One thing that I love about Obama is his willingness and ability to bring opposing groups together. For as long as I remember, and even within my own personal life, Religion and Homosexuality has been going at it toe to toe. It hasn't been pretty.
With most religions considering a natural aspect of one's biology as a sin, it hasn't given many homosexuals to fully embrace one's natural connection to understanding something greater then themselves.
It is good that church and state is separated, but we all know how blurry that line is. Example: Gay Marriage. Yet we can't deny that Religious Institutions are a staple and strong way to bring communities together as well as uplifting those that are in need. So I can see why Obama would want to tap into that resource.
President Obama has created the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Technically, Bush created it, but Obama just reconstructed and expanded it. Let's say a church needs money to help create a program that would best help the need of there community, they could ask the Government for a grant to help them achieve that goal as long as they do not promote there faith or discriminate against another group of people. The original faith-based office created in 2002 allowed religious organizations to discriminate against gays and lesbians with public money—and this outraged many in the LGBT community.
This time around, Obama is not going to have it! Today, the president made an important step in the right direction by naming a black gay man to the Policy Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships—Fred Davie. YES A BLACK GAY MAN!
"Davie has a distinguished career in the public and private sector—including top positions in New York City government and at the Ford Foundation—and substantial expertise in neighborhood development and faith-based strategies. Davie, who has a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University, is on the board of directors of the Auburn Theological Seminary and a trustee of the Calvert Social Investment Fund. Fred Davie should be a solid addition to the Policy Council and a fierce advocate for the gay and lesbian community. "
Is Obama making the right decision? Will this allow Religious Institutions to be more tolerant? Is not receiving government money going to change the minds of discriminative religious groups?
4 comments:
Right decision? Yes, but is the intolerance going to cease? You know that answer, Shawn...basically when they request funds, the churches will have to front, unless they're already gay-friendly.
This is a sad move in my opinion. This is just another form of governmental control in other social institutions. The church should not be punished or quenched for their rightful belief and directives given from God that is contrary to a small group of people who is deviate in their behavior and curse the God they say they love. The church don't need government money if they have to bend their belief to satisfy the devil.
I do not feel that the government is "controlling" at least in this situation. The government was built on basic principles that allow the thinking and beliefs of all there citizens. We pay taxes based on our social responsibility. We pay tithes based on our religious responsibility. The Government helps based on its principles, not controls. The same way Church helps based on its. If push come to shove, Church can continue to do what they want based on there rules, but it is divisive. To me, the thought of the devil is to divide. I try not to allow devlish ideas to enter my soul.
Was there anyone better looking and just as qualified for the position? lol
Its a move toward equality.
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