Rick Warren's AIDS Work in Africa Has Ties to Anti-Gay, Anti-Condom Activists

I like Rick Warren and I think he's a positive influence on modern Christianity. If only for the Hawaiian shirts! What an improvement over forcing spiritual leaders to wear a choking dog collar that cuts off oxygen to the brain! Warren is part of a movement that is re-imagining Christianity without the culture of Christianity that has gotten so dogmatic.

And, I am for equal rights and privileges for our gay brothers and sisters. Gay marriage is a natural extension of respect for other people and their choices. Furthermore, the science suggests people are born gay. GLBT people deserve equal rights and status just like people of every skin color.

"Do I contradict myself? Oh well, I contradict myself. I am vast, I contain multitudes" to quote Walt Whitman.

It's unfortunate that the issue of homosexuality has become a divisive wedge issue to make Democrats and progressives lose elections. Gay activists should contemplate this perennial dynamic. I think Obama is trying to mend some fences and unite America beyond the din of this shrill argument.

All arguments about sexuality are immoral because they distract humanity from dealing with the approaching ecological collapse. In twenty years, if the sky is broken, or if nanotech has broken the surface tension on the ocean, nobody will care if girls can or can't marry girls. Instead we will look at this precious time, when so much was at stake, and think, we argued about that?

We live in a world that has not given adequate weight to morality and ethics. Recently, even the word "MORALITY" has become a tripwire for intense emotional arguments about sexuality. But morality means something else. It means acting in a way the doesn't hurt others. It means watching out for the effects one's choices make on others. And we need the word Morality because we need to make a moral, ethical human race. We need to have wisdom, and wisdom is inseparably intertwined with morality.

E.F. Schumacker wrote "We are now far too clever to survive without wisdom, and further developments of our cleverness can be of no benefit whatever."

Jesus said "Don't say to your neighbor 'you got a speck of sawdust in your eye' when you yourself have a log in your own eye." You can use Jesus quotes to argue for anything, and they aren't particularly good building blocks for an argument in open society. But for spiritual people, this is darn good rule of thumb. Don't criticism others until you've set your own house in order. For one, it's spiritually lazy. It's wicked easy to criticize others. Turning that laser/razor judgment vision upon oneself is painful and requires courage. And once we do that, we are more merciful to others. Because after we've tried to clean up a few of our own vices, we see that it's tough. However, cleaning up our own lives is the right place to start. When we get grounded in a morality and ethical nature, we acquire a power that comes from knowing what's the right thing to do.

Gay activists would do well to respond to Christians by pointing out "the log in their own eye," as in "Do you Christians even recycle? Do you Mormons see a little hypocrisy in talking to us about nontraditional marriage arrangements?"

Christ said things, the Bible says things, and then there is the culture of Christianity. For example, many Christians think they have to vote Republican because their Christian. This is an ironic historical development. Nobody in the historical record advocates for the poor more vigorously than Christ.
Christ never hazed people about sexual choices or birth control. In fact, he did the opposite, protecting women from pushy, moralizing men. The Republican party has been the complete lapdog and butler to the super wealthy for decades. What an irony. Fundamentalist Christian Republicans are an ironic oxymoron, and they are cultural Christianity, but not actually good students of Jesus. Warren is part of a movement where truth and keeping-it-real is descending into the dogmatic stuffy annals of Christendom, and for that, I say, more power to him.

Check out the talk of Rick Warren gave at the TED conference. (www.ted.com) He is a good guy. He may not have the full set of progressive views, but he is light years ahead of some of the cold-hearted Cro-magnons who call themselves Christians.

We need to build an inclusive, open civil society that talks to each other. Obama has been great about creating that Big Tent. Having Warren give the invocation invites the Christian Fundamentalists into that Big Tent. Once in the tent, they'll have to share it with everyone.

May the inauguration be blessed with the spirit of inclusion for all our brothers and sisters.

Christians are hypocrites.

The apostle Paul taught his followers to bless their persecutors and not curse them (Romans 12:14), to care for their enemies by providing them with food and drink (12:20), and to pay their taxes and obey all earthly governments (13:1-7). He mentioned giving all his belongings to feed the hungry (I Corinthians 13:3), and taught giving to the person in need (Ephesians 4:23). He told his followers it was wrong to take their conflicts before non-Christian courts rather than before the saints. (I Corinthians 6:1)

Paul taught that "it is good for a man not to touch a woman," i.e., it is best to be celibate, but because of prevailing immoralities, marriage is acceptable. Divorce is permissible in the case of an unbeliever demanding separation. (I Corinthians 7)

Paul repeatedly attacked sexual immorality:

"This is God's will--your sanctification, that you keep yourselves from sexual immorality, that each of you learn how to take his own wife in purity and honor, not in lustful passion like the gentiles who have no knowledge of God." (I Thessalonians 4:3-5)

Paul told his followers not to associate with sexually immoral people (I Corinthians 5:9-12, 6:15,18). He condemned homosexuality (Romans 1:24-27) and incest (I Corinthians 5:1).

"Make no mistake," warned Paul, "no fornicator or idolater, none who are guilty either of adultery or of homosexual perversion, no thieves or grabbers or drunkards or slanderers or swindlers, will possess the kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 6:9-10 [NEB])

Paul condemned wickedness, immorality, depravity, greed, murder, quarreling, deceit, malignity, gossip, slander, insolence, pride (Romans 1:29-30), drunkenness, carousing, debauchery, jealousy (Romans 13:13), sensuality, magic arts, animosities, bad temper, selfishness, dissensions, envy (Galatians 5:19-21; greediness (Ephesians 4:19; Colossians 3:5), foul speech, anger, clamor, abusive language, malice (Ephesians 4:29-32), dishonesty (Colossians 3:13), materialism (I Timothy 6:6-11), conceit, avarice, boasting and treachery. (II Timothy 3:2-4)

Paul told the gentiles to train themselves for godliness, to practice self-control and lead upright, godly lives (Galatians 5:23; I Timothy 4:7; II Timothy 1:7; Titus 2:11-12). He instructed them to ALWAYS pray constantly. (I Thessalonians 5:17)

Paul praised love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, fidelity and gentleness (Galatians 5:22-23). He told his followers to conduct themselves with humility and gentleness (Ephesians 4:2), to speak to one another in psalms and hymns; to sing heartily and make music to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16)

Paul wrote further that women should cover their heads while worshipping, and that long hair on males is dishonorable. (I Corinthians 11:5-14) According to Paul, Christian women are to dress modestly and prudently, and are not to be adorned with braided hair, gold or pearls or expensive clothes. (I Timothy 2:9)

My problem really isn't with Christians unable to follow Jesus or Paul, but with the hypocrisy of saying "I believe" and ignoring the rest of what their religion dictates when it suits them. Why not just be secular, like everyone else?

It's my contention all of us (Christians included!) really live in a secular society. People just pay lip service to religious ideals.

To me, Christians are synonymous to criminals. Why? They practice the most vile form of hypocricy and ignorance. Taliban? Evangelicals? Christians? Jews? The same thing. Fundamentalists stubbornly hold true to ancient dogmas that science negates on a daily basis. Tax breaks for churches? How Jesus would be soooo ashamed! Anti-gay marriage? Guess what, it's not religion's place to intervene. Stop believing in ghost stories and open up! We are all gods!

The CONDOM INSANITY. The pretend christian churchianity-religionists and their opposition to condoms stems from the fact that condoms create promiscuity. Let's analyze condoms and young men whom for decades have carried a condom their wallet's with the circular indentation easily visible for the purpose of being identified by females for the purpose of promiscuity by that daring boy with the condom clearly obvious in his wallet. Now this is their rational for condom prohibition and it clearly doesn't make any sense. A promiscuous woman would carry condoms thereby expanding her choice of whom to be promiscuous with.

ernesto r. - I can understand your frustration with Christians especially given that the face of Christianity for most is either the pope or the uber evangelical. However, here is one sliver of hope to those who only see these limited sides of Christian faith. Did you know that there are "open and affirming" Christian theological schools in the US (one right in greater Boston) where GLBT's can not only attend seminary in a safe non-bigoted environment, but can also pursue ordination in the faith? Get this, although the seminary is non-denominational in it's acceptance of new students (within the Christian traditions that is), it is supported by The American Bapstist Churches of Massachusetts. That's right, BAPTISTS (ok, American Baptists). So before you go pegging us all into one little box, please keep in mind that there are excepttions to the seeming rule of hate-filled, narrow minded, discriminating Christians. We are all human so we do make mistakes, and lots of them, but that can be said about any person nomatter their religios inclinations.

Thank you,
Kitty