Session Notes

BBC NEWS

Sir Elton John has said he would like to see all organised religion banned and accused it of trying to “turn hatred towards gay people”.

Ok, first of all, he’s talking about Christianity, Judaism and Islam. (The rest of the religions mostly don’t care…) As Judaism has a firm policy of not proselytizing and Islam has a much bigger spread of antagonisms then just homosexuality, he’s basically talking about Christianity.

It’s always fascinating to me how those who would ban Christianity for intolerance fail to notice that it is, in fact, from within Christianity that the idea of tolerance was itself conceived.

It’s even more entertaining how, in the absence of that foundation, that their version of tolerance is actually so intolerant it would attempt to ban the freedom of religious practice of the largest belief systems/world views in the world for the sake of the rights of one of the smallest minority groups in the world to perform a particular sexual behavior without someone disagreeing with it. (Note: not controlling or arresting it — just disagreeing…)

However, what is most stunning about their logic is that they would see the stripping of religious freedom from billions as at least a lesser evil if not a blessing to humanity. Here we reach the tyrannical summit of postmodern egocentricity: Because you disagree with what I am doing, I must crush you so the world can finally be free.

Viewing Your Spouse in a New Light:

“Desire. You viewed your husband during courtship as you wanted to see him. We tend to construct a person in our minds to match the excitement we want to feel. We mentally create that person in a way that will make us happiest.So the question becomes, ‘What do I do now that I’ve found out he’s different from the way I thought he was?’ Debating whether he misrepresented himself or you misread him won’t solve anything. Here are three actions you can take. Choose to love him. We’re told in Ephesians 5:32 that marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the church. There are inadequacies in the church, yet Christ still loves her.”

This is a good article in understanding the reasons romantic love matures after the honeymoon. I disagree with the judging part of it. Why would we need to judge if everything we have comes from god. It is His job to change/reveal more of our godly character not the counsellor or wife.

Why Isn’t My Husband the Person I Thought He Was?:

“It’s more like ‘selective expression.’ He behaved in a way that he figured would increase your likelihood of saying, ‘I do.’ He put his best foot and shiniest shoe forward. Some of his behavior during those days probably wasn’t so deliberate. Thinking of you thrilled his heart during courtship. That type of romantic fire shapes one’s actions; loving deeds come easily to one so smitten by romance. You probably felt the same excitement, with your reactions being affected as well. In Luke 6:32, Jesus conveys this principle with the question, ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?’ Reciprocating romantic love comes naturally to most people. Over time, it’s common for the romance, and therefore some of the motivation for ‘good behavior’ to fade somewhat.”

This article is encouraging to spouses who feel they don’t love their spouses anymore. I disagree with the word deception. However I prefer the grace term selective expression.

BULLIES BEWARE: TIPS FOR TAMING A TYRANT:

” If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. (Luke 6:29).”

This is a good basic article on living out gentleness in a conflict. Fighting is reserved for the gravest of times.

The Big Five Bullying Myths:

“remember is that God is on your side. When the apostle Paul was feeling puny, God told him, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). In other words, when things are totally out of our control, God’s awesome power completely takes over!”

This is an excellent article of encouragement and empathy. A Friend Loves At All Times, even if our friend isn’t making the most beneficial choices. Showing regret by saying I didn’t realize that I hurt you deeply. 1.) Although it is not easy, to say, Ignoring them first 2.) Praying for joy for the hurtful one. 3.) Reach out to others in empathy- encourage gifts, God gives the power to say stop and work it for good.

Stuff.co.nz

Hell Pizza has outraged family groups and morals campaigners by delivering innuendo-laden condom packets to letterboxes.

The controversial fast-food chain is promoting its meat-lovers’ pizza – named “Lust” – with a mail drop of 170,000 branded condoms.

But it has provoked criticism from groups who say it is indecent to link pizza with sex and inappropriate to distribute condoms where young children might find them.

The packet includes explicit instructions for condom usage.

I wonder when the fundamentalist Christian right is finally going to figure out marketing firms regard their pathetic moral outrage as the best source of free advertising to ever be invented?

I mean, [GASP] what if a child discovered a contraceptive and [SHUDDER] his or her parent had to actually sit down and talk with him or her about [SOB] sex???

Be Your Own Health Care Quarterback:

“Take five minutes every morning or evening to think about your personal inventory, any decisions you’re struggling with or any steps you intend to take to improve your (or your child’s) health. Write down all your thoughts in a brainstorming session. Don’t hold anything back. Just write for five minutes. Then, after two weeks of journaling, reread what you have written down for each day. See if there’s a pattern that may suggest a different approach or solution to something that’s been bothering you.”

This offers some good questions and direction to prayerfully choose treatments.

11Alive.com

“These groups offer promises they can’t deliver, and deliver disasters they didn’t promise,” said Wayne Besen of Truthwinsout.org. “The destroy families in the name of family values.”

Hattie Ellis’ 25-year-old son is gay. She has a message for the hundreds of parents who signed their children up for the church group’s conference.

“Don’t do it,” she said. “If you try to change your child, you will lose your child. You will break their spirit and you may never get them back.”

Well, Focus on the Family is barely out of the gate with their latest Love Won Out conference (a conference seeking to connect GBLT individuals who deeply long to change their sexual orientation with resources to do so) and, predictably enough, the fur is already flying.

Forget about the reality that one of the key individuals involved in getting Homosexuality removed from the DSM as a disorder (Dr. Spitzer) has published evidence that homosexual individuals can change their sexual orientation to heterosexual and are remarkably better off emotionally for having done such, the strident cries against this supposed bigotry, homophobia and, most importantly, the imposition of beliefs on innocent victims still ring out.

It’s all strangely myopic from where I sit: Christians trying to turn gay people straight is no worse than secular humanists trying to make male children act like female children (because, well, all boys are just nicer on Ritalin…) Everybody has an idea of how to, “Improve,” their fellow man. The difference here is that Christians have to get people to volunteer for the effort, while secular humanism generally uses the public school system to force their more politically correct viewpoint of acceptable behavior on their victims.

Apparently though, they still need to rally against those who would simply invite those volunteers? Seems like a little too much in the way of smoke and fury here for this to really be about freedom…

Rocky Mountain News

Embattled minister Ted Haggard this morning admitted receiving a massage from the Denver man who claims to have exchanged sex for money with the Colorado Springs church leader for three years.

After years of pushing the White House to crack down on gays and to fight gay marriage, Ted again proves the above title is still as true today as the day the great play-write penned it.

More and more, the most vocal and aggressive voices of condemnation for same sex brokenness are beginning to be discovered as actually being the broken ones. Men who wear the cover of judgment and condemnation as a cover for their broken hearts.

Why won’t the broken ones willingly pursue healing? After all, no one is buying their religious fervor anymore — it’s too obviously a cover. It’s only a matter of time before they are forced into healing anyway — maybe it’s time for the church to rise up en-mass and tell these people to:

(A). Shut-up.
(B). Take the log outa yer own eye.
(C). Get healing so you can actually be of some real use to the kingdom.
(D). At least stop smearing egg on your own face and the collective face of Christianity by trying to act like you are holy.

Some of us are just plain tired of people playing out this pathetic parody we call holiness theology. (At least those of us who’ve figured out that the only righteousness we’re ever gonna have has got to be a gift.) The rest are tired of trying to play it out and desperately could use a rest — whether or not they know it yet.

Either way, no one except the press is listening — and they are doubled over laughing.