I've always loved this quote from a holiday special of The Peanuts, in which Linus states something along the lines of, "There are three things you should never talk about: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin." Well, we're not shy about talking politics, and we haven't had an opportunity to bring up pumpkins. So I guess I don't hold Linus' words close to my heart?
Therefore, I'd like to take a moment to talk about religion. A few days ago, I was filling out a medical history form for my new doctor, and it included a field asking about my religion. This wasn't a question I had to answer on a regular basis, so I became rather stumped. Do I deem myself as ex-Catholic? Recovering Christian? Agnostic? Spiritual in my own way? I had no idea what to write, and finally decided on leaving the field blank.
Much like myself, many gay or bisexual men raised in religious households have completely denounced their places of worship for not accepting who they are. But is the actual religion the problem? Or is it the assholes who misinterpret it for their own personal gain? Take Pastor Steven Anderson as an example. He believes that all gay individuals should be arrested, and that we're all sexual predators who recruit for our evil team by molestation. He's essentially likening us to butt-raping Voldemorts.
It's people like Anderson (among many others) who give Christianity a bad name. The Bible does say some fucked up shit. But on the other hand, it also includes some wonderful ideas. Upon reading historian John Boswell's Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality in college, it became clear to me that you can't blame the original book for all this hate.
Throughout history, men promoting their own agenda have inflated some lines from Leviticus to become this grand condemnation. Oddly, they choose to ignore the other elements of Leviticus that are completely ridiculous or just inconvenient to their lifestyle. It's not an abomination for them to hit up a Red Lobster and chow down on some delicious crustacean, but it is an abomination for us to roll around naked together. Utterly preposterous.
Now I'm not saying I'm about to go roll up into the nearest Baptist parish and start praising the Lord, but I think we need to be less judgmental of religious folks as a whole. Someone who is an openly gay Christian isn't "stupid" or "retarded". There's too much hate in this world, and if there's one thing we should take away from the fictional or non-fictional life of Jesus… it's his messages of love. Call it corny, but it's all I got to say right now.
– Dewitt
To hear an interview with Paster Steven Anderson, follow the JUMP:
Sometimes I feel its more difficult to come out as a Christian in the gay community than it was coming out as a gay man in the straight community.
I still have a MUCH harder time coming out in my Christian community but that is well understood (esp. in my church, heh). Anyways, I’d be willing to discuss this more, I’ll be checking in on this post…
I’m not a fan of organized religion at all. I don’t think religion is about believing in god or gods, it’s become a tool for people to use. Whether that be to further hate, prey on people, help people, manipulate people, take advantage of people, or on the rare occasion just be a crutch for themselves. There has been more tragedy, hate, and war in the name of religion than anything else in the history of the world. It’s an incredibly sad thing, how could a god be proud of anyone who took part in this?
I don’t mind spirituality and those who believe in god, I just care when they use it as a means to further other purposes other than just believing in god.
As for why they asked that in your medical forms, often times people in different religions have much different rules and practices for going about medical operations, etc. It’s important for your doctor to know what you believe is acceptable and not acceptable in order to best help you.
I met more resistance and had a harder time coming out as an atheist than I did coming out as gay.
I’m committed to living a life without judgment, but religious people make it really, really hard. The few who are willing to admit their agnosticism (literally a “lack of knowledge,” hence a-gnosticism) deserve major kudos and respect. Those who insist on the inerrancy or completeness of the Bible, or on their own ‘knowledge’ or ‘testimony’ lose all credibility with me. If you’re not going to be intellectually honest in your religion, why should I trust you with anything else?
To echo Michael above, medical providers ask for religious preference for a reason. Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, don’t believe in blood transfusions.
I’m always hesitant to post on religious items like this, because the discussion can get too intense, and unless you are actually doing it face to face, can lead to misunderstanding and hard feelings. That said, I appreciate the value that organized religion has for some people. It gives them a community, a base of support for part of their lives. But I also acknowledge the harm it can do, e.g. the Crusades or the Spanish Inquisition.
Christianity is especially problematic, because its sacred text is so full of contradictions. You have Leviticus condemning same-sex relations, and then you have 2nd Samuel (I think) describing what is essentially a same-sex marriage between David and Jonathan.
The man who performed hubby’s and my wedding ceremony used to be a higher up in the Salvation Army, before he came out. He’s still a devout christian (and an ordained minister in some places), but he put together a ceremony that was part Celtic, part Wiccan, and part Native American–no xtianity involved. We rarely discuss religion, but I admire his openness in that regard.
Organized religion is a tool. It can be used for unbelievable good, such as fighting global causes and mission work. It can also be used to divide people, propagate hate, and indoctrinate people rather than letting them have their own spiritual journey and discovery of who God is and what s/he means to them.
The more vocal, hate-filled religious rhetoric is what makes the rounds in the news. More than once a week, gays are told that they are less than human, evil, and disgusting. No matter what a priest, minister, rabbi, etc. says to you about his or her belief that God does love homosexuals, it is not much of a counterpoint to the never ending hate.
I want to also say that we shouldn’t judge or hate gays or lesbians who are Christian and do belong to a church or synagogue. People can define God on their own individual terms and we should respect that. I respect them even more for being able to ignore the hate and stand firmly on their beliefs.
While I personally think some Christians are gullible and naive indivduals who believe the dumbest things ever (like that Eve was made from a rib…ORLY? or that there was a giant who David slew with a slingshot…ORLY?), I also know several and have had very intellectual conversations with them. Most rational Christians (or any religion) don’t really believe in the drivel, instead realize its all metaphor, and therefore realize that EVERYTHING in the bible is open for interpretation. But, yeah, I’d say that the people interpreting the stuff it says in the bible are the bad guys. Look at homosexuality, leviticus (which obviously nobody follows anymore, since fundamentalists eat shellfish and don’t sacrifice lambs and shit like that)is in the old testament, which if you’re christian, isn’t applicable anymore (that’s like right from the horse’s mouth, the horse in this case being jesus). The other mention of homosexuality that gets passed around from the new testament, up until the 1890s or so didn’t actually say anything about homosexuals, but rather was talking about temple prostitutes (an interesting prospect to be sure), but an ignorant editor substituted temple prostitute for homosexuality, and thus everyone has taken it as god’s word, when, in fact, its not…at all. But try convincing a fundamentalist that…good luck. So unless a Christian belongs to a church that realizes all this nonsense, I basically just try to not ever discuss religion with them.
On facebook, under religion, I wrote “I pray to Gaultier.”
I don’t understand why anyone would ever invest in any sort of hypothetical afterlife when they could be happily living this one. Just be nice and don’t chew with your mouth open. Life isn’t that hard.
Well, Diorgasm, I’m a Christian who *is* happily living this life, and frankly, I don’t worry about an afterlife. Anyone who thinks Christianity is primarily about an afterlife misses the whole point of Jesus’ story. Christian practice and tradition is intensely concerned with living this life, and making sure that “the widows and the orphans” can happily live it as well.
Why do I remain a Christian and the member of a church, some of whose official positions and policies I find objectionable? For many of the same reasons that I remain a citizen of the US, some of whose official positions and policies I find objectionable.
Like most of the above posts, I too, find fault in most religions today. Not because of their stance toward homosexuality, but all religions are narcisistic. That is, they all believe THEIR way is the only and best way.
I believe that God is all loving and forgiving. Everyone forgets that ALL the major holy texts were written toward some specific audience and usually well after the fact. To me, that makes those texts just a bit biased and not to be taken literally.
I jokingly say that I belong to the Church of Mikey. You follow these simple rules:
1. Believe in God.
2. Follow the 10 commandments.
3. If you break any of #2 confess your sin and ask God for forgiveness.
That’s it folks!!
@AAA: it’s quite a bit more of a challenge to change your citizenship than it is to change your religion! So while there may be similar reasons, the parallels don’t really hold. It’s like saying “the reason I don’t drink a different brand of coffee is the same reason that I don’t sell my home and move to another place.” One clearly has more complicating factors that provide disincentive. I’d be more interested to actually hear your reasons!
The crustacean issue was answered in Acts when Peter had the vision of the giant tablecloth coming out of heaven and being told to “get up, kill and eat!” Peter said that he was a good boy and God told him not to call unclean what He had called clean. Certain dietary and hygienic rules no longer apply because of refridgeration and laundering and other health issues. Relationship rules still applied.
Jimmy, as soon as I read of your belief that changing one’s religion isn’t a big deal, I laughed. But I suppose for many people it’s not. On the other hand, history is filled with people who died rather than change, deny, or give up their religious beliefs. And the threat of death is quite a disincentive to stay, too, no? Anyone who finds it easy to change their religion probably never took it more seriously than their brand of coffee.
As for my reasons, this is not the place. But I’d rather be part of the solution than run away from the problem.
For centuries, religion has been used by a select few as a method to control the masses. Here in America, over the last few decades, as more immigrants infuse the country with new beliefs, the powers-that-be have witnessed their control slipping away, thanks to the separation of church and state. As for me, I’ve always been more comfortable making my own trail instead of following someone else’s.
There are “homosexual friendly” churches, and it is not that all christian organizations are anti gay.
Iam proud to be a member of Lutheran Church. Last weeek lutherans made a breakthrough by allowing committed gay men to be pastors.
AAA
Hey, Just like I am Happy with my Gay Life, I am very Happy with my Church and they know I am Gay, All Gay people and issues are not always right, Just like most Churches will never Get it, where you find Joy is where you Belong, that’s why I don’t belittle any Religion or a group of people, there is a place for you here in the United States, you just have to find it, that’s why Home and my Heart is in San Francisco
I was raised a Christian and have always struggled with reconciling my sexuality with my religion. It’s an ongoing battle I guess. But I’m 20, I guess I’ll figure it out down the line.
I did get some of my faith back when I read The God Box by Alex Sanchez. It’s a teen book but it puts a lot of things in perspective.
So wait, had you been calling openly gay Christians “stupid” or “retarded” prior to this?
@Josh: No, but I’ve heard those words thrown about every now and then. Hardcore gay atheists can be really harsh about their beliefs. Or non-beliefs, rather.
Wow… thanks for saying that Dewitt. I encountered far less prejudice coming out to my Christian friends, than I did telling gay guys that I was a Christian. Sometimes the gay world is more narrow-minded and just as bigotted as the religious world. At the end of the day, people are all the same.