Articles Of Faith: Ridiculing gay men is hateful way to preach

[davidinalameda]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/352368_faith23.html?source=rss

In recent years, some conservative Christian churches have been having a "men's movement" -- putting new emphasis on men and faith. The guy emphasis has been prompted in part by the perception that too often churches work better for women than for men. As evidence they note that women often outnumber men in church, sometimes by as much as 2 to 1. (Note to single men: Check out church!)

Another factor in the recent focus on men has been the perception that some men today, especially younger men, are lost in a confusing world. They're struggling to figure out what it means to be a man, a husband or father, and to be responsible. Some evangelicals have understood that guys smoking dope, hanging out and cruising around on skateboards into their 30s need a challenge to get on with their lives and be responsible members of church and community, society and family.

Personally, I have no problem with the effort to make church work better for men or challenging men to step up and do something with their lives. I do have a problem with it when it means, as it sometimes does, putting down women or insisting women play only secondary roles in church or family. And I have a big problem with the guy emphasis when it relies on making gay men objects of derision and ridicule.

Such appears to be the case in remarks made by Ken Hutcherson, pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland. Hutcherson has gotten headlines for his efforts to pressure Microsoft on gay issues. He has a right to his views -- views he supports with texts from Scripture. Reasonable people can disagree over whether gay marriage is a good idea.

[thunder rising]

1. I totally agree. Such persecution is against what I read in the Bible.

If they really think these men are lost then they should be trying to bring them back to "the truth." But the fact that these "churches" are persecuting the GLBT community shows that they know it's not a choice and they will not be "ex-gay"; they can only strive to be "gays in denial". And so the strategy is to invite themselves into that first section of the Bible which is known not to include them and insist on ancient punishments for behavior.

The same is true about the "War on Christmas." A true believer would know that God does not need his protection and that such a trivial issue should be set aside for greater things.

[canis_lupus]

2. The religious rights whole schtick

seems to be making their members feel better about themselves by comparing themselves to others. I think they are so ashamed by their belief that "we are all sinners" that they have to amend the phrase to include "... but at least we're not as bad as them!" This is especially true on gay issues. Heaven forbid that the religious right take on an issue like adultery (which is mentioned MANY times as much in the Bible as a handful of scattered verses that have been interpreted as applying to gays). Besides, a preacher pushing an anti-adultery agenda might actually have to apply it to his own church members.

[LeftHander]

3. I guess they need more beer/nascar parties then...

And lawn mower races....

[Chovexani]

4. Have you ever seen a Promise Keepers rally?

There is a level of intimacy between men that goes on at those things that can be frightening to your average knuckledragging hetero Christian male. So they pound the sheep with the gay = bad message.

Much in the same way that homophobes troll gayborhoods to bash queens. In their minds they are reinforcing their heterosexuality.

[readmoreoften]

5. Hutcherson does more than ridicule gay men.

He belongs to (and is sometimes the face of) an organization who believes that gays are responsible for the Holocaust, that gay men willfully spread HIV to murder heterosexuals and promotes the extermination of LGBT people abroad. LGBT people are complete radical evil in his view.

http://www.watchmenonthewalls.com

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. You stopped short of the very best line

"But Hutcherson goes beyond reasonable"

:toast:

[Tyler Durden]

7. Reasonable People support Equal Protection Under The Law.

If you don't support Full And Equal Protection Under The Law for people of color/ethnic origin, you're a racist; if you don't support it for GLBT people, you're a bigot.

Simple answer for a simple question. There is no disagreement possible or tolerable where it restricts the rights of one group over another.

[Tyo]

8. More of the same

Bishop Alfred Owens Jr., head of Washington DC's largest Baptist church weighed in with this little gem not long ago.

“It takes real men to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior,” Owens said in the sermon, which was recorded by the church. “I’m not talking about no faggot or no sissy,” he said. “Let the real men come down here and take a bow — all the real men. I’m talking about straight men … praise God that you’re straight."

If you were to substitute "Black" or one of the many variations thereof for "faggot" and "sissy", and "White" for "straight" can you imagine what the reaction would be? Yet when this kind of language is directed at us the outrage isn't there.

Guys and gals, as far as much of the straight world is concerned, and I include DU in this, we are little more than a bunch of cocksuckers and muff divers who need to stop trying to equate our relationships with theirs and just be glad that we don't get arrested much anymore.

Those few rights we do have here and there we have not because they are inherently ours as human beings but because the majority has held its collective nose and condescended to toss them to us. Now suck it up, be grateful for what we've been given and vote Democratic. :sarcasm:

http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=16289

[hendo]

9. I fully support GLBT relationships.

As a Christian, people who only preach bigotry really piss me off.

All of those sick f*cks over at the Westboro Baptist Church should get smacked upside the head and/or be tossed in prison for all of the hate crimes they commit.

[Tyo]

10. Thanks. We need your support

And I don't mean to characterize every Dem as being willing to toss us under the bus. But some of the stuff that's gone down over in GD during the past few months really brings home to us how much we need and value people like you who will stand by us.

[closeupready]

11. Do these Protestant pastors ever have children? And if so, are they ever gay?

Hard to believe that a father worth that appellation is going to effectively call his own son a faggot.

Further, what kind of worm do you have to be to use such language in a church? :mad:

[closeupready]

12. Not only that, but what kind of person are you to attend such a gathering, and give tacit support

to such a homily? Do you give money to such an organization? WHY?! And do you have gay sons and daughters, and what kind of parent are you that you give support to an organization that seeks to diminish your own freaking children!!!! :mad:

This issue and the stance of the Vatican and most every other "Christian" organized church is why I can't see myself EVER returning to my Catholic background or any Protestant denomination, even those "groovy" ones like the Anglicans.