Preacher decides it’s OK to be gay

The level of self-righteousness within the Christian community and among its leaders is beyond all description. The Right wing crazies have been railing against everything from abortion to homosexuality for years. Their hatred and clear lack of understanding of these issues, both from a scientific and social standpoint, has clouded their judgment and caused them to offer no compromise.

Instead of taking the time to read the science about when life becomes life or trying to understand the cultural influences that form the homosexual community they read the Bible and interpret it liberally. If not interpreted directly by the reader it is interpreted by the preacher or priest and the flock follows in subjugation to the Word.

This level of ignorance and subjugation also includes the dynamic that engages the non-believers such as the atheists and the agnostics. Instead of listening to intelligent discussions that address the fundamental differences between those who believe and those who do not they either leap to the immediate conclusion that atheism is evil, or they once again follow the word of the “pulpit pounder” who fosters the lie.

It is difficult to break the mold or stop the trends toward hate in the world of the Christian believers, and it is almost impossible to stop the “pounders” from preaching the venom that makes up the paradigm.

Fortunately not all things are “set in stone” and from time to time even a Christian can be persuaded to “see the light,” and here is an example of such a Christian:

When Murray Richmond became a Presbyterian minister in 1989, “homosexuality was an invisible issue,” he writes for Salon. But over the next five years, “it became The Issue,” and Richmond found himself forced to choose a side—and chose the “incredibly obvious” one, he recalls. “It seemed clear that I could not fully accept, ordain, and marry gays.” But as he voted, year after year, to “hold the traditional line and limit the role of gays in the church,” he “felt increasingly uncomfortable. What I believed was biblically correct began to feel less and less right in my heart.” Then he started interacting with gay Christians who were struggling, or had struggled, with their sexuality, including one gay man who asked Richmond to perform an exorcism on him as a last resort. At the same time, Richmond’s own marriage was crumbling. “It became clear to me that none of these men had chosen to be gay,” he writes. “How could I condemn someone for something that was really not their fault?” In doing more study, he found that biblical passages dealing with homosexuallity weren’t as clear-cut as he had expected. He concludes, “At this point, I have done a 180 on the topic. And I believe it’s a change for the good.” Click for his entire column, including his thoughts on why homosexuality has become “such a lightning rod for self-righteousness.”

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