Dear Fellow Pastor, Priest, Rabbi, Imam, Minister:
The United Nations long ago realized that in an increasingly diverse world, there would be no peace without tolerance - allowing others different from you to survive and thrive. But in many ways, our efforts are meeting with at best, mixed results. And it is becoming clearer that our respective faiths are part of the problem.
FBI statistics in the United States of America reveal something alarming -- crimes motivated by hate are at an all time high - for everyone - Black or White, Christian, Jew, Hindu or Moslem, regardless of gender or gender orientation. In the 'Land of the Free', minority kids are 15 times more likely to be victims of a violent hate crime than their White counterparts, while generalized crime against White students continues to grow at an alarming pace. Intolerance is like rain - when it comes down, everyone gets wet. Teenagers (whether Gay or simply accused of being Gay) are 45 times more likely than other kids to be hospitalized from a brutal attack before making it out of high school. And believe it or not, cross burnings still happen in this day and time - every single week and certain housing contracts still restrict the sale of homes to certain households. And while most of us don't advocate actions such as these, we fail to realize where they originate - apparently in mindsets rooted in our faith. Nearly 90% of hate crime perpetrators cite some form of religious conviction, often complete with scripture references, as their rationale. We are hoping that you will work with us to change this.
As an ordained Christian minister, I obviously see this not only as a social problem, but as a spiritual problem and a matter of conscience. We therefore think it particularly important that we partner with pastors, priests, and religious leaders of all denominations, sects and religions who care about the situation. Here are some reasons why:
"I'm so sick of hearing how 'God is a God of Love'. "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated"-God said that. So all of you f___ing so-called "Christian" pansies who can't stand the heat should leave the real work to us… AIDS is systematically exterminating the two most despicable groups on this planet - Negroids and Fags. Who can doubt that it's from God?" (Christian Aryan website)
"If by 'tolerance', they want us to 'work with' other groups who worship demons, that's not happening. After all, what fellowship does light have with darkness? God told Israel to wipe them out and burn them so that their filth wouldn't spread to us. That's what we should be doing. They're sons of hell and should be sent there on an express train, not 'tolerated'…" (web posting in response to efforts to get religions to work together to support communities)
"I didn't make you a nigger - God did… I owned your great grandmother" (Written on a subway wall in NYC in 2005).
"The problem with Blacks is that they're still supposed to be in slavery. Nothing personal, that's just they're curse. It's right in the Bible." (Posted on a teenage internet blog last month)
A top Chinese Buddhist leader, speaking on behalf of China's religious circles, said yesterday in Beijing that the government's ban on Falun Gong is justified and lawful because the group is a cult rather than a religion .
"The evil Falun Gong fault simply exploits and distorts religious notions in an effort to pass as religion,'' Shi Shenghui, member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and vice-chairman of the Buddhist Association of China, said at the plenary meeting on the current session of CPPCC yesterday Ban on Falun Gong.
"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Romans 2:28,29." "As the Apostle Paul (who himself was a Jew) teaches in this verse, the only true Jews are Christians. The rest of the people who claim to be Jews aren't, and they are nothing more than typical, impenitent sinners, who have no Lamb." (Westboro Baptist Church website)
"Every race needs a homeland, even the white race. Our culture is just as valid as the 'native american indian' or the Chinese or the 'black culture' - especially in the countries that we ourselves built. Soon all the peoples that are responsible our civilization and all the technology that we use today will be gone forever."
"All this talk about 'peace', but Jesus said he didn't come to bring peace, but a sword! If we don't destroy the evil that is among us, God's wrath is going to fall on us."
"The retreat was entitled, "Gay and Christian." But the two terms, "gay" and "Christian" are mutually exclusive, incompatible, incongruous. "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13). The church today not only tolerates sin but in some instances condones it. God does neither." (Bible.org)
"God doesn't hate you because you're a fag. It is because God hates you THAT you're a fag… Matthew Shepard has been in hell for 2362 days. Deal with it! All else is trivial and unimportant. All the fag caterwauling, candlelight vigils, court orders, etc., can't buy these perverts one drop of water to cool their tongues."
"I think a lot of the data [proposing the genetic inferiority of Blacks] are indisputable.... It does shoot a hole straight through the heart of egalitarian socialism which tried to create equality of result by coercive government programs." (Pat Buchanan)
"Dr. Graham uses a deceptive fundamental terminology which is acceptable to liberals, Roman Catholics, and pagans alike. It is suspect and does not mean what the Bible means. It is this that makes Dr. Graham's ministry so dangerous. In this pamphlet Billy Graham and his liberal friends will speak for themselves."
You won't believe it. Personally, the more I more I read, the more saddened I am - Religious leaders advocating White Superiority, persecuting people of other faiths, and advocating unthinkable crimes against gays. Our silence indicates that leaders like this speak for us. Which brings me to my biggest surprise thus far with this project -- the degree of resistance and indifference I've encountered from the people I thought would be most supportive - other people of faith. Instead, what I've found are some of the most vicious, hatred and rage-filled diatribes I've ever read. But I still hope that the men sited above are just extremists, that people of faith (and particularly other ministers) generally do not feel this way, nor are we promoting this within our congregations. I hope I'm right. But we don't realize that our silence is speaking volumes. Not that I cannot sympathize with the tendency to stay silent. Rev. Billy Graham, one of the most admired men in the last 100 years, has taken a terrible verbal beating for his willingness to work with others, for his evolving understanding of the grace of God, because he thought Pope John Paul II was one of the most admirable men he'd ever met, for stating that there are things that can be learned from other religions, and for the fact that he professed to actually having gay friends. Members of his own tradition have accused him of everything from being 'Satan masquerading as an angel of light' to 'a greater betrayer of the faith than Judas', simply for doing what I'm asking of you.
We've spent far too much time focusing on 'their'(other religions, liberals, conservatives, gays, fundamentalists, non-theists, etc, etc, etc) morality and far too little on 'our' behavior. Right now, 'people of faith' is a term that produces little in the way of good thoughts in the minds of others - hatred, picketing, shouting, accusing, angry, rejoicing in the pain of others, absolutely certain that their point of view is 1000% correct and determined to make sure that the laws of this country reflect their point of view. In our arrogance and anger, we've become a caricature of the true notion of faith - much more recognizable as 'people of dogma'. But ask someone what a 'person of conscience' is and you'll get a radically different answer - concerned about others and the world, compassion, integrity, humane, 'do-gooders', caring, good people. One goal of this project is to help erase the difference in perception between "people of faith' and "people of conscience". In a society where almost all hate crimes originate from our theology, we've got a problem. We helped create this mess. We're responsible to help clean it up. That is why I'm asking for your help.
Every major faith tradition teaches a version of what the Torah describes as "Love thy neighbor as thyself".
These teachings inspired the "Neighbor Imperative" -- a campaign that aims to enlist 1,000 diverse spiritual leaders who are willing to personally involve themselves in making these truths reality in their communities.
We'd love to have you (or a leader from your congregation) as part of this initiative. You can find specific information on the Neighbor Imperative campaign or sign up below.
Grace, Peace and love to you!
Want to get involved in the Neighbor Imperative? Find out more here!
Links:
Religions For Peace
International Interfaith Centre
Articles:
Clerics engage in talks on Religious Tolerance: Stirring debate and impassioned appeals for tolerance and understanding were the order of the day at an interfaith dialogue over the weekend between Muslims and leaders from the Buddhist, Confucian, and Christian communities...
Who me? Prejudiced? Presbyterians are committing themselves to rooting out racism.
Confessions of a Closet Racist:
Carter's Crusade: "When I was younger, almost all Baptists were strongly committed on a theological basis to the separation of church and state. It was only 25 years ago when there began to be a melding of the Republican Party with fundamentalist Christianity, particularly with the Southern Baptist Convention. This is a fairly new development, and I think it was brought about by the abandonment of some of the basic principles of Christianity."…
Center Aims to Offer a Religious View for Gays: Pacific School of Religion, the multi-denominational seminary of the United Church of Christ challenges prevailing perceptions that Christianity resoundingly rejects homosexuality.
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