on campus. Baylor wouldn’t even give them a room to have a discussion in. They were sitting outside the Bear Pit like an exhibit at the zoo. Personally I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to be like this Adam fella (may you find your Steve) but I also never met one out and proud person at BU, I mean maybe the softball team but that’s a given, right?
A song just came on my Itunes, Outsiders by Need to Breath. “We’ve finally come to terms, we are the outsiders” Perfect really don’t yah think? A Christian band singing about being outsiders. tehe
OK, song’s over back to my rant. I feel like these are my peps. I’m from OK so big ups to ORU.
I have a lot more to say but I’ll just leave it with this. My very devout, very blind friend (he didn’t see the signs, look at my pic) he told me when I asked him why he thinks God would make gay people if he didn’t want them here. He said he thinks that God meant them to be priests and nuns. So, he basically told me I should marry God, never have a family, and not be the doctor I’m training to be.
That’s our world here in the Bible belt. I’m sure it’s hard for every queer person everywhere, so I’m just going to say here’s a glimpse in to our struggle. If you have anything that might help us please don’t hesitate to chime in and don’t kill me on my spelling and grammar I know it stinks. Sorry it’s so long I couldn’t help it.
Sic’Em Bears and Griner’s my hero.
I have read several Biblical scholars who say that the word “homosexual” wasn’t in the Bible in any language before the 1940s. I have also read that the word Paul used did not necessarily refer to men who are gay. The word he used referred more often to people who didn’t take a firm stand in their beliefs–who were “soft” and liable to not stand up for what they believed. Based on several other things in that passage, it appears this denotation was more likely than the connotation of the word being translated as “homosexual.”
It’s curious how few people seem to know these things, and how when they are brought up, it tends to fluster people using the Bible to justify prejudice against gays (just as it was used to justify Jim Crow laws, slavery, etc.). Those using the Bible to justify prejudice tend to forget that Jesus negated the old rules “an eye for an eye” etc. He preaced “love your neighbor as yourself” etc. I wish more people who claimed to be Christians would follow that part of the greatest commandment, because loving your neighbor as yourself means treating people equally, with dignity and respect.
~A Lesbian Catholic =)
I have always struggled with religion/sexuality and it is for that very reason that when I was figuring out who I was, other people led me to believe that I couldn’t be a christian and a lesbian. I felt so divided. I have a lot of people in my family have devoted their lives to the christian faith and I know not a single one of them would have ever made me feel so ashamed. (They have all passed away)But some of the most influential people in my life planted seeds of doubt in my beliefs. It wasnt long after that I changed my religous beliefs to something that suited my lifestyle more appropriatly. But I still struggle with this. I guess reading this has inspired me to take a second look at my beliefs.
I have believed all religion is religion. What I mean by that is after changing faiths I have realised that I found the same if not better fullfillment in my current beliefs as I did as a christian. But due to the way things unfolded for me, I now have a great deal of anymosity for christianity. And I dont like feeling that way but for some of us that were turned away, shunned, punished, made to feel wrong or sinful, shameful, (you get the picture) it is a really hard thing to trust in the very beliefs of the people who did this to us. This is my best guess as to why there are so many of us LGBT people that are hostile.
Hey Purplebutterfly, could you give some details on good scholars to read. I mean the people arguing don’t just use these few scriptures, they like to throw a bunch of scripture out of context at you. The better informed we are I think the better off we’ll be. We probably won’t change their opinions with arguement, but at least we could better stick to our own convictions, not be “soft”.
“When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.” ~Epitaph of Leonard P. Matlovich, 1988 (Thanks, Marlene)
“The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love heterosexuals. It’s just that they need more supervision. ” ~Lynn Lavner
This article is great.
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