I'm Not Willing

James Nimmo is a progressive who lives in Oklahoma City where he is active in Democratic Party politics, including Oklahoma Stonewall Democrats (www.okstonewall.org) where he serves as treasurer. He fervently believes no one's character or abilities should be judged on the accidents of birth or residence.

(Oklahoma City) This Friday and Saturday, March 7th and 8th, there will be a Sexual Identity and Spirituality Conference on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma sponsored by GATE (Gay Alliance for Tolerance and Equality), a UCO student organization, and co-sponsored by several open and affirming churches, including Church of the Open Arms, Cathedral of Hope, and Mayflower Congregational.

You can get more details at www.PFLAGokc.org .

But what many of you may not know is that Pastor Paul Blair of Fairview Baptist Church of Edmond (http://fairviewbaptistedmond.org/) is not very happy with the idea of a religious conference, advertised in the Oklahoman and Oklahoma Gazette, that endorses the right of GLBT citizens to lead their own lives in security, both mental and spiritual, as they go about their daily lives of earning a living, paying taxes, and contributing to a healthy society. He claims the sponsoring liberal churches have "turned away from the Word of God" and are turning to the "commandments of men."

As an atheist myself I'm not going to engage in the battle of dueling bible verses or the cafeteria food fight of slinging zinging scriptural one-liners across the sanctuary.

I'm willing to support the right of free speech and the free exercise of religion as long as that observance stays in private or in one's house of worship, but I'm not willing to have religious dogma moved into civil law where it restricts the recognition of my taxpayer status to equal, unprejudiced protection of the laws.

I'm not willing to tailor my citizenship to the homohaters' comfort with the advancing recognition of LGBT equality.

I'm not willing to allow the use of religion to promote social suppression of a minority group.

I'm not willing to lower my aspirations in order to accommodate the limits imposed by the homophobically prejudiced who are unable to recognize that just as slavery, mixed-race marriage, and the suppression of women is no longer acceptable under civil law, so too will the rights of GLBT citizens be recognized under, yes, the legislative laws of men AND women, not the Bronze Age Old Testament god of blood and retribution.

Pastor Blair has been networking the gospel vine to raise money for a very expensive Oklahoman counter-advertisement, hoping that it will run Friday or Saturday. He's also asking for advise as to locating any "ex-gay" ministry in the Oklahoma City area that would advise about "counseling homosexuals out of that lifestyle."

What harm has any gay man or woman done to Pastor Blair that he and his friends should raise such a large sum of money in order to intimidate others?

Does he really think there are not other more legitimate needs in this state such as clothing the naked and feeding the hungry? Aren't these issues the real "truth" he should be ministering to as his bible tells him over and over?

The great American abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, said "Without the church, slavery could not continue." I'm not so naive as to think that homophobia would evaporate without the church. But I do think that without the willful ignorance of people such as Paul Blair and his friends, this country would make great progress in the recognition of equality under the law for all its citizens.

© 2008 James Nimmo

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