Religious Left

According to Amnesty International IRAN Makwan Moloudzadeh (m), aged 21, child offender Child offender Makwan Moloudzadeh, an Iranian Kurd, is believed to be at risk of imminent execution. He has reportedly been convicted of lavat-e iqabi (anal sex) for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old boy. Makwan Moloudzadeh was aged 13 at the time of the alleged offence. His death sentence has been passed to the Office for the Implementation of Sentences and he is due to be executed in public, near his home. He was reportedly arrested on 1 October 2006 in Paveh, in the western province of Kermanshah. He was detained in Paveh Prison and later transferred to Kermanshah Central Prison. Following interrogations in Paveh during which he was reportedly ill-treated, he was tried by Branch 1 of the Kermanshah Criminal Court and on 7 June 2007 he was sentenced to death. The witnesses and the two people who had pressed charges against him withdrew their claims after the trial. Under Iranian law, children (boy...

Did you know that Bayard Rustin , one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s colleagues and the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington , was gay ? Openly-gay Bayard Rustin was born in 1912 in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Educated at Wilberforce University, Cheyney State College and City College of New York (never received B.A.), Rustin began his impressive political career at an early age. Not only was he an integral part of the African-American civil rights movement, but became one of the leading advocates and examples for gay equality. Bayard Rustin's celebrated career captured the attention of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who recruited Mr. Rustin as an assistant and colleague in 1956. See what affiliations and causes led up to his lead role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

Protestors out numbered particpants at the Watchmen on the Walls conference in Lynnwood . "I think it is a little bit strange that people from Russia, the Ukraine and the Balkan countries who may have come here from their countries because their religion wasn't respected enough come to this country and expect to put their views on us." Ken Hutcherson, pastor of Redmond-based Antioch Bible Church and longtime foe of LGBT equal rights, also addressed the conference participants. "I believe in the word of God 100 percent," he said. The Watchmen on the Walls had planned for as many as 700 attendees but fell well short of their goal. About 125 people attended the opening event on Friday and just 40 people showed up for Saturday morning's event.

(Baltimore, Maryland) In what is believed to be the first civil lawsuit against the Rev. Fred Phelps' church over an anti-gay protest at the funeral of someone from the military killed in Iraq, the father of the dead Marine said the demonstration made him sick to his stomach and gave him nightmares. Albert Snyder is suing Phelps and his Topeka, Kan.-based church after church members demonstrated at the funeral of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder last year in Maryland, and then posted pictures of the protest on their Web site. Cpl. Snyder was killed in March, 2006. "They turned this funeral into a media circus and they wanted to hurt my family," Albert Snyder testified. "They wanted their message heard and they didn't care who they stepped over. My son should have been buried with dignity, not with a bunch of clowns outside."

Fort Worth City Councilman Chuck Silcox urged a group of Republicans on Wednesday to vote for Chris Turner in the nonpartisan District 9 council race because Turner is Republican and straight . "We have two people of opposite partisan politics, opposite philosophical persuasions and opposite sexual orientations. I didn't tell you which one was homosexual," Silcox said as the crowd laughed. Pointing to Turner, Silcox continued: "He's married to a female, and the other's married to a male. You make your own mind up."

Pastor claims God set California on fire as a warning ! In a move worthy of Jerry Falwell who blamed 9/11 on "the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians", crazed anti-abortion pastor Matt Trewhella of Missionaries to the Preborn sent the following E-Mail out today to his flock: The headline for MsNBC web site now read s 'WE CAN'T STOP IT.' Firefighters concede defeat as 1 Million flee Calif. blazes. Evacuees jam streets. The story then goes on to talk about 600 square miles up in flames and over 1300 buildings burnt to the ground. President Bush has declared a national emergency. Do you think they will see it as a warning from the Lord for their calling evil good? Do you think they will be able to connect the dots? I won't be holding my breath. Pastor Matt Trewhella Matt Trewhella is known by law enforcement, and was investigated by the FBI in the mid 90's during the murders of abortion doctors and clinic workers.

Being in a committed romantic relationship and working together is tough. Being a gay couple and a Christian pop duo is nearly unheard of. But that's the life of Jason Warner, left, and deMarco DeCiccio, known professionally as Jason & deMarco. Their story is the basis of "We're All Angels," a documentary that's making the rounds of GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) film festivals across the country. "We've been doing this now, touring, for about five years," says deMarco. "After we made the cover of the Advocate, the GLBT international newsmagazine, in 2004, it introduced us to a lot of new people that hadn't heard about us before. "We just had ... a gut instinct that he would be the one that we would trust to tell our story," says deMarco. "After he finished this -- after a year and a half of filming and then another half a year editing -- I think we both can honestly say that this is how we would want t...

I have a comment about the following article: This "scarred child" is a religiously involved parent. Now that her father is dead, she's written a book about the harm to her being raised by an "overtly gay man". She's also on a speaking tour. What's even more interesting is the description of her feelings of (due to being raised by an overtly gay father) "insecurity, depression, suicidal thoughts, dread, anxiousness, low self-esteem, sleeplessness, nightmares, and sexual confusion" as if they are feelings most other children don't experience. I can only imagine the father of this "maladjusted christian parent" is rolling over in his grave. ----------- Dawn Stefanowicz grew up the child of an overtly homosexual father and now communicates to society her experience of personal trauma and her message that children are affected by the sexual example of their parents. This provocative speaker and new author has broadcasted her passion...

Vatican Monsignor Tommaso Stenico allegedly had a list of homosexual priests and bishops in the Roman Catholic Church's governing body, Italy's Panorama weekly reported today (Friday). Father Tommaso Stenico, 60, had "a detailed dossier" of all the homosexual clerics at Vatican "with a list of names and circumstances implicating a certain number of priests and even bishops working at the Curia," Ignazio Ingrao, reporter for the conservative news weekly said. Should Stenico be found guilty of homosexuality, which the Roman Catholic church bans, he risks being defrocked.

In response to such articles as: click here The "Sisters" have come out with their own press release Sadly, while the Sisters participated in the celebration, others not there to worship secretly filmed and photographed the Mass hoping to spark a controversy and cast the parishioners of Most Holy Redeemer and the Archbishop in a negative light. These professional muckrakers then gave the photos to an anti-gay Fundamentalist Catholic Website which in turn sent them to right-wing media outlets who willfully distorted the facts for political gain. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are appalled that some media outlets have unwittingly spread these distortions while others have intentionally taken advantage to fuel a mean-spirited and divisive political agenda. These forces have been critical of Most Holy Redeemer for their welcoming approach to the diverse community they serve and have frequently seen fit to attack the parishioners as part of a larger campaign against "San...

reported by WTVG 13abc spoke to an outraged minister and student supporters of gay rights. UT has a gay group on campus called Spectrum. We talked with some of its members today and they tell us they are surprised that Lourdes College has invited a group like theirs on campus. Nicholas Ford is a Catholic. He is also a member of Spectrum, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender support group on UT's campus. He says he is surprised a Catholic college is embracing a GLBT group. Rev. William Keen Sr. thinks the college is moving in the wrong direction. Reverend Keen says he doesn't condemn homosexuals, but he doesn't embrace the act. In fact, his daughter is a lesbian. She is the president of the new gay group at Lourdes.

A high-ranking Vatican priest has been suspended after a TV programme, using a hidden camera, recorded him making advances to a young man and asserting that gay sex was not sinful. Monsignor Tommaso Stenico, 60, is the director of one of the three departments that make up the Congregation for the Clergy, the Vatican “ministry” for the clergy. Yesterday he claimed that he was pretending to be gay in an attempt to unmask a Satanic plot to seduce Catholic priests to homosexuality and thus discredit the Church. “I only pretended I was gay to study how priests are seduced,” said Mgr Stenico, a frequent guest on television programmes discussing religious issues. “There are people who go after them . . . I really believe there is a diabolical plan by groups of Satanists.” “Naturally the matter is being dealt with by his superiors with the reserve due to the person involved. But they must act with the decisiveness and severity warranted by behaviour that is incompatible with priestly servi...

Many religious denominations are struggling with issues involving homosexuality and the Bible. A sampling: Roman Catholic Church Does not allow practicing homosexual men to become priests, although men who have "overcome" homosexual impulses for more than three years may enter the priesthood. Rejects same-sex unions and gay marriage. Episcopal Church In the face of stiff opposition from other Anglicans overseas, American Episcopal bishops agreed last month not to authorize further blessings for same-sex unions and to use restraint in consecrating more gay bishops. Presbyterian Church (USA) Requires gay clergy to be celibate, since church officers must remain chaste if single. Allows the blessing of same-sex unions but only if they are deemed not equivalent to marriage, which the church does not allow. United Methodist Church Gays and lesbians can become pastors but must remain celibate. Rejects gay marriage and says same-sex ceremonies cannot be held in church build...

NEAR THE END of the documentary For the Bible Tells Me So , Archbishop Desmond Tutu says that he cannot understand the idea that God would look at black people and say he wished they would be white. Or that God would look at a woman and think that she should have been a man. Or at a gay person and say he or she should have been straight.

As you are probably aware, Oregon religious right groups submitted petitions in attempt to repeal two referrendums. Both of them failed to have a sufficient number of valid signatures. The new laws will go into effect in January. http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/2007/10/second_antigay_petition_fails.php

John Shelby Spong, retired Episcopal Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, is a long-standing champion of gay rights in the church and recently caused controversy by criticising the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, over his attempts to find a compromise with conservative elements in the Anglican communion. As well as backing gay clergy, he claims the Virgin Mary may have been a rape victim, believes Jesus was married and says the resurrection should not be taken literally. Bishop Spong will speak on Thursday at 7.30pm at St Mark's Unitarian Church, Castle Terrace. Tickets are £10, obtainable by contacting info@pcnetworkbritain.org.uk

“ Third sex ”, “ Two Spirit ”, “ Third gender ”, “ Berdache ”, “ Hijra ” and many other terms are used to label GLBT people existing in many parts of the world. That is, until Christianity came along and forced its’ beliefs upon those societies. Let’s not confuse Religion and Christianity. These societies had their own Religion prior to Christianity being forced upon them. We have all seen the result of Christian Oppression. For thousands of years the Religion called Christianity has been used to oppress millions of people through out the world. We were once admired by society and proud of our abilities. With October being Gay History Month and October 11th (today) being Coming Out Day I hope GLBTQIA people will stand and be heard. SILENCE = DEATH

Today, the Secretary of State announced that at least one of the petitions did not gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. The petition, which would force a referendum on legalizing domestic partnerships for same-sex couples, fell just 116 signatures short of the required 55,179. "This is a proud day for Oregon," Basic Rights Oregon executive director John Hummel said in response to the news. "In refusing to sign these petitions, Oregonians showed that they aren't interested in rolling back our anti-discrimination laws." Hummel said the failure of anti-gay groups to meet a very low signature threshold is clear evidence that the groups are out of step with Oregon values. No word yet on Referendum #304, which would put another recently passed law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation on next year's ballot.

A Canadian Episcopal church is pondering marriage equality of a different sort: not marrying anybody if the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa fails to endorse the blessing of same-sex unions at its annual synod. The Rev. Canon Garth Bulmer told the Ottawa Sun, "If we can’t marry everyone who comes to us in faithful union, we won’t marry anyone."

Source: Stand Firm Now that the Church has had some time to absorb and consider the recent meeting of the House of Bishops in New Orleans and its response to the Anglican Communion, I’d like to share with you what I experienced at the recent House of Bishops meeting, and where I think we are as a result. There is NO “mind of the House” nor a “mind of the Episcopal Church.” In fact, we are a House and a Church of many different minds. We are in transition from the Church we have been called to be in the past, to the Church we are called to be now and in the future. We are not there yet. I want to tell you what I said to the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the course of his comments, it seemed to me that the Archbishop was drawing a line between fidelity to our gay and lesbian members, and fidelity to the “process of common discernment,” which he had offered as a prime function of a bishop. I heard him saying that gay and lesbian members of our Church would simply have to wait until ther...

Clay Aiken is caught up in another gay controversy after parishioners at a church where he is set to perform a Christmas concert demanded assurances the singer isn't a homosexual. Aiken's sexuality hit the headlines last year when a former Green Beret soldier revealed he had spent a night of passion with the crooner, but Aiken refused to discuss the issue when it came up in interviews. And now, elders at a Wichita, Kansas church want to make sure the singer is heterosexual before green-lighting plans for him to perform for their congregation on November 26th. Posson also incorrectly declared the Green Beret, who claimed to have spent the night with Aiken in a hotel, later recanted his story, explaining he was encouraged to "scandalise the singer" by so-called Aiken haters. In fact, the soldier, John Paulus, has never gone back on his story - and passed a lie detector test when he took his story to the Enquirer.

The play, Seven Passages: The stories of Gay Christians as reviewed by Novus Lumen. The last place on God’s green earth I thought I would find a constructive dialogue piece on homosexuality and the Church was Grand Rapids, Michigan. But that’s exactly what I found in the play “Seven Passages: The Stories of Gay Christians.” This production is a 100 minute dramatic piece incorporating 28 stories from gay Christians in the West Michigan area. At one point one of the actresses said, “What if we’re wrong and the conservative position is right?” Now there is naked, honest vulnerability! But here’s the thing: Is the Church (particularly the conservative evangelical kind) willing to make the same statement? Is the Church willing to say, “might we have our understanding of homosexuality all wrong?”

The Southern Voice story said that the preachers did not draw much of a crowd , and those students who did stop to listen responded with derisive laughter or with puzzlement. One Georgia Tech student, dressed in a bathrobe, shouted equations from his calculus. Other students used the proceedings as fodder for jokes; Southern Voice recounted how a preacher asked onlookers, "How many of you masturbate?" When hands went up, the preacher declared, "[You] are in serious danger of becoming homosexuals." Said one student, as he wrapped his arms around another young man, "My god, I think it’s already happening to me!"

On Sunday, the annual homosexual pride event known as "Outfest" will take place on the streets of Philadelphia. Three years ago, 11 Christians with Repent America were arrested and jailed for witnessing at the annual taxpayer-funded event. Since then, a federal lawsuit has been filed against the city of Philadelphia and Philly Pride Presents, Inc. -- organizers of Outfest -- for violation of civil rights. U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Stengel ruled for the defendants in a summary judgment earlier this year, claiming the police were allowed to discriminate against the Christians out of safety concerns. However, Repent America director Michael Marcavage says although they may be arrested, Christians will be at Outfest on Sunday.

The film opens on Friday, October 5 in New York, before expanding through October and November to over 40 markets. An exploration of the religious right's use of the Bible to justify shutting homosexuals out of the faiths in which they've grown up. One of the central figures in For the Bible Tells Me So is Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first-ever openly gay man to be elected a Bishop of the Episcopalian Church. Robinson's consecration in 2003 (at which he had to wear a bullet-proof vest due to death threats) was a historical occasion that caused a rift in the Episcopal church. Director Daniel Karslake explores, with various historians and religious figures including Robinson and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the use of the Bible in the religous right's attempts to portray homosexuals as being abominations against God and nature. Karslake seeks with this film to both put a face on the issue of religion and homosexuality, and to give people dealing with family...

As we know Oregon anti-gay activist were recently on a petition drive and claimed to turn in 63,000 signatures. The Oregon Secretary of State's office says there are 60,531 valid signatures. That doesn’t mean they’ve made the ballot, though. “Now they go to the counties for statistical sampling,” explains the secretary of state’s Mary Conley. A record shattering 91.2 percent of those signatures would have to be valid in order for the issue to go to next fall’s ballot. The average validity rate is usually in the 70 percent range, so it's not looking good for those folks. They need 55,179 valid signatures.

" The Bible is the word of God through the word of human beings, speaking in the idiom of their time,and the richness of the Bible comes from the fact that we don't take it as literally so that it was dictated by God ." -- Archbishop Desmond Tutu , Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Polls conducted between 2004 and this year , sampling 440 non-Christians (and a similar number of Christians) aged 16 to 29, found that 38% had a "bad impression" of present-day Christianity. Nine out of ten outsiders found Christians too "anti-homosexual," and nearly as many perceived it as "hypocritical" and "judgmental." Seventy-five percent found it "too involved in politics." They found that 23% of Americans over 61 were non-Christians; 27% among people ages 42-60; and 40% among 16-29 year olds . 85% of non-Christians, aged 16-29, say that present day Christianity is "hypocritical — saying one thing doing another," and was, in fact, shared by 52% of Christians of the same age. Fifty percent found their own faith "too involved in politics." Forty-four percent found it "confusing."

Speaking at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church said Sunday that there would be no backing down on support for gay and lesbian unions . Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church said that while they did not turn back their decision to consecrate Robinson, they did agree to “exercise restraint” on allowing more gay bishops or authorizing public rites of blessing to same-sex marriages. The promise is not an outright ban and has been rejected as inadequate by some conservatives. "We live in the hope that there will be full inclusion. It's not universally true in the house of bishops, but it certainly expresses the view of many," said Schori. She added that she’s not worried that some bishops will strike out on their own. "Individuals have come and gone from the Episcopal Church forever," she said. Ever since Robinson's election, theological conservatives in the U.S. have been t...

Thompson Defends Anti-Gay Marriage Stance NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson said he's met frequently with influential social conservatives who are willing to accept his position on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage even though it doesn't go quite as far as they would like. Thompson favors a constitutional amendment that bars judges from legalizing gay marriage. "What I have done is fashion something that says judges can't do that any more," said Thompson. He said the practical effect of his proposal would be a ban on gay marriages.

Unitarian Universalists have a long history of supporting gay rights . Many congregations marry same-sex couples in the church or bless their unions, including the Fairbanks fellowship. Becoming a Welcoming Congregation isn’t so much a change in policy, but a reaffirmation of beliefs. “It means that we’re open and you can come to Mass and be who you are,” said UUFF member Jana Perce. “We’re not a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ church.” In recognition of its new status, the UUFF will also fly a rainbow flag every Sunday, and a stained glass rainbow-colored flaming chalice, the symbol of Unitarians, now hangs in one of the building’s windows.

James C. Dobson and his right winged "Focus on the Family" have been touting their "scientific study" regarding Gay Reparative/Conversion Therapy. The study has been debunked as junk science. As if that isn't enough, it's been a bit of a rocky road for them: Chris Austin, a preacher with Renew Ministries, received seven years’ probation John Paulk, board chair for Exodus International was photographed in a gay bar Ex-gay therapist and leaders in Australia denounced the therapy Of course they never mention the "therapy" has driven people to suicide.

"Pray away the gay" study flawed One of the authors of the latest "ex-gay" study is from the college that is considered the nation's evangelical flagship; the other is from Pat Robertson's university. They released their findings not in a scientific journal, but in a book published by a Christian press. The results were first announced - not to scientists but to a group of Christian counselors gathered in Nashville. Is it any wonder that the results of the study - to determine whether gay people can stop being gay - found that people can indeed turn off the homosexual attraction switch? Especially when the subjects of the study were participants in an evangelical Christian ministry and were already trying to "change"? And is it any wonder that the methodology of said study has been discounted?