Like so many other Brethren across the country, our house and church is talking about same-sex covenantal relationships. Last Sunday we previewed a documentary about Peace Church’s transformation to being an open and affirming congregation.
I’ve lived out on the west coast long enough that I don’t get what the big deal is. I don’t get how people aren’t accepting of everyone. I really don’t give two hoots what anyone does in their bedroom. If a friend of mine is in a happy, healthy relationship, awesome; that’s what’s important. Period. Our job as humans is to love and accept each other, regardless of race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, age, ability level, etc. Off my soap box I’ll try to step for now.
The video that was shown in church was good. It should both average every day straight Brethren and LGBT Brethren, and their families. I posit that the biggest holdup for conservative Brethren is simple lack of contact with LGBT people. I grew up in a pretty small eastern town. I didn’t make my first openly gay friend until college. But when you realize that the fear-mongering and hateful vitriol spewed against the LGBT community is baseless, a transformation happens: you realize that people are people first. You realize that sexual orientation is just a part of all of our’s identities. You realize that LGBT people have the same desires for family, security, fun, enjoyment of life as everyone. You realize that being gay is not a choice: who would want to face discrimination and being potentially ostracized by loved ones? And I don’t know about other straight people, but I don’t remember the day I decided to be attracted to women.
Church and I haven’t always had the closest of relationships. I’ve felt comfortable here at Peace Church because everyone is really accepting and loving of everyone where they are. Church shouldn’t be about prescribing behavior and dispensing ample doses of guilt. Church is about community, a family. Church is about accepting everyone in that community, BECAUSE of our differences.
I close with a quote (still firmly perched on my soap box, accept my feeble attempts at apologizing). This is from the end song from the documentary:
“I want the whole wide world to see that love makes a family
The kids up the street have two moms and no dad.
Some people tease them; they say that it’s bad
The way people treat them, it makes me so mad
‘Cause their house, it is filled with love.”~Two of a Kind
Ps if you are interested in seeing this video contact Groff Video Productions, Vancouver, WA.
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