What Is Wrong With Us?

[Richard Norway]

What is wrong with us as a people and a society. We're allowing the killing of our future, our hopes and our dreams for a better world.

Please watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah7_hLXLLaA

WATCH THIS NOW

Richard

[Cole Parker]

So much human potential, gone.

So much grief shared by those who knew them.

So much intolerance.

So much stupidity.

[The Pecman]

I may have posted this one before, but this CNN story made me cry, especially seeing the kid's face.

Parents' suit says school ignored bullying that led to teen's suicide

Horrific. I hope the parents get $20 million out of this, but even if they do, it won't bring the kid back. I'm not even sure it'll make stupid, insensitive people any smarter.

[colinian]

What is wrong with us as a people and a society. We're allowing the killing of our future, our hopes and our dreams for a better world.

Near the end of this video is the following:

Being gay

isn't a choice,

but being a bigot

certainly is.

This is great!

Colin

[Steven Keiths]

He wept.

[DKStories]

Honestly, as atrocious as these type of things are, they are to be expected. When this land was first settled by Europeans, it was by the Pilgrims. They were religious extremists so vehement in their beliefs that they burned people at the stake for witchcraft. Over the centuries, the influence of dogmatic religion has been felt all over this country.

Less than a hundred years ago, our country passed Prohibition into the constitution. They didn't just make alcohol illegal, they made it unconstitutional. Most of the support for that constitutional amendment was based in the religious beliefs of many people. Think about it for a moment.

Religion alone is not to blame for the prevalence of anti-gay behavior and feelings, but it is a driving force in the intolerance and hate. Anti-gay bullies are justified in their actions because "God" is on their side. Meanwhile religious organizations like the catholic church fight tooth and nail against any recognition of gay relationships or gay individuals. (In Rhode Island most recently they sent letters opposing civil unions).

So long as they preach that being gay is a sin, you can expect this type of bullying and intolerance to flourish.

[Cole Parker]

Perhaps it is because of what Dan points out that overall, church membership in this country continues to decline.

This is from the National Council of Churches newletter:

The 78th annual edition of the Yearbook also reports a continuing decline in membership of virtually all mainline denominations. And the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's second largest denomination and long a reliable generator of church growth, reported a decline in membership for the second year in a row, down 0.24 percent to 16,266,920.

I'd like to think that most Americans don't believe in or support the hate that's frequently disseminated in the name of religion, and this reduction of church membership is their response to it.

We hear a lot about the hatred espoused by many conservative religious organizations, but they are declining in membership, and they're heard mostly because of the rant-like, shocking message they propogate, not because more and more people are agreeing with them. If one stands up and delivers a messsage, or if he stands up, takes off his clothes and delivers a message, which do you think will get more attention? Yet the point he's making is still the same.

Cole

[The Pecman]

I covered a funeral a few weeks ago, providing the sound services as a favor for a friend of mine (who was a friend of one of the relatives). This was a very large church in Orange County, which is generally a very conservative area, seating at least 600-700 in the main cathedral, which I guessed cost at least $10-15 million, easy. Very big-time, modern church.

The minister was extremely charming and low-key, and went out of his way during the service to talk about how "inclusive" they were, saying that the thing that was wrong with many churches nowadays is that they try to define rules on which people can worship god. He emphasized that we have to respect each other first and tolerate our differences before we can truly appreciate our place in the universe (and a buncha other crap like that).

Seriously, I was extremely impressed with his manner and his message. Maybe some of these organizations are learning that they can't push certain groups away. And, by the way, the head of the family of the bereaved was not only gay, he went out of his way to tell some very moving stories about coming out to his sister (the deceased), and brought the house down with her very funny reaction. A great time was had by all.

I'm not saying I'm ready to sign up, but at least it gives me hope that things might be changing for the better, little by little.

[colinian]

Here's another minister who doesn't understand or accept or tolerate. He's the pastor of the Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church. This is the town where I was born and grew up, and I went to the same high school as Bobby Griffith (but years later). Bobby Griffith attended this church, and one of the reasons Bobby committed suicide in 1983 was because of the way homosexuality was condemned by the then pastor of the church.

There's a very good story in the Walnut Creek Patch, an online newsletter, about the senior pastor of the popular asking members to consider reforming the church to a more theologically conservative congregation, following the Presbyterian Church?s (U.S.A.) May 10 decision to allow gay and lesbian members to be ordained as ministers, deacons and elders.

Here's a link to the article in the Walnut Creek Patch.

Here's a link to an article about Bobby Griffith that originally appeared in the Las Lomas High School newspaper in 1995.

I attended Las Lomas High School from 2003 to my graduation in 2007. The attitude toward gay students was more one of 'who cares?' and most students were accepting of the gay students on campus who were out. My sisters go to Las Lomas; one will be a senior and the other a freshman starting this fall. They say acceptance is even better than when I was there, and they don't pay any attention to someone's sexuality. I talked about the article in the Patch with my older sister today, and she told me that she's dating a guy who's gay because he's cute and funny and fun to be with. And he's probably safe for her to date!

Colin

[Richard Norway]

I seriously like the way this thread has progressed. It shows hope. Tomorrow is Harvey Milk's birthday and the day that my play is going to be presented. The decline in organized religion is indicative of the public's feelings. Today Gallup's poll showed that more Americans support gay marriage for the first time. This is the third poll to show that in the last month, but it is the most believed of all the polls. Harvey Milk's "hope" speech said that a political figure's basic responsibility was to give the people hope, that there is a better horizon. That's what's happening in the churches today. The people are telling their beliefs and not following outdated dogmas.

Tomorrow I am taking a stand for gay rights. The play that I'm producing is fought with gay rights activism. Las Cruces is an open city with the cowboy mentality of "you leave me alone, and I'll leave you alone." But what is going to be presenting in the play is going to shock their laissez fare attitude.

I was outside the theater today talking with the theater manager about table placement for the reception following the performance when an older woman and I think her grand daughter, came up to me and asked if tickets were available. I told them we didn't have tickets available at the theater right now, but a coffee house had them as well as the GLBTQ Community Center. The younger girl was reluctant to enter the gay and lesbian center to get their tickets, even though that it was closer, but the older woman said, Posh. let's go there." :)

Times are really changing and I am so excited to see it. I look back at what I went through in high school and my tour with the Navy following, and I now have "hope" for our country as being "truly" what is said on the Statue of Liberty."