Religious Left

By Wy Spano, The Star Tribune Menneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota The Republican Party needs some serious changing. You might not agree with me that Republicans are going to lose huge in the upcoming election — though trust me, they are — but you do have to agree, if you read the polls, that young people are trending overwhelmingly toward Democrats. Many of the young people see the Republican Party as holding positions that make no sense to them, like being antigay and opposing stem-cell research and supporting creationism. They conclude that the party supports these things because a small but powerful group in the party insists on them, not because most people would, or could, agree with them. An antigay party is particularly troublesome to the young. Most of them have a friend, family member, coworker or colleague who’s gay, none of whom has ever threatened their own marriages or sexuality. full article

Since Rev. John Hagee seems to have a hot line to God ( at least he did when it came to Katrina ) I had a question. Oh wait, I forgot he appoligized for pretending to "speak for God" regarding the Katrina statements. Anyhow, my question is: Rev. John Hagee, do you know if God had a reason for waiting until AFTER the Democratic National Convention to send Gustav (not to mention Hanna and Ice)?

Amnesty International A local court in Istanbul ordered the closure of the Turkish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender solidarity organization, Lambda Istanbul. The court ruled on May 29 in favor of a complaint by the Istanbul Governor's Office that Lambda Istanbul's objectives were against Turkish "moral values and family structure". An appeal challenging this ruling is currently pending. Amnesty International considers that closure of or attempts to close organizations on the basis of advocating for the rights of persons with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities violate the right to freedom of association, and are discriminatory. Amnesty International is calling on people to write to Besir Atalay , the Minister of Interior.

CBC News A documentary looks at Iran's heartbreaking "solution" to homosexuality Filmmaker Tanaz Eshaghian has long been fascinated by gender issues, so when she read a New York Times story about how the Iranian government was dealing with homosexuality, she was completely transfixed. Iranian-born herself, the New York-based filmmaker learned that in Iran, homosexuality is a crime punishable by death. But the government has provided a way out for the nation’s gays and lesbians: a sex-change operation. Fully paid for by the state, the procedure would allow these people to conform to Iran’s theocratic standards of sexuality. Eshaghian decided she had to interview some of those involved in this gender-reassignment program. The result is a devastating documentary called Be Like Others . Shot in verité style, the film captures the pain and brutality of a regime that is pushing sex-change operations as the path to a final solution to homosexuality. full article

By D. DIONNE BATES The Southern Voice Atlanta My girlfriend and I recently went to see Oprah Winfrey’s presentation of Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” at the Fox Theatre. I must admit that when I heard that a musical was made to depict one of the best books and films of the 20th century, I was not at all excited. I know it is Oprah, but given the subject matter of the story, I could not (no, I would not) allow myself to believe that someone (not even Oprah) would be bold enough to tell the story on stage and stay authentic to the book when covering issues such as infanticide, domestic violence, incest, infidelity, racial and religious oppression, patriarchy, misogyny, love, and yes, even same-sex love. The book helped me better understand the scene where Shug Avery and Miss Celie kiss, as well as one of the last scenes where they appear to live together. The kiss between Shug and Miss Celie was not just endearing (as the film would lead one to believe). The kiss was that of love, as ...

Homosexual activists praise Obama at DNC’s LGBT Caucus Several hundred Democratic National Convention delegates and observers gathered at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered Caucus in Denver on Monday to discuss their political concerns and how to advance them. Big Media Endorses Homosexual Activist Agenda Thus, the nation's major news providers demonstrated that they have bought into the central proposition of homosexual activists: that people engaging in ... Floridians rally to defend marriage from homosexual attack And yet, a handful of homosexual activists and unrestrained, activist judges are trying to redefine marriage and force that new definition onto the rest of society. We believe that our children’s future is too important to let this ... The battle for the schools The new policy seeks to identify “barriers” to the full participation of the so-called LGBT community and will redesign curriculums and programs to ensure those barriers are removed. Local homosexual...

Commentary by HEIDI GOOD, The Irish Times Madam, - I was disappointed by Susan Philips's Rite and Reason article of August 19th. She dismisses the laws of Leviticus and Paul's teaching on the role of women in the church as "recommendations" but implies that the biblical teaching on homosexuality belong to "deep foundational commands on how to live a life pleasing to our Creator". She says it would be "intellectually dishonest for any serious student of the Bible to confuse" the two. I am a local preacher in the Methodist church. I have a degree in theology and I am studying for a master's in leadership and pastoral care. I consider myself a serious student of the Bible, and I find myself frustrated when people put forward such glib arguments. Who is Susan Philips to say that Paul's teaching on women is merely cultural and that his teaching on sexuality is eternal? Remember too that Ms Philips is a member of that Protestant tradition which c...