The River of Love.

Homosexuality is love.

The desire that derives from masculine beauty is none other than love.

The power of that desire is the power of love.

So we should let go of all thoughts of fear and guilt.

And immerse ourselves in the River of Love.


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Sex Education.

There is nothing wrong with sex education.

And gay sex education is no different.

Sex should be approached from a human perspective - i.e. as a desire for union with another.

But it should be made clear that incest and pedophilia are not acceptable, in fact they are illegal in our society.

This is not because of any moral objections but because they are extremely damaging to the individuals involved.

You should always respect the object of your desire - respect her or his wishes, respect her or his rights.

If you can do these things then there should be no great problems.


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The Next Generation.

After the positive media of the 1990s it seemed as if the pandemic of homophobia which was triggered by the AIDS crisis was largely over.

Especially when Churches like the Uniting Church in Australia conducted wide ranging discussions about homosexuality and religion.

But we failed to take into account the effect on the next generation.

Homophobia in the young has hardened into a snub-nosed prejudice that has made gay a put down used to bully and torment young gay people.

And the decline in religion means that the only message young gay people hear from the Church is that God hates them.

This is a tragedy of major proportions.

Much work needs to be done to redress the damage that has been done to the next generation.


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AIDS.

Some Evangelical Christians still say that AIDS is God's punishment on homosexuality.

This is plainly ridiculous because AIDS does not only affect homosexuals in any case.

But say, for example, your wife gets breast cancer, would you say that God was punishing her for being a woman?

Or say you get prostate cancer, would you say that God was punishing you for having sex?

Obviously you would not.

So why persist in saying that AIDS is God's punishment on homosexuals?

It is demonstrably untrue.

And it should be denounced for good!


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Rage, Rage.

In 1984 when Generation X began to rise and Reagan and Thatcher ruled I heard Sir Lawrence Olivier quote Dylan Thomas, "Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

Although the original poem is about human death the quote resonated with the time - the dying of the idealism and spirituality of the 1960s and 1970s.

In the I-Ching there is a hexagram called "Darkening of the Light" which refers to a time when the light is withdrawing and the darkness rising.

Only now can we see what was lost.


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The World.

The way of the world is the way of power and might.

The way of the devil is to steal and kill and destroy.  (John 10:10a)

That is why Jesus calls them children of the devil (John 8:44a) because they steal and kill and destroy.

"'Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.'"  Zechariah 4:6b (NRSV)

The way of God is non-violent.

God punishes no one.

It is the way of truth.

That is why I will not sing, "God of power and might."

He is not a God of power and might.

He does not use force or coercion.

He is a God of Love.

He is a God of mercy.

And His forgiveness is infinite.

"'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.'"  Matthew 5:9 (NRSV)


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.}

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Fear or Faith.

When we allow fear to control us we become part of the problem.

How can we overcome fear?

We say "God has forsaken the earth."

We have little faith.

If we had faith in the Love of God we would not be afraid.

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4:18a (NRSV)

Were we to believe that God cares for us we would not need to build up huge reserves of money and possessions.

There would always be enough.

We could live with less.

And less is more.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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