Comments

This is a helpful blog post. I have to say that for myself, though I hold traditional views of human sexuality, I am nauseated at the vitriol Christians direct at homosexuals. The Golden Rule Pledge looks like a promising option for those in a position like me.

This is not an easy issue. How do we be loving, yet also resist a cultural tide that does not want to hear dissent on matters of human sexuality? Its not easy, but it definitely isn't helped by playing into stereotypes of Christians and villainizing people who are lost.

As a gay follower of Jesus I am frequently heartbroken and angry at the actions of folks like Ken Hutcherson, who I feel grotesquely misrepresent the message and meaning of Christ. I think The Golden Rule Pledge is a thoughtful and more challenging 3rd way of approaching a difficult issue. I would support The Golden Rule Pledge in my local schools. Thank you for this informative and honest blog post.

I must say that, even though I disagree with your basic philosophy regarding homosexuality, your approach sure beats that of the "God Hates Fags" groups. I appreciate your promotion of the decision to treat me with respect. I wish, however, that you and others like you would accord my *family* (including my two children) the same respect by allowing them to enjoy the same rights, privileges and protections under the law accorded freely to your own.

Thanks for your article.

I really appreciate this statement: "Gospel wisdom, then, means not just learning when to speak, but what part of God's good news to speak first, and how that news should be delivered. On occasion, we may even find the best way to begin to "speak" this marvelous news is to remain silent."

That is so true. The challenge is that many Christians are not sure when and how to speak--and, unfortunately, there really isn't much training or discussion in the Church to learn how to discern this.

As a Christian who has same-gender attractions and also periodically speaks on the issue to church groups--I was very alarmed and disappointed by the Religious Right response to the Day of Silence and Hutcherson's protest. There is no doubt in my mind that those actions only served to drive non-believers further from God.

If none of us would respond to someone waving a protest sign in our face, why do we think it will work when we do it to others? Where is the compassion to sit down and have a real conversation with our gay youth? Why are there 2,000 Gay Straight Alliance peer support groups in high schools, but not one church related peer support group? The secular world has more compassion than Christians.

PS--The Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network did not start the Day of Silence as is often attributed. The Day of Silence was started in 1996 by college students. GLSEN did not become a sponsor until 5 years later in 2001.

I'm in full support of the ADF's Day of Truth counteraction. I'm a Christian who is struggling with homosexuality, and I'm sick and tired of the aggressive Christian views toward this issue. Christian's are supposed to be loving, shedding light upon those who are lost in the darkness of this world. It truly breaks my heart when Christtian's regard Homosexuals as "untouchables". I mean, sin is sin to God. Sinful sexual desires are the same in God's eyes as stealing a pack of gum from my mom's purse, both separate us from Him. God's word says in 1 Corinthians 5 "9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat."

Christians, are not supposed to judge those lost in the world, they are supposed to lead them to Jesus. It's only wrong to associate with those who claim to be Christian, yet act in a way that does not please God.

If Christian's can evangelize to third world countries where demonic worship occurs, or to drug addicts, or to cynical atheist, then why is it hard to speak to Homosexuals? Jesus died for them too.

As a Christian, I have long been sicked by the dishonesty and malice expressed by people who condemn homosexuality. Even statements like "a cultural tide that does not want to hear dissent on matters of human sexuality? " which imply a fiercely inaccurate account of the position and actions of GLBTQ people, is deeply offensive. Comparisons of people's loving, unitive intimate relationships to demon worship and drug addiction is hate speech, and frankly, so it comparing atheism to demon worship and drug addiction.

The truth is that it is the conservatives who call themselves Christians who refuse b>to hear dissent, who seek to prevent dissent on matters of human sexuality - and all of the punitive laws targeting GLBTQ people are proof of that.

It is crucial to recognize that just as 'homosexuality is sin' is a religious belief, its corollary 'homosexuality is not sin' is also a religious belief. Those, like Hutcherson, who deliberately provoke anti-homosexual prejudice are, in actuality, perpetuating religious oppression and in doing so, nurture and condeon other flavors of religious prejudice.

Of the two beliefs, is sin and is not sin, only the first intrinsically creates injustice and malice.

The opposite of promoting homosexuality in the public schools is not -not promoting homosexuality. Rather it is promoting the idea that homosexuality is immoral & perverse.

Not politicizing the school system with homosexuality is the middle ground. Most school’s don’t promote a "day of silence" - they fairly regard school as a place of learning and not a place of political propagandizing of one stripe or another.

Imagine the disruption and attention pro-lifers could generate if they had a day-of-silence for unborn children???

They don’t do this because they are not radicals. The homosexuals are.

The opposite of promoting homosexuality in the public schools is not -not promoting homosexuality. Rather it is promoting the idea that homosexuality is immoral & perverse.

Not politicizing the school system with homosexuality is the middle ground. Most school’s don’t promote a "day of silence" - they fairly regard school as a place of learning and not a place of political propagandizing of one stripe or another.

Imagine the disruption and attention pro-lifers could generate if they had a day-of-silence for unborn children???

They don’t do this because they are not radicals. The homosexuals are.

Thank you for this blog post. I am a Christian who cannot find biblical support for homosexual relationships, but I am a Christian who has gay friends (some of whom are Christian; one of whom is a pastor -- not my own) whom I deeply love. I believe the Golden Rule Pledge is the very least expected from us, by our Lord who died for us all. Thanks again.

I can't seem to find a good example of biblical heterosexual relationship in the bible. Homosexual relationships are rare - 1 in 20, and so why are we so insistent of an absolute proof as if the bible's main purpose is about sex rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us not be sin focused, but instead be Christ focus, proclaiming the good news that irrespective of our orientation, Christ is our Lord and Saviour.

Leave gays alone, we have a whole world out there seeking answers and hope, yet we spend so much time in dialog when our work and our battlefield is out there. Let us not be distracted by the modern day Bathsheba, less we commit a terrible sin in doing so.

Lamb
Singapore

If only we as Christians were so outraged at the heterosexual forms of sexual immorality (sex outside of marriage, adultery, etc.) then maybe we could get to the root of the problem. The true problem is sexual immorality of any kind, but the heterosexual varieties tend to get ignored... funny thing is that Paul tends to list them all together when he speaks against them in Scripture. My point is that Christians have singled out homosexuals while letting all sorts of other sexually immoral behavior to escape their view. Maybe we're just afraid to address the bigger crowd for fear that they may outnumber us. Just a thought...

Most of those persons practicing other forms of sexual immorality are still in the closet similiar to that which sodomites and lesbians inhabited until recently. If some misguided "church" group should open St. Mary Magdalin Whorehouse and promote it as legitimate Christian behavior I believe they would receive a significant reaction.

I am a transgender Christian who has participated in the Day of Silence. I'm glad this article understands that the Day of Silence attempts to end the stigma around LGBT people that forces them into unhealthy silence. It's not about right vs wrong, it's about dialogue vs ignorance.

The wave called Culture War has swallowed us whole. The bad news is that we are all suffering from evangelical whiplash. The good news is that we now have the wisdom to understand the importance of building a witness on the rocky soil of Jesus Christ instead of the shifting sandy shores of self-righteousness. There is another way. It is a better way. It works because Jesus will NOT fail...

http://www.billhenson.blogspot.com

I never thought that I would live to see the day when I would agree with the Concerned Women for America on anything but this is a an affront to the very notion of freedom. The "day of silence" is, in effect, an attempt to coerce speech and the only effective counter to that is to speak or act in opposition.

Boycott, preach, blow your car horns as you leave school, but never let anyone tell you how to think.

Instructions on the DOS:

Here are four things you need to know about your rights as you mark Day of Silence this Friday, April 25.

1. You DO have a right to participate in Day of Silence and other expressions of your opinion at a public school during non-instructional time: the breaks between classes, before and after the school day, lunchtime, and any other free times during your day. If your principal or a teacher tells you otherwise, you should contact our office or the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
2. You do NOT have a right to remain silent during class time if a teacher asks you to speak. If you want to stay quiet during class on Day of Silence, we recommend that you talk to your teachers ahead of time, tell them what you plan to do, and ask them if it would be okay for you to communicate on that day in writing. Most teachers will probably say yes.
3. Your school is NOT required to “sponsor” Day of Silence. A lot of schools this year are announcing that they aren’t sponsoring Day of Silence due to pressure from national anti-gay groups. But Day of Silence is rarely a school-sponsored activity to begin with — it’s almost always an activity led by students. So don’t be confused — just because your school is saying that the school won’t officially sponsor or participate in Day of Silence doesn’t mean that it’s saying you can’t participate.
4. Students who oppose Day of Silence DO have the right to express their views, too. Like you, they must do so in a civil, peaceful way and they must limit their expression to non-instructional time. They do NOT have a right to skip school on Day of Silence without any consequences, just as you don’t have a right to skip school just because you don’t like what they think or say.

Any group who sees this as a "threat to speech" a "disruption to learning" or even "telling us what to think" has probably been misled by those who are ignorant, bigoted, or both. They probably have no idea that these instructions even exist.

To those who support a more compassionate approach to 'we' homosexual persons ; I wish you the best of luck in your attitudes and perspectives.But , having seen over half a century of Christian love as it impacts our segment of humanity ; it is far too little and far too late. I have never sen one iota of goodness , mercy , compassion or inclusion ; from any person professing to be a conservative Christian. The larger part of my experience with those of "deeply held beliefs", has been to bury , through the years; fifty-seven good friends who were denied even a fighting chance at additional life by the religious right who firecely opposed any public funding for research into HIV and the development of treatment options. The subsequent delay was devastating, and carved in proverbial stone ; the reality of faith based ideologies where we are involved.

Buy land, they're not making it any more.--Mark Twain (1835-1910), U.S. writer

My sunday school teacher sent my class the link to this article right before the day of silence to inform us of what to expect, and how to respond as Christians. As I read the article, i found myslef agreeing with the ways to deal lovingly with this issue at achool. Then i proceeded to read the comments you all have posted, and i was shocked.
If you are a true Christian who follows Jesus and believes every last word of the Bible like you claim yourseleves to be, then how can you adamantly sit here and also say that homosexuality is acceptable? Is murder, lying, cheeting, adultry, and gossip also acceptable? We are all created with tendencies to commit one or more of these sins, and also some are givin tendencies to struggle with homosexuality. Just like we have to concentrate on not telling lies, or cheating on tests, those of you who are given this stuggle have also been givin the tool to fight it. Jesus is here, and longs to talk to you and show you the One and ONLY truth. I encourage you all to pray about your faith, and realize what the Lord is telling us:

"Because of this, God gave them over to to shameful lusts. Even their women exchaned natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were enflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion."
Romans 1:26-27.

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? DO NOT BE DECEIVED: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolators nor adultors nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor theives nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingon of God."
1 Chorinthians 6:9-10

We are all guilty, which the Bible clearly states. There is no excuse for any of these things, and i encourage you all who are struggling with this particular sin to take a look at what the Lord truely says about what you're doing. There is no way to interpret this other than what it says; this is a sin, and you cant be deceived any longer.

With Love, Rebecca.