PREJUDICE IS . . .
I recently posted a comment on a friend’s FACEBOOK page. They had posted a link to an article about Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan who, after retiring, granted an interview with ROME magazine and stated that, “Transsexuals and homosexuals will not enter into the Kingdom of God, and I do not say this, but Saint Paul does." The Cardinal goes on to further note that “One is not born a homosexual. One becomes a homosexual. . . . acting against the dignity of the human body, certainly they will not enter Heaven.”
But this BLOG is not about the Cardinal’s interview. Rather, it is about the prejudice that I saw within the remarks of my friend’s post. I will grant you that there are many, far too many, who have been hurt by the Church and organized religion. In the name of religion there has been the committing of murder, the propagation of lies, the validation of hatred, and even the act of genocide through the name of “Ethnic Cleansing.” Those who are part of right-wing America throw around the claim that we, those in the GLBTQI community, are trampling on their rights of freedom of speech and religion when they act to deny us our rights and continue to propagate hatred. And I have felt the calling as I stand between my sexual identity and my faith journey to try and bring people back into a community of love, a community based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His teachings, a community that is welcomes all people everywhere. And, yet, in spite of my earnest effort I was still cut down and, what I felt, verbally attacked for my belief.
So, I come to an interesting cross-roads. I have seen so many cases of prejudice against the GLBTQI community. But now I am on the receiving end of prejudice FROM the GLBTQI community. And I am faced with the experience of not having a home, not being welcomed anywhere, not being given due consideration for what I believe. Please understand I have written about this before on my MYSPACE page. But this time, it is so very different because it is so blatant and anger filled. So, the question that I ask is, “Is it ever right to judge or prejudge someone simply because you feel attacked by a group that they align themselves with, no matter how loosely that alignment may be? I would think not! I realize that I am not the only one who has a faith journey that also winds its way through my sexual identity, and I am sure that I am not the only gay who has experienced the backlash from others in my community because of also having faith. And I am also sure that I have been on the giving end of the faith attack far too many times. What I ask is that before you attack someone because of their belief, maybe you should think about where they are coming from and what they are claiming to believe. It just might be possible that even if you do not see eye to eye with them on their faith journey, you will still find some kind of common ground to stand upon and thereby, strengthen community instead of destroying it.
Blessings be with you all - David L.
