As politicians and religious officials have heated debates about gay marriage, often pitting Jewish and Christian faiths against homosexual lifestyles, members of Christian, Jewish and LGBT communities met last night in Baker University Center to dispel the myths of ideological conflict. Instead, courage and hope were the prevailing messages for queers who seek to simultaneously embrace their faith and their sexual identity.
Rev. Jan Griesinger, of United Campus Ministries, Rabbi Danielle LeShaw, of the Athens Hillel Center, and United Church of Christ Chaplain Mike Paxson of Riverside Hospital in Columbus greeted a mixed group of students, faculty and staff in a panel discussion.
For many gays, panelists said, the fear of coming out is compounded by the risk of exclusion from church communities, which augments into an obstacle too large to overcome.
It's deep
you're just terrorized Griesinger recalls of her own experience coming out to the Athens Community in the late '70s. But claiming your identity is important and inevitable, she said.
It is an act of faith a religious impulse of the spirit of God surging up in us saying 'no lying
' Griesinger said.
The spirit of God, however, does not hold clear intentions for all people. Many churches and temples across the United States are
quick to condemn homosexuality, and various interpretations of the Christian Bible lead to exclusion of LGBT communities.
But LeShaw wants to promote a different reality.
I wanted people to really understand that the queer Jewish communities that exist in Athens and throughout the world are vibrant and dynamic
LeShaw said. She emphasized that gays can live full, inclusive Jewish lives. There doesn't have to be a watered-down version.
LeShaw said she is excited to see the queer/Jewish community expanding, and she encouraged students to consider rabbinical school.
Griesinger likewise noted 10 to 12 new church outreach programs nationwide, inclusive of LGBT. When folks didn't find a church to be welcoming
they founded their own
she said. Even a Catholic LGBT group (DignityUSA) has been formed, Griesinger said.
Students who participated in discussion collectively agreed that religion and sexual identity have often been at odds in their lives. In reconciling the two, most have compiled a myriad of ideas from different faiths to create a belief system of their own. Others embarked on a spiritual journey only to come back to their roots, while one young gay woman remained deep in her faith.
In my life
spirituality and Catholicism are of utmost importance to me
Kyla Kazuschyk said. So many things about Catholicism are really beautiful to me
she said.
A self-dubbed Christian-Jewish hybrid
Ohio University student Cheryl Bindel was raised as a Seventh Day Adventist, only to leave her church for a less conservative lifestyle. She ended up at the Hillel. Part of my faith and spirituality was wanting to reach out to people
