religion

[pellaz]

we are loosing the 10,001+ posting members like Rainbowmum, BowynAerrow.

[Counselor]

Beyond the fact that no specific religion is singled out by the statement, it functions well as a metaphor.

While my experience in being raised in a religion was not as traumatic as BA's, I dare anyone to contend that it did me no harm.

[pellaz]

i saw the death post of Bowyn Aerrow while i was at a red light driving into town. all day thinking what to say but not.

gayspeak.com is not a complex thingy to type directly w/o a bookmark so wish he comes back since he didnt self delete. so much drama.

[gilhooly]

I am still a good pagan. My theology is GOD IS. If you can repeat that, I will grant you a Ph.d in pagan theology. All the other bullshit you must make up to suit yourself. Unlike many religions, my pagan God has a funny bone. He likes humorous people. God, I still like to laugh. See, God still loves me after 67 years. God bless me. God bless God. Go screw yourself, I don't give out blessings for free. Contribute to a local charity and consider yourself blessed.

Serious fact. Most people go to hell for being greedy. Lust is wonderful and makes you feel alive. Murder and rape are still rarely committed. Envy, gluttony and sloth are creepy sins. Pride is wonderful if you avoid arrogance, an exaggerated opinion of yourself. Example, believe that masturbation is wrong and you have an exaggerated opinion of yourself. One trillion male orgasms per year can't be wrong. Your orgasms are not special to God or anyone else except for the person you are having orgasm with. His opinion counts.

Have fun and try to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I like the sound of that. I want all you rich gay guys to send me a thousand dollars.

Thanks!!!!!

[Pix]

I don't think that's what he meant. It's just that children shouldn't be indictrinated.

And more specifically, other people's children. It plays on how the Christian Right doesn't want kids "indoctrinated into the gay agenda" by teaching gays are natural, only it's instead applied to like mandating school prayer (that is, shoving religion down children's throats). Heck, some antigay groups even target teens for their antigay propaganda pamphlets.

For that matter, when it become knowledge where I was at that I was in a lesbian relationship with a mother my partner's then 12-year-old was not only given a hard time by fundies (enough that the Death Eaters of Harry Potter reminded her of them) but they gave her a pamphlet to both read and give her mom which explained why Christians had a moral duty to hate gays (literally hate gays, gave Romans 1 as an example and other Bible verses promoting our executions), and not in a "hate the sin but love the sinner" but actually had to admonish us (more Bible verses showing that) and how only in hating us do they spare themselves and their community God's wrath. And then they tried to have us evicted and my partner to lose her job and it's possible only my partner's lawyer kept us from being homeless (and that would include our kids)...and I could go on with how vile they got toward us (though at least this time there were no actual death threats at us unless you count the Bible verses saying we deserve death, God orders us executed and the sin on our heads, etc).

She was 12. Frankly, I found it as offensive and vile as had they'd given her hardcore pornography to show her a "woman's place."

And when I see the "shoving it down our children's throats" I think of them (and those like them) specifically, not all Christians. When we visited my Granny I certainly had no problem with the pix of Jesus, the Bible, etc, being around, and when Granny prayed over food I said it was her house, her rules, I expected her to be respected (or at least keep their criticism to themselves).

[VileKyle]

Oh great. Another religion thread. These always end so well, even when they start out harmless.

[Chase]

i saw the death post of Bowyn Aerrow while i was at a red light driving into town. all day thinking what to say but not.

gayspeak.com is not a complex thingy to type directly w/o a bookmark so wish he comes back since he didnt self delete. so much drama.

Wow, wow, wow.

The red light is not the place to check the Internet sweetheart.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

I have cooled off a bit, and will approach this subject rationally without the anger I was feeling yesterday.

Apparently its not ok to go around and make general statements of gays sticking their dicks in children's mouths - it insinuates that all gays are child molesters. I bet everyone here gets their panties in a bunch when that general conclusion is made, even in a joke form.

But it appears perfectly ok to insinuate that people with a faith, a religion, Christians are child molesters?

Yes both groups have their child molesters, The Church is in the news with priesthood antics which are shameful - Gays have NAMBLA... just because a few individuals have such horrific proclivities does not give us a right to make it a laughing matter and definitely doesn't open the door to the assumption that all members of that group are horrific people.

And I bet when some 'Christian' spouts off out at the mouth that Gay = pedophile, or that the Gay Agenda is indoctrinating youth that it hurts you, even if it is not directed at you specifically.

In the years that I have been here religion has been vomited up and the ugly spews forth over and over and over again. It becomes mean, it becomes ugly and it ultimately makes me wonder if some members here ain't laughing behind my back, snickering at my faith.

Last month another such thread came up and I mentioned I didn't fell welcomed here. I don't. This gayspeak place seems to be a place for Gay Atheists only. I bet you won't stick around at a place that has Anti-LGBT retoric thrown up over and over again. I bet you would grow to be offended by it and would tire of it and either scream at everyone or just leave.

Yeah I know no one is pointing their finger at me directly when they make their comments, just like no one points their finger directly at you when commenting on your brand of sexuality. But it still hurts - doesn't it?

I do have a thick skin, I listened/read this sort of stuff here for years and accepted it with a grain of salt. But.... skin can only be so thick.

This is the straw that breaks the camel's back Its not the singular post, the singular 'act' that drives me away. It is the over all attitude and the amount of anti-christian/anti-religious posts that always turn back to meanness and anger.

I recently went through a crisis of faith and had NO ONE to turn to with that problem. I wanted to start a thread here asking for help, but I knew that what that would turn out to be some general 'Christian Bashing' thread.

I saw what everyone had to say to Tyler when he came here with his crises of faith. It wasn't that nice, it wasn't pretty. I doubt it was very helpful.

There are a lot of other LGBT Christians, Muslims, Jews who are seeking a place where they can be accepted not just for their faith, not just for their sexuality but for everything they are which includes their brand of faith, their sexuality, their race, gender whatever. I doubt, seriously doubt that this is such a place.

The LGBT has a Rainbow flag, which is supposed to signify diversity - Like it or not Christianity, Islam, Judaism is part of that diversity in our community. Threads like these, posts of anger/hatred/slamming pointing out the flaws of religions is not very supporting of the diversity that exists.



So I'm hanging up my bow and going in search of another place which is a bit more inclusive.

[Spellbound]

Wow, wow, wow.

The red light is not the place to check the Internet sweetheart.

Better than the green light!!!

[Spellbound]

I suppose my reaction to BA is that this forum is quiet and pleasant about matters like this compared to many others. I suppose there are forums that cater specifically for people who are both gay and have faith, and maybe that would suit him better.

We should probably differentiate between religion and faith. Most organised religions discriminate heavily against gay people. I haven't studied them all, but the only one I know which is sympathetic is the Church of England. In Iran they joke that the street lights are there so they can hang gay people from them.

That probably informs many gay people about religion, hence the reaction. As I've said here and elsewhere, I have no problem with religion provided it doesn't influence public policy, as it does in the States and much of the world except for Western Europe.