We are originally blessed with light and joy and peace I was taught, from infancy, that I was born with something called “original sin.” Even as a tiny baby there was a stain on me, passed down from Adam and Eve in the garden after
How to avoid the right’s toxic terminology Something that to us might seem small, maybe even picky, is one of the most crucial, yet easiest, things we can personally do to change the discourse in our country. The right-wing learned to do this long before
For three weeks in October, Catholics from around the world came to Rome for the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to discuss a range of topics confronting the present-day Church as it prepares to govern itself in the future. Among the many Catholics
It’s a rare opportunity to meet the pope. It’s even rarer if you’re a transgender Catholic. However, on November 19, in Torvaianica, Italy, a community of transwomen, many whom are sex workers, were welcomed and seated in a vast auditorium with over a thousand other
LGBTQ+ welcoming, accepting, affirming. What’s the difference? People often ask me what the difference is between welcoming, accepting and affirming churches. This little infograph will give you some idea. Some churches refuse to go on the journey. Some began the journey, then got stuck, afraid
It could be a discussion with a family member who hasn’t accepted what they call the “lifestyle.” It could be a discussion with anyone we hope will at least listen to what we have to say even though they’re not fully supportive. It could be
Anthony: Hi I’m Anthony and I’m gay. Church leader: Hi, I’m Joel. Why do you have to say you’re gay? I don’t feel the need to announce I’m heterosexual. Anthony: Well I was thinking of coming to your church and I know that churches like
We continue to see both the religious right-wing’s obsession with sex and sexuality and the fact that its addictive use of religion makes its sexual sickness a destructive force in everyone’s lives. The weekly examples of hypocrisy in these matters make any new revelations hardly
This is a transcript of a sermon I delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, S.C. The audio (which begins with a song I wrote called “One Breath,” sung with my spouse, Beth DeHart) is included and a link to the video is below.
There is a great ethical difference between same-gender and opposite-gender sexual relations, whether they be in a committed marriage, living common-law, or a one-night stand. The difference is reflected in the moral commandments of the Bible and Christianity before the mass apostasy of AD 249-251,