Red Heifer
Monday, March 14, 2005
Red Heifer
by Luther Butler
RED HEIFER is a fictional attempt to interpret the Apostle Paul. Perhaps you may not agree with the author's interpretation, but this novel will make you think.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Reply to Traditional Values Coalition March 10, 2005
So you are asking me to support your organization to take away the rights of others? If your ideas of God are true, go to hell. I believe in a God who loves and takes up for all people, and not just a bunch of Hitler like people who want to rule the world. You, in your attempt to overthrow abortion, have let Bush kill and maim thousands of our people and innocent people in the Arab, Middle East World. I have a theology degree, but it didn't teach me the crap you're putting out in the name of God. I'm not inclined to be Gay, but is it any skin off your nose if I am? Many gay bashers are fighting their desire to have same sex relations. Luther Butler
http://www.whitecranejournal.com/51/art5110.asp
Select Your CoH EditionThe Cathedral of Hope is a large progressive church whose mission is to reclaimChristianity as a faith of extravagant grace, radical inclusion, and relentless ... www.cathedralofhope.com/ - Cached - Similar pages Although I've never been to this church they do try to accept all people. I pray daily that hate mongers like yourself will come to Jesus Christ and ask for forgiveness.
So you are asking me to support your organization to take away the rights of others? If your ideas of God are true, go to hell. I believe in a God who loves and takes up for all people, and not just a bunch of Hitler like people who want to rule the world. You, in your attempt to overthrow abortion, have let Bush kill and maim thousands of our people and innocent people in the Arab, Middle East World. I have a theology degree, but it didn't teach me the crap you're putting out in the name of God. I'm not inclined to be Gay, but is it any skin off your nose if I am? Many gay bashers are fighting their desire to have same sex relations. Luther Butler
http://www.whitecranejournal.com/51/art5110.asp
Select Your CoH EditionThe Cathedral of Hope is a large progressive church whose mission is to reclaimChristianity as a faith of extravagant grace, radical inclusion, and relentless ... www.cathedralofhope.com/ - Cached - Similar pages Although I've never been to this church they do try to accept all people. I pray daily that hate mongers like yourself will come to Jesus Christ and ask for forgiveness.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Durango Herald Online Please read this article to the end for the pros and cons of being or not being gay.
March 6, 2005
Support group for gays to hear churchgoers' plea for changeChanging orientation works for some, not others
By Lisa Meerts-Brandsma Herald Editorial Assistant
Durango church members who believe people can be saved from their homosexuality have been invited to present their views to a local group that offers support to gays, lesbians, their families and friends.
Durango resident Vi McCoy asked the Rev. Gary O'Neal with the United Pentecostal Church to accompany her when meeting with the Four Corners chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Planned Parenthood office. The presentation is called "Escape from Homosexuality is Possible."
Half an hour has been allotted for the presentation, after which there will be a comment period, said the Rev. Charles Archibald, president of the local chapter of PFLAG. He said McCoy mentioned showing a 20-minute movie, but there may not be enough time to both watch the film and have a discussion.
McCoy wants to give people options that will allow them to live free of homosexuality. She intends to share information about where people can order informational books but was uncertain how else she and O'Neal would organize their presentation.
"We're just going to be there to teach, and hopefully people will listen because we're volunteering and what they'll be receiving is free and the best news on earth," she said.
Both groups want to encourage discussion and education about the topic.
Archibald said McCoy approached him about a month and a half ago with a religious instructional booklet about the threat of homosexuality and said she had a program they would like to present. He accepted her offer because he is eager for a debate to enliven PFLAG.
"I expect a very heated meeting," Archibald said. "I know there's going to be plenty of opinions in the room."
Usually, only one or two people with a pressing dilemma or question attend meetings, but Archibald anticipates a much larger crowd Monday because he has mailed at least 50 personal invitations to PFLAG supporters.
McCoy said the presentation is important not because she is concerned with people's lifestyles, but because she worries about the consequences of their actions. "I don't want anyone to end up in hell," she said. She believes there has been a way out of homosexuality for a long time.
"The answer has been there for over 2,000 years. It's very simple. Painless. And free. And paid for," she said, meaning that the answer was a gift from God.
Although McCoy isn't a member of the United Pentecostal Church in Durango, she asked O'Neal to accompany her because she knows Pentecostal beliefs strictly follow Scriptures. If anyone raises questions about the Bible, she feels O'Neal can answer them.
And while O'Neal is a pastor, he said he will attend the meeting as a friend, not a clergyman. Rather than impose his beliefs on others, he would like to offer hope to anyone who feels locked into homosexuality.
"I'd like to understand homosexuals," he said. He welcomes them into his church, though he does not condone their practices. "We're against their lifestyle but as people, we love them."
Changing orientation works for some, not others
By Lisa Meerts-BrandsmaHerald Editorial Assistant
Richard Baker never needed a program to tell him the best way toescape homosexuality was by avoiding temptation.
He did that himself, by spending five years in heterosexualrelationships.
"I understood exactly what they were saying on how to avoidit, but you’re also very unhappy," said the La Plata County resident.
Once he accepted he was gay, he found life more enjoyable.
Now the treasurer for the Four Corners Gay and Lesbian Alliancefor Diversity and acting editor of its newsletter, Baker is open about hissexuality and offers support to anyone struggling with theirs. He has witnessedfriends try to change their sexual orientation using programs, but doesn’tbelieve it helped or made them better people.
Some programs use 12 steps while others merely explain how tolive your life, he said. They teach homosexuals to avoid their feelings usingthe mentality that if you don’t see, look at, acknowledge or accept them, thefeelings aren’t there.
Baker said he will attend Durango resident Vi McCoy’spresentation "Escape from Homosexuality is Possible" at a meeting ofParents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays on Monday. He wants to learnwhat her approach will be. He said many programs prey on homosexuals’ lack ofself-esteem and place guilt and shame on what they view as wrong – in thiscase, homosexual behavior.
But Rob Winslow of Littleton had a different experience.
For 20 years, he lived a dual life of being married butsuffering from same-sex attraction. Then he went through a healing program wherehe developed an intimate relationship with God. Though it took four years, hesaid his attraction to men is now gone.
"My marriage has been repaired, and I live a straightlife," Winslow said.
The process was difficult because it took a deep personalcommitment to getting to know God, he said. Now Winslow directs a ministrycalled Healing Presence, where he helps people who experiencesame-sex attraction. He also helps people address issues of pornography,promiscuity and lack of identity.
He believes most sexual brokenness is a result of a lack ofintimacy that leads to starving hearts. The majority of people he has helpedwere sexually abused as children. He doesn’t think same-sex attraction is achoice, but that it stems from incidents starting at such a young age thatpeople believe they have always been that way.
"No one chooses that kind of life, it’s toopainful," Winslow said.
Like Baker, Martha Elbert, the treasurer/secretary of the localchapter of PFLAG, is curious about McCoy’s procedure for changing homosexuals.
"I don’t know anyone who can cure me of heterosexuality.There was never a day when I said I could just go either way, and gosh, I justpick heterosexuality," she said.
Elbert has been involved with issues surrounding homosexualityfor a long time because her brother was gay. When he was 3, he preferredfeminine dress. Before he even said he was gay, their parents had him incounseling with the pastor at their church and the congregation praying for him.
Though Elbert believes Monday’s meeting will be interestingfor PFLAG members, she is not convinced it will be beneficial. She said peoplewho are comfortable with their sexuality aren’t looking for a cure, but thosewho are struggling should come to grips with it instead of avoiding their ownnature. They should be certain what they want before making a decision.
She knew one man who tried to change his sexual orientationafter several of his friends had died of AIDS.
"He really just tried to run away from it and change,"Elbert said. The man had been raised Pentecostal and returned to the church, butshe said he’s back to being openly gay now. "He seems happier to me nowthan he did when he was trying to not be gay anymore."
March 6, 2005
Support group for gays to hear churchgoers' plea for changeChanging orientation works for some, not others
By Lisa Meerts-Brandsma Herald Editorial Assistant
Durango church members who believe people can be saved from their homosexuality have been invited to present their views to a local group that offers support to gays, lesbians, their families and friends.
Durango resident Vi McCoy asked the Rev. Gary O'Neal with the United Pentecostal Church to accompany her when meeting with the Four Corners chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the Planned Parenthood office. The presentation is called "Escape from Homosexuality is Possible."
Half an hour has been allotted for the presentation, after which there will be a comment period, said the Rev. Charles Archibald, president of the local chapter of PFLAG. He said McCoy mentioned showing a 20-minute movie, but there may not be enough time to both watch the film and have a discussion.
McCoy wants to give people options that will allow them to live free of homosexuality. She intends to share information about where people can order informational books but was uncertain how else she and O'Neal would organize their presentation.
"We're just going to be there to teach, and hopefully people will listen because we're volunteering and what they'll be receiving is free and the best news on earth," she said.
Both groups want to encourage discussion and education about the topic.
Archibald said McCoy approached him about a month and a half ago with a religious instructional booklet about the threat of homosexuality and said she had a program they would like to present. He accepted her offer because he is eager for a debate to enliven PFLAG.
"I expect a very heated meeting," Archibald said. "I know there's going to be plenty of opinions in the room."
Usually, only one or two people with a pressing dilemma or question attend meetings, but Archibald anticipates a much larger crowd Monday because he has mailed at least 50 personal invitations to PFLAG supporters.
McCoy said the presentation is important not because she is concerned with people's lifestyles, but because she worries about the consequences of their actions. "I don't want anyone to end up in hell," she said. She believes there has been a way out of homosexuality for a long time.
"The answer has been there for over 2,000 years. It's very simple. Painless. And free. And paid for," she said, meaning that the answer was a gift from God.
Although McCoy isn't a member of the United Pentecostal Church in Durango, she asked O'Neal to accompany her because she knows Pentecostal beliefs strictly follow Scriptures. If anyone raises questions about the Bible, she feels O'Neal can answer them.
And while O'Neal is a pastor, he said he will attend the meeting as a friend, not a clergyman. Rather than impose his beliefs on others, he would like to offer hope to anyone who feels locked into homosexuality.
"I'd like to understand homosexuals," he said. He welcomes them into his church, though he does not condone their practices. "We're against their lifestyle but as people, we love them."
Changing orientation works for some, not others
By Lisa Meerts-BrandsmaHerald Editorial Assistant
Richard Baker never needed a program to tell him the best way toescape homosexuality was by avoiding temptation.
He did that himself, by spending five years in heterosexualrelationships.
"I understood exactly what they were saying on how to avoidit, but you’re also very unhappy," said the La Plata County resident.
Once he accepted he was gay, he found life more enjoyable.
Now the treasurer for the Four Corners Gay and Lesbian Alliancefor Diversity and acting editor of its newsletter, Baker is open about hissexuality and offers support to anyone struggling with theirs. He has witnessedfriends try to change their sexual orientation using programs, but doesn’tbelieve it helped or made them better people.
Some programs use 12 steps while others merely explain how tolive your life, he said. They teach homosexuals to avoid their feelings usingthe mentality that if you don’t see, look at, acknowledge or accept them, thefeelings aren’t there.
Baker said he will attend Durango resident Vi McCoy’spresentation "Escape from Homosexuality is Possible" at a meeting ofParents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays on Monday. He wants to learnwhat her approach will be. He said many programs prey on homosexuals’ lack ofself-esteem and place guilt and shame on what they view as wrong – in thiscase, homosexual behavior.
But Rob Winslow of Littleton had a different experience.
For 20 years, he lived a dual life of being married butsuffering from same-sex attraction. Then he went through a healing program wherehe developed an intimate relationship with God. Though it took four years, hesaid his attraction to men is now gone.
"My marriage has been repaired, and I live a straightlife," Winslow said.
The process was difficult because it took a deep personalcommitment to getting to know God, he said. Now Winslow directs a ministrycalled Healing Presence, where he helps people who experiencesame-sex attraction. He also helps people address issues of pornography,promiscuity and lack of identity.
He believes most sexual brokenness is a result of a lack ofintimacy that leads to starving hearts. The majority of people he has helpedwere sexually abused as children. He doesn’t think same-sex attraction is achoice, but that it stems from incidents starting at such a young age thatpeople believe they have always been that way.
"No one chooses that kind of life, it’s toopainful," Winslow said.
Like Baker, Martha Elbert, the treasurer/secretary of the localchapter of PFLAG, is curious about McCoy’s procedure for changing homosexuals.
"I don’t know anyone who can cure me of heterosexuality.There was never a day when I said I could just go either way, and gosh, I justpick heterosexuality," she said.
Elbert has been involved with issues surrounding homosexualityfor a long time because her brother was gay. When he was 3, he preferredfeminine dress. Before he even said he was gay, their parents had him incounseling with the pastor at their church and the congregation praying for him.
Though Elbert believes Monday’s meeting will be interestingfor PFLAG members, she is not convinced it will be beneficial. She said peoplewho are comfortable with their sexuality aren’t looking for a cure, but thosewho are struggling should come to grips with it instead of avoiding their ownnature. They should be certain what they want before making a decision.
She knew one man who tried to change his sexual orientationafter several of his friends had died of AIDS.
"He really just tried to run away from it and change,"Elbert said. The man had been raised Pentecostal and returned to the church, butshe said he’s back to being openly gay now. "He seems happier to me nowthan he did when he was trying to not be gay anymore."
