God vs. Gay Book Tour Coming to Norfolk

I write about religion on this blog often for the simple reason that the font of most anti-gay hate and bigotry traces directly back to religion - and in America to a foul form of Christianity in particular. The Christianists selectively pick and choose a few Bible passages from the Old Testament and Epistles from the seemingly self-loath St. Paul to make their case. In the process, however, they pervert the Gospel message and make a mockery of the Commandment against lying and bearing false witness. On Sunday, January 8, 2012, at Congregation Ohef Sholom, 530 Raleigh Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia, at 10:00 AM, author Jay Michaelson will be speaking about his book tour for God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality.

In his book, Michaelson shows that not only does the Bible not prohibit same-sex intimacy, it honors the values of love, justice, diversity, and compassion that equality for sexual minorities brings about. He also maintains that religious people should support equality for gays and lesbians not despite their religion — but because of it. A flyer for the book notes as follows:

From a scientific perspective, sexual diversity is both natural and beneficial to our species, a point Michaelson argues with examples from the animal kingdom as well as our own. Ultimately, the author feels that welcoming lesbians and gays into religious communities will create family values rather than destroy them, which he best encapsulates with a lively attack on "reform" camps that claim to cure homosexuality. But he also dissects the more troubling passages in Leviticus and Romans, deftly unraveling common mistranslations of the text and placing the scripture in historical context.

This event on January 8th will include a conversation with Michaelson about God vs. Gay and an opportunity to ask questions and share views on this important debate. I hope readers will check out this exciting event and important message.