Being a Gay Christian

Here are my struggles to reconcile my religion & sexual orientation. I used to think that being a Christian and being gay were mutually exclusive. God revealed to me that I am his child, created Just As I Am. God’s awesome gift comes with challenges, yet opportunities to share the good news to many who have rejected religion. Or who have suppressed their sexuality to keep their religion. I welcome this ministry and the unbelievable strength he gives me to do it.

Name:

I'm gay and while that does tell you which gender I want to fall in love with, it tells you nothing about my lifestyle. As you read you'll learn about that.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Ends Justify the Means

Deceit and billigerance. That's the Christian way to get things done, right? My way or no way. The ends justify the means. That's what Jesus would do, right? He would bully people to obey him. He would practice deceit to get people to do things his way. Lies are perfectly ok when they get people to become Christian or at least behave like they should. Plus Jesus would let you commit all the sins you want if you obey one commandment - greed gets a pass if you favor anti-abortion.

NOT!!

Yet this is exactly what I see with pro-life supporters. They are perfectly willing to use intimidation and deceit to change the laws. And of course there's only ONE solution to the problem.

For those pushing to overturn Roe V Wade, it seems like people who work to reduce the number of abortions would be a good thing. It seems that people who promise to overturn the law and then do not, would be a less desirable result. Yet I think that's exactly the situation we have. Obama, I'm confident, will work to reduce the number of abortions. McCain may put a judge on the Supreme Court that might make it more agreeable to overturning the ruling, but that's no guaranty. Meanwhile he doesn't plan on doing anything else.

Meanwhile the Catholic Church wants to punish those who don't agree with it's narrow, single issue. Would they vote for a tyrant if he promised to overturn Roe V Wade?

And if they ever do manage to change the laws, they can rest assured their place in heaven is guaranteed. Once Roe V Wade is overturned, there will never be another abortion in this country.

Yeah right.

But what disturbs me even more are those that would use trickery and deceit to get their way. They mislead people to get them to vote a certain way which well set them up to eventually challenge the laws they dispise. In Colorado such a deceit is happening. A contingent wants people to vote that personhood begins at conception.

To me that is a non-scientific declaration we don't have the wisdom to properly determine. And unintended consequences be damned. If it passed it would essentially end invitro fertilization as no company would want the responsiblity of thousands of fertilized eggs now labeled as people. So by forcing people who don't want children to have them they would deny people who really do want children from having them.

When the health of the mother is in danger, let her die and take the baby with her, is their rally cry. Rape - well that was God's will. Some god they believe in.

The whole idea of giving government control over reproduction is an intimidating concept. Ah the refreshing air of compassionate conservatism.

Labels:

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Quote That Caught my Attention

"God is dead. Or rather, the Repubs' particularly cruel version, a gloomy, tyrannical, guilt-slingin' God from Colorado Springs who loved war and smacked up women's rights and pretended to tolerate gay people even while hating 'what they do,' a God who snorted the Republican agenda like it was cheap meth in a Denver motel room, has proven to be a complete failure, an abomination of divine connection."--San Francisco Chronicle columnist Mark Morford, Oct. 16.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Questions

Why do Replublicans claim to want smaller governement while at the same time wanting government inserted into people's reproductive rights?

Why do some people insist the government has a right to say who we can and cannot marry?

What would the Catholic Church do if science invented a pill that makes us live forever? Or even live 500 years?

Aren't diseases the will of God and his way of ending our lives on his timeframe not ours?

Isn't finding cures for diseases working contrary to God's natural order?

If God is already in me, then why is it necessary for communion to transubstantiate?

Why does the Catholic Church continue to prove it's irrelevance outside of religion by fighting against scientific knowledge?

Why do some religions offer certainty through when religion calls for faith?

Why do people lack compassion?

Why don't churches preach against greed and the lust for power?

Why don't churches preach more against materialism and teach their flocks to live within their means?

Does a church really have the right to deny communion to people? Isn't that Christ's gift to all?

Why didn't Jesus write anything down?

If the Bible is the complete actual words of God, does that mean he's had nothing new to say to us in 2000 years?

If people don't mind giving money to the church to help the poor, why do they hate giving it to the government to give to the poor?

Why is taxing the rich to benefit the poor called redistribution of wealth when taking money from the poor and giving it to the rich is called free enterprise?

If we as a nation are willing to pay $2000 per month to keep someone in prison, would we be willing to pay them half that to keep them out of prison? (note: a living wage for someone in rural Indiana is $15,000 yr)

Catholic Pharmacy

I read a news article about a new pharmacy opening that would provide Catholic approved services which means no birth control provided. Of course I find this makes my brain hurt. I respect a person standing on their principles. I do NOT respect a person inflicting me with their principles.

I also find it illogical for anti-abortion supporters to wish to deny people birth control. They seem to prefer leaving procreation to chance and then credit God.

To me this is a disrespectful way to create a person. It's like going to Vegas and rolling the dice. It seems to me much better to bring a child into the world where it's desired and planned for.

Many of these same people are all for individual responsibility when it comes to money and healthcare and other social aspects of life. But if we leave procreation to God, why take responsibility for ANYTHING in our lives?

Well that is just plain silly, I hear people say. We have to be responsible. Then why not be responsible when performing the god-like act of creation. Its a time in our lives when we are probably closest to feeling as God feels towards us. But no we're supposed to leave it to chance like animals do.

Then there is the science aspect. Everyone is all for science when it improves our food supply through genetic engineering. We have draught resistant corn, pest resistant beans all thanks to genetic science. But some reject science when it challenges their dogma. Our view of God is like an infinite balloon - the more air we pump into it the bigger it becomes. The more I learn about the world and it's complexities and humans and our intellect, the greater God seems to me.

Some people act like adding any more air to their God-balloons with pop them.

Perhaps a silly analogy, but it works for me. And speaking of silly, a priest sprinkled holy water on the new pharmacy to bless it. It made me picture a witch doctor in a tribal costume flinging a noxious potion all around. To someone with no concept of Catholicism, it would look like the same thing. In my mind it looks awfully similar.

If you want God to bless something, all you need do is ask. There needs to be no ceremony. We need no priests as intercessors.

Anyway, back to my main point which seems to be that some people think God wants the human race to be a baby factory.