WELCOME TO THE NEW WEEK!!! :-)

Let us carry these words of wisdom in our heart as we journey our week:

"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Ephesians 6:13-17

CHURCH RETREAT

Just wanted folks to know our church and I will be on retreat on a beautiful 72 acre farm in south Georgia.

We will be relaxing, studying, meditating and having some good prayer time.

See you Sunday evening!

God Bless,
RBS

THE WEAPON OF FEAR

Homophobia: Function: noun Date: 1969: irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals. (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

Interesting how this irrational fear of the religious zealots of the world becomes their strongest weapon against our friends and us.

The religious zealots of the world are so “fearful” of homosexuals or anyone for that matter that doesn’t fit their definition of gender identity or orientation and their fight so fierce that they throw ever manner of fecal matter at the fan and it just blows out all over the place and some of it sticks to us. Especially…

The fear about where we will end up after death. Not to mention the fear of another Sodom and Gomorrah.

We seem to fear that if we pursue the life of our God given orientation we will end up in this place that some call hell. A horrible place where we will be separated from God for all eternity.

I have come to recognize that this fear and concern is deeply rooted in the way we were and are taught to view God. So in essence, the only way to get past those fears is to change the way we view God.

I have recently been re-reading a book written by Bruce Bawer, called Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity. From this book I have come to understand the real source of our fears when it comes to sexuality.

The source of this fear is the difference between an attitude of love and an attitude of law. On page 5 of this book Mr. Bauer states:

"Simply stated, conservative Christianity focuses primarily on law, doctrine, and authority; liberal Christianity focuses on love, spiritual experience and.the priesthood of all believers. If conservative Christians emphasize the Great Commission--the resurrected Christ's injunction, at the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, 'go to all the nations and make them my disciples'--liberal Christians place more emphasis on the Great Commandment, which in Luke's Gospel reads as follows; 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.'"

What these few words essentially say is that we have a choice as to whether we understand and live with a God as a strict authoritarian who demands that all come to God in a specify way or we understand and live with a God as a loving Creator who desires that all would come to God and would treat each other accordingly.

All one has to do is read the story or the prodigal son to make the obvious choice.

Yet, what we get focused on is a point of view that is based on the law and authority figures that have decided they speak on behalf of God. “The whole world will go to hell in a hand basket if the homos are given any dignity, acceptance or love.”

So, yes there is a choice to be made.

However, I must say to believe that God would create something with free will and then ultimately destroy that creation because it did not make the choice to follow the law is rubbish.

If this were true, why provide Jesus the Christ as Savior?

Why did Jesus spend almost his entire earthly ministry bringing the outcasts, those outside the law back to the fold?

Why did Jesus, when asked to state what the greatest commandment was, say to Love God and to love your Neighbor?

He never said in order to be okay with God and not go to hell you must obey the law of the day, rather he spent all of his time telling folks to love God and giving them example after example of how they could show and could live that love.

The women caught in adultery released, the raising of Lazarus, the blind person healed, the Roman Centurion slave healed, the women with the issue of blood healed.

Jesus' words:

"Be not be judges of others, and you will not be judged. For as you have been judging, so you will be judged, and with your measure will it be measured to you. And why do you take note of the grain of dust in your brother's eye, but take no note of the bit of wood which is in your eye?"
--Matthew 7: 1-3

"Then Jesus said to the people and to his disciples: The scribes and the Pharisees have the authority of Moses; All things, then, which they give you orders to do, these do and keep: but do not take their works as your example, for they say and do not. They make hard laws and put great weights on men's backs; but they themselves will not put a finger to them...
Matthew 23:1-4

"But a curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! Because you are shutting the kingdom of heaven against men: for you do not go in yourselves, and those who are going in, you keep back. A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! For you go about land and sea to get one disciple and, having him, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. A curse is on you, blind guides, who say, whoever takes an oath by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gold of the Temple, he is responsible. You foolish ones and blind: which is greater, the gold, or the Temple which makes the gold holy?"
--Matthew 23: 13-17

Yes, we can choose to live in fear by the law and the authority of those around us or we can choose to live by the words of Jesus and his examples.

We can belong to the church of the Pharisees, Scribes and St. Paul or we can belong to the faith that Jesus spent his ministry building and ultimately died for.

A faith that was to include all those whom the religious leaders of the day said was not part of God. I might add they would not be well received today either.

In the end the religious right gets and maintains its power from our fear. Fear of what our relationship with God is going to be and look like in the hereafter.

This fear is the exact opposite of everything Jesus taught. If we are to really be the beautiful creation that God intended then we must begin to listen to, believe and live the word’s of Jesus when he said to the disciples and to each of us today; “fear not, it is I!”

Gee, who knows… if we stop living in fear, the world might stop killing each other in an effort to prove who belongs to God.

WELCOME TO THE NEW WEEK!!! :-)

"For God is a God not of disorder but of peace."

- 1 Corinthians 14:33-33

So How Stupid has the Church Become?

So I am sitting at my computer when the following news story pops up on my screen:

BAR Editorial Asks: Why apologize?
From Gay Religion: news of religion and GLBT folks by thomas c jackson

Why apologize?

San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer gave Communion to two members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence a couple weeks ago when he celebrated Mass at Most Holy Redeemer in the Castro. The service was videotaped, and now, of course, the right-wing anti-gay forces are all in lather. Bill O'Reilly gave the incident his "Talking Points" treatment, and apparently the archdiocese received hundreds of angry e-mails.

So Niederauer has issued an apology, but one in which he attempts to place blame on the Sisters who wished to receive Communion. They came into church in their mock habits and in full drag makeup, and he writes that while he has "often seen photographs" of the Sisters, he didn't recognize them. Why is that their fault? "As I recall one of them wore a large flowered hat or garland," Niederauer writes in his column, which is online and is to be published Friday in Catholic San Francisco.

Now what struck me about this was that an Archbishop found it necessary to apologize for giving communion to members of the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence”. Huh? Bill O’Reilly gets his undies in a wad and the church receives a few hundred e-mail and this Archbishop feels the need to make them feel better by apologizing because he gave the ultimate act of grace to members of a highly successful community non-profit group?

Let me stop for a second and let the readers catch up. “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” according to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia is described as follows:

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are "radical genderfuck" artists, [1] activists and self-described 21st century nuns [2] for the queer (gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, lesbian, kink, etc.) communities and they fulfill a unique role for queers, which historically have faced institutionalized religious and governmental demonization and persecution. [3][4] They are highly visible gay icons and social activists and have used their visibility to advance a host of human rights and liberal issues both within the LGBT community and in mainstream society. The most visible and well known is Sister Roma.

The international network of Orders is mostly non-profit charity organizations within their countries, raising money for AIDS, other LGBT-related charities and mainstream community service organizations, helping lead the campaign for safer sex and harm reduction, [4] performing modern ritual and educating on various issues and against hate crimes.

The Sisters have been considered controversial by various members both within and outside the LGBT and queer communities but have gotten the harshest criticism for obvious parodies of Catholic icons and policies.

Originally, the organization included only gay male nuns, but it now includes people of all genders and orientations including intersex, homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, and transgender.

From San Francisco, Sister Hellen Wheels, Sister Kitty Catalyst O.C.P. and Sister Flora Goodthyme at SF's club Mezzanine for Michael Brandon Blessing photo: Mark Englelhart

The organization was started in 1979 in San Francisco, California, and has more than six hundred nuns worldwide [5] with new members joining regularly and new houses being established.

The San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have raised well over $1,000,000 and distributed it to non-profit organizations that serve not only the queer and sex positive communities but also mainstream organizations that don't discriminate their charity work such as the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund [citation needed] and women's breast cancer charities including Wendy's Hope. [6]

The Sisters' state vows to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt [7] while serving their respective communities.

This incredible group and their work have spread all over the world. Chapters can be found all over Europe, South America and of course here in the United States where there are 16 chapters from coast to coast. They have saved untold number of lives with their acts of charity and education.

So why shouldn’t two members of this group get communion? Because they poke fun at the Roman Catholic Church with their satire through activism, dress and actions?

Or maybe it is because they have raised money for the wrong groups. I wonder if the good Archbishop would have felt differently if they had raised a million dollars for the Roman Church to continue it’s pay offs of their latest scandal?

Of course if the afore mentioned is reason to deny one communion then I suspect there are many Roman Catholics who should be turned away right along with the sisters.

The “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” offered these statements as part of a press release concerning this whole event:

“…We would like to take this opportunity to state again that, contrary to the spin of right-wing fanatics, that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence do not "mock nuns" but live "as nuns," taking vows that affirm the traditional compassionate and justice-seeking ministries of religious women, extending their reach beyond the convent walls to those most in need. We are open and supportive of all forms of spirituality that teach respect for human life, diversity, freedom and community, including those of the Catholic Church. In fact, we have given several thousand dollars in grants to several religious-based organizations, including Most Holy Redeemer.

It is no secret that our vows sometimes call us to challenge the dogmas and hypocrisies of the Catholic hierarchy, in the same way they call us to confront politicians and even leaders within the queer community whenever they use their power and influence to promote fear, shame, division, and self-hatred. It is a bittersweet irony that these same forces of fear and shame now use the media to twist a moment of genuine communion into another justification for policies that harm people of faith and members of the LGBTQ community.

In keeping with our vows to expiate stigmatic guilt and promulgate universal joy, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence call on all people of good faith to oppose those who would desecrate the sanctity of a church and defile a moment of true communion for cheap political gain. In a world wracked by violence and fear, we have no time for such lies and will continue to serve our community by boldly proclaiming that joy is more powerful than shame.

We extend our sincerest gratitude and affection to the parishioners of Most Holy Redeemer and hope that their new Archbishop continues to walk with them in service to the gospel of joy and justice.”

According to Roman Catholic Catechism the benefits of the Sacrament of Holy Communion are:

“The benefits of this sacrament are pointed out by the words, given and shed for you for the remission of sins. These words assure us that in the sacrament we receive forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.”

Therefore, people who take Communion usually have some sense of where they are at (or not at) with God. They want to be where Jesus is. Maybe it's because they know they need Jesus, or because they just love Jesus, or because they want to follow Jesus. When they come for communion, they've come to the right place. That's where Jesus is.

So these two folks simply within their faith and love for God came to where Jesus is and the Archbishop found it appalling this happened and apologized. Of course he wasn’t too appalled till Bill O’Rielly and a few hundred religious fanatics were. Now I ask you, how stupid is that?

The Archbishop said he did not recognize who they were. Well of course he didn’t.

Instead what he saw were Christ’s sheep in need of nourishment, grace and love. In that moment of Sacrament it mattered not who they were but rather they were of Christ’s flock.

Now I don’t care how you spin it, but to apologize for that is just plain stupid.

Some Things Never Change

Sometimes I wonder if the folks in Washington D.C. understand they are playing with peoples lives…Sometimes I wonder if they were faced with the same challenges as the people whom they represent would they think or act any differently.

There is an old saying about walking a mile in another person’s shoes. Maybe the GLB great heroes of Barney Frank and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and self-proclaimed leader of the gay world, the Human Rights Campaign ought to take note of the following letter.

Today reality barged into my world once again. I am a M2F non-op TS, who happens to serve in the ministry [as a lay person] of an MCC church. Tipper Gore came to town and was brought to the home of a famous local gay lawyer. The place was crowded with GL folks. As far as I could tell I was the only TG/TS there.

I tried to talk to the host about inclusion of TG/TS folks in the hate crime bill and ENDA. All he could talk about is they get protection, then marriage, then something else; then would work to include gender identity. First he and the majority get what they want and then he wants me to believe that the forces used in that effort would still be around to work for inclusion for TG/TS folks.

The problem with this is several fold:
a] HRC is dead set against us being included. They talk the talk but all they work for is rights of gays and lesbians. Bi's and trans folks can go fly a kite.

b] Barney Frank, the lead on ENDA and hate crimes is completely opposed to us being included.

c] Even the Fellowship of my church proud of the very small number of trans clergy, and yet I read almost nothing about protecting us. Oh, there is the mandatory mention of GLBT, and then the B and T do not get mentioned again. The web pages are filled with GL items and only the rare mention of out reach to the gender folks. Why do not the Elders go to the funerals of gender folks like they did Mathew and Billie Jack?

Many of us have worked very hard for GL rights. I have risked attacks and the like by appearing at televised city counsel meetings in my ministry role as Social Justice chair arguing for the rights of groups I do not belong to. Even though I defend GL folks the only place I seem to hear about trans folks is within our own community.

Tipper Gore arrived and gave a 6-minute pep talk about the need for ENDA and hate crimes bills and then shut up. I tried to ask about the fact that TS folks are excluded and had people shushing me. At one point I had several secret service agents looking my way.

So she escaped without being asked about safety for TG/TS folks who are often denied jobs, fired, attacked, mutilated, and murdered because they are seen as flamboyant gays or queens. Than there are some news making murders of gays [more likely to make page one above the fold], and lesbians. Lots of opportunity to get paper and news coverage so everyone goes to Wyoming, but when Tyra Banks died in the street because the ambulance refused to treat a woman with a penis, nothing was said except locally. Meanwhile trans folks, particularly women suffer higher injury and death rates than GL folks.

Tonight I feel like just quitting but know that I cannot. With the hatred and rejection of some parts of the lesbian community and the self-centeredness of many gay male organizations it is no surprise that we are used only to be discarded when they have their protections.

What would Rev. Elder Troy Perry have me and the other TG/TS folks do in the church he started? Locally our pastor and congregation are totally supportive and affirming in so many ways. Other MCCs have reputations of rejecting gender benders and Trans folks. The Fellowship seems to do not much more than a token effort through transmcc.

So the bottom line is that it's more horrific for a gay man to be beaten to death and hung on a fence in the cold than to have a trans woman who was fired because of transition, lost her apartment, rejected by family and straight friends, having to turn to sex work to live, and die after being stabbed in the chest more than 30 times.

Are we doing God's work?

Oh wait you say…RBS when did you get that letter? It spoke of Tipper Gore…this is from the Clinton Administration. Yes, it was and folks not a damn thing has changed in 10 years…the trans community is still being kicked around like a soccer ball.

The observations from 10 years ago were correct then and are correct today with the shameful behavior of HRC and the Democratic Leadership. Transgender people stand-alone in this world for the most part.

This is an issue that, while many people do not understand it, is the hill on which everything we as the LGBT community have fought for is on the line.

We in the gay, lesbian and Bi community cannot afford to leave anyone behind. We cannot afford to treat another group of people like we have been treated.

We cannot, and must not, allow the same shame based language to be used against our sisters and brothers.

We cannot, and must not, allow the same violence to be brought upon one part of our community and ignore the other. Yes denying one protection in employment is a form of violence.

If we do not take in the letter writer and others like her then what we are asking from the main-line straight community is a sham, selfish, self-serving and certainly hypocritical.

Trans People (God's creation) are being denied employment, fired, even killed and beat up and some in our community, HRC and Barney Frank have the nerve to say the issues of the transgender community are too much in our fight for equal rights. It is being said if they are included it will hurt our cause, it will cause people who would help us otherwise to turn away.

To those of you who think this will hurt our cause, please know we have no cause and will have gained nothing if the brother and sisters of the transgender community are not with us.

While I appreciate the HRC says they will not advocate for this current bill, HRC has not come out and said they will not accept this version or is unconditionally opposed to the passage of this bill.

To not advocate for it is not the same thing as pulling your support...it is hand sitting and saying "oh this is the best we can do for now."

HRC was very willing to take credit for this bill when it was fully inclusive, but now HRC and Barney Frank wants us to accept; "this is the best we can do."

This is not the “best we can do.” Everyone knows even if it gets through the house and senate, it will be vetoed. So damn let’s get everybody on record as to where they stand. Compromise on moral issues is not a real good idea…anyone remember how the government compromised on the issue of slavery and what happened as a result?

Further, the Transgender community has always stood by the GLB community without exception even to the point of arrest and even death.

For HRC to accept and Barney Frank to push the idea that says loudly to the Trans community "you just have to wait for a better time for justice" is an act of hypocrisy at best and an act of cowardice at worse.

Maybe HRC and Barney Frank could give me the words to explain this at the next funeral I do for a trans person who ended their life because they have no job protection. Maybe HRC and Barney Frank could provide the words to explain why I am more worthy of job protection then my sister or brother who is trans.

I find it appalling HRC would even consider or allow for leaving anyone behind...but oh wait it not HRC's job that needs protection.

I find it appalling that Barney Frank would even consider or allow for leaving anyone behind…oh wait Congressman Franks memory of the entire community rallying around him when he had his troubles with ethics a few years back seems to have gone blank.

If I sound angry...I am. I dare say I will not sit on my hands and say, "this is the best we can do."

I will point out to anyone who will listen, that HRC and Barney Frank have declared themselves the God of our community will decide who gets justice and when they will get it.

If I had a house that was on fire, and there were people inside...I would not consider who should be saved or who should be left behind to die. I would die making sure I did everything in my power to get everybody out.

HRC and Barney Frank do not get to choose whom to save from the fire of bigotry, sexism and gender phobia.

In every negotiation there are "deal breakers" this is one of them. I will stand without job protection until my job protection is protection for my sisters and brothers of the trans community as well.

Brothers and Sisters, what is written in the scripture? Just this:

And a certain teacher of the law got up and put him to the test, saying,
Master, what have I to do so that I may have eternal life?
And he said to him, what does the law say, in your reading of it?
And he, answering, said, has love for the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;
and for your neighbor as for yourself.
And he said, you have given the right answer: do this and you will have life."

--Luke 10:25-28

If we are to win, to gain the prize, to truly know peace, to have true equality then we must not leave anyone behind; we must not leave any part of our community out.

Come on folks it is not rocket science! There is no justice, there is no safety, and there is no protection until all really means all.