Monday 29 October 2012

Christian responses to Lesbians: Positive

After the upsetting negativity filled previous post, this post focuses on the positive reactions Christians have to lesbians...

There are many websites set up that promote acceptance of lesbians within Christianity. The majority focus on Jesus' teachings about loving your neighbour.  I spoke to a few of my friends who are Christan's, because although the Churches teachings on acceptance are widely documented, it is a different matter if they are put into practise.

My friend Oliver*had this to say on the topic,  'As a Christian, i believe that God created each of us as the way we are. Things like sexuality do not matter to God, in the same way things like race do not matter'. Oliver's simple words reflect the way many Christians feel about sexuality, that it is not important to God as long as you are a good person and follow the key teachings of the Christian faith. Another friend of mine, Chloe*, said that 'I understand why some Christians may get upset about lesbians, but at the end of the day, we are all equal in the eyes of God, and why would God create people to be gay if he wasn't cool with it?'. Chloe's words also echo Olivers, spreading the Christian message of equality and love and a faith that God is at the centre of human life and its creation.

*names changed

The number of Christian/Lesbian websites that have arisen in recent years also reflects the positivity in  Christianity towards lesbians.  Click the link below to visit lesbepure, one of the biggest Christian-Lesbian websites,
Lesbepure contains many articles and links relating to the Christian faith for those who identify as lesbian, and also provides a helpful list of other websites along similar theme. A few clicks away from this is also Christian LGBT dating websites and many blogs that also encourage acceptance within the Christian faith.

Monday 22 October 2012

Christian responses to Lesbians : Negative

It is going to be hard not to generalise on this topic. All Christians are entitled to their own opinions and by no means am i speaking on behalf of all Christians.

There appears to be simply two main Christian responses to lesbianism. Those that tolerate it, and those that do not.

 Christian Homophobia

I'll start with the negative...

We have all seen and heard of the members of Churches wielding 'God hates fags' signs and spreading their homophobic message throughout the world, especially in southern America and Africa. 
 


There is a lot of really hurtful and disgusting 'information' available on the Internet from the point of view of homophobic Christians, it is incredibly offencive towards the LGBT community and Christians alike.

As you can imagine, the amount of hatred towards lesbians and the LGBT community is rife within the smaller churches, with the Internet being a hotbed for opinions to be easily expressed under the guise of anonymity.

There are far too many homophobic Christian websites to go into in detail, however, a religious tolerance website has complied a brief list of the main websites, including a summary of their content, in case you cannot stomach actually visiting any of the websites yourself.

After trudging through endless websites, i reached the conclusion that the majority of the homophobic Christian websites, much like their real life protesters, fail to provide a convincing argument. They choose to focus on anger and shocking statements, such as 'homosexuals account for half the murders in large cities'. Underneath the anger and brash vile statements, there are very few facts or genuine reasons as to why homophobia could be acceptable within the Christian church. Many of the perpetrators of the homophobia appear to have outrageous 'solutions' to the 'problem', including great ideas such as arresting all members of the LGBT community.

The hatred towards the LGBT community spreads further than the Internet, and documentary maker Louis Theroux visited the Westboro Baptist church to discover their homophobia...


This is an extreme case of homophobia, and although not specifically directed at lesbians, it still shows the lengths some Christians are willing to go to to express their homophobic attitudes.

The lesbophobia within Christianity appears to becoming more prominent, either with those who are shocked at the actions of a few, or the few who are more determined to make their voices more heard. The question this raises is, will there ever be an end to the hatred and fear that some Christians hold onto towards lesbians and the rest of the LGBT community?

Wednesday 17 October 2012

The Bible

The Bible is a central cornerstone to Christian faith and therefore it would be impossible to write this blog without having at least one post dedicated to the relationship between the bible, lesbians and Christianity. I am going to try to keep this as brief and as positive as possible, however, if you wish to explore more, including the negative uses of the bible towards lesbians, there are many good books and websites out there dedicated to the Bible and LGBT issues.

The simply titled website, www.wouldjesusdiscriminate.org, contains a simple discussion about one of the only two books that centre around women in the bible, the book of Ruth. The book of Ruth contains  a speech from Ruth to Naomi, detailing Ruth's devotion and love to Naomi. Many scholars have claimed that the language used in this speech echos that of the language used to describe Adam and Eves love. Some scholars have even claimed the Bible appears to be celebrating the love between the two women who have lived together as a couple. Could this be an example of Christianity accepting, even praising, lesbian relationships?

Kathy Baldock is affiliated with the Affirming Christian Network, and has produced this video discussing the bible and homosexuality, although not specifically about lesbians, i feel it explains the Bible in a way many have not heard before...


Kathys video explains many of the Biblical quotes commonly used to condemn homosexuality in the Bible, if you want to learn more about this, there is an in depth discussion of the bible following her video, which you can find here.



Monday 8 October 2012

Why Lesbians?

 Overlooking Lesbians?

As a whole the LGBT community's relationship with Christianity is widely documented, both from those within the LGBT community and within the religious community, however, the relationship between lesbians and religion is less focused upon. Although this may seem to be a blessing in disguise, as Lesbians have often been ignored by major homophobic Christians, who choose to focus their aggression on the gay and transgendered members of the LGBT community. But why is this the case?

The fact that a lot of homophobia now rightly belongs in the past, fortunately alongside the repression of women. The two combined can offer an explanation to the question as in the past women where wholly thought to be less important members of society, therefore the idea of lesbianism may of been seen as less of a threat to the male dominated world.

Writing for the website www.gaychristians101.com,  the late Rabbi Jacob Milgrom discusses the two of the most popular quotes thrown around by homophobic Christians. The first being Leviticus 18:22 and the second being Leviticus 20:13. Although speaking from a Jewish perspective, he provides a simple list of reasons as to why these quotes do not discuss lesbians, including the fact that women were an underclass who had little choice in marrying a man, thus posing no threat to the family structure that Christianity holds dearly. Milgrom also reinstates my previous point that female same-sex relations could not damage a mans honour or challenge the male dominated society.

Thankfully, as the repression of women has ended, so has the overlooking of lesbians within Christianity, and lesbians are now free to be as accepted or as discriminated against as the rest of the LGBT community. Kind of swings and roundabouts isn't it.



Wednesday 3 October 2012

Hello

Hello, my name is Lauren-Mary and before anything else, i'm going to tell you a little about myself. This is me, on the right. Unsurprisingly, this isn't my first blog, i’m an avid Tumblr user. I am 21 years old, and as you may have guessed, i am a lesbian. I grew up in a strict Roman Catholic household, which has influenced my decisions to study Theology as a degree. In true Lesbian style, i am slightly obsessed with all things LGBT, and this combined with my interest in Theology led to the creation of this blog. I intend to explore as many recent attitudes towards Lesbians within Christianity as well as attitudes that both the Lesbian community and individual Lesbians hold towards Christianity. Wish me luck!