Blogathon #53 – Good Night, Sweethearts

Well, Blogathon 2009 was in many ways a much better experience than my last go-round, which was plagued with technical snafus and more. This year, the worst thing was the quiet audience, followed by three extra hours I had not anticapated. But that’s all okay: Given the reason behind this adventure — raising funds and awareness of nonviolent direct-action organization Soulforce — it was a privilege. If you were here for any part of it, I very much appreciate your interest and virtual companionship. And if you’ve made a donation to the Soulforce effort, you have my undying gratitude. If you have not done so, it is not too late. I beg of you — do some good in the name of justice, peace, and equality for all God’s children:  Pledge to help Soulforce. Once the link goes dormant, contribute via their online donations page. You will be glad you did.

Belated thanks to the Blogathon crew and sponsors; to Mel, Gary, and the entire Soulforce family; to Jeff, Christy, David, Shawn, and God, to all the artists, writers and wise ones showcased; to all those site visitors who shared in the experience by sending emails, tweets,   and comments. Most of all, thank YOU for reading any or all of the 27 hours’ worth of writing, which is below. I pray you will take it all to heart and help Soulforce.

Wishing you love, light, grace, justice, and peace…

Blogathon #52 – On Nonviolence

Great thinkers have said much on the subject of the wrongness of violence. Here is a selection of their wisdom:

“The powerful bless the status quo and call it ‘peace.’ The powerless protest the status quo and are imprisoned for ‘disturbing the peace.’” – Jim Stoffels

“Once we see another group of people as –‘the other–’ and subhuman, not at all like ourselves, we reactivate humankind–’s long history of tribal, state, and religious war. . . . Those who die in any holocaust die because of an idea: the belief that certain people are different and not fully human and therefore it is all right to kill them.” - Michael Werner

“No, it is not easy to grasp that the only way to suffer less is to love more, especially in politics. At the risk of seeming weaker. Yes, at the risk of seeming weaker I shall not build an atomic bomb, I shall not give my enemy a whack in the eye to show that I am stronger, I shall not make war, I shall not squash my tomatoes and apples with a tractor to keep the price up, I shall not destroy forests to build factories, I shall not poison the sea. If love is the rule of my politics and the thrust of my action, yes, I really shall suffer less and I shall cause less suffering in others.” – Carlo Carretto

“Violence is the weapon of the weak.” – Rev. Ralph Abernathy

“Without question, the 20th-century has been a century of the greatest advancement man has known. The sad part is that we still are no further along than when we came out of the caves and bashed each other on the head to settle an argument. Whether it’s between two people on a Manhattan street or nations going to war, we still kill each other. How can we claim civilization has made any progress if, despite the greatest art and mechanical marvels, we can’t dispense with murder as a final argument? So I am disappointed that we haven’t done anything about that. My hope for the 21st century would be permanent peace.” – Walter Cronkite

“Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member. Courage without love and wisdom is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier. Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice, as with the ordinary intellectual. The one who has love, courage, and wisdom is one in a million, who moves the world, as with Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi.” – Ammon Hennacy

“War is a coward’s escape from the problems of peace.” – Thomas Mann

“War, and the preparation for war, are the two greatest obstacles to human progress, fostering a vicious cycle of arms buildups, violence and poverty.” – Oscar Arias Sanchez, former president of Costa Rica, Nobel Peace Prize 1987

Thirty more minutes until Blogathon 2009 comes to a close: Don’t wait – pledge to support Soulforce’s justice work.

Blogathon #51 – A Very Cool Story

I shared this piece from the 7/6/2003 Portsmouth (Ohio) Daily Times during Blogathon six years ago. It still resonates, so let’s share it again.

Freedom Rings Differently In Us Allby Rick Greene, PDT Managing Editor

Hunter T. had always dressed very conservatively, but today was different.

He traded in his slacks and button down for a pair of shorts and a loud shirt decorated with an American flag.

“Nice threads,” Sylvia W. said as she walked up to the bar at the Downtown Coffee Shop. “Independence Day wasn’t lost on you, was it?”

Hunter smiled and replies, “Nope.”

Quentin C. grabbed a seat and had a dejected look on his face and it was clear he wanted someone to inquire.

Rufus took the bait.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Quentin then talked about what a wonderful Fourth of July weekend he was having before it got ruined. He mentioned a round of golf, a cookout, a swim in the pool and the fireworks show.

“But when I was down there at the fireworks show on the river, I saw two men together,” Quentin said. “You know, TOGETHER.”

The other three looked at him with raised eyebrows thinking there had to be more to the story. Sylvia pressed him.

“So? So what?” she asked in an almost aggravated tone. “What’s the big deal?”

Quentin then went on to explain it wasn’t that he disliked homosexuals, but he did not agree with the lifestyle. He was particularly upset with the Supreme Court’s decision last week that made a ban on gay sex unconstitutional.

“What business is it of yours!” Sylvia said. “I mean really, what impact does it have on your life if two gay men – or gay women – have sex? Those people you were talking about might contribute to the community, contribute to their church, be good, caring people.”

She wasn’t finished. Much to the contrary, she was getting wound up in a way that wasn’t unfamiliar to the regular customers.

“People like you are the problem around here,” Sylvia said in a way that let Hunter and Rufus know her anger had just gone up a notch. “You can’t accept diversity. If people are different from you or do things differently than you, it has to be wrong.”

Rufus thought Sylvia was getting a little too personal so he intervened. As usual, his gentlemanly manner settled everybody down.

But it wasn’t that he disagreed with Sylvia. He put his arm around Quentin, in a kind of fatherly manner, and pointed out the window.

“Do you see that?” Rufus asked, as he directed Quentin’s attention to the American flag that hung on the pole outside the shop.
“Fifty stars for 50 states. They’re filled with people of all sorts of backgrounds and cultures with all sorts of religious views and belief systems.”

Quentin took a deep breath as if he was about to respond.

“Wait,” Rufus interrupted. “Just wait.

“You remember the Declaration of Independence, don’t you? ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,’ and all that,” Rufus said as a light breeze began to lift the flag. “What do you think that means?”

Rufus answered his own question by telling Quentin it wasn’t that long ago when people viewed blacks, like Rufus’ ancestors, in the same regard Quentin had for the two gay men.

“Do you understand son?” Rufus asked. “Do you understand?”

. Rick Green can be reached at (740) 353-3101, Ext. 244 or by e-mail.

Gotta get more Kleenex.

But first, a plug: Please give your support to Soulforce by sponsoring this blog during Blogathon 2009 – 26 hours down, one hour to go!

Blogathon #50 – Soulforce’s Spring 2009 Catholic Action

Soulforcers hit the Big Apple this year to send a message to Roman Catholic leadership: Open the table to your LGBT brothers and sisters. How were our nonviolent, faithful activists received? Check out this video, which recounts the first day of the NYC action:

Spring 2009 Catholic Action – Video Day 1

Be a part of this important work for justice — we have an hour and a half of Blogathon 2009 left:  Pledge!

Blogathon #49 – In the Belly of the Beast

In 1998, I went undercover to study fundamentalist Christian ex-gay ministries from the inside. It was a frightening, yet eye-opening experience that taught me a lot about seeing opponents as human beings, which is a huge part of theSoulforce credo. They may be wrong, but those who oppose and abuse us are people too. We must remember that. My investigative report, “The Other Side of the Rainbow,” appeared in Baltimore City Paper in March, 1999, and has been reprinted numerous times on the Web and in print. (The linked version is on the old GayToday site.)

I share the link because the ex-gay movement is a huge matter of concern to Soulforce. (Read my piece and you’ll understand.) The organization, along with other pro-justice groups, will present the Anti-Heterosexism Conference in November to address the issues and expose the myths and dangers of “pray away the gay” efforts. More on the conference here. Want to do your part to help in Soulforce’s truth-telling mission? It’s Blogathon 2009 — pledge!