anti-gay hate

Christina Engela's picture

Churches, Always Keep It Real - Remember, I'm Watching You

Have you seen this? Billboards and media coverage all over Johannesburg. Go have a look now - this is what you will see:

"Men be men. Women be women.

Real men are in short supply. Children are missing them. Women are missing them. The city is missing them. And what is a real man anyway? Boozing with the boys, posing at the gym, looking slick in a suit, or sipping herbal tea during a facial? Will the real man please step forward! Drawing from the book of Proverbs, this series will help men be men, women be women."

The participating churches as listed are:

"GODFIRST
KEYSTONE CHURCH
URBAN LIFE
SANDTON CITY CHURCH
JUNCTION CHURCH
CITY LIFE CHURCH
EASTSIDE CHURCH"

Wow, that's arrogant.

Billboards don't come cheap. And some ass-hat also registered a domain and built a website to promote this horse manure as well. Somebody really, really wants to get this message out there Obviously some churches have way too much money to waste on telling people how to live. What a load of misogynistic, sexist bullshit!
Christina Engela's picture

Survival Of The Oldest

What came first? Gay and trans people or religion? Far from setting off another "chicken or the egg" debate, I'm being quite serious. What is the answer? Well, since we are a part of the human species, it is fairly obvious to me that we did, long before some bright, inspired person invented gods and a need to believe in something - or to make up stories to threaten the kids to eat their yak-butter or the Great Glarp would come and steal them away in the darkness.

These days, there are many enemies of human rights, equality and the right of everyone to walk freely as equals together. Of these, there are Pride, Envy, Hatred - but to me, the worst at the present time, is religion - specifically in our case in the West and South - the Christian Church, a sprawling body of mis-matched groups that can often not agree on a single thing - except on who to hate, persecute and oppress.

Us.

Somebody once said: "To be rid of ones enemies, outlive them". I'm not sure who this was, but I am fairly certain it was somebody very wise. I am drawn to wonder if he or she is still alive.
Christina Engela's picture

It's Our Turn Now

If I can accept into church a straight person who may be a gambler, a closet alcoholic - or a tattoo artist or shellfish salesman, why do some take issues with us for being gay, bi, transgender or intersex?

Did we make ourselves? They believe God made everyone - except us. Somehow, we were supposedly responsible for making ourselves. We are in their eyes, illegitimate - while they see themselves as blessed, righteous and perfect.

Hypocrisy.

I will say it again: HYPOCRISY.

Because they think we will not stand up for ourselves. Because they think nobody else will take our part. Because they have forgotten the church is God's house - and they are NOT God.

Last week I engaged in a spirited debate on a Facebook group set up to support Ecclesia de Lange, a Methodist minister who has been dismissed by the Methodist Church of SA for marrying her long time girlfriend, Amanda in a private ceremony which was performed by another church denomination. I was debating with a man calling himself a Christian, whose argument proved to me that he held no affiliation with the same Christ figure that came to this Earth to love all people abundantly, inclusively and unconditionally.

This argument by Amiel Joshua indicates to me the schizophrenic nature of the Christian religion, not just today, but as it has always been.

If the spirit of Christ is missing from the church, what does that say of the church? Is it still "Christianity" - or is it "Ianity"?

Let's pick up where we left off yesterday.
Christina Engela's picture

Revival of the Fittest

Its not that God isn't a God of love, patience, kindness etc... it's just that some people who claim to follow God aren't - and see fit to single others out - but not themselves.

While I have been a Christian and now consider myself an agnostic and spiritual, I differ personally in my views of the value of the bible as any form of authority as it has been shown to have been manipulated and edited to suit those who use it as an instrument of control. This is of course, a point which is actively disputed by those who happen to agree with points of view which are bolstered and encouraged by these manipulations, mistranslations and other errors in a document which many would use as a rule-book by which to live, run society, judge others, and even condemn people to death.

Let me make it clear in no uncertain terms that that document, while having value as a set of rough guidelines and inspirational verse, is not infallible, inerrant or even an authority.
Christina Engela's picture

Shout Louder

In 2008 a journalist working for the Sunday Sun wrote an article which insulted gay people and women, encouraged conservatives to remove the rights of gay people from the SA Constitution, and also thumbed his nose at the Human Rights Commission by saying that he would refuse to apologize. More than two years later, it seems Jon Qwelane has been proved right.

Not only has it taken two years for this man to be charged for his offensive publications, but now that the Human Rights Commission has finally managed to get the process to the point where it can go to court, Mr Qwelane suddenly cannot be traced to be served with notice that he should appear in court - effectively holding up the whole process.

Where, I wonder, is Mr Qwelane? Perhaps the tracers diligently searching for him have been asking in the wrong places. Have they asked the Government?
Christina Engela's picture

Hate Is Not A Religion

It is not a new thing in the world for people to call and campaign for the death penalty for gay people 'as punishment' for being gay, although it certainly is fairly new on the political scene in South Africa.

This is a disturbing trend among radical gay-hating people, who are usually fanatical fundamentalists or literalists ascribing to one of many religions. Their hatred for those who differ from themselves overflows and overrules common sense, logic and compassion for fellow human beings. We can only attribute its arrival here to the heavy influence of the American religious right groupings who have overrun the US Republican Party and used the gay community as a scapegoat and rallying point to try and institute a theocracy in that country over the past 8 years - and certainly the dangers of mixing religion with politics can be seen in this. For many years right wing fundamentalist "missionaries" have been coming to SA and assisting these groups under the guise of "church planting".

Many groups have sprung up in SA which were inspired by and even named after US groups and who followed their lead in persecuting the pink community. In many cases even the rhetoric they espouse is supplied by the foreign groups. Sadly this ideology and fanaticism seems to have found a home in South Africa in the form of "ex-gay" groups and political parties such as the ACDP and CDA.
Christina Engela's picture

Lead, Follow Or Get Out Of The Way

Herewith an exclusive special offer - Full Membership of the Methodist Church of South Africa - if you are straight, perfect and sinless - and 2nd Class Membership if you happen to be gay and desperate enough to put up with our hypocritical bullshit to enter the House of God (cough, cough) - but that's just because we can't actually ban you (on account of that annoying Constitution), so we'll just let you in and annoy you, exclude you while seeming to include everybody, keep you at a distance and shame you into eventually going away when you get sick of bashing your head on that well-placed glass ceiling. Welcome to the Methodist Church of South Africa, where we take the Christ out of Christianity.

Last night I posted an article on the dismissal of Ecclesia de Lange, a Methodist minister, for daring to marry her partner. It seems that her being lesbian and a minister was not really an issue here, but the fact that she chose to formalize her relationship with her partner over what the church still views generally as "living in sin", is. Such things force me to question the morality of the Church, the hypocrisy of Christians - and the precise definition of "living in sin".

Instead of grabbing this opportunity to make a real difference and to embrace our community, the leadership of the MCSA instead have just by this act alone, alienated every single GLBTI person in the country and effectively undone and sabotaged all the community building done by activists and inclusive ministers over the past few decades.
Christina Engela's picture

The Judas Church

In a shameful turn of events, the Methodist Church of South Africa has today betrayed the trust of all its non heterosexual members and supporters - and its foundational message of inclusive worship - by upholding the guilty verdict handed down at an earlier internal hearing which discontinued the services of Methodist minister Ecclesia de Lange - a Methodist minister who is also a gay woman for daring to marry her partner albeit in another church.

The Methodist Church of South Africa has thus fumbled a perfect opportunity to right past wrongs, to truly show a meaningful welcome to the pink community in its ranks - and has instead chosen to compound them by affirming instead rejection and bigotry.

Now all GLBTI people know that the leadership of the Methodist Church of South Africa is not welcoming and affirming - but is merely tolerant - and only tolerant up to a point of law.
Christina Engela's picture

Bonfire Of The Diversities

A few very interesting things have grabbed my attention in the international news this week and I thought I would mention them here.

Right at the top of the list, possibly because I am transgender myself, I want to mention that "France has become the first country in the world to declassify transgenderism as a mental illness. A health minister signalled the change would be made last May and this was confirmed last week by a government decree." And about bloody time too! I can't wait to see which countries will follow this sterling example.

"South African man wins Mr Gay World 2010 A South African man has scooped the title of Mr Gay World 2010. Charl Van den Berg, a 28-year-old restaurateur from Cape Town, was named the winner at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway, yesterday." Fantastic! This is one of the first good reasons I have had to feel proud of this country in ages!

"The European Parliament has confirmed that upholding LGBT rights is a condition for nations to join the European Union"- this is fantastic, and means that if any other country in Europe wishes to join the EU they WILL have to respect and uphold the civil rights and equality of the pink community within their borders." I only hope this will also apply retroactively to all countries ALREADY members of the EU, on pain of expulsion or other penalties should they go back on this principle.
Christina Engela's picture

The South African Dream

 



South Africa is full of potential and possibility and hope. All we need to do is grasp it and realize it. Sitting on the sidelines will let others achieve their own corrupt desires unopposed - and make our nightmares come true.

It is so easy to be caught up in the negativity that says South Africa is a dangerous place, that it is a haven for crime and gangsterism and corrupt government officials and conniving self-interested politicians, a place where dreams suffocate and joining the rat race to greener pastures elsewhere is the solution.

It is so easy to overlook the obvious, that we are now 20 years post-Apartheid, we have weathered the worst of it, that despite the doomsayers and gloom merchants, people of all races, cultures and religions, genders and sexual orientations are living together side by side in relative harmony. People are working together, sharing office space and even sharing jokes and sorrows together in ways we never dreamed possible two decades ago.

This is my dream, the South African dream, an equal opportunity society, where we all can make our dreams come true.

.....Well, not quite yet.
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