Hug an Evangelical This Christmas

I'm confused because I thought religious people were anti gay because the bible said it's a sin. So how is hugging someone going to alter their understanding of the bible? This article is almost admitting that it is an actual prejudice and not simply following their belief system. Their arguments for opposing gay rights has always lead with "gods disaproval" and the need to protect children from homosexuals (despite the fact that this is untrue). This article has bothered me for days, now I know why because it is an admission that the churches are acting off their own personal feelings and misrepresenting their point of view to decieve their followers. All people, gay or not deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, the ballott box should never have been used to remove rights from hard working decent tax paying people. One day we will look back in shame for what we are doing to our brothers and sisters.

The minister (Janet) is very wise. She's an angel too! Thank you for reminding us to reach out & show our humanity. I have volunteered for many events and organizations since the 70s. I have helped to change hearts and minds along the way. We must reach out and we must give back to whole community. We will have to do more than rant & rave because we are the underdogs, not them. We can't do anything to change the past but we can do alot to change our future. "Reach out and touch somebody's hand, make this a better world if you can!"

I think this article states important points to remember. We have to continue to seed the fields by showing people who we are without a Gay or lesbian sign on our chest. Don't underestimate some conservative people. We know we will never win everyone, but we don't need to. Right now we just need enough, a majority, to get full and equal rights. Just because we have a right doesn't mean prejudice will be gone. Like the civil rights movement, there will be generations of work to level the playing field. But people still have an image of gay being ... I don't have to tell you. From a marketing point of view our image and delivery could be better.

A gay liberal hugging an evangelical? Please, I'm not holding my breath. Oh but liberals will hug a cactus as long as it has a "D" next to its name.

Wake up people! Your hand shaking is not going to invalidate biblical beliefs. Wake up! This is about equal rights. Religion should not be in the picture. We will never achieve equal rights by shaking hands. Stop telling people that this is possible!

Fact: All religions are human invented, all the tall tales, superstitions and the concept of heaven and hell were thought up by people. It was so many years ago that there were no doctors, no science and everything that did not make sence was attributed to magic or a supernatural being. The one thing they seem to have in common is that they share a belief that you must conform to achieve heavenly status. Since that time, we have learned so much and have answered enough questions that we should realize by now that our ancient anscestors who wrote the bible did not understand. If we are to evolve and survive as a species we must unlearn these myths. We need to treat eachother with kindness and respect, knowing that we may not always understand everything about one another. We must also kearn to treat our home with respect by not destroying it. Rats, what is this article about??

Don't put all "Evangelicals" in the same boat. While a huge number are intolerant and un-open to dialogue (believing us deluded by Satan), a surprising number are not so sure. These are the people we need to keep in mind of, not the mouth-foamers, who will only be won over when they owe their life to some LGBTer, and then only maybe. And don't forget the deluded gays often found in these churches, believing the nonsense they are told that they can be "healed". Being a Xtian is not believing in Noah's Ark, etc. (so give it a rest, pls!). Most Xtians seem to have no idea what true Christianity is, or understand its symbolism and need to be educated in their own terms, not by being told they are superstitious by people who they don't care about. I live in a community (a country actually) where there are no LGBT churches (just monthly mtgs) so we have little choice but to attempt to engage. Church matters enough to some of us that this is what we do.

Good point Clayton. Gay is not a religion it is what someone is, like left or right handed. Religion is nit what people are, it consists of chosen beliefs.

@David Freehling. 'real discussion would be nice. attitude has everything to do with seeing people as people - gay or evangelical'. This statement is the crux of what infuriates me about so called evangelicals. "Gay or evangelical'? Bullshit. Religion is not an immutable characteristic. It can be changed as often or as infrequent as a person changes his underwear. Sexual orientation is an essential, immutable part of the core what makes someone human. The 'discussion' always seems to boil down to what someone's values are and THAT's the roadblock. Sexual orientation is NOT a value and it cannot be debated through the lens of some evangelical christian value system. Or any other value system for that matter. What you tragic people want to have as an 'open discussion' isn't a debate about some political or religious issue. It's a debate about my very life. And THAT is not open for discussion. Manipulation my ass.

I am constantly amazed by how much religion interferes in US society. It just always seems to backward, because it's not my experience in Canada at all. I come from a very small, very religious town in Northern Ontario and many of my closest friends are very active members of their churches and hold many fundamentalist beliefs. Not one of them has ever said or done anything to lead me to believe they have anything but the utmost respect for me, and an honest desire to see me treated as an equal in society. Regardless of what their faith tells them, they all seem quite well aware that their beliefs do not and SHOULD not influence legislation or be used as a club against any group of people at all. And they've all been that way since well before I or anyone else came out to them. I'm not saying we don't have fundies up here, but they seem to be much rarer than in the US, and society in general seems MUCH more ready to shout them down if they try to step into areas of public policy.