Elton John has caused hyperventilation amongst the professional Christian set over the remarks attributed to him during a Parade Magazine interview that "Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man." But, unfortunately, what is missing from the discussion is the fact that through his charities, as detailed in the Parade article, Elton John has likely done far more in delivering on the Gospel message than have many of his critics among the hate merchants of the Christian Right. These self-righteous, self-congratulatory folks utterly ignore the message of love of neighbor - indeed, those that they hate are all too numerous - and act more like the Pharisees so roundly condemned by Christ in the Gospels. Were Christ living amongst us today, I seriously doubt that he'd be embracing the Southern Baptist Convention, The Family Research Council, The Family Foundation, Concerned Women for America, or even the Vatican - all of which preach a message of exclusion and contempt for other humans. Here are some highlights from the Parade interview that are not being addressed by the talking heads of the far right:*
Elton sits, dressed in a suit and tie, proper as a church elder, sipping tea. He has earned, spent, squandered, and given away hundreds of millions of dollars—much of it to charity.
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Elton John is one of the heroes in the battle to defeat the disease [AIDS]. The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF.org), established in 1992, is among the world’s leading AIDS advocacy and support organizations. He has raised more than $175 million for support and prevention programs in 55 countries and was knighted in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth in part for his work. On March 7, he will host his annual star-studded Oscar bash, which raised more than $4 million last year.
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What finally opened my eyes was Ryan White.” White was a 12-year-old hemophiliac in Indiana who had contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion. Subjected to death threats, the boy and his family were hounded from their small town. “I read in a magazine that Ryan was not allowed to go to school because he had AIDS. Firebombs were being put in his family’s letter box,” Elton says. “I was enraged. I helped the White family move. I spent the last week of Ryan’s life in 1990 with him in an Indianapolis hospital. He’d endured all this hatred. He was never bitter. I never heard him complain. There was something wonderful in this family—they were losing their son, yet they were still able to forgive the hatred of others.
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In 1993, Elton met David Furnish, a young Canadian advertising executive. “I was attracted to David immediately,” he says. “He had a real job, his own apartment, a car. He was independent. I didn’t need to take care of him. I thought, ‘God, this is new territory for me—someone wants to be with me just because he likes me.’ I knew he was the one, because he is not afraid of me.” Elton laughs happily. “He always tells me exactly what he thinks.” In 2005, David and Elton were joined in a civil partnership in England, the legal equivalent of marriage.
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Maggie Gallagher and the folks at NOM and its allies can raise millions upon millions of dollars to deprive LGBT citizens of civil legal rights - many of them also enriching themselves in the process - yet one rarely hears of these Uber-Christians aiding the poor, the sick, the homeless. Here's how Elton John described his own faith:
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"I think everybody's individual faith is their own business, and I do believe in Jesus and I believe he was a compassionate person, and from my point of view, and that's just my point of view, as a compassionate person — someone who was persecuted, someone who forgave people. And that's how I see him...I identify, in my own mind, as someone like that...I'm not saying to everyone that he definitely was gay. That's how I see him. That's my idea of faith."
Elton sits, dressed in a suit and tie, proper as a church elder, sipping tea. He has earned, spent, squandered, and given away hundreds of millions of dollars—much of it to charity.
*
Elton John is one of the heroes in the battle to defeat the disease [AIDS]. The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF.org), established in 1992, is among the world’s leading AIDS advocacy and support organizations. He has raised more than $175 million for support and prevention programs in 55 countries and was knighted in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth in part for his work. On March 7, he will host his annual star-studded Oscar bash, which raised more than $4 million last year.
*
What finally opened my eyes was Ryan White.” White was a 12-year-old hemophiliac in Indiana who had contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion. Subjected to death threats, the boy and his family were hounded from their small town. “I read in a magazine that Ryan was not allowed to go to school because he had AIDS. Firebombs were being put in his family’s letter box,” Elton says. “I was enraged. I helped the White family move. I spent the last week of Ryan’s life in 1990 with him in an Indianapolis hospital. He’d endured all this hatred. He was never bitter. I never heard him complain. There was something wonderful in this family—they were losing their son, yet they were still able to forgive the hatred of others.
*
In 1993, Elton met David Furnish, a young Canadian advertising executive. “I was attracted to David immediately,” he says. “He had a real job, his own apartment, a car. He was independent. I didn’t need to take care of him. I thought, ‘God, this is new territory for me—someone wants to be with me just because he likes me.’ I knew he was the one, because he is not afraid of me.” Elton laughs happily. “He always tells me exactly what he thinks.” In 2005, David and Elton were joined in a civil partnership in England, the legal equivalent of marriage.
*
Maggie Gallagher and the folks at NOM and its allies can raise millions upon millions of dollars to deprive LGBT citizens of civil legal rights - many of them also enriching themselves in the process - yet one rarely hears of these Uber-Christians aiding the poor, the sick, the homeless. Here's how Elton John described his own faith:
*
"I think everybody's individual faith is their own business, and I do believe in Jesus and I believe he was a compassionate person, and from my point of view, and that's just my point of view, as a compassionate person — someone who was persecuted, someone who forgave people. And that's how I see him...I identify, in my own mind, as someone like that...I'm not saying to everyone that he definitely was gay. That's how I see him. That's my idea of faith."
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