Homsexuality, religion, politics and equality before God
Donna Red Wing has been working for equality as long as I can remember.
She is now a Senior Advisor to The Interfaith Alliance and wrote a wonderful article. Here are a few excerpts;
Homophobia, in the United States, has often been experienced through the lens of faith in unimaginable ways. The radical religious right, while it has moved from the rancor of the 1990's into a softened ‘love the sinner hate the sin' rhetoric of the 21st century, still purports to speak from a voice of faith.
And it is that particular voice of faith that needs to be challenged by the interfaith movement in this country. The United States is the most religiously pluralistic nation in the world, yet a majority, including many media professionals and government leaders, are functioning with the presumption of an established religion-a "Christian" religion that gives, at best, a condescending nod to other religious traditions and that attempts to determine the moral and legal status of those Americans who are gay or lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
I remember one woman, in 1992, from the documentary "Ballot Measure 9," who said that she was voting to create a second class citizenship for gays because "...Christianity and homosexuality are diametrically opposed." And another who held a Bible as she proclaimed that God knew that AIDS would happen..."It's all here", she proclaimed.
Amid an explosion of rhetoric regarding democratic values, religious morals, and faith-based initiatives, there seems to be silence where there should be a cacophony of voices of those who continue to be pushed to the periphery: those who hold membership in minority religious traditions, reject any association with religion, or maintain a suspicion of faith-based programs and, hold very different views on the meaning of democratic values, the relevance of religious morals, the reality of religious liberty and the inclusivity of American society.
full article
She is now a Senior Advisor to The Interfaith Alliance and wrote a wonderful article. Here are a few excerpts;
Homophobia, in the United States, has often been experienced through the lens of faith in unimaginable ways. The radical religious right, while it has moved from the rancor of the 1990's into a softened ‘love the sinner hate the sin' rhetoric of the 21st century, still purports to speak from a voice of faith.
And it is that particular voice of faith that needs to be challenged by the interfaith movement in this country. The United States is the most religiously pluralistic nation in the world, yet a majority, including many media professionals and government leaders, are functioning with the presumption of an established religion-a "Christian" religion that gives, at best, a condescending nod to other religious traditions and that attempts to determine the moral and legal status of those Americans who are gay or lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
I remember one woman, in 1992, from the documentary "Ballot Measure 9," who said that she was voting to create a second class citizenship for gays because "...Christianity and homosexuality are diametrically opposed." And another who held a Bible as she proclaimed that God knew that AIDS would happen..."It's all here", she proclaimed.
Amid an explosion of rhetoric regarding democratic values, religious morals, and faith-based initiatives, there seems to be silence where there should be a cacophony of voices of those who continue to be pushed to the periphery: those who hold membership in minority religious traditions, reject any association with religion, or maintain a suspicion of faith-based programs and, hold very different views on the meaning of democratic values, the relevance of religious morals, the reality of religious liberty and the inclusivity of American society.
full article
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