My dear sister,
I'm sure you don't follow the national sources or any kind of news sources of gay issues, except what you might see thru general news sources and your religious filters, so here's something frighteningly dangerous that illustrates what I mean about Christians "giving permission" to harm gay people. Right there in Mpls an anti-gay pastor, most likely of a more fundamentalist church, gave a speech at a NOM (National Organization for Marriage) rally. His attendance there can only mean that he supports the philosophy and actions of NOM by being there and remaining silent about the other event that happened in Indianapolis, the knowledge of which has surely swept thru NOM and he has to have heard of.
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Courage Campaign
Dear Bill --
Wow. Just wow.
When we launched the "NOM Tour Tracker" web site two weeks ago along with our friends at Freedom to Marry, we had no idea what we would discover on the tour route:
* In Indianapolis, a National Organization for Marriage supporter painted two nooses on a sign as his "Solution to Gay Marriage," implying that LGBT people should "be put to death," as described in Leviticus 20:13: "They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." http://www.couragecampaign.org/...
* A Pastor that NOM allowed to speak at a Minneapolis rally had previously compared gays and lesbians to pedophiles, adulterers and alcoholics. NOM has failed to condemn the Pastor's previous statements.
* As the NOM Tour Tracker has helped spread the word, marriage equality supporters have out-organized and outnumbered NOM supporters at nearly every event on the tour. Just a few days ago in Wisconsin, 466 equality supporters overwhelmed NOM's turnout of 54 attendees.
And that is just scratching the surface of a series of stunning stories that continue to unfold day by day, across America. From Maine to Minnesota, the Courage team of Arisha, Anthony, Phyllis, Danny, Jethro, Robert, Adam and Eden have been on the ground (and online) documenting every moment.
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This is sweeping the national gay community and must not go unanswered.
A generation ago, during the height of the AIDS crisis and the activists marches and publicity, the activist phrase SILENCE = DEATH was everywhere. Then it related to the silence of the govt in the face of the AIDS epidemic but today it still applies. THE SILENCE OF THE MAJORITY OF CHRISTIANS IN THE FACE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST HOMOSEXUALS GIVES PERMISSION TO THE MORE RADICAL WHO WOULD HARM AND EVEN KILL US IF THEY GOT THE OPPORTUNITY.....AND THERE ARE THOSE WHO WILL MAKE THE OPPORTUNITY.
EVERY CHRISTIAN WHO DOES NOT ACCEPT AND BEGIN TO COUNTERACT THAT REALITY BECOMES COMPLICIT IN THE RESULTANT VIOLENCE. The Christian community cannot avoid that fact without drinking from a river in Egypt....denial.
Aside from that, the idea of Defense of Marriage is patently absurd. Defense from what? How do gay couples and gay marriage harm str8 marriage? Defense of Marriage proponents never answer that question.....because, of course, they can't.....because there is no answer.....because there IS NO HARM TO STR8 MARRIAGE. And anyway, heterosexuals quite obviously need no help from homosexuals to do harm to marriage in general.
I know that you personally, and probably most of your church people would never advocate such violence, but I also know that you, and my family, are all pretty much silent about this kind of radical religiously motivated activity.....if you even hear about it at all. And that's also part of the problem. Christians don't hear about it because the mainstream media doesn't cover it and most other news they get is thru the filter of their insulated religious communities. And it must also be said that they DON'T WANNA HEAR ABOUT IT. That way they can deny complicity and avoid the guilt but this is going on right under your noses and in the name of your "Christian "faith". What will it take to break the silence? How many Matthew Shepherds before Christians begin to LOUDLY condemn the violence and counter the radicals. WWJD?
I love you too.........or I wouldn't bother trying to keep you informed.