Duh - I will drink to that!

Gay men and women are everywhere! They're “out”, being painfully gay, and this offends some folks, including some of the very gays who're out there being gay! For this reason, some gays attempt to convert to straightdom, which science now says is ridiculous.

As reported by CNN, the American Psychological Association conducted an extensive study on gay conversions and came up with some truly shocking findings. Excerpted below is the crux of the report, but just please be sure to sit down before you read any of this.

Contrary to claims of sexual orientation change advocates and practitioners, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual orientation," said Judith M. Glassgold, chairwoman of the task force that presented the report at the group's annual meeting in Toronto, Canada. In addition, the report cited evidence that efforts to switch a person's sexual orientation through aversive treatments might cause harm, including loss of sexual feeling, suicide, depression and anxiety.

Many who tried to change and failed "described their experiences as a significant cause of emotional and spiritual distress and negative self-image," it said.

Gee, thanks for the enlightenment APA. However, we doubt that the Mormon Church or many other fundamentalist religious fanatics will be swayed one iota by your little report.

A Thought

Recently, I was required to complete a very extensive set of questionnaires in preparation for my ministry career assessment evaluation. An autobiographical portion involved recalling and documenting certain events that took place in childhood, adolescence, early and middle adulthood. Since I am somewhat advanced in years, I found it difficult to remember back in time some experiences and in particular how I felt, regarding my strengths and weakness that came into play during the occurrence.

Scientifically, it has been advanced that we humans have a built-in neural process of forgetting, which is why the average human brain is equipped with the ability to filter through seemingly irrelevant details. Since an average person does not have infinite memory resources, it appears to be an evolutionary trade-off that allows the majority of us to focus on the most relevant facts and more current experiences.

Okay, assuming this is factual and it sounds good to me, I suppose I should not be too anxious on not fully remembering what I experienced or felt at the age of five, fifteen, twenty-five, or even forty-five. Five minutes ago, that is a different matter. But a thought that crossed my mind, when we do remember, are we remembering the experience as it actually happened or as we now perceive that it happened? I submit it is the latter. Not only can’t we remember some past experiences and how we felt about them but when we do, our memories are not precisely exact, having been affected by time, experiences, and other’s conveyed recollections.

So what is the point of this rambling of mine? Only that when I related some autobiographic experiences in completing the questionnaire, some of them may not be entirely accurate as to what transpired back when they took place. More probable, the recollections are a current day perception of what happen and feelings about same are more that of today than what I felt back then. But maybe that is one of the reasons for the interrogation – how do I now feel about it and how is it affecting my current behavior? Any thoughts?

Vatican Attitude Change on Homosexuality ??

With his outrageous wit, clear disdain for figures of authority and openly homosexual lifestyle, Oscar Wilde is an unlikely pin-up for the Catholic Church. Persecuted and imprisoned for his sexuality, gay rights campaigners have long idolized the 19th century writer as one of their own.

But the Vatican, it seems, is equally enamored of Ireland's greatest wit. In a glowing review of a new study of Wilde by the Italian writer Paolo Gulisano, L'Osservatore Romano – the Vatican's official newspaper – praises the Irish playwright for being "an aesthete and a lover of the ephemeral".

Scant attention is paid to Wilde's well-publicized relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas and the ensuing sodomy trial which sentenced him to two years' hard labor in Reading prison. Instead the paper's review eulogizes Wilde for his "lucid analysis of the modern world" and his eventual conversion to Catholicism as he lay on his death bed.

A few of my favorite Wilde quotes:

~ A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.
~ A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally.
~ A man can't be too careful in the choice of his enemies.
~ A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.
~ A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.
~ Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much.
~ Ambition is the germ from which all growth of nobleness proceeds.

Would Jesus Discriminate?

Pope Benedict XVI (a/k/a Ratzinger) is at it again; this time proposing a new world political body that would supersede the United Nations. He would want this organization to have "real teeth." This body would give more aid to those in need, would enhance trade unions and would focus on an economy driven by the desire to do good as well as make money. (Of course, there is no place for birth control, abortion or marriage equality.) The Pope went on to observe, "As society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbors but does not make us brothers."

I don’t understand and have to ask, isn’t one of the main purposes of religion - to make us brothers and sisters? And why do I allow the Pope to irate me so much – maybe because also being in the ministry, I feel this man, in particular, should not be so discriminatory and be promoting universal love for all men and women.

Through history, many religious institutions have used their interpretation of the scriptures to justify discrimination against women, ethnic minorities, and people with different sexual orientations. In particular, the dominant conversations in around sexual orientation and gender identity have been framed in religious bigotry and intolerance. People in groups that differ from the majority tend to be marginalized in society. People of faith probably would not imagine that Jesus would discriminate. Yet many still maintain discriminatory beliefs, not because thy think it is right, but because they have never actually examined their own beliefs closely and blindly follow those of certain religious leaders. I again, I ask would Jesus discriminate? My viewpoint is that discrimination was not part of Jesus’ message, nor should it be part of any church’s ministry. Amen.