Did anyone else listen to Terry Gross' interview with Slate journalist Michelle Goldberg, who covers the Religious Right, and who's recently published a book, Kingdom Coming: The Rise of the Christian Right?
I did; coming home from work; drivin' and cryin', as the saying goes.
This message is directed for my more socially conservative readers who are on the fence regarding the full inclusion of gay people into the life of the Church: I want you to listen to this interview. Listen to it good. Listen to it a few times. And you will learn why I don't want you to ever, ever ask me to hold your hand and "try to understand" while you dither and equivocate and tell me about your supposed "anguish" as you try to work out the parameters of my exclusion, because the Bible tells you so.
Don't. Don't even.
The "good Germans" did nothing while their neighbors were being harrassed and driven out of their homes and businesses, then hauled onto cattle cars for eventual delivery up the smoking chimneys of concentration camps. Because, deep down, the "good Germans" shared the same prejudices as the Nazi Party toward Jews, toward the differently abled, toward gays and lesbians, toward Gypsies and other ethnic minorities. After all, it's easier to look the other way when the SS is dragging off one of "them."
And many of the "good Germans" used the Bible to justify their support of their government -- the New Testament's negative commentary directed toward "the Jews" who rejected the Messiah, and all those admonitions in the epistles to be obedient citizens subject to the authority of secular rulers. That was a popular sentiment in conservative circles of the German state church, by the way, even before the Nazis officially took over the franchise. "The Bible says it; I believe it; that settles it."
Are you a "good German," in your heart of hearts? That's something for you to work out in your own examen of conscience.
But be clear about this: Your moral whingeing and handwringing and failure to name and engage whatever homophobia exists in your own heart, in your own circle of friends, in your own churches, in your own denominations, in your own communities, is what keeps the hatemongers Goldberg describes in business.
All day long I have heard and read newscasts and articles saying that the Religious Right is going to step up its homophobic bloviating this summer in order to rally its disheartened foot soldiers. Because it needs an enemy to galvanize its followers, and since it can no longer safely go after Jews and people of color, it's going to go after us. Because it can. Because of the uncomfortable silence of the rest of the Church.
Don't be the good Germans.
5 comments:
Powerful post. Sorry, I'm not sure I can get the interview because I'm on slow dial up.
I don't even know where to begin sister. Cuz I'm right beside you here! I get very heated when I get a whif of homophobic sentiment from one or two older people in the church who are quite a minority in their thoughts (at our parish). Let alone within my own family. I'm seriously alone within my fam when it comes to my politics and theology which is probably why I'm so close to retired pastor and his.
When I see these righties aiming their sights at "the gay" I get LIVID. Their personal opinions of homosexuality aside (but by no means dimissed) why, WHY are they not putting their efforts and money towards hunger, health, peace???? To claim that a faith of peace and love...LOVE, is more interested in persecuting people for LOVING than taking care of the hungry, standing up for the oppressed....in danger.....where is the effin' logic?
Politiians abuse the "morals" card by using homosexuality as a plausible diversion to hide all of the activities that truly go against the faith....not taking care of each other, killing for money...
Grr, grrr.
Do I get a toasteroven for that stance?
Abiding: Yeah; nothing like being told that, as a gay person, you have an evil agenda to destroy Christianity and bring down the United States (this is actually what the Religious Right tells its followers, with great regularity, and what Karl Rove and Co. are going to be pushing in the months to come to try and win back the GOP's disaffected right flank) to put you in a cheerful mood. This isn't hyperbole. This is what they're saying. And these aren't wackos hiding in a bunker somewhere in Idaho, waiting for the black helicopters. These are your "good Christian" neighbors. They hate me, and hate my sisters and brothers, and want us to disappear.
I know -- I KNOW -- that there are people reading this and sighing and saying, "Oh, God, there she goes again," and "Why are those people always so angry and strident," etc., etc., etc. Let me tell you why. Have you ever had someone tell you that they're looking forward to the day when Christian Reconstructionists can take over the government so that capital punishment will be instituted for homosexuality? Have you ever had someone tell you that they wouldn't want to take the chalice from your hand during the Eucharist, or hear your voice reading the Sunday Scripture lessons, because you're unfit to serve God? Have you ever been told that you shouldn't want an intimate, committed relationship with another human being because, after all, you have a dog? On that note, have you ever had yourself compared to zoophiles, pedophiles, rapists and murderers -- you know, "Jesus can forgive you too"? Because, dammit, I HAVE. I have had people tell me all these things. Maybe, straight folks, if you had to live with this shit day in and day out, you'd get a little upset too. And to the extent that you do not respond to this sort of homophobic spew in your own circles of influence, you may as well be saying it to me yourselves.
Ruth: They do it because they need someone to hate in order to whip up support for their political agenda and thus gain power. It's a tried-and-true political strategy especially when aimed at voters who are feeling economically and socially displaced. And people fall for it every time. They did in Germany in the 30's, big time.
You know, the Home Office never sent me a toaster oven. That doesn't speak well for our community's ability to bring down Western civilization.;-)
Preach it, preach it, sister!
So much I could say--but you've said most of it, and I just get tired of having to explain that I just want to be able to live my life, just like most straight people--being able to love openly the most important person in my life, and all that goes with that (wills, hospital visitation, the thousands of things straight folks take for granted).
I am, sadly, glad to be living in Canada. Crazy as things are here, there isn't the same level of fanaticism, DP and I can get married, and the fact that she is my spouse doesn't get a blink most places.
Screaming with you--
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