Condoning More Religion-based Homophobic Crap

[Smartypants]

The Washington Post on Sunday ran a story about a town in Oklahoma whose townspeople turned out in force to protest a visit by by the psychotically homophopic Reverend Fred Phelps, even though they consider homosexuality a sin. It was a treacly human-interest story that painted a rosy picture of the Good Christian People who protected the young man, while overlooking the wrongheadedness of its own admitted prejudices.

Man, did it steam me!! The story is too long to paste, so I put a link below.

This is my letter to the Post's Editor (I am becoming Grandpa Simpson!):

Dear Editor,

If Anne Hull ("A Coming Out for One of Their Own," Sunday) witnessed a neighbor constantly telling her child he was stupid, or overheard a father drilling it into his son's head that he was a lesser person than other people's kids, she might well turn them in for verbal child abuse. Why then is the story of Michael Shackleford presented as a heartwarming tale of rescue by a loving and gentle family and friends? The reality is that while they came to Michael's aid when the Reverend Phelps arrived in town, their psychological abuse is more damaging and insidious than the kind that Phelps dispenses. Most rational, semi-intelligent people can dismiss Phelps as a hateful whacko when he appears for a day or two with his ridiculous entourage, but the lifelong reinforcement from family, neighbors, and the church that his homosexuality makes him somehow inferior will be harder or impossible for Michael ever to recover from.

Mrs. Shackleford and the residents of Sand Springs are hardly supportive heroes. In a story of true support Mom would have made Michael's ticket to the big city one way, so he could escape a community that still insists that he is a lesser person than other people's kids. And drilling it into gay kids that something's wrong with them should be met with the same horror and outrage currently reserved only for Reverend Phelps.-


Coming Out for One of Their Own

By Anne Hull

SAND SPRINGS, Okla. -- The fliers arrived three weeks ago. Some came over the fax machines of local churches, and others appeared mysteriously around town. Printed in bold was the heading "Westboro Baptist Church." No seeming cause for alarm. Sand Springs, population 18,500, is a Christian stronghold in the gently rolling hills of eastern Oklahoma.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...r=emailarticle

[madasacutsnake]

OK - la - homophobic!

Sorry.

[Smartypants]

LOL!!

[Gatsby]

This was weird to read. I grew up 10 minutes from Sand Springs. I know some of the people in this story.

***so ashamed***

[joppa.gal]

I grew up in a church where the pastor preached from the pulpit the evils of homosexuality and was therefore totally unprepared when my roomate started hanging out with gays. I froze, with my mind screaming, "Wrong, wrong, wrong...."

And I can't get past that. Regardless of what I believe, I need to be able to look someone in the face as an equal creation and be able to welcome them into my conversation. I need to welcome them into my home.

My predjudice isn't burning crosses. It's a frozen pause in the conversation when I learn of someone's orientation.

I hate my reaction because it shows my slanted teaching from my upbringing which only shows one side of :Love your Neighbor.

Oh, I go to a different church now. FYI.

[madasacutsnake]

My predjudice isn't burning crosses. It's a frozen pause in the conversation when I learn of someone's orientation.

Brave admission. Wow.

[topcat]

really i think it better to abuse your wife in a hetrosexual realationship then be gay as long as you go to church on sunday.

[priceyfatprude]

Originally posted by topcat
really i think it better to abuse your wife in a hetrosexual realationship then be gay as long as you go to church on sunday.

Sometimes I want to marry you.

[joppa.gal]

really i think it better to abuse your wife in a hetrosexual realationship then be gay as long as you go to church on sunday.

^^^^ Hush it, Hobo


Ideally, it should not be like this. In time, maybe I can learn to gag the reflex that comes up when I hear "gay".

I feel like Pavlov's dog. I hear 'gay', I freeze. Actually, not so much that any more. I've been around people so much now that I can fully accept without havingf the 'deer in headlights' look.

It's 'Christian gay' that I will probably freeze at now.

I think it's just different levels of learning how to accept people in all circles, regardless of my beliefs.

[Gatsby]

If I gave up a child, I would rather it go to a homosexual male couple than a single heterosexual female.

Twice the love is all that counts. So there.

[trisherina]

Originally posted by joppa.gal
^^^^ Hush it, Hobo


Ideally, it should not be like this. In time, maybe I can learn to gag the reflex that comes up when I hear "gay".

I feel like Pavlov's dog. I hear 'gay', I freeze. Actually, not so much that any more. I've been around people so much now that I can fully accept without havingf the 'deer in headlights' look.

It's 'Christian gay' that I will probably freeze at now.

I think it's just different levels of learning how to accept people in all circles, regardless of my beliefs.

I used to have difficulty serving a pedophile at a soup kitchen. After a while, I recognized that I was there to perform the service, not to judge the people receiving the food.

Acceptance is just a matter of getting on with what you need to do, and not letting who you're doing it next to get in the way.

[joppa.gal]

Acceptance is just a matter of getting on with what you need to do, and not letting who you're doing it next to get in the way.

Agreed. I am not here as a judge to say who I love or don't love (under my Christian faith) based on what someone does.

That was very sweet and succinct. Thank you.

[Smartypants]

Originally posted by joppa.gal
In time, maybe I can learn to gag the reflex that comes up when I hear "gay".

Change "gay" to "god" in that sentence, and that could be ME talkin'!

[shmitty]

I've only got one problem with the original post that started this whole thing. How do you know for sure that the people of this town have condemned this person his whole life. Thinking and verbally saying that it's wrongs is the same as thinking and saying having sex before marriage is wrong. Yet people that live in christian communities still have sex before marriage and are told they are wrong for doing so. How is that any different? So I think there is fault in assuming that this town had condemned and verbally abused this person based on their choice of sexuality.

On the other hand it never really says that homosexuallity is a sin in the old testament. It says something to the effect that "if a man lay with another man then he should be killed" or something. And that's because he would be made unclean. That too me seams to be null and void with the inclusion of the New Testament because there is no longer and "clean" and "unclean" as there was in the Old Testament. Please correct me if I have my facts screwed up.

[Smartypants]

Originally posted by shmitty
I've only got one problem with the original post that started this whole thing. How do you know for sure that the people of this town have condemned this person his whole life. Thinking and verbally saying that it's wrongs is the same as thinking and saying having sex before marriage is wrong. Yet people that live in christian communities still have sex before marriage and are told they are wrong for doing so. How is that any different? So I think there is fault in assuming that this town had condemned and verbally abused this person based on their choice of sexuality.

Shmitty:

Condemning conduct (e.g, sex before marriage) that one indulges in oneself falls in my book into the chapter called "hypocrisy," not bigotry.

I am not "assuming" this boy was comndemned and abused, I am saying for a fact that all his life he has been told that homosexuals are lesser worthy of god's (and mankind's) acceptance, and that therefore he was brought up from the moment he was aware of his sexuality to believe himself inferior -- much the same as if he had been told he was stupider, or in some other way inherently less of a person than others in his community.

And there is a very big difference between premarital fornication and homosexuality. I pass no judgement on either, but there is no denying that one is conduct and one is an inherent quality. This boy was not abused because of his "choice of sexuality" (I'll let PFP spit venom on you for that particular choice of words) ; he was abused (and continues to be abused) because of who he is. And what I find so insidious is that it's done by people who claim to love him and believe they're protecting him.