European Forum 2011

Reflection

All Christians affirm that Jesus Christ did incarnate to ‘reform’ the law ‘of Moses’ and transform it into one single affirmation: UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

This ‘Law of Love’ is derived from the great commandment given by Jesus himself: Matthew 22: 34-40, Mark 12: 28-31 and Luke 10:25-28.

God accepts our love for others as if it were love for Himself. So when we love other people, we are giving love to God, Himself. Thus the Great Commandment requirement to love God is fulfilled when we love unconditionally our neighbours, our brothers and sisters, irrespective of gender, age, race, believes, sexual orientation etc.

Hence why Jesus did not utter one single word against homosexuality!

Member of Drachma

Article: Homosexuals are God’s children, too! (Times of Malta, 2011)

By Christopher Bezzina

On the spur of the moment much has been said about homosexuality and Christianity.

Claims have been presented by a particular religious community about the corrupted nature of gays and lesbians; homosexuality is absolutely sinful, and no LGBT will enter the Kingdom of God. Interpreting the Bible word for word with no knowledge of different interpretative methods leaves the homosexual with one assumption: “I am a sinner and a dishonoured creation”. The proposed solution for a LGBT to inherit the Kingdom of God is to change one’s own sexuality and repair what has been tainted.

However, if this reparative therapy fails the LGBT person is considered lacking in faith and a sinner. Based on such assertions I am not surprised that many LGBTs reject these militant religious conclusions, and they ought to do so!

Faced by this extreme interpretation about homosexuality and Christianity, I wish to convey an uplifting spirituality through my participation with Drachma (an LGBT Christian community) and through the support of modern priests and theologians. Such spirituality harmonises the individual’s sexuality with the Christian faith. Primarily it stems from a respectful appreciation of God’s creation. No creature of God is considered corrupted, and like heterosexuals, homosexuals are viewed as created beautiful and called to love God.

The notion of sin changes; sin no longer encompasses what sexuality one possesses but is about how one expresses it. This argumentation has Biblical roots and the individual starts relating to God as a Father rather than a judge. Hence, a LGBT individual has a rightful contribution to creation which stems from the conviction that all human beings are created in the image of God.

If others think differently and believe that change is the only option, no one will prevent them from believing this, but I prefer to view my sexuality as constantly transforming; viewing sexuality as a disposition to know God; a God who is not rigid but continuously active and close to the different characteristics of humanity. Sexuality becomes part of the package of the individual’s identity and it is through the whole identity that the human being is called to encounter God. Hence, for LGBT their sexuality is not an obstacle to attain the Kingdom of God but it becomes a necessary instrument (as it should be for heterosexuals too!). It is a gift bestowed by God which through it one can view God’s love differently. Let me be explicit: no one has the authority to deny us this divine gift.

Without delving on the argument of celibacy and the manner how one should express morally one’s sexuality, it must be highlighted that no institution or community can provide a perfect and flawless blueprint about the appropriate manifestation of one’s sexuality.

Any exhortation about morality based solely on sacred scripture is not only problematic but it instils a fundamental and extreme notion of Christianity which can lead to violent behaviour. The Bible has its proper importance in the cultivation of spirituality with the Trinity, but other important instruments must be used to explore and understand realistically what God reveals.

I recommend LGBT individuals to read what James Alison and Margaret Farley propose in their theology. Through such reading not only does one grow profoundly in faith, but through their theological reasoning depict a genuine inquiry on sexuality and Christianity.

Sexual and Spiritual Integration, a possibility for Christians

For the past years Drachma has been tirelessly working with the LGBTQ community, parents of Lesbian and Gay daughters and sons, and friends of LGBT persons.

Drachma stands for sexual and spiritual integration and calls for a genuine and intelligent search for truth on LGBT and faith matters. The issue is a complex one from the religious point of view and it becomes more complex when the full Christian landscape is painted. Some Christian Churches today bless same-sex unions - the Anglican Church appoints openly gay bishops. The Metropolitan Community Churches and the Apostolic Catholic Churches are a sign of great hope for the Christian LGBT community, our family and friends. The Roman Catholic Church herself has a number of brilliant theologians who are struggling intelligently with this issue, amongst them James Alison, Jeannine Gramick and Margaret Farley.

On the other hand the bible like any other sacred text can be read in fundamentalist ways, used to persecute others, to propagate fear and hatred especially towards communities that are vulnerable or marginalized in some way. Sadly this is no news. This kind of reading unfortunately happens in all religions including the Christian faith.

As Drachma we are greatly concerned about claims of healing from homosexuality through the intervention of Jesus Christ. One of the first problems is that Jesus is presented as someone who is against the gay person, his love towards the gay person presented as conditional, on condition that ‘you’ change. As Drachma we witness the deep disturbance that such reading brings about to the gay community, especially LGBT people whose faith remains important and an intrinsic part of their existence. Of course everyone is free to choose the path he believes is best for himself or herself. Yet, as LGBT Christians we feel obliged to reach out to our brothers and sisters struggling to reconcile their sexual orientation and faith. We want them to know that there is another way, that there is no need to butcher oneself or deny an essential part of one’s own creation to love God and receive Jesus’ love. Christianity is a life-giving option and should not be a religion leading people into neurotic forms of living. Unfortunately, there are some parents who drive their children 'insane' pushing for 'change' and healing which leaves long-term damage upon the individuals when this is not forthcoming.

Of course, freedom of expression is also a human right but one needs to keep in mind the consequences those words and religious claims bring about. The gay community carries the brunt of such words upon its own flesh and knows these consequences only too well. A number of ex-ex-gay persons like Peterson Toscano today witness how damaging these programmes were to them, how deeply deluded and disillusioned they were. It is an even tougher journey to then recover from this other kind of struggle as clearly pointed out by MGRM when quoting scientific research in their press release. The risks of suicide attempts and suicide itself are other matters of great concern to keep in mind when discussing ‘healing’ or reparative therapy.

At Drachma we like to believe that Compassion is the language of love, that all of creation is essentially good and grace builds on nature. We also believe that Christian teaching is essentially a simple one, to treat one’s own neighbours as oneself (in its positive not negative meaning). At Drachma we believe that in this Jesus’ teaching we find all that we need and that simpler doctrine does not exist. Finally Judgment is best left in our Creator’s hands!

If you would like to obtain further information, kindly contact Clayton and Chris on 7909 1984 or on drachmalgbt@gmail.com

Shane Claiborne & Gay Issues

Homo No Mo Halfway House

Introducing the Homo No Mo Halfway House from Peterson Toscano on Vimeo.

podcast- Peterson Toscano

Peterson Toscano about his experiences with the ex-gay movement

http://anarchistreverend.com/2011/05/petersonpodcast/