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04/28/2008
Video: Audio, views both out of sync
So this guy, Chattanooga street preacher David Taylor, presents his one-sided anti-gay views in a way that he thinks sets him apart from run of the mill "homophobes." We, however, would argue that his approach is more damaging and even more offensive than those who own up to their biases:
Alright, so every time Mr. Taylor spouts what he considers to be typical homophobic speech, he drops down into a crude "redneck" impression, clearly as a way to set apart his own queer-antipathetic notions from those around him. But why? He himself is taking a handful of multi-translated, open-for-interpetation Bible passages and making it sound as if his own personal interpretation is the one clear cut reading. He himself is comparing gay people to other "unclean" types. He is the one who is building his entire case around the notion that gay sex is icky, sinful, and makes people squirm. He is encouraging the idea that gays can "change" (even if a the "former gay" may still "struggle" with being effeminate). So why is he passing the buck, putting himself on a more compassionate moral pedestal than those around him?! He's the one making a video all about the "sinful" gays and their need for "help"!
Here at G-A-Y, we attack anti-gay messages without resorting to name-calling or personal attacks, so one might think that we'd prefer a softer approach from our opposition. But from our perspective, a soft voice and a smile just don't change all that much when we're talking about the crude demonization of people's lives and loves! In fact, it is this sort of false compassion that muddies the waters of this so-called "culture war," and confuses folks into believing that anti-gay social conservatism is the truly "loving" position. For not only are people like Mr. Taylor passing off the same sort of rhetoric that keeps us unmarried, unequal, kicked out of our homes, vulnerable, and discriminated against, but they are teaching more outwardly hostile folks how to throw a mask over their biases so as to make them more palatable. Through his video, Mr. Taylor is not encouraging a better understanding of LGBT people or encouraging his brothers and sisters to look at alternate ideas regarding the "clobber passages." He is simply giving them (and himself) cover.
Look, we don't doubt that Mr. Taylor believes what he is saying. He seems like a nice enough guy, and we do honestly appreciate his desire to be more peaceful. However, as long as he is marginalizing a rich, vibrant community of good and decent people and writing off our relationships as "vile affections," he's not in a boat all that far removed from the one that holds the "WE HATE GAYS!" crowd. His stones might be coated with a thin layer of Nerf foam, but they're still bringing unnecessary pain to our lives and loves.
How to minister to and share God's love with gay people. [GodTube]
**Oh, and let's not forget: GodTube will pull your video if you present a dissenting view on gay issues!
Your thoughts
I don't know why I bother watching these anymore. I keep expecting them to come up with something novel.
Posted by: Alle | Apr 28, 2008 7:21:56 PM
Penises and Assholes - these bible thumpers always equate homosexuality to gay males almost exclusively. At about 1:15 this guy says that homosexuality is “men with men doing that which is unnatural” or male penises in male assholes. Never does he mention lesbians – never do any of them. Probably because lesbian sex isn’t icky, on the contrary it’s kind of erotic! Well, maybe for straight men and lesbians. Personally, it really doesn’t do much for me – especially if they have those floppy big boobs, eeew.
I try not to monopolize conversations, but am rarely successful, but in this case I will just mention one more thing (unless something else comes to mind). At about 12:20, this “hate-free zoner” mentions a story from the book of John about a woman brought before Jesus. We all have heard it – has stones, “he who has no sin . . .”, and the people drop the rocks and walk away, and so on. Bible scholars say that John never wrote that story, and the book of John is the only place where it ever appears – the story was added to some transcribed copies of the text (most likely by scribes) a couple hundred years after John was dead. And, there are hundreds of other examples of exactly the same thing happening.
So many people base so much of their lives on the divinely inspired, inerrant, unadulterated (pish) word of god. The book, “Misquoting Jesus” suggests that if god considered that the words of the Bible were so critically important that he went to the extraordinary effort of divinely inspiring the crap (my paraphrase), then he would have also gone the extra step to ensure that those exact words and stories were preserved precisely into perpetuity . . . and he did not. And none of those lying liars ever mention that.
Dick Mills
Posted by: Dick Mills | Apr 29, 2008 12:47:55 AM
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