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IN LOVING MEMORY OF....
I originally created the website simply as a means of disseminating
information in the hopes of opening the eyes of people (gay and straight)
who may misunderstand what is truly preached in the Bible concerning (and
not concerning) homosexuality. I had no intentions of using the website
for political/social issues, but strictly religious. Events in this country
have convinced me that I should do more.
Violence
The brutal hate-filled beating/murder of Matthew Shepard, as well as
the countless other victims of hate crimes, has clearly demonstrated not
only to me but hopefully to the world that the level of hatred in this
country has reached critical proportions. It is through much of the ignorant
and incorrect hate-filled preaching of some people who claim to be of God
that has helped incite these flames of hatred and these deeds of sin.
Many people state they HATE the sin but love the "sinner". Unfortunately
this clearly stated messages of hate from
members of the church who claim to be Christian is fueling those acts of
violence and hatred towards homosexuals. I had hoped that this site would
have helped to enlighten some of the people within our faith to understand
the error of their views, to see the truth of God's Word and the LOVE
of Christ, but so far they have hardened their hearts to Christ's message.
How can these acts of hatred be anything other than the work of Satan.
Clearly he is using the "righteous" within the church to hunt down and
destroy our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
In speaking with some in the Wyoming legislature almost across the board
I heard the comment that this crime against Matthew speaks mainly about just
him, or just Wyoming, or just hate-crime legislation. But what I believe it shows
is that there is an ever increasing willingness within our country to hate and
hurt those different from ourselves. Our society has also begun to de-sensitize
us to violence and its effects, which in turn tends to legitimize the actions
of these people. Each one of us needs to stand up for the principles of
God each and every time we see or hear injustice or hatred.
I hope we learn something from the tragedy - compassion. I pray that
we each earnestly seek to have the Holy Spirit dwell in our hearts. Remember,
the failure to learn lessons from history condemns us to repeat them.
As we have all watched the terror of September 11th we should be ever mindful of
the horror that can be wrought by those who would use God as a reason to hate.
There were many of our
gay brothers and sisters who were heros and victims of that tragedy and of
course some members of the religious right tried to
blame GLBT people for the attacks. I have listed several sites below that
have been created by "christians" in the name of God - what do you think?
Politics
One of the things that is also very clear to me as I watch the TV and the political events around the country as that each of us have a duty to fight for the rights of all people to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These should include the right to live free of fear of being attacked physically, mentally, or financially. Also, this should include the right to love our partners in a manner that is supported by the Constitution. The only way these things can be assured is if we contact those people in power and voice our concerns. The following website will allow you to look up the email addresses of the members of Congress: Webslingerz
, use it, you can make a difference.
This site tracks electoral issues with an emphasis on those things that
will affect GLBT people.
Suicide
In addition to the acts of violence perpetrated against our GLBT citizens,
there is another epidemic of hate within our fold, suicide. Many
GLBT members of society have been told by their family, friends, employers,
and church that they are not welcome in their midst. These people
are cut-off from the love and support each and everyone of us needs. These
feelings of loneliness, shame, and sadness can overwhelm people, who then
decide that death is the only way to stop this pain.
Each and everyone of us, needs to be there for our suffering brothers
and sisters and show them that we care, like Marcus and Billy
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