Apparently the letter that PFLAG sent SBC President Bobby Welch imploring Baptists to not hinder their efforts to discourage harassment of homosexuals at public schools fell of deaf ears. Here's a quote from the PFLAG letter:
Studies show that 84 percent of gay students are verbally harassed, 39 percent are physically harassed and that this climate of abuse seriously impacts their ability to learn. We earnestly hope that you agree that no child deserves to be harassed or abused at school -- whether or not the attack is motivated by a child's religious beliefs, race or sexual orientation.
In his high school, Brent Wimmer, a student from Sand Springs, Oklahoma, was physically beaten by classmates. They also vandalized his car with large rocks and eggs eight times in the school parking lot. What did Brent, a young man from a fundamentalist Christian family active in his local church and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, do to deserve this cruelty? He wrote an article in his school newspaper about the importance of respecting all people, including gay students, as God's children.
At this point, Southern Baptists have merely endorsed a position that will be perceived as leading to bigotry, prejudice and hate. You don't have to be a prophet to predict that incidents like the one in Sand Springs will soon become more widespread and frequent.
27 comments:
Maybe PFLAG should be looking to clean out its closet instead throughing stones at Christians. Kinda funny that PLFAG type of indoctrination is OK, but let a Christian say something about the lifestyle that is being promoted by PFLAG and look the nasty labels placed on them.
Anonymous,
"Nasty labels?"
What would happening if Christians who think they are suffering from "nasty labels" were being beaten and physically harassed?
A parents number one concern about what is happening at their child's school should be for their child's safety. If the environment is not safe no learning can take place. Bullying flourishes anywhere it is allowed to by the turning of a blind eye or permissive policy by the school's administration. The SBC should not be endorsing any kind of bullying, no wait a minute, that's how the leadership of the SBC assumed power isn't it. My mistake it would be hard to expect sociopathic thugs to condemn like believers.
Bruce, I can understand and support your position on the SBC actions being taken here. The SBC also seems to take a pretty strong position on homosexual ordination. What is your position on the ordination of homosexual ministers?
RK,
I don't ordain ministers. Baptist churches do. Each Baptist church is independent and autonomous.
I have always wondered how the subject of one's sexuality is brought up in school? Are sexually active heterosexual students condemned or chastised by Christian parents? I would be interested in reading some of the objectionable material in the curriculum. If more than half of all marriages end in divorce, maybe we should be looking somewhere else for the "bad" influence on our children.
What results do you here want to come about by entitling article "SBC Encourages Gay-bashing in Public Schools" and calling Southern Baptist sociopathic thugs? There are a few boards that need removed, I think (the ones that get in eyes).
Bruce,
Would you advocate that a church you attended, in its independent and autonomous functions, ordain a homosexual for the ministry? Should that personal characteristic alone be grounds for exclusion? I'm just trying to get some Baptist perspectives here and I do appreciate your candor.
In many cases a student's sexuality is "assumed" by his/her peers becauser of their build, mannerisms or areas of interest. In other words, a muscular, athletic girl may be wrongly labeled as a lesbian while a slight, scholarly boy called a homo. Such labels and harassing behavior have caused many a student, gay and straight, to learn painful lessons about the "protection" afforded to them by school administrators. No Christian should support any sort of bullying or name-calling, much less physical violence, against any person for no better reason than their disapproval of their personal lifestyle.
Christ didn't particularly like the self-righteous, as he went to great lengths to demonstrate.
Mr Bruce,
even preachers get attacked for promoting ministry towards and tolerance.
in texas, a preacher whose sermon said we are all equal in sin and to allow homosexuals in church had his house vandalized and attacked...
and probably by christians, pretty bigotted huh?
keith, without proof of who did the vandalizing, you are throwing propaganda around and what would be the reason for accusing without verifiable evidence?
alice, are SBC members not allowed to defend themselves? Oh yeah, I get it. Only certain people deserve the right to defend themselves, is that the policy?
"As I said before, can you not believe something is a sin and still teach respect for those who disagree?"
Are you saying we should not teach homosexuality or sex outside marriage is sin, perhaps only that holding such an archaic view is sin?
This article to me reflects poor reporting and a very biased slant against Southern Baptists.
You should read the resolution Bruce. Apparently you did not. At it's core it is a call to make parents aware of what their kids are being taught in schools. Here is the link:
http://www.sbcannualmeeting.net/sbc05/resolutions/sbcresolution.asp?ID=2
You said:
"At this point, Southern Baptists have merely endorsed a position that will be perceived as leading to bigotry, prejudice and hate."
yet you failed to make the connection of how calling for parents to be aware of what their kids are being taught and to oppose blatant pro-homosexusl teaching actually brings about hate. I mean of course that is what happened when the Southern Baptists opposed teaching sex ed in schools and called for abstinence, right? Baptist teenagers went out and started beating folks who were having sex, right? And opposition to abortion has made a lot of Southern Baptists into bombers of abortion clinics too right? People harm others because they are sinful, not because they are wrong to oppose an activity. If you murder a rapist, you are wrong. But you are not wrong to oppose that rapist. I am not trying to compare homosexuality and rape, but rather to make the point that just because you oppose something doesn't mean that opposition turns to hate.
BTW, Bruce why didn't you mention the video shown by the ERLC at the convention regarding homosexuality. Here is what one blogger (www.joethorn.net) said about it:
"Richard Land?s words during the ERLC report concerning ministry to homosexuals were good. I didn?t hear everything, but what I heard I liked. Land and a video presentation that followed explained that homosexuality is not simply a choice a person makes, but is a much more complicated issue than many are willing to admit. The message was, we need to love and reach out to people who find their identity rooted in their sexuality. As I have said to some of my homosexual friends in the past, ?I believe you are more than your sexuality.? Being able to ?walk with them toward Jesus? doesn?t require us being comfortable with sin, but with loving people"
I have heard other similar comments like this about the video, but you would rather focus on the negative Bruce and accuse the SBC of being hate-mongers. Sorry Bruce, but I call that bad reporting.
Hi!
Bullying in school, in all of its forms, is one of the single most serious problems schools encounter. As a Christian, Southern Baptist, public school teacher I cannot stress enough the negative impact bullying has on children of all ages. Bullying usually starts in elementary school, well before sexual orientation becomes an issue. The victims are often intimidated enough that they will not tell an adult, so the bullying continues, sometimes with devastating effects. It has only been in the last few years that the schools in our County have begun to address the issue in elementary, middle, and high school. I welcome this new approach, it is long overdue. A child who bullies in school, and continues to get away with it, becomes bolder and the bullying spills out into other areas. A child who bullies can become an adult bully - and we all know how pleasant they are.
A word about labels - Kids get labeled by their peers all the time in school. In most cases these labels have no basis in reality, but usually begin as a joke that gets a laugh (confirmation), and then is repeated and repeated. Often, the child who is labeled is hurt and/or ashamed by it. Bullies love to give labels and encourage others to use them.
Bullying is a viscious, meanspirited, and UNCHRISTIAN thing to do, and ALL Christians should do what they can to prevent it.
God Bless,
TammyJo58
This resolution calls for SBC parents to pull their kids from the school if there is a gay/straight alliance club, or any other oraganization that promotes these students. The quandry for the schools is that any group of students who find a sponsor and want to form a club have that right. Bible clubs, Fellowship of Christian Athletes are tolerated by the schools equally with the Chess club, Academic Decathalon, and the Gay/Straight alliance. The school is not advocating the lifestyle they are meeting concerning any more than they are advocating Christianity. The law states they have to allow these clubs by lawsuits brought to protect FCA and Bible clubs. You can't have it both ways. We get to have our clubs, but they can't have theirs. This is still a smoke screen. Christians need to have a voice in our public schools, pulling out pulls out our voice.
Guess what, I don't know of many people who were that influenced by the curriculum. The greatest influence in school is not from the textbooks or teachers, it's peer pressure. Why can't Christians be the ones giving a shining example to their peers. Show them that abstinence is better than sleeping around. Clean lungs are better than smoking. Being sober is better than being drunk. Being straight is better than being gay. The power of Christianity is showing our lives and the power of love. You can't do that if you are missing in action.
D.R.
If you want to post the SBC resolution, post a link or post it on your own site.
I seem to remember two little boys in elementary school coming home and talking about how much the Catholic Church played a part in New Mexico history. New Mexico history was being taught in school. The Catholic Church did play a big part in New Mexico history. While I didn't dispute the history I decieded they needed a little history of Baptist to go along with the Catholic history. While some of the history used in the Baptist history was not as accurate as it could have been. It served as a basis for a life long love of history for both little boys. Church history as well as secular history as it goes hand in hand.
Bullying in school has been going on forever the administration has two responses get involved with counseling or just don't see it. If you don't see it you don't have to deal with it. SBC 's idea of dealing with gay bashing is to don't see it. Then they won't be responsible for it.
Bruce, I see you did it again. When your articles meet up with the truth, you get all bent out of shape and remove the post of the other side or tell them to start their own site. Another Bubba, DR has been sent that way. No debate here, just propaganda allowed.
Anonymous,
Posting links to SBC propaganda is allowed. Posting the propaganda itself is not.
Bruce, Would you care to clarify that?
Yeah Bruce. That is ridiculous to delete my post because I rebutted your position and that of Greek Shadow with the facts. Sorry that your spin you put on the truth was corrected by someone like me. I think you have done your hearers a disservice by not allow them to hear the truth. But I am sure you will probably delete this post as well -- too much truth in it. By the way, why don't you just call your blog Anti-SBC because your views are outside of mainstream Baptists these days.
D.R. & Snoofy,
When the SBC lets me post on their site, I'll consider letting them post on mine.
Otherwise, practice some brevity. Brief quotes are fine, multiple paragraphs are out of place.
Bruce,
practice some acturate reporting.
D.R.
This is a weblog not a report.
The error you desire to correct was not my own and could have easily been corrected with a much briefer statement and a link.
When a single comment is more than twice as long as the initial blog itself and is responding to statements by another commenter, something is out of proportion.
Sorry Bruce, but your intent is to make a report and that does not take a rocket scientist to figure out. Your bias is plain to be seen.
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