Have you guys seen the meme on facebook going around about "Tim Tebow vs Jason Collins" comparing Tebow "bashed for professing christ" and Collins "praised for homosexuality" and then at the bottom the scripture Isaiah 50:20: woe to those who call evil good and good evil? I have had a couple friends of mine post that on their wall and it showed up on my wall. I don't care what they believe however it just bothers me that they didn't think that I would find it offensive. Am I overreacting? LRG
Question for some of the other gay posters
by littlerockguy 11 Replies latest jw friends
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Tylinbrando
I have not seen it. Sounds like it is blatant anti gay pro fundie propaganda.
Facebook has extreme hate speech policies in place that are easily accessed.
Isn't Tim Tebow a professed virgin?
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Scully
I'm not gay, but I find it offensive. It's like a bully who, having tormented his victims for things beyond their control, cries foul when they have consequences imposed on them for their behaviour.
Just more bullying, by bullies.
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littlerockguy
I have had a longtime friend post that and a coworker post that and when I saw it I couldn't help but be pissed thinking what all I been through by so called "christians" and I unfriended my coworker. She had been off work due to minor surgery and is back at work now wondering why I unfriended her. I told her her post on faceook are too polarizing for me and I was pretty pissed for what she had done however we dropped the subject immediately since we usually don't discuss personal matters like this at work but Im sure she will want to bring it up again. I have been working at the same place for 10 years and never discussed my private life including my sexuality at work. I only told her because she confided in my that her son who also works in the same office just came out a year and a half ago and seeing that unfold between her and him at work even though nothing was said I knew what was up since I could tell he was gay. She finally told me in confidence about it so I told her I was gay to let her know she has more gay people involved in her life than she realizes and I thought it would help her put things in perspective with regards with her son.
LRG
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SAHS
Hi LRG. Sorry to hear about the existence of that offensive material going around. I am completely unfamiliar with either Tim Tebow or Jason Collins, but I know that, unfortunately, some people get a rise out of promoting their particular prejudices and hatreds while not seeming to care about the negative effects of such on society.
Anti gay sentiments appear to be woven into the socio-anthropological phenomenon of bullying behavior in general. It seems that people in human society always have to have some defined minority or cultural/ethnicity perceived as “inferior” or as an “enemy.” Society seems to have some kind of destructive, primal need to highlight and capitalize on differences – it’s either about religion, politics, ethnicity, culture, sexuality, gender, power, wealth, clan or gang affiliation, etc., or whatever – if it’s not one thing, it’s another – from a small group scale to a large societal scale.
With people in this world, there’s always got to be some “us-and-them” mentality, which we see from the caddy and fickle cliques in the schoolyard to the various smear campaigns among socio-political groups vying for recognition and influence.
A long-standing friend of mine has an older brother who is extremely vehement and vocal against homosexuality (not to mention other races), and this friend of mine unfortunately also shares a little bit of his brother’s childish prejudices, especially about gays. (Both are former Jehovah’s Witnesses, believe it or not, and their father is from Newfoundland. They are both somewhat “slow,” and I guess they feel a bit embarrassed about all the Newfie jokes.) Such destructive attitudes, whether about sexuality or any other type of prejudice, makes me angry, and I feel a sense of sympathetic indignation and injustice. Whenever my friend talks that way, I feel embarrassed and uncomfortable and get rather hot under the collar. I must say that I always set him straight and stick up for the rights of gays to be treated with equality and dignity.
My friend is fully aware that I myself have some, let’s just say, tendencies which would be widely viewed as “aberrant,” although he is very accepting of it. I have never been into children, but I have also never actually had a girlfriend . . . or boyfriend either. (You can view my very first post at “http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/members/private/60838/1/Dad-scared-me-with-sin-against-HS-if-no-forgiveness-might-as-well-be-here” for more detail.)
Anyway, sorry for ranting. I just had to get it out. In answer to the question in your original post on this thread, “Am I overreacting”: No, I believe that you aren’t. Such postings, whether on Facebook or anywhere else in the public eye, bring responsibility. There is always somebody at the other end of anything like that – somebody with tangible feelings and intrinsic worth as a human being. The material you referenced would, indeed, be offensive. And you are right to let them know.
Take care.
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Seraphim23
I haven’t seen it, yet! I agree with SAHS and the other posters. Being a gay Christian I don’t feel you’re overreacting. However unfriending your friend? I would try to make sure you were not acting out of anger. Perhaps after calming down you might still feel the need to do it if it was the only way improve a situation as best you could. Sometimes it takes time with people to get the message. Things are getting better but it takes time. Even I have inner prejudices that I struggle to recognise and crush and if I have that being a gay Christian, then others surly do also. Saying that though you sound like a decent human being and well done for being the change you wish to see in society.
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irondork
Just recognize it for what it is and don't let it get to you.
I learned to let stuff like that slide off my back a long time ago.
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finally awake
I find that offensive even though I'm not gay
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yourmomma
yeah, its bigotry. and what i hate most about it is that they pretend its not.
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fulltimestudent
What you have posted, LRG, is evidence that Christianity, as traditionally presented is NOT a suitable religion for pluralistic societies.
However, it is clear that the bigoted type of Christian is losing out. Even, in a little country like Singapore, which has a very controlling government, strongly influenced by traditional Christians, and which maintains an anti-gay stance, they are being forced to change.
To cheer you up, I offer this video.
The background is that gay people in Singapore, prevented by Government strictures from other forms of protest, such as are common in Western democracies, have evolved their own unique style of protest. It's called Pink.dot.
Presently, the government does not stop assemblies, so GLBT people in Singapore, have organised a meet-up in Hong Lim Park in central Singapore, in which everyone wears pink. From a small start it has grown into a large event, attended and supported by many straight people, who can see the injustice of the position maintained by the government and their Christian supporters.
The image below, shows just how small the first Pink.dot was.
By 2012 support had grown exponentially, as seen in this brief video, demonstrating the crowd at night, through the use of pink lights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXM5-hAKaSQ
And for this year, just received from my GAY XJW friend, here's part of the advertising for this years celebration. The message is simple, using a popular song, often sung on national day, they advocate an inclusive stance for Singaporan civil society.
