New Church Policy: Kick 'em Out!

[ftlaudft]

I could hardly believe what I was reading when I checked out the news at Advocate.com
The Episcopal Church just gave the boot to 61 clergy! The reason? They were anti-gay! The times, they are a-changin'!

In other news, Christine Quinn, a New York City Council speaker is predicting that marriage-equality legislation will be passed before the end of June. She is a lesbian. I'm always happy when one of our own stands up for our causes.

And our straight allies? Where are they? Would you believe that some of our very best friends can be found in the ranks of churchmembers, and even - gulp!!! - the evangelicals! Advocate.com has an article about a prominent professor, a professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University, who wrote a moving piece for The Christian Century. Dr. David P. Gushee wrote "'Bible based hate"' in his review of the important book "Crisis."' The full title of the book is "' Crisis: 40 stories revealing the personal, social and religious pain and trauma of growing up gay in America," edited by Mitchell Gold with Mindy Drucker.

If you go to advocate.com and click on the title of the article that Dr Gushee wrote, "Bible based hate"', you can read the article in its entirety. It is thoughtful and moving and you just wish it would find its way into the reading of the heads and the lay people of all religious institutions. Dr. Gushee concludes with the following statement:

"'After reading these stories, I feel that Christians have something they need to request from God and from gays and lesbians, and that is forgiveness."

Amen to that, friend! The Episcopal Church is kicking the homophobes out! Thoughtful Christians like Dr Gushee are welcoming us in where we never felt welcome before! The times, they are a-changin'!

[vegasguy]

It does seem like things are changing slowly. I live in Nevada, which to say the least is a puritanical state. A couple of years ago they voted on same sex marriage, but the people opposed it. This year the Nevada Legislature put to vote domestic partner, giving gay or straight people the same rights as those that are legally Married. Our asshole governor vetoed it, but the legislature over rode his veto! Who knows, maybe same sex marriage will be allowed in the future......

[TinkBash]

There are two things I personally detest among others. One is religious fanatisicm. The other is liberal fanaticism. The first has created God in its own image. Whatever it thinks is right is what God approves. The second is a copy of the first except that the religious component is absent. Both mentalities think alike. But they are polar opposities. The essence of Christianity is missed by most because they are steeped in churchianity. Churches today are more like social clubs with religion as the reason for their existence. I've been blasted in the past when I've said here that Footbuddies tends to really have a focus on cocks and asses with feet as the excuse for its existence. I've suggested separate forums for Assbuddies and Cockbuddies to keep Footbuddies strictly limited to FEET.
Christianity is open to any person who sincerely accepts its teachings. God loves str8's and gays alilke. When the Judeo-Christian Bible discusses what we generall consider
"deviant" sexual behavior it is not condemning the persons. It is condemning the actions.
Jesus of Nazareth was quick to condemn the act of condemning--not the accused.
So when pious church members in righteous indignation condemn those who have alternate preferences it is they who are at fault. Likewise, when liberal minded people condemn nominal Christians for following Christianity, they are at fault.
It matters not an iota to me who sleeps with whom. Put God first in all things then all the rest will fall into place. All is summed up in the New Testament Epistle of First John. (Not the gospel of John.) There is only one thing that will send a person to "Hell." The answer is found in 1st. John.
If any of you are atheists and despise what I've posted here. So be it. Have it your way. You've been given the key. Throw it away if you choose.

[ftlaudft]

I could never understand why people would choose to limit themselves.

Yes, Tink, this is FootBuddies, and the primary emphasis is feet. But our interest in feet is a sexual interest, feet stimulate us sexually, and we look at feet in terms of our sexuality. When we think of the primary male sexual organ, we will all agree it is the penis. The dick. The cock. (Excuse me, I just get so carried away! I love to say the word!)

Since our interest in feet is sexual and since penis is the primary sexual organ of man, I just don't see how we as footbuddies could talk about one without the other. The ass as well may have a sexual function. I hope I'm not shocking you with something you didn't know.

I personally would be opposed to having to take an entrance test to this site. I don't think we should exclude nipple-fanciers, ass-lovers, cock-admirers, armpit sniffers, etc., so long as they share an interest in feet. If their interest isn't as strong as mine, well, who said it had to be? We should seek to include, based on our common interest, rather than think up excuses to create a more narrow community.

When you finish lst John, you really should go over to advocate.com and see what many brave souls in our gay community are doing to make life better for others. That's what Jesus was trying to bring us - the abundant life.

[JaysonT]

We like feet on here. That's all that matters. Take your religious beliefs elsewhere.

[ftlaudft]

Actually, this is the right place to air out your religious beliefs, or the lack of them, or your political views, or anything else. This is a foot site, but the Off Topic Discussions area has been designated as a place where FootBuddies can talk about non foot related matters.

It's easy to see how you might irritate someone with the way you dump your theology on them. If your main point, for example, is God's infinite love and you tell us to read and accept First John or we will go to hell, then perhaps you need to reread First John yourself. If you are loaded with hate and resentment for religious people, non-religious people, Mexicans, Jews, illegal immigrants, Democrats and various other groups, perhaps you should consider thoughtfully and prayerfully your relationships with everyone in your personal community and how you are helping them, supporting them, loving them. If after careful meditation you are still loaded with hate and anger and negative feelings, well, then maybe you should just go out and try to get laid.

[wncMTNfoot]

Well, I've battled alot within' myself with my own faith growing up as Baptist, and come to terms with alot about myself, homosexuality, and where all I fit in.
Getting back to the topic of discussion and with what I have observed, that a many who are strong Christians believe that sin is sin, and that homosexuality to them is one of the many, many sins that is out there but it is no greater than the rest. Even in their own straight lives, giving into any kind of lust or engaging in sex with anyone other then their married partners is a sin and is just as equal as a gay man having multiple partners. They believe that you are to condem the sin, not the individual.

And, if you look at Old Testament laws it had really come down to the point that very few could live their lives sinless. "The wages of sin is death." as the Old Testament reads. A sacrafice among their animals (which sustained their livelihood) was needed back then.
Thus the reason for Jesus to bring a final sacrafice for us to attone our sins to God.

Pretty much among myself, I focus on Jesus' teachings throughout the Bible. I find no where that "He" condems us, or anyone for that matter of fact. Believe in him and thou shall be saved. It was made simple enough, and as we sin we "who believe" are to ask him to forgive us as he makes our intersession with God.

I have found being in the Bible belt that pretty much the majority of Christians are tolerable and loving toward me. Many of them have invited me back to Church and look at me as an individual, to as someone who is Gay. And, I really don't flaunt myself in public either. I act like a man, not a fairy, and ofcourse I do have gay characteristics in my personality too. It's just that there is a time and a place for everything. Many Christians are beginning to realizing that you don't have to "convert" the gay from the man for him to be a Christian, and to be able to serve and worship God. I mean, the majority of gay people in my area grew up in a Christian church, so what's wrong with this picture? Hmmm.

However, several churches in my area are Gay friendly and some of them have a growing gay population depending on the denomination.

It is really ashame though, and even scarey, that there are some churches out there with VERY wacked out people in them. Alot of Hate. They think they have God on their side and they don't. Like the ones we saw on 20/20 a while back. They aren't the main stream, thank God, and are few and far between.
God is NOT "Hate." Toward Gays nor anyone. They will have a rude awakening in Hell if they don't find the truth themselves. They are serving a false god otherwise known as Satin.

But one thing that I have realized about myself. I do LOVE male feet and thus what leans me towards the homosexual "part" of my life. I don't identify my totally just being Gay. What I like sexually, it is only a small part of my life. To limit myself with a labeled identity would be putting myself in a box. When I learned that I become at peace with all aspects of my life, and things began to come together completely. And I hope that Str8 guys who like feet can understand what I'm saying about this too. None of us are really totally the same being individuals.

Oh well, I could peck on forever, but I would just like to say I'm glad to have the oportunity to share topics here with you guys. It's good to vent and express issues and opinions with you guys. I value everyone's opinion myself whether I agree or dissagree. Being open minded to share helps us learn and grow in life.

[ftlaudft]

What you say, Rodney, in the next to last paragraph above is very important for all of us. You were facing being limited by a number of identity labels and realized that you didn't want to be considered exclusively this or that. You wanted to be you, distinct from everyone else, enjoying all the different aspects of who and what your life has made you, and this realization brought you a sense of peace. We are all many things. We all have to learn through living how to integrate all the different elements of our individual makeup in the most positive way.

The problem is, when we're kids, our religious institutions herd us into little classes and tell us the right questions (the ONLY right questions) and the approved answers (the ONLY approved answers.) Sometimes they put them into little books called catechisms.

But as we grow up, we listen to the birds singing in the trees, we get wonderful surges of strange feelings in our bodies, we notice that some penises are longer than others, some feet are sexier than others - and we start asking our own questions. We also start looking for our own answers. New answers. And that's the way it should be. Each person should write his or her own catechism and live out his or her own questions and answers. They don't have to be the same. If in fact they are the same, then we weren't paying attention.

I don't worry very much about theological questions. Jesus never expressed a preference for polychrome or marble statues. He never told anyone how high the bell tower should be or what color would look best in a stained glass window. All he ever cared about is people. He wanted them to have the abundant life.

It doesn't matter whether we dance salsa or fox trot. What matters is that we dance. It doesn't matter whether we sing country western ballads or opera arias. What matters is that we sing. Live and love! Dance and sing! Experience all that life has to offer and help your neighbors do the same.

When we hit the deep six, the only thing that will have mattered is how much we loved.