Dissension in the Catholic ranks

What's this? Could the tide be turning?

To this point the Vatican stance on homosexuality has been stoically anti-gay, but now a small number of Catholic priests have issued a statement opposing that attitude, saying that pronouncing homosexuality a "disorder" only fuels homophobia. The priests' statement is actually a 980-word letter that points out that the Vatican has been wrong before on "the mysteries of political, social, family and sexual life," and although the Catholic church has yet to respond, this could open the door for further dialogue.

This is how revolutionary ideas gain momentum. Challenges to traditional ways of thinking begin to increase in number and before long others realize that the challenges make a heck of a lot more sense than the traditional ideas, especially when they are as lacking in compassion as the anti-gay edicts that have come from the Vatican. But even during those moments in history when the church lacks compassion, Jesus has plenty of it, and I'm grateful that we don't have to wait for the church to approve before we claim it.

If you want to read the quick story:

http://365gay.com/Newscon06/02/022706priests.htm

Gay in Nigeria

I received an email this week from the leader of a non-profit Christian organization in Nigeria called Gay and Lesbian United, who just wanted to check in to tell us about some of the things that are happening in that area of the world. Something stirred inside me as I read it. But then, one story about a hate crime committed against lesbian couple was absolutely sickening, so perhaps what I felt was just plain ole nausea.

(Since homosexuality is illegal in Nigeria there is the risk of persecution if real names are used, so any names I mention here are fake.)

Here is an edited excerpt from the email:

We request prayer especially for our poor sister Annie. She and her partner were living in a committed relationship. Both were attacked with acid through their bedroom window. Her partner died as a result of the burns but Annie is lying critically ill in the hospital. We know that God heals. Please pray that God should lead her. She is experiencing great pains and needs the grace of God to survive. She has no one except us, having been forsaken by families, friends, even her church to die because of her sexual orientation.

I might have thought this was an internet hoax if I had not seen a photograph of Annie's acid-burned skin from the shoulders to the bottom of the rib cage. It looked like something from a bad horror movie--all sorts of bright colors that do not belong on skin, and excruciating pain in her face. And to think that she is suffering as she is because she loved another person in what some of her neighbors considered to be "the wrong way," is completely infuriating.

Each time I think we're seeing civil rights progress, another one of these stories pops up. Matthew Shepard, Brandon Teena...

While Gay and Lesbian United works tirelessly to see that freedom of sexual orientation is added to UN Declarations on Human Rights, it's members' homes and businesses are facing attack from private individuals, and even from the police. Some members are even facing torture in police detention as we speak. The leader of Gay and Lesbian United told me that Nigerian legislatures are working on introducing bills that would provide even tougher penalities against homosexual acts, even though the persecution they currently face from the government, the church, and the community is already too much to bear. While Gay and Lesbian United is doing good work, the power surge seems to be coming from the opposite direction.

Even in the face of this struggle, the members of Gay and Lesbian United are exhibiting a great deal of grace. They just want us to pray. The World Council of Churches is meeting right now in Brazil, and many Nigerian clerics are in attendance. "Homosexuality and the church" is on top of their agenda. Gay and Lesbian United just asks that we pray for God's spirit of truth to lead these church leaders to a higher understanding, which should set off a few bells in our own minds, and lead us to pray a similar prayer for our own country.

Gay and Lesbian United remains committed to the vision that soon there will be freedom for all. I hope you'll join me as I pray for their civil rights, and for the freedoms that people in other parts of the world are already experiencing.

To some degree though, I think these Nigerians are already free. The world around them may be hostile and it may misunderstand and abuse them, but that has not stopped them from rising above and living the truth anyway. The have made a commitment to the truth no matter what the cost, probably because they have discovered it to be inherently good and they know the Source of all good things. I can't part with the truth either. And there is no reason to. Despite their circumstances, these Nigerians have set their minds not on the things of this world, but on things above, and the message they send by doing so is one that has a powerful impact even thousands of miles away. This kind of faith is something no one can touch, and it leads to a freedom that can never be revoked.

God speed, Annie.

Straight, Not Narrow

I recently joined forces with Straight, Not Narrow and posted a link to Jim Johnson's blog. You might discover it to be a great resource! Check out the link to the right.

God is moving...

Catholics who get it

I started teaching a class at a broadcasting school in Irving recently, which means I'm in the process of becoming part of a completely new group of colleagues and potential friends, and coming out is a natural part of that get-to-know-you progression. I moved past being nervous about potential reactions a few years ago, but it's always interesting to note those instances in which someone tosses you a big "coming out assist", a la Jason Terry to Dirk Nowitzki, and all you have to do is make a big gay layup. (That was for you Lisa). Angie set me up perfectly to come out Wednesday night, and we ended up having a great conversation.

She and I were killing time waiting for potential students to arrive at our open house, and the subject of church came up. I talked about growing up Methodist and having found a great non-denominational church now in Dallas. She grew up Catholic and attended church with her mom as a child then attended again regularly in college, but ended up leaving the church several years ago over an anti-gay sermon of all things. I wasn't expecting to hear that. She lived in Miami at the time, and although she's straight, she believes that homosexuality is not the abomination that the Catholic Church often professes it to be, and she feels so strongly about it that this hostile sermon actually caused her to turn her back on the church. That launched us into a coversation about my life and outreach, both of which she supported completely. Very refreshing.

It seems that the Catholic Church tries to project the image that all Catholics condemn homosexuality, but this just doesn't match up when it comes to real life experience. Just last week I got into a similar conversation with a straight male colleague at the radio station where I work, and although he and his family remain committed to the Catholic Church he disagrees wholeheartedly with Catholic edicts against homosexuality. He said he fully believes that God loves us as we are and doesn't expect us to change or somehow "be healed" from homosexuality. And about the often-stated fear that gay people shouldn't be around children, this colleague of mine said, "I know several gay people that I would love for my children to be around and be inspired by, and at the same time I know several straight people that I wouldn't let within a hundred feet of my kids." Seems simple, but not everyone is able to disconnect sexuality from the goodness or badness in people, to this extent at least. Perhaps these minority Catholics have always existed, or perhaps they are growing in number. I definitely feel like God is moving regarding the issue of homosexuality and the church and trying to let the truth be known that there is wholeness in being gay, and I'm sure these folks are part of God's process.

Later Wednesday evening another new colleague of mine at the broadcasting school mentioned that he often googled people to discover history and interests, and I immediately realized that I had probably been googled as well. So that's why Angie was so quick to bring up the gay subject. Nice! When you're out in cyberspace, you're out everywhere. Angie could have been sent on an office mission! Regardless, the sentiment that I am loved and supported "as is" remains, and the lines of communication are open. Again, part of God's process.

Responsibility Follow-Up

The comment on yesterday's blog may lead to more questions than answers, but then I guess, to some degree, that's what blogs are for. Anonymous said:

"But isn't the ultimate goal SALVATION?"

(It's hard to figure out exactly where this comment is leading, so I can only talk about where it leads me.)

As I have grown in my faith and watched other Christians around me do the same, we have begun to talk less and less about salvation. The idea that a person must be a Christian in order to be saved has been engrained in many of us since childhood, but our focus has since shifted to our relationship with the living God, which we are part of because we want to be and not because of the promise that we will gain something at the end of it. So the ultimate "goal" has become to seek God with renewed conviction every day and make the most of the current relationship. Salvation to me, is not as much a goal as it is an incredible, undeserved blessing that will happen after everything is said and done, and when this current, finite relationship is transformed into something infinte.

A relationship with the living God tells me, for one, to be accepting of believers who subscribe to other religions and not to make judgments about their salvation. If they find truth in Judaism, Buddhism, etc., then I respect that and trust that God will handle the big issues in a way that only God knows how. This may be a crazy thought, but I love the idea of a whole hodge podge of people in heaven. Some Christians seem to get really excited about the idea of entire populations going to hell, but I'm going to think out of the box on that one. I think there's room in heaven for people who believe differently than I do. I'm not even a tenth as loving as God is.

John 3:16 says (NIV):
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus stands at the gate to heaven, so perhaps my ideas about who's gettin' in are more of a hope than an observation. But is it possible that there will be more opportunities to know Jesus via the second coming? Perhaps we ain't seen nothin' yet.

As I was growing up I remember being almost scared into being a Christian because I thought I would go to hell if I wasn't. I believed in the Gospel and I was beginning to know God through Jesus, but it was the fear of going to hell more than that relationship that kept me going. I had similar thoughts in college. I had a German professor who regulary confessed her atheism, and I remember thinking, "Why not Christianity? Wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry?" Oh how I've grown to despise the word safe. Don't get me wrong, I love the feeling of safety, but while it seems to offer protection and do all sorts of wonderful things, it also keeps me from reaching out beyond my comfort zone, which not only keeps me from growing but can result in complete stagnancy.

Salvation is an important subject. Anything that deals with eternity should be treated with the utmost respect and care. But as I mentioned in yesterday's blog, I think Christians go wrong when the attitude of moral superiority springs forth -- we have it all figured out and are going to heaven, Scientologists, Buddhists, etc. have it all wrong and they are not...

What happens to a six-month old child, born to a Buddhist family, who dies unexpectedly without every having the opportunity to decide which religion he wishes to pursue? This child is not a Christian, but do you make an exception for him and let him into heaven? Where do the exceptions cease? What happens to the Muslim who has never been introduced to Christianity, yet has great faith, believes that Allah is good, and does his level best to help everyone in need in his community? He has great faith, but do you discount it because it is not like ours?

If salvation were not promised at the end of this Christian journey, would you still travel it? If I had stopped to ponder this question at age twelve, I don't know how I would have answered. I knew that I liked the feeling of safety that went with the thought of my own salvation, but if that feeling had been taken away perhaps I would have become somewhat indifferent to faith in general. After all, I didn't know Jesus all that well yet and God seemed like a distant father-figure (caucasian, with white hair of course). But now, after having had several years to grow to know God through Jesus Christ and develop an intimate relationship with both of them, if the promise of salvation is somehow removed, there is no question in my mind that yes, I will continue on my faith. My faith is real, God is alive in it, and I cannot abandon it for anything.

My ultimate point is this. The God I know is full of love, mercy, and grace, and would not want to spend eternity apart from any of one of us, regardless of the belief systems that we subscribe to on earth. What does that say about salvation? And what does that mean heaven will look like? I guess we'll find out when we get there.

Going where responsibility leads

Writing the Scientology article really made me stop and think about responsibility.

As Christians, we're responsible for the way our faith is exhibited to others and it's something we shouldn't take lightly. To some Christians, that means we should approach things from an evangelical standpoint and accept the responsibility to "go and make disciples of all nations" as it says in Matthew 28:19. Responsiblity then becomes a mission to convert the world to Christianity, and to some potential converts that can become not only off-putting, but also incendiary and irrelevant. While I find truth in Christianity and think that others would do well to study and live it as well, that doesn't include the desire to say that other religions are invalid. Moral superiority seems anti-Christian more than it does Christian regardless of the intent, so rather than say Christianity is the only way, I tend to leave room for the possibility that there is validity in Scientology, or any other religion if a person feels like drawing that conclusion. Depending upon whom you ask, I suppose this is either not a big deal or a huge Christian violation.

Perhaps the need to say that one religion is better than another stems from fear, or perhaps it has something to do with our need for seemingly constant reassurance. If others believe as we believe then there is less risk that we could be wrong, and that goes a long way toward helping us build self-esteem and a sense of emotional security.

My agent, who is a Christian, said something interesting about this type of insecurity after reading the Scientology article. She has a couple of clients who are Scientologists, and she told me her fear upon learning about their religion was that they might try to change her. But after getting to know them, she realized that they're nice guys with very interesting lives and careers and that there is really nothing to fear. I realized the same thing as I was writing the article, and it made me wonder how I had arrived at the idea that Scientologists were something to be afraid of in the first place. It could have come from the media, or cyber hysteria, or perhaps from Tom Cruise's judgment of Brooke Shields' postpartum depression. All of those things combined had probably led me to believe that Scientologists might try to tell me that they had everything figured out and that I was going about life all wrong as a Christian and especially as a lesbian. But when I actually went to the Scientology Church and made the effort to learn about Scientology first hand, there was no hard sell and there was no hint of frustration with my faith, sexuality, or anything else. The Scientologists that I met were nice, fascinating to have a conversation with, and completely at ease with their own spirituality. As a Christian, I learned from their example.

The idea that Scientology is a cult that sucks you in and won't be happy until you accept its beliefs is a common misconception. But wouldn't a Scientologist probably say the same thing about Christianity? Or might a Buddhist say the same thing about Mormonism? No one wants to feel like beliefs are being forced upon them from the outside, or that their faith is somehow considered to be inferior to another's by nature. Faith wells up from within and external movements can come across as judgment and intimidation, which is precisely why it seems to be far more important to be a positive example than an effective conversion therapist. Although Jesus preached about his own convictions and expected others to see the light, he also led by example and became the most powerful example in the history of our faith. It was his example and not his words that left the most lasting impression.

I do feel a responsibility to Christianity to help propel it, which is probably an effect of the evangelical influence that has been with me since college, but for me that means being willing to let others decide what is best for them. I think it's great that Scientologists find peace in their religion. Same goes for Buddhists, Jews, Mormons, and countless others. As long people live life with a greater good in mind, a greater purpose is served. And perhaps that is exactly the point.

Scientology and homosexuality - Dallas Voice

Cruising Scientology

By Jen Austin - Special Contributor
Feb 9, 2006, 20:23

Lesbian faith-seeker scopes out Dallas chapter of L. Ron Hubbard’s religion

“Scientology” conjures up images of a secretive, perhaps slightly paranoid society made up of super-famous couch-jumpers and science-fiction fans.

But members of the Dallas Church of Scientology paint a different picture. After a recent visit, it seems they’re an open and friendly group, genuinely interested in anyone who walks through the door of the church, located at 1850 N. Buckner Boulevard. But does dropping the gay bomb put an end to that?

Dave Hamann, flag banking officer at the Dallas church, estimated that from 60 to 70 people study there each week. These studies are done independently or as part of an instructor-based course. In the past 20 years, more than 12,000 have studied at the Dallas church, he said.

According to Hamann, membership is on the rise both locally and internationally. The Dallas Church has purchased a new building in Las Colinas and plans to move in by the end of the year, after $3 million in renovations have been completed.

Its parent Web site (Scientology.org) defines scientology as “the study of truth” based upon the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, who published his first book in 1950 and went on to publish over 100,000 pages before he passed away in 1986. Scientologists believe that each person is an immortal, spiritual being with unlimited capabilities. It attributes present failures, unhappiness and discontent to unfortunate events of the past.

“Auditors,” who are Scientologists with special training, help others who are progressing through Scientology locate and examine the past hurts so any negative effect can be removed.

Like some Christians, Scientologists have been accused of being less than tolerant when it comes to gay issues. Much of this stems from comments made by Hubbard in a book called, “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health,” published in 1950.

In it, Hubbard wrote , “The sexual pervert (… includes any and all forms of deviation in dynamic two such as homosexuality, lesbianism, sexual sadism, etc.) is quite ill physically.”

According to the religious tolerance Web site (ReligiousTolerance.org), the term “dynamic two” refers to the human urge to procreate. Since homosexuality doesn’t lead to procreation, Scientologists who cite this passage believe gay and lesbian people have illnesses and need to be rehabilitated.

There are also parallels between Christianity and Scientology when it comes to umbrella statements about homosexuality. But do these attitudes hold up in real life?

Many Christians condemn homosexuality based upon Biblical passages, but it is possible to find Christians who embrace homosexuality — sometimes Christians’ real-life experiences don’t match what comes from the pulpit. And like some Christians, there are Scientologists who condemn gays based upon Hubbard’s writings. I decided to find out whether anti-gay convictions were rampant in the church.

I started by taking a 200-question personality test on the Scientology Web site. I took the printout of my supposed strengths and weaknesses to the Dallas church, and Hamann conducted my evaluation.

After I dropped the gay bomb, Hamann briefly pauses, shook his head and said, “It’s not a big deal.”

He chuckled a bit and added that my sexual identity might be something to address on my own as I progressed. But he made it clear that my evaluation wouldn’t be flagged, nor would any church members attempt to rehabilitate me.

“Scientology is about truth,” he said. “And whatever you observe to be true for yourself is true.”

For a more official stance, Hamann referred me to Cathy Norman, director of special affairs for the Texas church. Norman has been involved with Scientology since 1977. Her take?

“A being cannot be fundamentally gay or straight any more than they can be fundamentally male or female. Their body influences the role they adopt in this lifetime, but not their basic beingness or identity,” she said.

Norman cited an example from Hubbard in which a person who limps, uses a cane and has great difficulty walking seeks an auditor’s help. When the auditor asks what is bothering him, the man coughs a little bit and tells the auditor his chest is the source of his troubles.

Norman added, “The auditor would never take up lameness as a difficulty unless the person brought it up themselves.”

Being gay can hardly be compared to walking with a limp, but at least it’s nice to know that Scientology considers homosexuality to be a limitation only if a gay person considers it to be. If the individual doesn’t bring it up, Scientology doesn’t either. That’s one thing that lies in stark contrast to general attitudes in fundamentalist Christianity, where homosexuality is viewed as sinful no matter what.

What about marriage? Can gay Scientologists consider themselves fit for marriage?

“The marriage ceremonies of the church reflect the traditional view of marriage being between a man and a woman,” Norman said.

But she also described a moral code that Hubbard released in 1980, which he hoped would be adopted by people both inside and outside Scientology.

“It is based not on the specific, distinctive beliefs of Scientologists,” Norman said, “but on common sense rationality about what would lead to better conditions for all.”

The code mentions a single rule for sexual relationships.

“Be faithful to your sexual partner,” Norman said.

Where it seems that Christians sometimes use their faith to justify their own prejudices, Scientologists seem to be more likely to use theirs to “live and let live.” Granted, there are tiers of information that are revealed only with progress, and that seems to imply that there will always be a bit of Scientology that’s left to the imagination.

But after my brief glimpse into the religion that makes Tom Cruise look crazy on Oprah, at least Scientology doesn’t issue the fire-and-brimstone judgments that have made Fred Phelps and Pat Robertson so famous. Perhaps it has something to do with the placement of faith.

Scientologists hesitate to even use the word “faith” because it implies a placement of trust in something external. While in Christianity, that external faith is the keystone.

Scientologists place faith in the self — Christians place faith in Christ. This external placement of faith sometimes gives fundamentalists (not all Christians) license to assign specific prejudices to a being beyond themselves. Scientologists seem to give more credence to individual truth than a blanket ideology.

Even though fundamentalists say that homosexuality is condemned by all of Christianity, there are groups of gay Christians who seek to reconcile their faith and sexuality. Is it necessary to become a Scientologist to escape condemnation? That depends where one places his or her faith.

So which is scarier for gays and lesbians: A group of Scientologists with their noses in Hubbard’s books or a Southern Baptist Convention? At least in Scientology, there’s room for self-discovery.

--Jen Austin

(Click on this blog title for extras: a photo, Scientology vocabulary and structure. Big thanks to the Dallas Voice.)

Scientology and homosexuality

The column I wrote for the Dallas Voice is scheduled to be in the edition that comes out tomorrow. As soon as it has been released I'll post it hear in case you're not in Dallas, or in case (as my friend Will says) "you think paper is so 1900's."

I think you'll be surprised about the article's course. I know I was.

It's not impossible to agree with Fred Phelps...once in awhile

I'm shocked. I agree with something Fred Phelps said.

Rev. Fred Phelps is the guy from Topeka, Kansas who travels around the country in a bus, preaching and protesting and doing anything else that might effectively spread the message that God hates America, namely homosexuals.

365gay.com ran an article by Jeff Golimowski last week, who accompanied Phelps for a brief time as he and his flock protested in front of a Catholic church, and some of the quotes that Golimowski was able to extract from that experience are unbelievable, yet typical Fred Phelps.

Phelps offered up the usual, "God hates America", and "This country is hellbound," in an attempt to get all of us to repent for things that he happens to consider sin, but when he was asked whether or not the death penalty--his solution for nearly everything--should be attached to homosexuals, he stopped short. Sort of. Phelps thinks we gay folks are sodomites and he believes sodomy should be criminalized, which caused Golimowski to wonder aloud to Phelps, "So then kill all homosexuals?" Phelps replied, "You can't make that leap. When you pass a law that doesn't mean that everybody is going to break it, but those that do break it ought to be executed."

Of course, this isn't the Phelps statement I agree with. It's inflamatory, highly judgmental, and it doesn't even remotely hit the true nature of homosexuality. He wants a law to be passed that would classify us as something we're not, and then he wants us to be punished for something that is not a crime. We've been over the ways to reconcile homosexuality and Christianity a million times in this blog, at 20Something, in our prayers, etc. and it can be done. The most important thing to note is that homosexuality is one avenue by which love enters the world, and that is evidence enough not only of God's involvement, but also God's endorsement. This concept is foreign to Phelps and others like him, who tend to see the world in black and white and who seem to enjoy the idea of executing those who are in the gray. Or should I say in the Grace.

When Phelps was asked why he is so hateful not only to homosexuals but to just about anyone who doesn't believe as he does, he responded by saying, "Those old Baptist preachers delivered me a charge from Isaiah 58:1. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show thy people their transgressions." He considers it his duty to spread hate and judgment.

The call to "show thy people their transgressions" sometimes even extends to those whom you would assume might be in Phelps' corner, like anti-gay marriage activist Terry Fox. This is the one Phelps statement that isn't too difficult to agree with. Regarding Fox, Phelps says, "That jackass down there, Fox in Wichita, his church is just chock full of divorced and remarried people. He has no moral authority to preach about homosexuals." Finally, a thread of truth rises up out of the Fred Phelps muck and mire. Phelps is right that Fox doesn't have the moral authority to preach about homosexuality. But then, neither does Phelps.

20Something 2-1-06 Noah and the Flood

Last night's study has been posted at http://coh20something.blogspot.com

We had a great discussion about Noah and the flood and Scot, our co-leader, said something interesting that I had never thought of before. We've always been taught that during the flood the entire world was under water, but at that time without the aid of technology and communication, the area that Noah inhabited was the whole world. That was an area of the world that was just becoming populated and the peoeple there didn't know how far things extended beyond their experience, so when that area flooded it was natural to think that the entire world was in the same boat. (Pun intended.) An interesting thought. I guess it just depends upon your perspective, and whether or not you view the story of the flood as myth or history.