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Readers are an integral part of Whosoever. We appreciate hearing from our readers, whether they have praise or hot coals to heap on our heads. With the new year, we're beginning this new feature of a reader forum. Here's some of the things our readers are saying.
Want to add your comment? Fill out our reader survey.
Editor:
You have a lovely site. I especially appreciate how the site exudes positivity rather than
attacking fundies--yet does not sidestep the issue, either. This was my
religious background, and is a cherished belief system of my family.
I've viewed sites that are religiously pro-gay and religiously anti-gay
whose vitriolic language, excessive use of exclamation points and
large-type blinking text made me stop only long enough to wipe the
virtual spittle off the screen before quickly passing on to another
site. :)
--Chad E.
Editor:
Hello and we are so happy to find you!! Please keep up the good work. It is so
affirming to visit your love-filled site. We will keep coming back now that we
know you are here. and we will tell all our friends. God bless you.
--Margaret and Loretta
Editor:
I'd like to take this opportunity to raise a question that came to me
after reading about Rev. Mel White, Marvin Liebman and other
conservatives who risked everything in order to come out: Where are
their counterparts?
What I mean by "counterparts" are people of position or power in the gay
community who realized that the work they were doing was evil,
spritually empty, death-oriented, or whatever and forsook those
positions in order to speak out against what they'd witnessed.
I'm not talking about these sad cases who took "the cure" to regain the
acceptance of a family or church that had rejected them and now appear
on the 700 Club reading their scripts. I mean someone who suffered
personal loss by standing up to their convictions and leaving the gay
community.
So far I haven't found any. Have you? If you have, then I guess this
issue is more balanced than I thought. If not, I think you'll agree that
this issue speaks volumes about the nature of homosexuality and against
the lies told by its opponents.
The Bible is full of people from Paul on down, who realized the truth
and gave up everything in order to turn to God. Even the Soviets had
their high-level defectors.
But you and I know that we will never see an ex-gay Urvashi Vaid
standing with her new husband and Pat Robertson to denounce the
"homosexual agenda" and her role in it. Because any gay person in a
position of leadership in the community knows they were born that way
and knows that the opposition is unjust. God will never reveal to them
the error of their ways because there is no error in their ways.
--Mark P.
Editor:
I would just like to express a word of thanks for having such a service to
gay Christians. It is truly meaningful to know that people are not alone in
this world. I am in college and have come out there, but have not found the
courage to do so at home. But knowing God has a plan for everyone, regardless
of who or what they are is a dream come true. Again, thank you very much.
--Michael
Editor:
Thanks for your part in making Whosoever possible. All the others who
write, edit, maintain the website or whatever they do to put Whosoever on
the Internet get my thanks as well. May God bless you all richly. I have
been blessed by your latest January/February 98 issue. I am standing in the
doorway of my gay closet where I have hidden for many years getting ready
to make a step towards leaving it. Reading Ron Chaplan's article "I am a
Queer Christian" helped me to begin celebrating who God made me. The
various other articles of this issue helped open my eyes to the persecution
that I will no doubt encounter, but what was best was that the articles
showed me that the way of Jesus is to love my enemies and those who might
hurt me in their trying to correct me. Because of reading Whosoever on the
weekend, I made contact with a Christian Gay/Bi/Lesbian positive support
group and hope to attend a meeting shortly. Thanks again for the ministry
of all you at Whosoever. Keep up the great blessed work that you do.
--Rob
Editor:
It feels so warm and wonderful to read such well researched non-judgemental spritual support. Each time I read a religious publication of the Catholic Church, I feel a little less than human. This is like water to a thirsty traveller.
--David C.
Editor:
I loved the articles about scripture and made a hard copy to study later. I like the article on "Seven Things" - excellent. I especially appreciate the logical, calm reasoning with approach to the whole issue of "Christian gay people." And besides that, it is very well-done - very eye-catching and PRETTY! Great job! I will come to this site often and tell my friends.
--Donna B.
Editor:
I am a heterosexual male, married, three children. I am also sympathetic to the cause of gay and lesbian persons who desire to live out their faith in the church. I am a senior seminarian enrolled at the School of Theology at the University of the South studying for the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. I am proud that my church is on the forefront of ensuring that persons of homosexual orientation have available to them all of the benefits of the church. I believe that the debate currently on going in the Episcopal Church is among the most honest and most enlightened among the mainline churches. Furthermore, I don't believe that it will long before the Episcopal Church has an official policy statement regarding the legitimacy of the comitted, monagamous, faithful, life-long gay or lesbian union. The church, of course, will always condemn any behavior that is abusive, destructive, lude, or predatory, but this applies to any such behavior whether in a homosexual or heterosexual context.
Good luck with your efforts. Remember: Ignorance is not necessarily evil, it is only necessarily indicative of a lack of information. What you are doing with "Whosoever" will help to address this void.
--Frank W.
What's your opinion? We want to know!! Send a letter to the editor or fill out our reader survey!!
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