Sunday, August 05, 2007
Christian Post: America's "pro-gay" Culture Affects Iraqi Christians
I am taking this article written by Pam Spaulding verbatim from Americablog (http://www.americablog.com/2007/08/christian-post-americas-pro-gay-culture.html) - the photo is my contribution. It shows how loony the fundies are that now gays are indirectly being blamed it would seem for the kidnapping (and likely murder) of Iraqi Christians:
The Homosexual AgendaTM is a powerful thing, isn't it? I carry mine in my trusty lesbian fanny pack 24/7, with my secret decoder ring on ready to conspire with my allies to destroy not just civilization here at home, but the whole planet, as Daddy Dobson knows ("Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth." [The Daily Oklahoman, Oct. 23rd, 2004]).Western culture ("freedom" is apparently defined as "pro-gay") is now being blamed for the persecution of Christians in Iraq, according to Rev. Canon Andrew White -- vicar of the 1,300-member St. George’s Anglican Church in Baghdad.
White spoke about Western culture and values and their detrimental effects on Iraqi Christians...."It is seen as an immoral tradition. It is seen as a tradition that does not uphold values. It is seen as a tradition that does not uphold the respect for the kind of issues that the Islamic religion holds as very significant to them,” said the Anglican priest who has worked in Iraq for over a decade.
White said that the previous day he had received an email from some of the Christians in Baghdad asking him if it was true that the Church in America supported homosexuality...."These positions often held by Western Christians are not held by Iraqi Christians," emphasized White. "They are very, very different. My people say the Creed and they believe it. My people live a very upright, courageous and respectful life," said the pastor who had 36 of his congregants kidnapped with only one returned in the past month.
Pam goes on to say: I'm sorry, but blaming gays for the criminal behavior of others is outlandish and offensive. It's akin to a cultural/ religious "gay panic" defense for bigotry and violence between people of different faiths. If The Homosexual Agenda is all-powerful and all-consuming, why are we still second-class taxpaying citizens in our own nation? We do not have marriage equality, in many places we can still be fired from a job for being gay, we cannot serve openly in the military; in some states, such as Florida, we cannot adopt or foster children, the list goes on and on.
I love Pam's directness and no holds barred approach to calling out the fundies. If I ever get down Raleigh way, I'd love to look her up.
Church Leaders Join Stockholm Gay Pride March
Would that the Lutheran Church in this country was as progressive on gay rights as its Swedish cousin. Don't get me wrong, the ECLA has taken some very pro-gay stances, but until gay clergy can be in committed relationships, there is still more ground to cover. Here are highlights from 365gay.com
(Stockholm) Swedish political and church leaders marched in Stockholm's LGBT pride parade Saturday, drawing large cheers and applause from thousands of people lining the streets of the capital. About 30 members of the Swedish Lutheran Church, including the deans of the cathedrals of Stockholm and Uppsala. The Church is the largest denomination in the country.
In a statement the church said it wanted to "break the masses' big silence" regarding gays, bisexuals and transsexuals. Representatives of the governing coalition and major opposition parties in Parliament also marched. The group included three cabinet ministers.
Earlier this year an international study of attitudes towards gays found Sweden the most the most welcoming country for gays. Early next year it is expected Parliament will approve a same-sex marriage bill. Sweden already has civil partnerships under a law enacted in 1995 that gives most of the rights and obligations of marriage to same-sex couples who register. But the country's LGBT community and moderate politicians have stepped up lobbying to have the law amended to permit gays and lesbians to marry.
A parliamentary committee studying the issue last year called civil partnerships outdated and has recommended Parliament allow same-sex marriage. It also would allow gay couples to marry in churches.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Appeals Court Rules Anti-Gay Oklahoma Law Unconstitutional
This is good news from the 10th Circuit (http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/08/080407oklahoma.htm). My only fear is that it goes up to the Supreme Court, it could be a close decision on whether the 10th Circuit is upheld. It would be perhaps better for the Supreme Court to decline the case and leave the 10th Circuit ruling intact:(Denver, Colorado) The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting in Denver, has upheld a lower court ruling that struck down an Oklahoma law described as being so extreme it had the potential to make children adopted by same-sex couples in other states legal orphans when the families are in Oklahoma.
''We hold that final adoption orders by a state court of competent jurisdiction are judgments that must be given full faith and credit under the Constitution by every other state in the nation,'' the 10th Circuit said in its ruling. ''Because the Oklahoma statute at issue categorically rejects a class of out-of-state adoption decrees, it violates the Full Faith and Credit Clause'' of the U.S. Constitution.
Although single gays may become the parent of adoptive children same-sex couples in Oklahoma were barred from adopting and the law allowed the state to invalidate adoptions where couples have been awarded joint parenting rights in states where co-adoption is legal. The Adoption Invalidation Law, hastily passed at the end of the 2004 Oklahoma legislative session, had said that Oklahoma "shall not recognize an adoption by more than one individual of the same sex from any other state or foreign jurisdiction."
Lutherans to Debate Gay Celibacy Rule
As a member of the ELCA (my parish church is pictured at left), I will be following the results of the General Assembly meeting next week in Chicago. Personally, I believe Christ would condemn those who seek to keep gays excluded from ministry positions just as he condemned the Pharisees of the Gospels. Small minded, self-righteous types use the exclusion of others as a means to make them feel better about themselves. Here are some highlights from A Chcago Tribune (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-lutheransaug03,1,6348304.story?ctrack=1&cset=true) story:
Prompted by the sudden dismissal of a popular Atlanta pastor in a committed same-sex relationship, impatient supporters of gay clergy will push an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America assembly in Chicago next week to stop its navel-gazing and lift the celibacy requirement imposed on gay and lesbian pastors.
Almost a third of the church's synods, or regional governing bodies, have endorsed a proposal that would permit gay and lesbian pastors in committed relationships to serve congregations and would reinstate those who have been removed because of a same-sex relationship.The resolution before 1,071 voting members at the biennial national assembly convening Monday comes two years before the church is scheduled to release a broader social statement on human sexuality.
Lutherans in Chicago say it would be fitting for a decision to be made in a synod where gay clergy have been allowed to serve as long as their ministry is not challenged by others. Those who were challenged by a handful of East Coast pastors in 2002 are "in consultation" with Chicago's Bishop Paul Landahl but continue to serve."
For me, those who are in committed relationships, if they are doing good ministry, I say 'God bless them,'" said Landahl, who will retire next month. "We are not here to fight. Christ was a welcoming presence in the world in his time. It's a Gospel issue. I think the church is dead wrong on it."
The new sense of urgency surrounding the issue stems from the dismissal of Rev. Bradley Schmeling, an Atlanta pastor who announced last year that he was in a committed gay relationship. A disciplinary committee removed Schmeling from ministry even though parishioners and his own bishop sprang to his defense.
Even though my local parish and pastor are very supportive, I know, I will feel more like a full, accepted member of the larger ELCA if gays in committed relationships are allowed to hold ministry positions.
Bush Gets Firsthand Look at Bridge
From today's Virginian Pilot:
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Flying over Minneapolis' collapsed highway bridge, President Bush got a bird's-eye view Saturday of the concrete slabs and twisted steel that once spanned the Mississippi River.
The president's Marine One helicopter circled the site several times during a 10-minute tour, allowing him to gaze down upon the muddy waters where some bodies are trapped. He saw pieces of the highway littered with vehicles, including a school bus hugging a guard rail. Rescue boats below helped in the search for victims.
Later, Bush put on an orange and red hard hat and walked around the bridge site. Yards from the school bus, he stood with Gary Babineau, a construction worker who helped rescue children after the collapse.
Excuse me as I go vomit. Just think how many of the nation's deteriorating bridges, highways and other essential infrastructure items could have been replaced or at least significantly repaired with the billions of dollars the Chimperator has caused to be spent/wasted in the Iraq War debacle. But then, other than little PR visits like this one, the Chimperator is clueless about the lives of average Americans and, in my opinion, cares nothing about the American citizenry.
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