Even if you're new here at ISBL [Show of hands, please?] you must know my position on religion. I am what Carlos refers to as a Free Thinker; I don't need a minister, rabbi, pastor, preacher, shaman, witchdoctor, psychic, to speak to god [little g] or whatever you may choose to call that force, that being, that thing, if you believe in such.
But, and as always here at ISBL, there is a but, if you believe in God [big G] then you must believe God is love. And if you preach the word of God and attend services to worship God, you must also believe that.
Which makes me wonder about a group of churches up in Kalamazoo, Michigan--the Agape Christian Church, Word for Life Church of God, and Centerpoint Church. See, these three bastions of goodness and light, of God and Heaven, are severing their ties with an ecumenical homeless ministry due to disagreements about, wait for it.....bet you didn't see this coming......hold on......big surprise ahead.... homosexuality.
Yes, like the Catholic Church in DC, which has threatened to end services to the needy once marriage equality becomes law, these "churches," part of a ministry called Martha's Table which united eight different faith congregations to feed the homeless and offer them places to worship if they so desire, will stop serving the homeless community because of gay folks.
Agape Christian Church, lay pastor, Kim Sandelin, said that her church would no longer work with with other churches to fight homelessness because they don't want to stand next to faith traditions that look kindly on LGBT people. "An immoral lifestyle has eternal ramifications in Scripture," said Sandelin.
You talk of immorality when you are punishing an innocent group of the most needy people in your city because another church that also feeds the homeless is gay-friendly?
Pot.Kettle.Lay.Pastor.Asshat.
How god-like, how Christian, how kind, to deny food to people, not because they themselves are gay, which would be horrendous in and of itself, but because the person next to you feeding the homeless happens to have an open mind, an open heart, and to realize that being gay is neither a sin, nor a crime.
This isn't about god and the Bible and Jesus and doing god's work and all that other bullshit they spew. This is about attempting to influence state law by letting people starve. This is about using your religion to run state government. This is about hate and stupidity all rolled into one.
Punish the hungry because you don't like gay folks.
Talk about going to Hell in a handbasket.
I have to wonder how many people are still welcome in these churches. They don't allow gays because it's a sin. Do they still allow: divorced people; people using birth control; people having sex outside marriage.
ReplyDeleteI'm constantly staggered by the hubris of mortal people pretending that their bigotry is the will of their all powerful God.
ReplyDeleteThis lack of christian charity is the hallmark of hatemongering hypocrites
This happens to Unitarians a lot - we get pushed out of stuff because of our marriage policy is open.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine Jesus, upon hearing this, would march in and trash their particular house of worship.
Apparently things aren't going badly enough for people, so they feel they have to cause more suffering. That's logical isn't it.
ReplyDeletethese folks...
ReplyDeleteThis whole threat thing, with-holding communion, now food, it is getting very tiresome.
ReplyDeletePreach, my brotha!!! As usual, you are right on target.
ReplyDelete