Atheism is a GS requirement

[LJay]

Excellent crack, memechose. Please share more often.

OP, please stick around. We need your perspective.

As I have grown older, I am increasingly quiet about religion and view it more and more as a personal thing. My fellow practitioners are too likely to autoload assumptions which do not hold.

[BlueStar]

I don't follow any particular religion, not to tell my awful experience with some of them. I chose to be secular, still believe in God in some ways, but not as a religious concept. Sincerely, I hate debates and discussions about religion. Sorry for being so harsh but I thought I should express my views and feelings.

The gay community is an archenemy of religion. But actually the latter has no problem with the existence of poverty, famine, and their most precious prize: terrorism. Religion always sees us as the weak and helpless people, just to hide their absolutely shameful failures to bring peace in the world. This is why most believers target us by holding their absurd pretexts (1 famous is "God created Adam & Eve not Adam & Steve", honestly what kind of non-sense is that?).

PS: I'm not generalizing, because a rare priest in my school was very supportive of LGBT rights. I just needed to get all that off my chest.

[Adam]

Oh Hell, my BF and I just joined a gay-friendly Episcopal church --- does this mean I have to leave GS? Neither of us have ever been much for organized religion, but we now have custody of his 3 year old nephew, and it seems like another way of putting some stability into his life, plus for us an opportunity to interact with other parents (another Thank You to you, Bowyn - it was your suggestion and I found the church on the list of gay-friendly churches you gave me).

[Virge]

Oh Hell, my BF and I just joined a gay-friendly Episcopal church --- does this mean I have to leave GS? Neither of us have ever been much for organized religion, but we now have custody of his 3 year old nephew, and it seems like another way of putting some stability into his life, plus for us an opportunity to interact with other parents (another Thank You to you, Bowyn - it was your suggestion and I found the church on the list of gay-friendly churches you gave me).

Adam, I went 12 yrs in a liberal private Roman Catholic school that gave me enough of an education on religion to make me skeptical of all of them and scared of a good many. While I was off playing war in the marines my parents became involved with starting an American Catholic church which has married clergy (male and female) and even gays. About a third of the congregation is gay. I like it and go when I can. They are all totally positive and the best of the best of Roman catholic refugees.

My man is VERY active in the original gay church, Metropolitan Community Church in Brisbane and I've really gotten to like it better than ACC. MCC is worldwide and you can bet there's one near you unless you live out here in the middle of nowhere.

Above ACC and MCC I put Mel White and his organization & church http://www.soulforce.org/ .... Mel worked for Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson and is the one christian all fundamentalists fear. Mel is the greatest positive voice for gays in the war against fundamentalism. I hoped to meet him in August but have been told he's changed his plans about being in Brisbane when I go there. You can find loads of videos by him and about him on youtube all the way back to some over 30 years old. Watch any of the ones where he debates fundamentalists on news programs to watch him knock their dicks in the dirt.

[austin]

[Adam]

I don't follow any particular religion, not to tell my awful experience with some of them. I chose to be secular, still believe in God in some ways, but not as a religious concept. Sincerely, I hate debates and discussions about religion. Sorry for being so harsh but I thought I should express my views and feelings.

The gay community is an archenemy of religion. But actually the latter has no problem with the existence of poverty, famine, and their most precious prize: terrorism. Religion always sees us as the weak and helpless people, just to hide their absolutely shameful failures to bring peace in the world. This is why most believers target us by holding their absurd pretexts (1 famous is "God created Adam & Eve not Adam & Steve", honestly what kind of non-sense is that?).

PS: I'm not generalizing, because a rare priest in my school was very supportive of LGBT rights. I just needed to get all that off my chest.

Well, I don't know about Eve or Steve, but speaking as Adam I have to say that you're not being harsh at all.
I had truly horrific experiences a child brought up in the Catholic Church.
We chose to join a church (which as I mentioned is gay-friendly Episcopal) because we're in the position of raising a 3 year old whose life before us was scattered and traumatic. He loves socializing with the other kids, they have wonderful programs, and it adds a bit of routine and stability to his life.
I'm also amazed that the "Sunday School" lessons that he's learning bear no resemblance to the BS I was force fed as a child.
If you had ever told me that my BF and I would be involved with a church, I would have laughed you out of the room, but this is working for us.

[ChadCoxRox]

Gihooly, instead of a PM (which seems to have led to this thread) I'm going to address you publically here. You are not asking for support or anything else. You are expressing your intent. But none-the-less I know that as I age I still make mistakes and it's interesting how they are different mistakes than in the past. Our mistakes evolve just like our learnings. If that stops it is the same as death to me.

I have always enjoyed your craft and even more so your intense avoidance of attention to its structure, background or origin beyond the content and process of the craft itself. I respect that immensely. You are a true artist in character and in deed. I love that and therefore I love you.

Wherever you go, in leaving GS you are leaving me. That hurts. I've always imagined my respect and love for you being founded in your tenacity and unspoken, unwavering commitment to your craft. If I've been wrong in that regard then this will be yet another lesson from mistakes in life. But it won't stop me from loving "you" and missing you if you leave.

[Virge]

The gay community is an archenemy of religion. But actually the latter has no problem with the existence of poverty, famine, and their most precious prize: terrorism. Religion always sees us as the weak and helpless people, just to hide their absolutely shameful failures to bring peace in the world. This is why most believers target us by holding their absurd pretexts (1 famous is "God created Adam & Eve not Adam & Steve", honestly what kind of non-sense is that?).

PS: I'm not generalizing, because a rare priest in my school was very supportive of LGBT rights. I just needed to get all that off my chest.

Try to be correct when you talk about gays and the people who have made it their reason for existence to hate us.

This statement is incorrect >> The gay community is an archenemy of religion.
Gays are the enemy of no one. Throughout the history of religion in western civilization they've been persecuted by people and their warped lie filled religious propaganda.

They picked this fight and now they're losing it. Now they are whining. Tough shit.
Throw the hypocrites under the bus and pop a wheelie. Tempus fugit.

Yea God!

[hpamire79]

I don't believe that everyone here is an athiest, nor do I believe that most gays are athiests (although maybe I am wrong?). I think many turn their back to organized religion as it has basically closed and locked the door to our people, saying that homosexuality is disordered and wrong etc. As such I think formerly religious people tend to become spiritual, believing in God and leaving it at that. Others do take it further and question how a God could exist where so much hate is allowed and promoted in his name. You don't have to agree with this, but I think its understandable why a person might do this.

Tolerance is tough, but if you truly are religious you need tolerance of thought as well. Atheists should not be attacking you, but you need to accept that not everyone will agree with your belief system.

[ChadCoxRox]

Try to be correct when you talk about gays and the people who have made it their reason for existence to hate us.

This statement is incorrect >> The gay community is an archenemy of religion.
Gays are the enemy of no one. Throughout the history of religion in western civilization they've been persecuted by people and their warped lie filled religious propaganda.

They picked this fight and now they're losing it. Now they are whining. Tough shit.
Throw the hypocrites under the bus and pop a wheelie. Tempus fugit.

Yea God!

While I TOTALLY agree with your sentiment and clarification, I cannot help but point out the great point that Bluestar makes. Maybe a less biased description might have helped but I think that would likely have undermined the passion Bluestar intended to emphasize his observation. It's not that "gays are the enemy of religion" BY CHOICE or as a definitive view but rather a VERY REAL part of the pain of being a member of a minority that has been abused, neglected, ostracized, ridiculed and shit on at every turn by MOST organized religions...even the most accepting, tolerant and loving ones.

Lastly, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the references to organized Christian efforts to include gay culture into the fold of God's love instead of His hate.