The Truth Hurts the Feelings of Anti-Gay Anglicans

Yesterday I wrote a post about the aftermath of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia's legal victory over the break away parishes who found the election of openly gay Gene Robinson as bishop to be more than their hypocritical sensibilities could tolerate. Apparently, hearing the views of someone who has experienced anti-gay bigotry first hand (e.g., forced from a law firm for being gay and tried in my divorce for "choosing to be gay", etc.) disturbed one member of the break away Anglican faction which has aligned itself with distasteful elements in the Anglican Church of Nigeria. True to course, the offended individual said that they would pray for me. I would argue that perhaps they would be better served to pray for them self and their fellow haters - not to mention the many victims of the bullying and abuse that their anti-gay beliefs continue to foment. Here's a sample of our e-mail exchanges:

THE READER: I saw your posting today on your blog, Virginia Episcopal Church Regains Property from Gay Haters. I feel very sad reading your post and that you see the separation in the Diocese of Virginia as between those who love gay people and those who hate gay people. I could tell you that isn't true, but I am not sure that would really change how you feel. I am very sorry, very sorry. This is how you feel and I need to listen. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers.

MY RESPONSE: I am sorry that you find my blog post upsetting. Sadly, actions speak louder than words and the fact that parishes chose to exit from the Episcopal Church because of Gene Robinson's elevation to the status of bishop despite their lip service about not hating gays speaks volumes. I by no means intend to brand the break away Anglican parishes as the only hypocrites when it comes to this issue. Having been raised Catholic (but now happily a member of the ELCA) I am all too familiar with denominations that talk about treating gays with "dignity" even as they demonize us and do everything to harm us short of outright inciting physical violence against us.

The first thing that truly disturbs me is the hypocrisy of those who cite the Bible as justification for their anti-gay views even as they totally ignore inconvenient Bible passages that would impinge against their own actions. A case in point is a former law partner of mine who helped lead the break away group at Galilee Episcopal in Virginia Beach. He cited the Bible as condemning me for being gay (after I came out of the closet later in life), yet he himself is divorced and remarried. The Gospels are very explicit on the status of those who divorce and remarry - they are adulterers. Yet my former partner felt he could "confess" his failed marriage and move on freely forward in a new marriage. Meanwhile, he and his gay rejecting cohorts do not cut gays any similar slack. If the Bible is inerrant - personally I don't hold this view - then its adherents who hold that belief do NOT get to selectively pick and choose what they want to hold as inerrant. It's an all or nothing proposition.

The second issue I find disturbing is the fact that you break away Anglicans have aligned yourselves with the Nigerian Anglican Church. I don't know what was done in terms of due diligence, but Peter Akinola (former archbishop) seems to be a truly nasty piece of work and there are reliable sources that indicate he likely ordered the murder of over 600 Muslims, including many women and children. That's right an outright massacre. A gay bishop is viewed as horrific but a bishop who ordered the murder of women and children is fine? What kind of Christian behavior does that demonstrate?

The third point that I would make is that more and more studies confirm that anti-gay positions by religious denominations such as yours are driving more and more Americans - especially younger generations - away from organized religion. Indeed, the fastest growing religious segment, if you will, is "Nones" - those with no religious affiliation. Many "nones" deem themselves to be spiritual, but they are over the hypocrisy of the "godly Christian" crowd and those who cling to homophobia even thorough ALL legitimate medical and mental health associations deem homosexuality to be a normal subset of human experience and something that is not a "choice' or something "changeable." Personally, I believe that your denomination and those like it are killing Christianity as a brand. Moreover, I suspect more and more of the younger generations agree with me.

Lastly, I would add that given Jesus' tendency to hang out with the outcasts of society as opposed to the Pharisee set, I suspect He'd be more likely to be found in a gay club than he would be to found in a break away Anglican parish. You might not like my message, but I believe it's accurate based on the facts as I see them. In closing, I suggest you go see the movie "Bully" and get a taste of the fruits of anti-gay attitudes such as your denomination's are yielding. Such views are literally killing people.

I am sure that some will think me harsh. But, I would argue that such blatant homophobia fuels the abuse of LGBT youth and drives the disproportionately high suicide rate among LGBT teens and adults. This mind set also contributes to the high percentage of homeless youth who identify as LGBT and who have been thrown out of their homes by their "godly Christians" parents. Yes, mindlessly following the Bible on a selective and hypocritical basis can be very comforting for those who seek to avoid having to think and use their intelligence. But it also has very damaging and sometimes deadly consequences such as the two young men I knew who ended their lives because they could not escape from the internalized condemnation of the religious traditions in which they had been raised.