Good morning. I am pissed off and mad and that is probably not the best state to be in while writing,but I have used my blog more than once to process and vent my frustrations and emotions so I see no reason to not continue to do so. I am not going to be able to articulate myself well but I will attempt to do my best.
You know what? Fuck it.
I am not going to waste any more of my words trying to explain again for the umpteenth time the lack of logic and reasoning exhibited by religious people. My frustration right now is with people of faith in the LGBT community who keep supporting theology and organizations that actively work against their humanity, equality and rights as a citizen of this country. Their beliefs and the education/indoctrination they have chosen to accept for varying reasons makes them an accomplice in the suppression, persecution, abuse and destruction of others like themselves.
"Uncle Tom" is not too strong of a word to use for their ilk. The friend of my enemy is my enemy.
To cut myself short and bring you up to speed on my mental and emotional state, feel free to read these articles.
Does Jesus Really Love Me : NY Times
Why Straddling the Fence on LGBT Issues Doesn’t Work: Andrew Marin’s Response to Dan Savage
Current conversation at the GCN Forum
I realize that all this noise and argument is a waste of my time and resources, but I cannot help but feel infuriated and saddened by people's responses. People who should know better.
Religion, at its very heart, is the greatest evil of humanity.
Time for some coffee and relaxing. I will come back later when I feel more myself.
daemon
PS: The Problem of Luke warm
This is a great article that was shared by DJ Free in the comments below. This so eloquently states some of the more subtle points that I lack the eloquence to express.
Well since they locked the thread on GCN, I thought I would just converse with you here, where the moderators can't censor us :)
ReplyDeleteI hope that our conversation here could potentially forego the name calling ("bully!") and such...I have no desire for that.
So anyway, thanks for answering my questions about the harms you feel his ministry is doing. But it strikes me that all of those harms are speculative. Almost boogie-man-like.
I personally know some people who moved incrementally from anti-gay to pro-gay (politically, though not necessarily religiously) as a result of Andy's work. I can name names. It's not speculation and nefarious fears.
I get what you mean though. I think the ex-gay world works in the way that you describe (all while supposedly trying to "reach gay people for Christ"). I see Andy as doing something a little different though.
But perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me just throw this question out there, as a hypothesis of what I hear you saying.
Are you under the impression that the *only* way to be helpful in the gay cause is to unequivocally be pro-gay in some certain way? In other words, is it all black and white, and no room for gray? Is there nothing to be said for incremental steps toward understanding gay people and their plight?
If there is no room for gray, then I would have to say that you sound uncomfortably like the religious people you criticize. If there is room for gray, do you see Andy working in that area in some way? Why or why not?
For the record - I am NOT a friend of Marin's, and have only had one minor interaction with him, so I can't claim to know the guy's heart or his motives. As such, I don't think I fit the category you describe of people who are "too close to see the full picture". Just thought I'd throw that out there so as to dispel any tension or prevent this from turning into a pro- or anti-Andy conversation. Personally, I have no stake in his public reputation on this or any other matter. So I have not been, nor will I be, offended by anything you have to say about him.
Fin
By the by, I'm not sure if you're a Box Turtle Bulletin follower or not, but I think Jim Burroway has presented here probably the best interjection of this Marin vs. Savage conversation that I have seen thus far: http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2013/04/15/55383
ReplyDeleteAnd by "best", I mean, the one that most thoroughly aligns with the way I view things :)
Thanks for your comments. I am considering your questions right now and will put my answers together when I have my mind booted up and can assemble my thoughts in a coherent order. I will be back in a bit, once I've got some coffee in me.
ReplyDeletedaemon
BTW...that IS a great article. Thanks for sharing that.
ReplyDeletedaemon