[Matt Algren]

Originally Posted by Jennifer5

Nate was able to put my feelings into words.

100% unadulterated nonsense. Let's look at just a few bits of it.

The Inaugural Prayer, An Opportunity for Change
The facts: President-elect Obama, a very progressive and justice-minded leader, chose Rick Warren to give the prayer at his presidential inauguration. Rick Warren pastors a very large evangelical church and he supported Prop 8 which aimed to ban marriage for lesbian & gay Californians.

The drama: Progressives and LGBT people everywhere are ticked off, upset and are demanding Obama disinvite Warren and choose a more inclulsive faith leader.

Look folks, we are reacting to Obama as if he is a Bush. As if we don't really believe he is a man of integrity. As if we don't really believe in his leadership. AND we are demonizing Rick Warren because he has done something we don't agree with.

Let's stop right there. I'm not demonizing Rick Warren because he's done something I disagree with. I'm putting the bald facts out in the open: He's a homophobic bigot who thinks we shouldn't have rights, or more to the point, that we shouldn't exist. He runs an ex-gay group through his church. He's compared me to incestuous pedophiles IN THE LAST WEEK. He's compared love between man and man or woman and woman to immature slutting around. He tells the lie that marriage has had a static definition for 5,000 years and that Prop 8 (or others like it) would take away his freedom of speech.

This is not demonization. These are facts. And no amount of political spin makes them anything less than what they are: Evil.

Cut it out.

President Obama is the most powerful and progressive leader we have ever had. Everything about his campaign said this man is different. He is integrity. He is equality. He is leadership. And he is change.

We're all given to hyperbole every once in a while. It's okay.

Stop throwing a temper tantrum.

Telling facts and standing up to the schoolyard bully is NOT throwing a temper tantrum. It's what people in civilized countries are supposed to do.

Try on that this really is the wisest choice to make. What if Obama really knew what he was doing?

Example: What if this experience causes Pastor Warren to really get confronted with the injustice and lack of compassion of some of his beliefs, teachings and actions about LGBT people? What if this is the source of Pastor Warren leading a change in the American church?

Oh, come on. Good can come of bad decisions, but let's not put lipstick on a pig.

If Obama is teaching us anything, it is to expand our vision. To take off the blinders that are creating our "my way or the highway" tunnel vision.

Bigotry must be opposed. I'm glad to have both tunnel vision and blinders if that's what I'm watching.

Now. Standing in that Obama really knows what he's doing and is really committed to integrity and justice, you may still disagree with a choice he's made.

Instead of attacking him... or DEMANDING he do something... What would it be like to make a powerful request that acknowledged your faith in him AND requested that he choose someone else... or even better, created an interfaith group that gave inaugural prayers from several faith traditions. Such a group could be balanced with conservative and progressive faith leaders AND would have room for Pastor Warren.

There should never be room for bigotry in church, no matter the faith.

Finally, let me say some things about Rick Warren. I disagree with his position on Prop 8. I disagree with some of his theology. And, I really respect him for his commitment to making a difference, helping people and being God's love in the world. He is not a bad person. He is not our enemy.

Yes. He. Is.

Our enemy is the mis-information that causes bias and fear.

When we go on the war path, attacking a human being who has been affected by the misinformation, we ABSOLUTELY give up our right to stand as people committed to justice and love.

Were Rick Warren affecting no one but himself, I'd probably agree that he's not harming anyone, so leave the bigot to his bigotry. But --and this is important-- he's harming people right now. As we speak. There are gay men and women sitting in his church right now being told that they are worthless if they "engage in homosexual behavior". There are people in his ex-gay program (Celebrate Recovery) gaining the tools to hate themselves more effectively. There are kids in his congregation ingesting his attitude and learning for the very first time that they will never be good enough.

That must be stopped.

Rick Warren is not a victim. He is an aggressor.

Originally Posted by Jennifer5

Patrick, that's just it, you would normally agree because you believe in that way of thinking. The only thing is, this really is the same as every other situation where it applies.

From dictionary.com,

Progressive :: making progress toward better conditions; employing or advocating more enlightened or liberal ideas, new or experimental methods, etc.: a progressive community.

The definition encourages new and experimental methods, so why can't we give it a try?

Trying to appease your oppressors is not new or experimental. It's the oldest defense mechanism in the book. It doesn't work.

We've seen here on the forums, how people feel when we jump to conclusions. From time to time someone drops in and starts asking questions about sexuality, but we are so quick to correct their wording that they feel unwelcome.

Show me. Link me to those threads. Thanks.

Why is it that we cannot let Obama do this, without questioning his judgment? This man hasn't let his country down yet. Why do you just assume this will be a first?

He's asking a homophobic bigot to pray for the nation. Under no circumstances is this acceptable. As a religious person, the idea is offensive.

This group would know better than any other what it feels like to be expected to fail. How do you feel knowing that some of you will never please your families? Wouldn't it be a blessing to at least have one group of people, who you could always count on to be on your side?

I know that it's not the same, because he is going to be the President. He is not just another person. However, he has the same feelings and throughout his campaign the people that believed in him were the only reason he kept going. Why let him down now?

Woah. Wait a minute. We're not the ones letting someone down. We're not the ones giving a bigot a microphone.