Showing posts with label not anti- (s). Show all posts
Showing posts with label not anti- (s). Show all posts

Monday, March 12, 2012

defining anti-gay


The pastor and church doesn't treat lgbt people the same as straight people, yet claims to not be anti-gay. Do you agree? Does it matter how lgbt members of the congregation feel about this?

Who defines anti-gay — the powerful or the powerless? The privileged or the marginalized?

Compare this cartoon with the 'defining hate' cartoon — there it is pretty obvious that we wouldn't and shouldn't let the slave owner decide whether he is being hateful toward his slaves. Is it as easy to decide with this cartoon? While the overall situations are not parallel, do the same principles apply in terms of the minority being given a voice and the right to say whether they feel those in power are against them?

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

abstinence


This cartoon reminds me of that famous line from Animal Farm: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

Aside from issues of right and wrong, do we hear what we are saying? Do we understand why it is reasonable for such statements to be perceived as anti-gay?

Thursday, November 24, 2011

family friendly


Two things stand out for me about this cartoon. First, when the preacher says "God loves everyone!" and expands on it by saying "Gay, lesbian, bi, transgender" without including "straight", he is speaking from a place of privilege. Privilege here assumes that "of course God loves heterosexuals; what is not clear is whether or not God loves those who are non-heterosexual." Inherent in this type of privilege is the assumption that the privileged majority is included, is right, is best, and so on, and usually those who are part of it never question or even think about such things.

Secondly, are gay and lesbian and bisexual and transgender people not from families? Do they not have families? And are there not families in the church who have gay sons and lesbian sisters and bisexual cousins and transgender partners? So the not-yet-spoken implication by the pastor that "because this is a family-friendly church we can't have LGBT people running around", is actually counter-family, or family-unfriendly.

If Jesus had been as picky as we often are about whom we associate with, he would have avoided the lepers, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the woman who had been bleeding for years and years, the beggars on the street, the man who was demon-possessed, Zaccheus and other tax collectors, prostitutes, and general sinners of all sorts. He would have spent his time with nice religious people, reading the Torah, and looking good. And with all of that he wouldn't be Jesus anymore ... he'd be a Christian*.

* north american variety. And yes, I realize this is a grand generalization which is not fair to the many north america-based followers of Jesus who do get it. However, this is what the majority of non-Christians perceive when they think of Christians.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

frankly


Another cartoon in the "we're not anti-gay" series. Did you know that sitting on the fence can have adverse effects on key parts of the body?

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

anybody



What we are known for?

Are we primarily known for being against things, whether the older version of "Christians don't drink, smoke or dance" or the newer versions of "anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage, anti-anti-bullying campaigns, etc."?

Or are we primarily known for those things which are good, such as the fruits of the spirit, helping the oppressed and marginalized, being respectful of those with different views and lives, being people of integrity? Does what we do and how we live help people move toward God, or does it push them away from Him?  Does the goodness of God ooze out of us, or is there so much antagonism, fear, and contempt of others that very little of Jesus shines through?

Sunday, November 06, 2011

pew warmers



What does it mean to "not be anti-gay?" Is this similar to "not being anti-black" or "not being anti-men"?

Or perhaps, using the standard rule that two negatives cancel each other out, does being "not anti-gay" equal being gay? Or if two negatives equal a positive, would being "not anti-gay" equal being pro-gay?

At a broader level, do you feel welcome to sit in the pews of your church (or a church)? Are you looking to do more than just sit in the pew?

This cartoon was inspired by events in the summer of 2011 when, in response to online protests, Howard Schulz, the CEO and Chairman of Starbucks, pulled out of speaking at a large event sponsored by a large church. The pastor responded very graciously toward Howard, encouraging people to buy his book, get coffee there, and so on. However, some of what he said in response to the accusations made by the protesters was interesting in terms of language. For more on this, see the post anti-gay on redletterchristians.org.