The Power Of Prayer

They need to learn and practice tolerance, just like they DEMAND of us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Has anyone ever thought that even if someone IS born that way, does that still make it ok? As Rick Warren said on Dateline, I have a desire to sleep with every beautiful woman I see, but does that make it right? People forget that the bible talks at length about how we are born into a "sinful" situation...divorce, murder, adultery, pornography, Greed, anger, selfishness just to name a few...and....homosexuality are all products of a fallen world. It doesn't make the homosexual any worse or better of a person than anyone else struggling with their sins.

I believe Pastor Warren to be a decent and caring human, who is compassionate and kind, though steadfast in the beliefs in which he was raised. Pres. Obama has every right to ask him to offer the invocation. His supporters who decry him for uniting differing beliefs from their own are no different than the narrow-minded autocrats they themselves despise.

The US is a multicultural society filled with many wonderful people with widely different values and beliefs. As soon as one segment of his supporters feel like they aren't getting 100% of what they want, they betray him. It's useless and petty. He is THE most intelligent, thoughtful, analytical President in the last 100 years (at least), facing the greatest challenges since the Great Depression AND WWII combined, and certain people are criticizing him for his choice of religious leader to offer a short prayer at the beginning of his Inauguration? Ridiculous.

Although not necessarily with mine, Pastor Warren's beliefs DO align with a large percentage of the population in this country. I am a married hetero supporter of gay rights, but we have MUCH greater problems to deal with at this point of time. If you're gay who cares if you CAN get married if you won't be able to afford to, or if you're starving?! We have more important issues facing us right now. One of the drawbacks of belonging to a minority is dealing with the thoughts and actions of the majority. That's just the way of the world.

Renna's point that Obama's choice elevates a bigot to the level of spiritual authority in the eyes of the country, and in fact the world, is the core issue here. When political ideology based on religious beliefs is used to create oppression of a minority group, to denigrate the humanity of others because they are different, and to rob them of dignity and equality in the eyes of the law, the proponents of that ideology do not belong on the national stage with the new President of the United States listening solemnly in the background.

I do not want this man's blessing. The type of thinking that he represents, that it is acceptable to single out law-abiding citizens for persecution because of who they are at the core of their being, is antithetical to the ideals expressed in the Constitution that Obama is swearing to uphold.

It is a serious error in judgment - and a huge disappointment.

Once again 'liberals' prove they are not up to the label. They are only open minded if you agree with them. If Obama had chosen a gay pastor, they would have hailed it as a embracing, expansive step forward--even though he/she would have represented only a miniscule number of people in the U.S. Warren represents a vast majority of views. The Totalitarian Left is on the move!

Wow, Horrible Bastard, I think your posts are, if nothing less, entertaining. I think you fail to realize that Christ compelled those who had the Holy Spirit to indeed speak for Him. Now that might mean that there are those who misquote biblical text or get their feelings involved (which is wrong) but just like giving the guy who asks for money on the street corner a 5 dollar bill you have to leave it up to a greater power because you dont know if he is spending it on booze or food. You glorify God by living a good life, speak to people about your inspiration and why you feel so strongly about it, refuse to condemn their activities and pray for them at the end of the day. Other than that, you can complain your way through life and condemn even the most innocent if you'd like but where the hell is that going to get you? Maybe shouting at kids as they cross your front lawn when your earning social security.

I agree with Chris. As a "straight", I do not agree with Rick Warren's views on LGBT people (by the way, I hate such a label) - however, the only way to influence people we disagree with is to include them. We may never change their views, but by including all different viewpoints in the discussion - and I mean "DISCUSSION', we can have a rationale discussion. If we demonize a person or a group (however large or small), we invite an equal or greater reaction - and that is something that I am not "tolerant" about. We have for too long demonized those with whom we disagree on an issue - even if we agree on other issues. That is destructive and certainly is not God's way. Rick Warren has wonderful views on ending hunger and poverty and on a host of other issues. He can be (and will be) a force for great good in the coming 4 (and hopefully 8) years of the Obama Presidency. Engage him in the debate on this an other issues, disagree without being disagreeable, recognize that there are few if any people who agree 100% of the time and that "disagreement" is a healthy thing, when done with respect. No human being is perfect or all-knowing or correct all of the time. If we open our hearts and minds to those with whom we disagree, while we may not forge agreement we can still forge friendship or at least mutual respect.

Basically, what I am saying is we are all in this same boat together...and we need to love each other as God loves us first according to the scriptures.

I am a gay man with a partner of 10 years. I attend an evangelical congregation which includes many who think being gay is NOT the issue. It is the way we were born. I can disagree, live with my sweetheart and go on with life. I have studied books of Rick Warren and love them. We need not get down to telling others WHAT and HOW they should believe. Each of us has to stand before our God; therefore we need to make sure that we are right with GOD.
By the way, we are thinking about getting married in a state that allows it. You can have it both ways and not have to fight about it. As a side note, the pastor in my church found out that we were gay and did NOT have a problem with us being gay. However, we do disagree on how to live out our personal lives. I would say that is probably how it is with many people of faith in some areas of their faith.
I did not vote for President-elect Obama, but I am very impressed with what he has done and said so far, including this issue.

The Westboro Baptist "God Hates Fags" folks are far less dangerous than the smiling, smug, oily, patronizing bigots like Rick Warren. The whole country hoped Warren represented a new type of post-wingnut Evangelical. Now that his ignorance has been exposed to the light of day we know different, so it's a good thing the spotlight has been turned on him.

Wouldn't it be nice if the 2012 Invocation were given by the Dalai Lama or someone who represents positive spirituality instead of know-nothingism and fund-raising prowess?

I wish this issue would just go away, both the gays and evangelicals are disfuctional, for different reasons of course but disfuctional none the less.
The sad part of course is they both want to impose their disfuctional agenda on society at large.

To Seabiscuit (because I can't reply to your comment for some reason) --

You're taking Old Testament Law out of context and using it to defend your beliefs, and that's why NO ONE is answering you. I understand that Christians often do the same thing -- pull scripture out of context and use it to defend some point of doctrine they believe -- but either way, it points to a failure to understand the WHOLE of scripture. What you are doing is much like reading only pieces of a novel, plus what others have SAID about the novel, and then trying to make a case about the novel itself -- having never read it yourself. I can tell that you have never read the entirety of Scripture, based upon your misuse of the Levitical Laws to try to make a case against the Bible.

I know that your anger will keep you from listening to any explanation I would give of what the Old Testament Laws reveal about God, man, and Christ, so I hope that a gay Christian who has studied the Scriptures fully and completely, the WHOLE of Scripture, will come alongside you and point out where your logic is flawed.

I say this in humility and love, although I'm pretty certain it won't be received that way.

Dear mltucker: the legalization of gay marriage is not requiriing Bible-believers to "endorse" the gay lifestyle: just letting them get legally married so they can file taxes married and jointly and getting spousal group health benefits, like those who have gottten a divorce but weren't victims of sexual iimmorality or desertion but got remarried anyway, or married such a divorced person, contrary to Christ's teaching (and factoring in an interpretation of Paul's "no longer bound" desertion teaching) as in the discovered copies of Matthew.