A Broad Brush

Many times I have said don’t paint religions with a broad brush, there are  many religions that support us and lesbians and gays.

Transgender Pastor Is Welcomed Into Church With A New Name
“Jesus, again and again, uses people on the outskirts of society to proclaim the message of God’s compassion,” he said.
Huffington Post Queer Voices
By Carol Kuruvilla
February 13, 2018

Many Bible stories recount how God changed followers’ names to recognize their new identities. In Genesis, Abram’s name was changed to Abraham to reflect his new identity as the father of the Jewish people. And in the Christian gospels, Jesus changed his follower Simon’s name to Peter to symbolize that the apostle would be the “rock” upon which the church was built.

Echoing that tradition, a Lutheran congregation in New Jersey recently marked a milestone in the life of its pastor with a renaming ceremony. On Sunday, parishioners watched their transgender pastor take on his new chosen name ― Peter.

It was a sacred way for Hoboken’s St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church to acknowledge and bless the Rev. Peter R. Beeson’s gender transition.

I know of several priests and ministers that are trans and two of them have their own parishes.

“It was powerful to hear the congregation re-commit to their long history of inclusion and promise to be a safe and welcoming congregation for all people who are seeking a Christian community,” Beeson said about the ceremony.

I have done diversity training at a number of churches including Episcopal churches and Unitarian Universalist.

When my aunt died I had to make arrangements with the minster at my aunt’s Congregational Church and the minster didn’t even blink when I showed up, she was so affirming.

I am not a religious person; I can take it or leave it when it comes to religion. My thoughts are that it is more important how you live your life than going to church one day a week and calling yourself a Christian when for the other six days you are a bigot.

The only thing that I ask from those “religious persons” is to let me live my life and I will let you live your life. But if you want to butt into my life then I will oppose you.