Unfortunately I know his perspective intimately. My former church publicly ostracized homosexuals. People could be dismissed for any unrepentant sin (e.g. extramarital sex, outbursts of anger), but homosexuals were explicitly considered as bad as rapists and pedophiles. The church disciplined wayward Christians by cutting them off from fellowship in hopes they would repent. He is attempting to be charitable by speaking to an outcast in public, perhaps win me back. Last spring I happened to notice him in a secluded part of the park along the river and he tried to slink away without being seen, so obviously he didn't trust that situation.
Possibly in the past decade that church has recognized the gay community as part of the status quo and realized a more moderate approach might be useful. But until I see a public declaration that the church was wrong about the way it treated people like me, I'll assume their underlying beliefs haven't changed.
oh, i guess i was feeling a moment's pollyanna hope that he might regret having been such a jerk. :(
the latest out of rome, btw, has me thinking you were right about that all along. i've been back with the episcopalians for a while anyway, and am even a little jumpy there. i get tired of people in the churches acting so damn sure about everything.
i think you're wise to assume, as you do, that they've not really changed.
As Jesus suggested, it's unwise to pour new wine into old wineskins. We're usually better off creating new structures than expecting old ones to conform to our purposes. I do hope you find something that meets your needs.
So that was you Don was going to meet! Now I'm even more disappointed that I couldn't make it. I've noticed before that we have a few common interests beyond the usual ones. I think I should just go ahead and add you in hopes we'll get to know one another.
Good, I added you as well. And there's plenty of times in the future to meet up, i'm sure.
I noticed you have a degree in biology/ecology; that is kind of like my educational background and, at one time, was my career aspiration as well. It's a fascinating subject to study and think about but it's so hard to find work in that field...
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of trees in ice!~paul
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Peace to you, and to my friends of all stripes and creeds.
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tomorrow(US Thanksgiving).~paul
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i wonder what that pastor is thinking, when he tries to be friendly to you. maybe he has a bad conscience about things.
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Possibly in the past decade that church has recognized the gay community as part of the status quo and realized a more moderate approach might be useful. But until I see a public declaration that the church was wrong about the way it treated people like me, I'll assume their underlying beliefs haven't changed.
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the latest out of rome, btw, has me thinking you were right about that all along. i've been back with the episcopalians for a while anyway, and am even a little jumpy there. i get tired of people in the churches acting so damn sure about everything.
i think you're wise to assume, as you do, that they've not really changed.
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It's too bad you weren't able to get down yesterday...I'm sure I would have enjoyed meeting you...
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I noticed you have a degree in biology/ecology; that is kind of like my educational background and, at one time, was my career aspiration as well. It's a fascinating subject to study and think about but it's so hard to find work in that field...
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