Religious Left

AFP ISTANBUL (AFP) — A leading Turkish homosexual rights lobby group vowed Friday to fight a court ruling that ordered its closure after prosecutors accused it of breaching morality and family norms. "This is a mistake and we hope that the Appeals Court will correct it," group lawyer Firat Soyle told AFP. He pointed at a 2005 decision by an Ankara prosecutor who threw out a similar application against another gay rights advocacy group, KAOS-GL, saying that homosexuality does not amount to immorality. full article

From Times Online The gay bishop of New Hampshire, the Right Rev Gene Robinson says no progress on the issue of homosexual clergy will be made during the Lambeth Conference this summer. “We won’t move forwards or backwards in terms of any official stand. There are to be no decisions made, no statements issued,” said Bishop Robinson, who in 2003, became the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion. Speaking at the Hay Festival on Sunday, Bishop Robinson said: “The way it’s designed [the conference] is simply about conversations; deepening relationships.” Were a statement to be published, he added, it would mean that “a coup has taken place and that the Archbishop of Canterbury has not had the courage to rule it out of order”. full article

By RYAN J. FOLEY Associated Press Writer Chicago Tribune MADISON, Wis. - A judge upheld Wisconsin's constitutional ban on gay marriage Friday, rejecting a challenge that claimed the 2006 referendum was improperly put to voters. Dane County Circuit Court Judge Richard Niess dismissed a lawsuit brought by a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh political science instructor claiming the referendum wrongly put two issues to voters at the same time. The referendum asked voters whether to rewrite the constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman and outlaw the state from granting a similar legal status to unmarried individuals. Nearly 60 percent of voters approved. full article

by Jesse McLean, The Observer, Canada Several Anglican churches in southern Ontario could abandon their diocese after it passed a contentious motion yesterday that would recognize same-sex unions, an insider says. A resounding 70 per cent of Anglicans from the Huron Diocese voted in favour of conditionally allowing ministers to bless married, same-sex couples during a gathering in London. The motion put to the delegates was to ask the presiding bishop to consider authorizing clergy and congregations, comfortable with the idea, to bless a union of two people of the same gender who've already legally married in a civil ceremony. At least one of the spouses must also have been baptized. full article

Charlottetown Guardian Canada CHARLOTTETOWN -- Sweeping changes that will forever redefine the definition of spouse have finally made their way to the P.E.I. legislature. Prince Edward Island is the last province in Canada to make the changes, which will bring the Island's laws in line with a July, 2005, bill passed by the House of Commons legalizing same-sex marriage in all 10 provinces and three territories. full article

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Around 200 gay activists marched through Bucharest on Saturday in a heavily policed pride parade that defied efforts by religious and far-right groups to have the annual event banned. Earlier this week, anti-gay groups tried to get a court to rule against the march, Romania's fifth annual gay festival. Two counter-demonstrations were held ahead of the parade. At one, members of a far-right group chanted "Romania does not want you" in a protest they said was "against sin". full article

By Crystal Carreon, The Sacramento Bee In the trial of Aleksandr Shevchenko, both the prosecutor and the defense attorney reminded jurors Tuesday that the hate-crime case is about perceptions, what people saw and who did what before a punch led to the death of a Fijian man last year. Shevchenko has been charged with two felony counts of penal code 422.7 - hate crimes - for his alleged role in fracas at Lake Natoma last July that led to the death of Satender Singh. He appeared Tuesday in a black dress shirt and pressed slacks, seated next to his attorney in court. Since Singh's death, gay activists and other community groups have focused on the violence at Lake Natoma as a symbol of the tensions between gays and some members of a Slavic evangelical movement that has backed hostile, anti-gay rhetoric. But some members of the Slavic community have charged that Shevchenko is a victim of "political correctness," and that the case against him has been exaggerated. full article

Soulforce The American Family Outing is in full action as LGBT and straight-ally families have already shared the power of love, commitment, and dedication to Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church in Houston and The Potter's House (Bishop T.D. Jakes – Senior Pastor) in Dallas, Texas. This Memorial Day Weekend, beautiful families and courageous clergy travel to Beltsville, Maryland (near Washington, D.C.) to bring truth in love to Bishop Harry Jackson and Hope Christian Church. Visit the Soulforce American Family Outing site

Over at Yeshive World News Yechiel Spira reports : Backed by Shas officials, students from Or Yehuda yeshivas gathered hundreds of copies of the new testament along with missionary materials, which were later taken to a central location in the city and set ablaze last Thursday night. Shas officials in Or Yehuda explain that missionaries are working with fervor in the city, which they point out is against Israeli law. Attorney Meyers, representing the missionaries, told Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Tuesday that the action of the Orthodox Jews is illegal and immoral, drawing an analogy to the Nazis who burned Jewish books, leading to violence and the Holocaust. While over at The Jerusalem Post, Amir Mizroch writes : Or Yehuda deputy mayor: I'm sorry about burning New Testaments The burning of hundreds of New Testaments by yeshiva students in Or Yehuda last week was regrettable and unplanned, the city's deputy mayor, the man who spurred the students to act, told The Jerusalem Post...

by Jaquetta White, The Times-Picayune nola.com The American Political Science Association is considering relocating its 2012 annual conference from New Orleans because of a state law concerning gay marriage and same-sex partner recognition. At issue is the 2004 "defense of marriage" amendment to the Louisiana constitution that denies legal status to common law relationships, domestic partnerships and civil unions between gay and heterosexual couples. full article

Good As You has uncovered some rather astonishing events over at the Save California website. Good As You has a link to the Google cached article but evidently the Google cache has updated and no longer shows the offending page. However, the Good As You website does have a screenshot which shows Save California saying: Ask your county clerk if they were a Nazi officer during WWII and had been ordered to gas the Jews, would they? At the Nuremberg trials, they would have been convicted of murder for following this immoral order. And should have states obeyed the 1857 Dred Scott decision designating black slaves as"property," not "persons"? Abraham Lincoln reacted with disgust to the ruling and was spurred into political action, publicly speaking out against it. Several state legislatures essentially nullified the decision and declared that they would never permit slavery within their borders, no matter who ordered them to do so. Likewise, the rulling to destroy t...

by NIGEL HUNT The Advertiser, Sunday Mail SOUTH Australia's largest community radio station will accept two Catholic Church awards despite controversy The awards are for two programs that highlight the problems confronting ageing gay people and women with HIV. The Sunday Mail last week revealed Radio Adelaide entered the programs in the Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide Annual Media Citations, but despite being judged as winner and runner-up in the radio category by respected journalist Murray Nicoll, both were rejected by a church official. The decision, made without consulting senior members of the Adelaide Archdiocese, was reversed last week following inquiries by the Sunday Mail . full article

Recently The Verdict with Dan Abrams (MSNBC) discussed Gay Marriage. It shows clips of McCain talking with Ellen and Jesse Ventura speaking to Pat Buchanan. Pat Robertson got an ear full! Go Jesse.

Michael Mayo News Columnist The Sun-Sentinel Two recent court decisions give ammunition to both sides of the gay marriage debate in Florida. Proponents of an amendment banning same-sex marriage point to last week's ruling by the California Supreme Court allowing gays to wed and say, "See, these activist judges are exactly why we need to vote a ban into the Florida Constitution." And gay-rights activists look to a recent Michigan Supreme Court ruling, which ends certain benefits for domestic partners, and say, "See, this is why the ballot proposal is so dangerous — these bans don't just stop gay marriages but also strip benefits that have already been established." So there'll be a lot at stake on the Florida ballot come Nov. 4, when Floridians will decide on a constitutional ban on gay marriage. Amendment 2 needs 60 percent approval to pass. full article

By Electa Draper, The Denver Post Colorado : A gay and lesbian Democratic group and conservative Christian lobbyists are battling over a bill expanding protections against discrimination in public life based on religion and sexual orientation. Focus on the Family Action and Colorado Family Action say the bill (SB 200)would have serious consequences, such as opening Colorado public restrooms and locker rooms to all genders and transgendered people, exposing children and women to sexual predators. Jim Pfaff, president of Colorado Family Action, said the measure could have numerous repercussions. For example, a wedding photographer would have to shoot the commitment ceremony of a gay couple, regardless of the photographer's religious beliefs about homosexuality. "The disingenuous media attack campaign utilizes bigoted, unfounded and hate-inspiring scare tactics," the El Paso County Stonewall Democrats said in a statement. "These are just scare tactics," said bill ...

Many would have us believe marriage is an unchanged stable foundation of society. Perhaps we should look at marriage a bit closer. The first *institutional* codes for marriage were written in the Hammurabi Code (1795 – 1750 BC). The idea of 'romantic' love leading to marriage is a recent creation of Western civilization. Previously marriage was a matter of economics. American Puritan families were living off the land and self-sufficient. Parents kept control over their children, not only by handing down the family craft and source of income, but by dowries and inheritance of the family lands. Kinship ties through intermarriage between first cousins and even between brothers and sisters were used to cement political and economic relationships. [ link ] The first recorded use of the word "marriage" for same-sex couples occurs during the Roman Empire. A number of marriages are recorded to have taken place during this period. The rise of Christianity changed atti...

from HRC Ohio televangelist - and "spiritual guide" - Rod Parsley has a certain way with words when it comes to describing the "threat" of "America's tortured and angry homosexual population." RightWingWatch.com - a program by People for the American Way - has put together a video of some of Pastor Parsley's greatest rants against gay people and our quest for hate crimes protections and equal marriage rights. .

By WILL BUNCH, Philadelphia Daily News SEN. JOHN McCAIN apparently didn't think he needed to reject and denounce Texas evangelical leader Rev. John Hagee after learning his supporter had called the Catholic Church "the great whore" and suggested that New Orleans brought Katrina's destruction upon itself for backing gay rights. But when it was revealed that Hagee - who gave McCain a key endorsement on the eve of March's GOP Texas primary - had been caught on tape saying that God had sent Adolf Hitler to deliver the Jews to Israel, that was the last straw. full article

ABC News BERTHA, Minn.: A Catholic priest has filed a restraining order against the parents of a severely autistic 13-year-old boy in an effort to keep him from attending the church in Bertha on Sundays. The Rev. Daniel Walz alleges that Adam Race's unruly behavior endangers others who attend the Church of St. Joseph. Race's parents have ignored the restraining order, calling it discriminatory, and Carol Race, Adam's mother, was cited by police and is due to appear in court on Monday for violating the order. full artile, including video

By Donald E. Skinner UUworld.org Unitarian Universalists rejoiced when the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state cannot bar same-sex couples from marrying. The Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of California (UULMCA) played a key role in Thursday’s decision by mobilizing religious organizations in support of equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. The legislative ministry, supported by UU congregations across the state, organized a friend of the court brief, the Interfaith Amicus Brief, which was signed by more than 400 clergy and faith organizations. The Rev. Lindi Ramsden, executive director of the UULMCA, said the brief was cited twice in the court’s opinion. Many UU ministers and congregations signed on to the brief, in addition to other religious organizations including the Union for Reform Judaism, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, and the California Council of Churches. full article

by Sally Quinn Washington Post Homosexual couples are simply two people who love each other. Please explain to me how that can be wrong in the eyes of God. Didn’t God make us all in his image? Please explain to me why it is not better for society that two people who love each other cement their relationship in a legal union. Please tell me how it could possibly be harmful to society to have two loving people form a union. I simply don’t get it. I really don’t. full article

posted by Casey Sanchez Southern Poverty Law Center Peter LaBarbera has spent more than 20 years on the hard edge of the religious right, ranging from a stint as a reporter for The Washington Times to a whole career as what he calls a “conservative critic of the homosexual activist movement.” He has been an official of far-right groups like Concerned Women for America, the Family Research Council, the Illinois Family Institute, and Accuracy in Media. The founder of the gay-bashing Lambda Report, LaBarbera is now president of Naperville, Ill.-based Americans for Truth About Homosexuality . LaBarbera is no friend of gay people, whose lifestyles he characterizes as “aberrant” and whom he accuses of working diligently to “penetrate” the schools. But up until now, he hasn’t relied on the help of radical anti-Semites. That ended the other day when LaBarbera — who claims to operate “in a spirit of love and truth” — posted portions of an article by one Ted Pike (right), the Oregon-based rev...

by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff (Moscow) A bill introduced in Russia's lower house will impose a five year prison sentence for anyone convicted of homosexuality. The legislation, introduced Monday by Deputy Nikolay Kuryanovich would bring back the old law, and make it a crime for gays to congregate - a provision that would bar gay pride parades or meetings. How far Kuryanovich's bill will advance is unknown. As an Independent he does not have a party backing him but the measure has widespread support from former Communists and parties allied to the Russian Orthodox Church. full article

WABI TV Plans are moving forward for the Christian Civil League's attempt to start a campaign repealing Maine's gay rights law. State officials are expected to give the go-ahead. Current law bans discrimination in employment, housing, or access to public accommodations based on race, color, sex or sexual orientation. full article

by Rev. Bruce Smith The Daily News Longview, WA We might proclaim “everyone is welcome” or “come as you are,” but we often hope that those who are different will conform to the majority. Sometimes we resort to creating fear about those who are different. As a youth and young adult growing up in Southwest Washington I was taught through jokes and rumors to be afraid of gay people. I thank God that I did not submit to that fear. Today, May 18, is the fifth anniversary of Longview United Methodist Church opening its doors to all people. We have people of many nations, languages, races, cultures and sexual orientations. As we grow to understand the diversity around us, I believe we will grow in our understanding of God’s universal love. I hope that you will consider the opportunity to embrace the full diversity in our community not only in regards to race but also in regards to those neighbors of ours who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. Rev. Bruce Smith is pastor of the Longvie...

John Bogert received some interesting comments regarding the recent California Supreme Court ruling. By John Bogert, Staff Columnist The Daily Breeze "I am in favor of this. It is long overdue as a human rights issue," e-mailed Barb Contener of Torrance. "The people who will be outraged definitely have the right to stop gays from worshiping in their churches and from being ministers in same. But they don't have the right to impose their religious beliefs on law. Lately the separation of church and state has become blurry. But imagine this country without separation. It would turn this nation into the opposite of the heaven that some want me to believe in. It's time for all to step back and think about this terrible discrimination against fellow citizens. Also, people need to ask how they would feel if the state told them who they could marry." full article

by Jason Byassee The Christian Century Many observers of the Anglican splits assume that the key issue is homosexuality, but a closer look reveals that several other factors are also at work. In fact, the local Anglican story is largely about charismatic leaders coming and going, and congregations growing in their presence or folding in their absence. Among the AMIA folks, the juiciest disagreements have been over the ordination of women rather than the ordination of gays. And the biggest fight to date has been over the relationship between church and state in Rwanda, not in the U.S. full article

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk A registrar will face her employer, Islington Council in an employment tribunal this week as she demands the right not to marry gay couples. Lilian Ladele, a civil registrar in Islington, north London has been told that she could lose her job unless she agrees to perform civil partnership ceremonies for gay couples full article

By John Wright The Dallas Voice Bishop T.D. Jakes of the Potters House in Dallas reportedly has agreed to meet with local LGBT families and representatives from the national gay rights group Soulforce on Sunday, May 18. Paige Schilt, a spokeswoman for Soulforce, said this week that a contingent of 50 people plan to attend services at the Potters House on Sunday. Following the services, Jakes, staff members and congregants from the Potters House have agreed to meet with them, Schilt said. full article

By SAM HODGES / The Dallas Morning News A review board of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas will investigate complaints about the past participation of the Rev. Arthur Mallinson on a Web site for gay priests. Father Mallinson, who has served the diocese for more than 25 years, resigned Tuesday as pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in McKinney after only two weeks there. He did so amid complaints to the diocese from the McKinney parish and beyond that were sparked by widely circulated Internet postings about his participation in the Web site several years ago. full article

The Canadian Press Despite stern warnings from a Canadian bishop, a southern Ontario Lutheran church will take the unprecedented move of ordaining a married gay man. Pastor Dawn Hutchings says about 50 clergy from across the country will celebrate the ordination of Lionel Ketola this Friday in Newmarket, Ont. full article

SoulForce (Houston, TX) -- On Mother's Day, Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, brought a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) families to worship at Lakewood Church -- the largest mega-church in the U.S. After the service, Bakker met privately with Lakewood's pastor, Joel Osteen, to talk about faith, family, and LGBT people. The visit is part of a nationwide fellowship effort called The American Family Outing, which aims to create dialogue between LGBT families and families at six American mega-churches. Several prominent mega-churches, including Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois, and Hope Christian Church in Maryland, have agreed to meet lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families. Earlier in the week, Lakewood officials had expressed an unwillingness to meet with Bakker and The American Family Outing. A tip from a Lakewood Church member led Bakker to seek out Osteen after the Saturday evening service, during the time when the pastor ...

Associated Press WREG-TV Memphis SEWANEE, Tenn. (AP) - Archbishop Desmond Tutu asked students at the University of the South on Friday to work to end poverty, racism and homophobia. Tutu was at the school to celebrate the Episcopal seminary's commencement. full article

from MSNBC Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson knows he is inviting death threats by entering into a civil union with his gay partner on the eve of his church’s biggest ecclesiastical conference. And he says it is worth it, because he is doing what God asks of him. Full article and video

By CLAUDIA FELDMAN The Houston Chronicle The son of evangelical Tammy Faye Bakker Messner will spend his first Mother's Day weekend since her death in Houston, waiting to hear from Lakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen. Jay Bakker, a high-profile supporter of Soulforce — a group that fights religious and political oppression of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders — wants Osteen to join the nontraditional families at a picnic Saturday and welcome them to church on Sunday. "I want to celebrate my mother's life," said Bakker, pastor of Revolution New York City, "and help spread the message she lived and preached. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as 'us' and 'them.' We hope the families of Lakewood Church will open their hearts and minds to us and sit down and have a conversation and share a meal. ... Let's put our differences aside and share the love and hope of Christ." full article

by Amy Wooten Windy City Times Chicago In order to further boost LGBT inclusion, the leaders of nearly a dozen North Side United Church of Christ ( UCC ) churches are putting their heads together. While hundreds of UCC churches and ministries have gone one step beyond saying they are welcoming to LGBT folks by officially and publicly declaring to be open and affirming ( ONA ) , this cluster of North Side ONA UCC churches wants to take it a step further. A consortium of North Side UCC ONA churches, which includes several with openly gay and lesbian leaders, started meeting to reassess their participation in the local queer community. They wish to re-evaluate where these area churches are now and what should be done next. full article

While most churches condemn homosexuality and many African governments ban it outright, a Nigerian minister has set up a ministry for gay Christians in West Africa's largest city, reports WALDIMAR PELSER [ City Press ] from Lagos . Reverend Jide Macaulay (42) has gained notoriety in Nigeria by speaking out in the House of Representatives in February last year – barely two months after South Africa passed Africa’s first act legalising gay marriages in December 2006 – against a bill that imposes a prison sentence on anyone who speaks out or forms a group supporting gay people’s rights. If passed, Nigeria will be one of the most dangerous places in the world to be gay . His ministry, House of Rainbow Church , has become a refuge for about 30 gay Christian men in West Africa’s largest city. Some have lost their jobs, been thrown out by their families and suffered abuse by friends or the police because of who they choose to love. Mission Statement • House Of Rainbow is committed to b...

Fitna is a 2008 short film (16 minutes) by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders. The film explores Qur'anic motivation for terrorism, Islamic universalism, and Islam in the Netherlands. The film's title comes from the Arabic word fitna which is used to describe "disagreement and division among people", or a "test of faith in times of trial". [ more info at WIKIPEDIA ]

Eastern Michigan University (EMU) was just notified that Fred Phelp, Minister of the Westboro Baptist Church and owner of the GodHatesFags.com website, will be protesting on Friday, May 9th at 12noon against a student organization that allegedly promotes the sodomite agenda. Head over to Queer Michigan and see the rest of the article Casey wrote .

by Michael Airhart TruthWinsOut.org Zach Stark, who endured more than a month of involuntary detention in Exodus International’s costly live-in ex-gayification program Love In Action, appears briefly in the upcoming ex-gay documentary This Is What Love In Action Looks Like , which is planned for release later this year. Lance Carroll has a similar story:

A few of today’s Right Wing articles: WorldNetDaily: “ Online encyclopedia proudly posts graphic sexual images kids can see ” The_West , Curt Maynard and others say: “What's so terrible about homosexual behavior? Everything” OneNewsNow: “ Michigan high court rejects homosexual benefits case ” OneNewsNow also: “ Day of Silence' walkout a success ” LifeSite: “ Newmarket Lutheran Church to Ordain Active Homosexual to Ministry ” davidduke.com: Radical homosexual Jew sponsors HR 5937 earmarking an additional $25 MILLION of your tax dollars going to the National Council of La Raza (The RACE) Romanian National Vanguard News Agency: Jewish origins of the homosexual movement in America Kennebec journal: Different rules for issues backed by homosexuals Catholic Exchange: Ex-Gays Afraid to Come Out for Fear of Persecution: ABC News Report California Catholic Daily: “ It is not OK to be gay ”

By Ecumenical News International Ekklesia.co.uk The Rev Richard Kirker, an Anglican deacon who steps down during 2008 after three decades leading Britain's Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, believes that if the worldwide Anglican communion separates over homosexuality, the onus of responsibility will fall upon "those who walked away" - writes Martin Revis. full article

by Sanjaya Jena BBC News An Indian tribe has given its consent to a lesbian 'marriage' in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. Both the women are day labourers and now live together in Dandabadi village. Same-sex relationships are outlawed in India. The 145-year-old colonial Indian Penal Code clearly describes a same sex relationship as an "unnatural offence". full article

Associated Press (AP) -- Conservative Christian leaders who believe the word "evangelical" has lost its religious meaning plan to release a starkly self-critical document saying the movement has become too political and has diminished the Gospel through its approach to the culture wars. The statement, called "An Evangelical Manifesto," condemns Christians on the right and left for using faith to express political views without regard to the truth of the Bible, according to a draft of the document obtained Friday by The Associated Press. They say more than 80 evangelicals have signed the statement, although only a few names have been released. James Dobson, the influential founder of Focus on the Family, a Christian group in Colorado Springs, Colorado, did not sign the document, said Gary Schneeberger, a Dobson spokesman. full article

Stonewall Columbus , Columbus Ohio's GLBT community organization has a monthly Buddhist Meeting. The monthly meeting occurs every third Thursday at 7 PM. This months meeting is on May 15th at 7 PM. Location: Center on High - Stonewall Columbus 1160 N. High St. Columbus, OH USA 43201 more information

By The Associated Press ATLANTA — A federal judge says a gay-rights program sanctioned by the Georgia Institute of Technology cannot use language that discriminates against religions that condemn homosexuality. University officials said the information was removed a year ago, and that the April 29 ruling requires no further action from Tech. They said they disagreed with the ruling but did not plan to appeal. full article

Interfax St. Petersburg, May 4, Interfax - Unidentified assailants attacked gay activists after a Day of Silence picket in Chernyshevsky Park in St. Petersburg on Saturday. They punched and kicked several picketers and fled after they saw police approaching, he said. These people remained nearby all through the picket, he said. "Police approached them for an ID check, but failed to isolate them," he added. full article

By CHRISTINE HAWES CORRESPONDENT Herald Tribune Florida - More than 20 churches, congregations and spiritual groups that welcome members of the gay and lesbian community will host an interfaith worship service Thursday as part of Sarasota's Gay Pride Week. Hosted by Church of the Trinity Metropolitan Community Church -- one of two gay-identified MCC congregations in Sarasota County -- the third annual service is a collective effort by local spiritual leaders from the Christian, Jewish, Unitarian Universalist and New Thought faiths. full article

An article caught my eye. It said “ Comparing slavery to gay rights? No comparison. Slavery of human kind is against God's will to the highest degree. Homosexuality is a sin, period ”. The Bible does not specifically condemn the practice of slavery. It gives instructions on how slaves should be treated (Exodus 21:2-6, Exodus 21:7-11, Exodus 21:20-21, Deuteronomy 15:12-15, Ephesians 6:9, Colossians 4:1, Luke 12:47-48), but does not outlaw the practice altogether. It also explains whom can be slaves (Leviticus 25:44-46). The Bible also has instructions to slaves (Ephesians 6:5, 1 Timothy 6:1-2). I thought I’d look up some of the things that were being said by the Christians back when slavery was the hot topic. " [Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highe...

By ANGELA K. BROWN Associated Press FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — More than 200 Methodists attended a lesbian couple's commitment ceremony Friday in defiance of a vote to uphold a church law that says gay relationships are "incompatible with Christian teaching." The ceremony was at a park across from the Fort Worth Convention Center, where some 3,000 people are meeting for the United Methodist Church's general conference. full article, including pictures

by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff (San Francisco, California) The California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on May 28 in the case of woman who was denied fertility treatments because she is a lesbian and was not married. The case began in 2001 when Guadalupe Benitez filed suit against Drs. Christine Brody and Douglas Fenton after they refused to artificially inseminate her claiming to do so would violate their religious beliefs. full article

The Times of India KATHMANDU: Nepal will get its first openly gay politician after he was selected to represent a small communist party in the new constituent assembly, a party official said on Thursday. "We have chosen Sunil Babu Pant as our candidate to ensure the rights of gay and other minority groups," Ganesh Shah, general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (United), said. "He will be the first person to represent Nepal's gay community." Pant is head of the Blue Diamond Society, the only gay rights group in Nepal. full article

by Gabriel Arana The Cornell Daily Sun For three years I had weekly sessions with Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, president of the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). Dr. Nicolosi thought that homosexuality was a pathology, a sublimated desire to reconnect with one’s lost masculinity. The theory: under-attentive fathers and over-attentive mothers create gay children. The purpose of therapy was to put me in touch with my masculine identity and thereby change my sexual orientation. full article

by Reuven Weiss Israel Culture, Ynetnews First Israeli monument honoring tens of thousands of homosexual Holocaust victims to be erected in Tel Aviv park A monument honoring the homosexual men and women who were persecuted due to their sexual orientation and perished during the Holocaust is to be established in Meir Garden in Tel Aviv, according to Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai A quarter of a million homosexuals were persecuted during the Holocaust, and tens of thousands were murdered because the Nazi Party believed their sexual preference to be deviant. In the concentration camps in which they were imprisoned, gay men were forced to wear a pink triangle while lesbian women wore a black patch. full article

Years ago I was able to attend the play Corpus Christi in Austin, Texas. It was definitely worth it as I really enjoyed the play. I've heard it said that Jesus is gay in this play but I didn't feel that way. I felt he was simply equally loving. Perhaps I'm wrong but it wasn't like the play shows Jesus having sex. The fact there were death threats over the showing of this play made me want to see it even more. May 1 – June 1, 2008 Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday & Saturday at 8:00pm, Sunday at 2:00 & 7:00pm and Monday, May 12 at 7:30pm Thursday, Sunday and Monday performances: $29 Friday performances: $31 Saturday performances: $33 Students/Seniors 60+/Military: $4 off Student Rush: $10.00 tickets for students w/ID starting one hour before curtain. Please ask for the discount at time of purchase. Box office: 619.220.0097. Diversionary Theatre “San Diego’s LGBT Theatre” 4545 Park Boulevard San Diego, CA 92116 619.220.0097 www.diversionary.org