Worthwhile

[Guest Dabeagle]

This was linked to me on Facebook by my friend Josh Aterovis, and it is entirely worth the five minutes it will take you to read it.

http://www.danoah.com/2012/04/a-teens-brave-response-to-im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html

[dude]

it is entirely worth the five minutes it will take you to read it.

It certainly was, Dave. Thanks for sharing it with us!

[DesDownunder]

The site at the above link was down, but it may be working again, if not try this one for a copy of the great article

http://pastebin.com/7CJQqHeQ

[Gee Whillickers]

Thanks for posting this Dabeagle. I too saw this today and was planning on posting it here.

I am pleased the mother in the story was able to change her mind, and am pleased she intends to try and help others see what she didn't see until confronted with it on a very personal level. However, this is what concerns me. So many out there either can not or will not change their minds unless and until they are absolutely forced to, due to a choice between their faulty belief system or losing a loved one. Sometimes not even then.

That doesn't mean we can't keep trying and that doesn't mean I'm not hoping for her to have success though. We need to keep trying, we must. Especially, as Rick says above, we need to ensure the leaders of the churches these people attend are not spouting intolerance and hate. That, as always, is where it starts and ends, at least for those people who choose to let others do their thinking for them.

[colinian]

It took me a lot longer than five minutes to read this article. That's because I went to the original article Dan wrote and read it and the others that he wrote on this subject. This is something that connects with the "It Gets Better" campaign. Being gay doesn't define a person. It's being a person that defines a person, add love and that's all that's necessary. Everything else is hate, and there's no room in the world for all of the hate that's being generated. We need people to begin to understand what "Love thy neighbor" means.

Colin

[blue]

It takes real courage to tell the truth when it is wildly unpopular or downright unhealthy to tell the truth.

It takes real courage to change, really change, when confronted with the truth, to open your heart and mind, to love and accept instead of hate and exclude.

For that son and that mom, I'm very grateful.

I wish with all my heart that so many people could open their hearts and minds and understand the truth, the message of that article.

I have seen people who love and care and accept. I have seen people who refuse to do so. I really wish the folks who refuse to understand would have their hearts opened.

Thanks so much for the article, and many thanks to the son and his mom for changing, for making a difference.

Thanks also to Josh Aterovis and to the writer of the blog.

Thanks also to Dabeagle. Dawg, you da man. Man, you da dawg. Uh...that's confusing. But I like beagles. (I like my cats too. I don't think they actually know if they like beagles or not, but they might if they tried. There's probably something wise in that somewhere. Maybe. Or at least a lot of fur and kibble....)

[DesDownunder]

"Ignorance is a delicate blossom -touch it, and it is gone forever." - Oscar Wilde.

[Bruin Fisher]

Very touching. What a brave young man, and my respect to his mother for being big enough to recognise she'd been wrong.

[Cole Parker]

You read about so many mothers in that same situation who make the other choice. I've never understood how, but then I've never understood how parents can beat their children, either. I think some mothers lack the maternal gene, or they were brainwashed at some pont in their lives to feel their religion is more important than their very lives.

Very moving article.

C

[The Pecman]

Good piece, and I'm glad this one had a happy ending. If this were in a story, I would say, "hey, this is too unbelievable -- no self-righteous Christian mother could come around in an hour," but hey... if she says it happened this way, I'll buy it. And maybe people are changing for the better and becoming more tolerant.

I have several close friends who are extremely anti-religion, and I warn them: "look, religion itself isn't the problem. It's people who are intolerant that are the problem. Overzealous people of any persuasion -- philosophical, economical, religious, whatever -- are full of crap.