Congratulations to Al Gore!

Congratulations to Al Gore for sharing the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Along with Jimmy Carter, Gore symbolizes the best in public service. Although Gore was unsuccessful at winning the presidency, he continued to shape discussion about important issues, such as global warming. He also graciously conceded to Bush when many people, including me, think he actually won. (Oh, but for the thwarted Florida recount.)

Oh No! Not Another Wacky Attorney General!

President Bush's nominee for Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, had some surprising testimony yesterday. Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mukasey stated his belief that the President and his administration had the constitutional authority to operate beyond the limits specified by law. Perhaps he could explain how our system of government, supposedly based upon the rule of law, differs from dictatorships? If laws can be superseded, what prevents governmental abuses of authority?

The Bush administration, its appointees, and its nominees continue to amaze me.

Gay and Lesbian History Month

It's that time of year! No, not Halloween, although it's getting closer; rather, October is Gay and Lesbian History Month. From people who have researched this topic, here are some famous people who were gay:

• Alexander the Great
• Plato
• Sappho
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Desiderius Erasmus
• Michelangelo
• Francis Bacon
• Christopher Marlowe
• Frederick the Great
• Lord Byron
• Herman Melville
• Walt Whitman
• Horatio Alger, Jr.
• Oscar Wilde
• Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
• Marcel Proust
• Willa Cather
• Gertrude Stein
• E. M. Forster
• Virginia Woolf
• John Maynard Keynes
• T. E. Lawrence
• Jean Cocteau
• Bessie Smith
• Charles Laughton
• Noel Coward
• Tennessee Williams
• Alan Turing
• James Baldwin
• Andy Warhol

I confess, I had to look up some of these names to find out what made them famous. :-)

The War on Visas

Because of 9/11, the Bush administration has tightened the visa requirements for admission to the United States, with the effect that many applicants are denied admission.

Particularly with student visas this policy is misguided. The United States had previously welcomed students to our colleges and universities. When I attended the University of Iowa, I met students from Germany, France, Japan, China, Chile, Nigeria, Iran, and Lebanon. It was wonderful to learn something about each of these countries, and to make friends that I otherwise would never have known.

This exposure benefited me and the many other Americans who met the foreign students, while the foreign students learned first-hand about the United States. After graduating, many found jobs here, benefiting our economy with their knowledge and hard work. Others left for their homes, with closer ties to our country. Either way, we benefited.

Now, student visas are difficult to get as the Bush administration cites potential terrorism risks. That policy is unfortunate because the benefits so greatly outweigh the small risk.

The Faith Club

One of the results of 9/11 was that three women of different faiths started meeting together to discuss their religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and to write an interfaith children's book. The Faith Club tells their story, as they discover how much the differing faiths share in common.

One of the women describes her belief that there are different, equally valid routes to God. That is one of my beliefs too. Here is a quote from Ranya Idliby:

"I believe that God does not distinguish between humans because of their race, color, or religious tradition. God sees beyond the different rituals and judges the valor of humans not on the merits of one tradition over the other but rather on our own actions and choices."

Some people would disagree with my belief that God's grace extends beyond just Christians. I have a difficult time believing that my Jewish and Muslim friends, with their love and compassion for others, are not given God's grace too.

I highly recommend the book.

Gays and Religion

I believe in God, and in his grace, love, and compassion. But religious nuts have made it difficult to be gay and to be religious. Rather than endure the constant condemnations for being gay -- which most gays including me would say is inborn -- gays quit the church. How ironic, given that the New Testament is filled with stories of love, compassion, and inclusiveness.

A few years ago I was active in protesting an anti-gay resolution passed by the county where we lived. At our protests, one of the counter-protesters displayed a sign saying "Thank God for AIDS." Not only was that sign offensive, but it is bad theology.

The most vocal "mainstream" group has to be the Southern Baptists, the church of my mother and most of her side of the family. The last Southern Baptist Sunday service that I attended was given by Charles Stanley here in Atlanta. Stanley managed to lump gays with murderers, rapists, and child molesters. I was polite enough not to walk out of the sermon, but only because I was attending with an aunt and several cousins. Since then, I have not been back in any Southern Baptist church except for funerals.

The only mainstream denominations that welcome gays are the Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ (UCC), both of which are fairly recent developments. Indeed, the Episcopal Church is now being turn apart because of its commitment to gays.

During the 1970s, gays started a denomination, the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), to provide a home for worship. As the name implies, most of the metro areas in the United States have at least one of their churches. The Cathedral of Hope (don't you love the name?) located in Dallas was the flagship church until they recently split from the MCC and joined the UCC. (The Cathedral of Hope was designed by a famous architect, and yet I think it is one of the ugliest buildings I have ever seen.)

I do wish the mainstream churches would stop crucifying gays in their sermons.

A Letter to Pat Robertson

This letter has been published on various internet sites, sometimes to Pat Robertson, to Dr. Laura, and to Jerry Falwell (before his death). I find it amusing as well as a foil to those religious nuts who would condemn people for being gay. Here it is:

Dear Pat Robertson,

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your religious channel, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?

e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? Does it merit stoning him?

g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I'm nearsighted. Does my vision have to be 20/20? Is that with or without the corrective lenses? What if I need bifocals?

h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?

i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

j) My cousin has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.

A Fitting Tribute to Matthew Shepard

Last week, the United States Senate passed the Matthew Shepard Act. The act expands federal laws against hate crimes to include sexual orientation. The act is a fitting tribute to Matthew Shepard.

For anyone unfamiliar with Matthew Shepard, here's a summary: Matthew Shepard was a 21 year-old student at the University of Wyoming. After meeting two men at a gay bar in Laramie, the three men left together. The two men drove Matthew Shepard to a rural area, tied him to a fence post, beat him savagely, pistol-whipped him, and left him for dead. He died of his injuries after lingering for five days. The two men were not gay, and had gone to the gay bar to look for a victim. Matthew Shepard endured what nobody should, because he was gay.

The murder occurred in 1998. Since then, efforts to include sexual orientation as a hate crime have not been successful, until now.

The Matthew Shepard Act is expected to be vetoed by President Bush.

Creation Museum's Unique Exhibits

Creationists, the people who believe in the Bible's account of the creation of the earth, now have a museum to showcase their belief. The Creation Museum recently opened in Petersburg Kentucky, a suburb of Cincinnati Ohio.

The group's website declares Be prepared to experience history in a completely unprecedented way. Indeed. To this group, history means the book of Genesis.

There are exhibits on Noah's Arc and the Garden of Eden. Just outside the Garden of Eden, dinosaurs are exhibited including the tyrannosaurus rex in an unique blend of natural science and biblical belief. Visitors may watch any of several informational movies, including Six Days of Creation and Dinosaurs and Dragons. Reaching outside the book of Genesis, the museum also depicts the Crucifixion.

Visitors of this museum have noted differences between its displays of natural history and those displayed at the Kentucky state parks. These differences have prompted state naturalists to organize a trip to the museum to see its depictions.

Naming this place a museum is misleading. Its blend of Bible with science doesn't accurately portray scientific theory. Intentionally or not, its organizers are preying (I love puns) upon the lack of understanding of natural history by its visitors.