¿DID GOD GIVE HUMANITY THE WARMTH & COMPASSION TO ACCEPT HOMOSEXUALS?

I was sent this article by

Q. DEON with the title: IF GOD HAD WANTED ME TO BE ACCEPTING OF GAYS, HE WOULD HAVE GIVEN ME THE WARMTH & COMPASSION TO DO SO. It was written By Jane Kendricks of theonion…READ IT & LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ARE…

I don't question God. The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall put none above Him. Which is why I know that if it were part of God's plan for me to stop viciously condemning others based solely on their sexual preference, He would have seen fit—in His infinite wisdom and all—to have given me the tiniest bit of human empathy necessary to do so.

It's a simple matter of logic, really. God made me who I am, and who I am is a cold, anti-gay zealot. Thus, I abhor gay people because God made me that way. Why is that so hard to understand?

Here, let's start with the basic facts: I hate and fear gay people. The way they feel is different from how I feel, and that causes me a lot of confusion and anger. Everyone knows God is all-powerful. He could easily have given me the capacity to investigate what's behind those feelings rather than tell strangers in the park they're going to hell for holding hands. But God clearly has another path for me. And who am I to question His divine will?

Compassion, tolerance, understanding, basic decency, the ability to put myself in another person's position: God could have endowed me with any of those traits and yet—here is the crucial part—He didn't. Why? Because the Creator of the Universe wants me to demonize homosexuals in an effort to strip them of their fundamental human rights.

I'm sorry, but you can't possibly ask me to explain everything God does. He works in mysterious ways, remember?

Try to understand. If I were capable of thinking and acting any other way, then I'm sure I would, but God seems to be quite adamant about this one. He's just not budging at all. So unless our almighty Lord and Savior decides to change His mind about my ability to empathize on even the most basic level—which I find highly unlikely—then everyone is just going to have to accept the fact that I'm going to keep on hating homosexuals. And I know that He will fill me with the strength to remain mindless and hurtful in the face of adversity.

Which isn't to say that my faith hasn't been tested. Believe me, there have been times when I've drifted from the bitter and terrified life God has chosen for me. When my younger brother told me he was gay, it shook my faith to its very core. But here I am, 27 years later, still refusing to take his calls. Just the way God intended.

It's actually pretty astonishing how many complaints to the school board you can make regarding the new band teacher you've never met when you are filled with the Light of Christ and devoid of any real kindness or mercy toward His other children.

At the end of the day, I'm just trying to lead a good Christian life. That means going to church on Sunday, following the Ten Commandments, and fighting what I believe to be a sexual abomination through a series of petty actions and bitter comments made under my breath. Sure, I sometimes wish God would just reach into my heart and give me the ability to treat all people with, at the very least, the decency and respect they deserve as human beings. But unfortunately for that new couple who moved in three houses down, He hasn't yet.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have God's work to do.

THE WANDA SYKES SHOW

Emmy Award-winning actress, comedian and author Wanda Sykes returns to FOX to host the innovative and irreverent new Saturday late-night series, THE WANDA SYKES SHOW. This series premieres TONIGHT!!!

A new weekly late-night series, THE WANDA SYKES SHOW will feature Sykes' personal take on the events of the week punctuated by field pieces and produced comedy segments. Everything from news, politics, sports and pop culture will get examined from a point of view not currently offered on television. Each Saturday, Sykes will lead a discussion with regular panelists, famous friends and whole lot of folks you wouldn't expect to find on television. In a wry and lively conversation about the overwrought, overlooked and the latest complete non-controversies, THE WANDA SYKES SHOW is a talk show for the rest of us...

SO TUNE IN & FIND OUT WHAT WANDA HAS TO SAY…

TIME AFTER TIME

"Time After Time" was a single by singer Cyndi Lauper, the second from her album She's So Unusual. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 9, 1984^[1], and remained there for two weeks. Worldwide, the song is her most commercially successful single after "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," and reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and number 6 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

"Time After Time" was nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 1985 Grammy Awards.^[2] The ballad is considered a classic of the 1980s and is still played frequently on adult contemporary radio. The song is known for its numerous covers by a wide range of artists.

Lauper co-wrote "Time After Time" with Philadelphia rocker Rob Hyman of The Hooters, who also supplied backup vocals to the song. In a 2006 interview with Sound Off with Matt Pinfield (episode 212) on HDNet, Lauper related how the song was written. She indicated much of the lyrics were written about occurrences in the studio and her life at the time. The line "the second hand unwinds" referred to producer Rick Chertoff's watch which was winding backwards.

The video for "Time After Time" was about a runaway leaving her lover behind. The video opens with Lauper watching the 1936 film The Garden of Allah. Lauper sings (signs) the title of the song to the deaf as she is leaving the train station. The video was played in heavy rotation on MTV. Lauper's mother, brother, and then-boyfriend David Wolff appear in the video, and Lou Albano, who played her father in the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" video, can be seen as a cook. The video was directed by Edd Griles. Portions of the video were filmed at the now closed Tom's Diner in Roxbury, the intersection of Central Ave & Main St in Wharton, New Jersey, and at the Morristown train station.

When I hear this song, it reminds how we should release ourselves and allow LOVE to unfold naturally. We often get so caught up in trying to direct and control it that we become frustrated when it doesn’t cooperate with our desires. Our willingness to step back and allow LOVE to orchestrate universe in our favor, can only come TIME AFTER TIME…

IN THE HOMOSEXUAL COMMUNITY: ¿DO LESBIANS EPITOMIZE THE HETERO-STEREOTYPE?

Was there ever a time when lesbians were just lesbians? In the homosexual community most HATE labels, but lesbians tend to use them so often and follow the attributes of such labels to the point where they imitate a heterosexual relationship in a lot of ways. I pose this question, because I’ve been wondering if we are SO stuck in our own stereotypes that we have a misconstrued idea of what a relationship actually is?

A relationship is two individuals who relate to each other and grow into whatever they want it to be. If two women choose to be in a relationship with each other, and one of them is perceived as masculine and the other feminine, shouldn’t we ask ourselves what EXACTLY is masculine and feminine? Moreover, shouldn’t we ask who decides what is masculine OR feminine? Aren’t you tired of likening such a relationship to that of one that is heterosexual? In their quest to feel normal, do they need to be like heterosexuals to validate their relationship?

That masculine/feminine energy that we feel is needed is the same reason why SO many of us can’t sustain worthwhile relationships because we keep questioning ourselves when we know who we are AND who we want to be with. Aren’t we doing enough harm to our community? Aren’t we creating a taboo within a taboo? Can we stop bashing each other to the point of no return?

I am not a lesbian, but I can safely say that part of being a lesbian is about having a sexual attraction to women. I don't know when the labels or types of lesbian women started, but when you're attracted to a woman, whether masculine/feminine, she is still a woman…RIGHT? There is NOTHING written in stone that anyone should place themselves in roles that control what they should be in the relationship. And if we are to ever have a CLEAR understanding of what should be in a lesbian relationship, let us REMEMBER that a man can NEVER be in a lesbian relationship!

SEE JUSTICE (DONE?)

See Justice (Done?)

To see to be free

If I could

I would

I ask you is justice just

And just

In case the case for justice is unjust

I ask you again can you see

Justice in order to be free

Now me

Being justifiable blind

And unjustifiably entwined

To see justice you have not to be confined

Or enshrined

But to be of a child like mind

To find peace of mind

SEX POSITIVE: THE DOCUMENTARY

NOTHING touches my soul like watching a movie/documentary about the destruction HIV/AIDS has caused the GLBT community. So when I found out that HERE! (TV NETWORK) was premeiring the documentary called SEX POSITIVE, I knew I had to post this to my blog. This film is one that MUST be seen by us within the community! So those of you that are fortunate to have Gay Networks available in your countries, please DON’T hesitate to check out this film.

SEX POSITIVE explores the life of Richard Berkowitz, a revolutionary gay S&M- hustler-turned-AIDS activist in the 1980s, whose incomparable contribution to the invention of safe sex has never been aptly credited. Berkowitz emerged from the epicenter of the epidemic as a community leader, demanding a solution to the problem before anyone else would pay attention. However, it was not Berkowitz' voice alone that sparked contention.

Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, a controversial virologist and AIDS doctor, postulated that AIDS was more complicated than just a new virus. With Sonnabend's theory in tow, Berkowitz fought, alongside beloved activist and musician Michael Callen, for safer sex practices without giving up on sex altogether.

SEX POSITIVE explores the explicit bravery of this unrecognized triumvirate, and their dire quest to save lives in the midst of unwavering dissent. Now destitute and alone, Mr. Berkowitz tells his story to a world who never wanted to listen.

Through the eyes of Mr. Berkowitz, the audience is made witness to a graphic testimony of sex, death, and betrayal, while placing the invention of ‘safe sex’ in a fresh and compelling context.

HURT CHILD...WOUNDED ADULT...

I often find it amazing how humans are like stained glass windows. When the sun is shining through them, they glow brightly and sparkle…But when the sun goes down, and it is dark and gloomy outside; their true beauty is revealed…only if there is light from within. And each one of us was born with this light, but somehow…someway over time we find that we have become THE epitome of the wounded child, which leaves us damaged as adults…If only leaving our childhood homes and embarking upon the journey of adulthood, resulted in us effectively removing ourselves from harmful and self-perpetuating familial patterns…

I’ve met a lot of wounded persons over time, but none has struck me HARDER than the gay man. Much of our emotional sensitivity towards each other is based on our past experiences instead of our present reality. If we are to look @ ourselves, we will find that our behaviors and beliefs are still those that were impressed upon us during our youth by our parents, grandparents, and the generations that preceded them. We undoubtedly perpetuate the fear of NOT being enough, NOT knowing who we are AND establishing secrecy patterns. Is it a BIG mystery that we treat ourselves the way we do?

We’ve been blindsided by life, and are afraid to close our minds to all we know as children, but is that serving us as the adults we are? The courses we undertake in earth school are both painful AND pleasurable, and as taxing as they are, we OWE it to ourselves to reap the rewards! I know that struggling with the cumulative effects of being who are isn’t easy and there is NO easy way to be alive, but what choice do we have really?

I know that each and every one of us is different, but if we want to heal and be okay with ourselves, we need to divest ourselves of all dark forms of familial energy and carry forth a new loving energy day by day. This is THE ONLY way we can transcend the long-standing patterns of limiting beliefs, irrational behavior AND emotional detachment. We HAVE TO question the values that others put on us AND earnestly examine what impacts they have on our souls…It is only when WE understand the HURT CHILD inside, we can begin to heal the WOUNDED ADULT we are…But in order to make this change, you have to give your permission to change…

ISN’T IT ABOUT TIME THAT WE DEAL WITH THE HURT SO THE WOUNDS CAN NOW HEAL IN ORDER FOR US TO STOP LIMITING OUR INDIVIDUAL POTENTIAL? THERE ARE TOO MANY OF US WHO ARE TRUE PIONEERS, BUT WE CANNOT FACE OURSELVES BECAUSE IT HURTS TOO MUCH, BUT AS THEY SAY “NO PAIN, NO GAIN.”  IF WE CAN LEARN TO LOOK WITHIN & HEAL OURSELVES, WE CAN GAIN A GREATER CONTROL OVER OUR LEVEL OF PEACE N’ HAPPINESS…THIS CAN ONLY HELP US TO INTERACT MORE DECISIVELY WITH EACH OTHER…