Christians showing love at Gay Pride

[Kaylyn]

A friend posted this on Facebook and I immediately thought of Smiley's ongoing debate about Christians' mistreatment of homosexuals.

Just wondering what he (and everyone!) thought of this article. Is it a step in the right direction?

http://www.timschraeder.com/2010/06/...-at-gay-pride/

[Boozy]

Wonderful.

A good example of what being "Christian" should really be.

[HYHYBT]

Sure does seem wonderful, and I hate being negative about such things... Partly, though, it depends on whether it means they're accepting, or just that they want to get closer so as to have a better shot at "converting" people to heterosexuality.

[jackfaire]

No fair making me hide tears at work. Honestly that moves me that right there is the light at the end of the tunnel of being able to be out. I dream of a world where someday no one blinks twice if I kiss a boyfriend or hold his hand like any straight couple would and I think that is a good step towards that.

[fireheart17]

Kudos to The Marin Foundation!

I sent this article out to a couple of gay friends and encouraged the friend who's part of the gay/straight alliance at uni to show it at a meeting.

[smileyeagle1021]

it depends on whether it means they're accepting, or just that they want to get closer so as to have a better shot at "converting" people to heterosexuality.

I wondered the exact same thing. If they are on the level, then I'd say this is huge progress... but I can not get rid of that voice in the back of my head yelling TRAP. (eta- at least one of the comments confirms that I may not be wrong to have that ill ease... there is a guy on there talking about how the love of the church allowed him to overcome his homosexuality)

I ran into a group like that on BART who I think may have been legit. They asked my fiance and I where we were from, we answered Utah. They asked if we had been Mormon, I said yes, and that I had been excommunicated.
Their response, "we won't even try to apologize for Christianity. We know that with all you must have gone through (and they didnt' even know the whole story) that there is no way you can ever forgive the church in this lifetime and I doubt that Christ would expect you to"

[fireheart17]

I wondered the exact same thing. If they are on the level, then I'd say this is huge progress... but I can not get rid of that voice in the back of my head yelling TRAP. (eta- at least one of the comments confirms that I may not be wrong to have that disease... there is a guy on there talking about how the love of the church allowed him to overcome his homosexuality)

That one comment disgusted me.

Hell, even in the UK they've now condemned all homosexual "conversion therapies" as unethical and ineffective. I'm betting that this guy went through one of those.

[Ghel]

(eta- at least one of the comments confirms that I may not be wrong to have that ill ease... there is a guy on there talking about how the love of the church allowed him to overcome his homosexuality)

That was in the comments, though. I think the idea is good, overall.

I still have a problem with Christians proselytizing at parades, though, even if they're part of a liberal denomination that accepts homosexuals and homosexuality. It seems like they're saying "Was another church bigoted asshats to you? Still believe anyway? Come join us! We'll be nice!"

I can see the contrast that people make between them and the protesters.

[Hobbs]

What's your problem with them, Ghel? Aren't they allowed the same free speech being exercised at the parades? Or is it different because they believe in God?

[Kaylyn]

Agreed. I don't see a problem with that either. That's what evangelical Christians do: proselytize. Some may be more subtle than going door to door, but they are charged with spreading the word of God. What's wrong with them offering an option for those that still choose to believe in the Christian variation of God but feel they can't because of the way most denominations look upon homosexuality. To me it's no different than a church group setting up on any random street corner singing Christmas carols and offering invitations to their church to the general public.

The only thing I would have a problem with in this particular scenario is if, in fact, the group is actually saying, "Come to us and we'll cure you of that icky gayness." If all they're saying is, "We'll accept you where others have not; we want to show you that being Christian and gay are not mutually exclusive," then I am absolutely all for that.

[HYHYBT]

It seems like they're saying "Was another church bigoted asshats to you? Still believe anyway? Come join us! We'll be nice!"

That would be a great thing to say (assuming they mean it) and very helpful for those of us who fit that description.

I'll tell you, though, what I'd *really* like to see. You know those stickers businesses put on their doors with credit card logos on them? "We accept VISA, etc." You actually don't see them as often now that virtually everyone takes plastic. I'd like to see churches use something similar; some kind of simple, widely-used mark on signs, websites, etc that means "we don't believe this is sin."

There probably are several such things, but they're not widely used, or at least not noticeable, even when they would be correct.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

For some reason I find myself thinking of 'buddy christ'....

That said, 'tis a step in the right direction. Cupcakes for all!

[Racket_Man]

Sure does seem wonderful, and I hate being negative about such things... Partly, though, it depends on whether it means they're accepting, or just that they want to get closer so as to have a better shot at "CURING" people OF homosexuality.

fixed your statement since a lot of times they still think it is a disease or some sort physical or psychological aliment

[smileyeagle1021]

What's your problem with them, Ghel? Aren't they allowed the same free speech being exercised at the parades? Or is it different because they believe in God?

I can't speak for Ghel, but personally, as much as I think that they are a step in the right direction, I admit I would be slightly offended if I was there and there was a group of people were there saying "we're sorry that the church has shit on you, can we still be friends"
I pointed it out in the comments on that site that while they have good intention and deserve credit for extending an olive branch, Christianity has pushed so many gay people so far away that we couldn't even begin to come close to being able to grab onto that branch no matter how hard we try... and that those of us pushed that far aren't going to try.
Seeing someone who thinks that all they have to do is wave a sign saying "we aren't like them" and asking me to forgive what has happened to me, yeah, that's not going to happen... and I know that I'm lucky, I was only betrayed by the church (twice)... some people were quite literally TORTURED by the church (electroshock therapy was only one of the tools churches used to destroy the lives of homosexuals, also used were ice baths, anything that caused pain to the groin when viewing an attractive member of the same sex was considered an appropriate method, also basic boot camp style living was used as a way to break a person's will so that they would at the very least pretend to change). There was also an entire generation that were forced into fake marriages to satisfy religious expectations (often times being told that marrying in the eyes of the lord would cure them) and now that generation is admitting that it isn't working families are being torn apart as homosexuals are finally being honest about who they are and in some cases leaving their spouses with apologies that they just can't make it work and sometimes thrown out by their spouses who refuse to come to terms with the fact that they were living a lie.
The churches asking for reconciliation are fighting an already lost battle... if they truly want to become accepting they will have to start with the next generation and not alienating them in the first place... and that frankly may not be possible... I do not blame the young homosexual who hears the stories of what Christianity did to their older counterparts and telling the church to stay out of their lives and not give the churches a chance to do the same thing to them.

Someday there may be true reconciliation between Christianity and Homosexuality... but I seriously doubt that it will be in the lifetime of anyone alive now (well, maybe if they were born just now and they live a long life...)

[infinitemonkies]

Next time I see someone marching around with a sign that says something like "God hates Fags" I intend to join him in his march. Only, my sign will read "Buddha remains emotionally indifferent to your sexual orientation"