Hence me writing about it!

Praying for someone should not be provocation.

Ironic reversal of roles from the usual stereotype.

The 'accepted' typical scenario has a bunch of good ole boys, otherwise known as rednecks, hanging out at the local pool hall and some gays show up to have a few beers or whatever.

Well that's a little more provocation than the good ole boys can stand, so they commence to foul language, hooping and hollering and maybe even doling out a little bit of country boy ass kicking to those 'queers' for having the audacity to come into 'their' neighborhood.

Now we have gays kicking granny's ass and stomping on her cross for coming into 'their' neighborhood and having the audacity to pray.

Same play; different actors.

Oh ya,,,,,the mainstream media would be all over it like bees on honey...we'd have known all the details had the tables been reversed.  

AIDS is the first media and politically protected disease....and the truth about their destructive and violent side and this is never told by the media. For example , domestic violence and physical abuse is rampant in the homosexual community, yet no one knows.  The media is silent.

PICTORATUS POSTS:

Nice try, but not the same play.....both granny and the crowd of praying Christians were EXERCISING their freedom of assembly...nothing more, nothing less....they were in the right, not the wrong....

Whereas, if as in your description, the redneck guys assault those "queers", then they are in the wrong....

About "Provoking":

Christians hold the value that the gay community lives in sin. They came in not to claim a right of equality, but to "pray for their souls". It's not even remotely close of Martin Luther King's, who was fighting for equal right for his people. If Martin Luther King had claimed that "Pray for them, because they are White, and God will forsake them", I would have understood violent reaction on the part of the whites.

the Christians are looking toward removing the very existence of the gay community. They are claiming that their soul is corrupted, that they are deviant and living in sin. They went to "pray for them", which is implicating that the gay community are a clear "Evil" in their religion. If this isn't a kind of provocation, what is? If I walk up to you, and tell you that everything you are is against my belief, how isn't that a provocation?

You are just a bunch of people who are looking for a way to devilise these peoples any way you can. The Orangists in Northen Ireland also were "Peacefully Demonstrating, as it is their right" in catholic communities, and it is no less of a provocation. The gay community is fighting for equal right, and for the acceptance of their way of living. They don't try to enforce homosexuality on you, but they try to make sure any homosexual won't feel marginalised just because he is what he is. Just as it isn't bad for a christian for a christian not to feel shame about what he is. But the problem is, you don't choose to be gay or not, but you choose your religion.

You can choose to accept your homosexuality or not, however. And these people want to make sure nobody will feel wrong about doing it.

And while these people are looking for a way to improve the acceptance in society, you christians walk in and hammer them with "You live in Sin. God will punish you. We will pray for you, however" in an hypocritical statements. "Hate the sin, not the sinner" my ass, KFC, and to all the christians. The people you so-say not "hate" are still potential at treath for their health BECAUSE of people like you.

Maybe I should have provided a program, although I thought it would be evident which players had assumed which roles.

The aggressors in Act I are the 'good ole boys' who feel threatened by the existence of the gays in the bar having a beer, while the aggressors in Act II are the gays who feel threatened by the existence of the Christians praying in their neighborhood. Both the gays in the bar having a beer and the Christians praying were 'EXERCISING' their freedom of assembly.

The only 'provocation' by the groups being attacked in both scenes is that of merely existing and for being in the position of serving as a visual reminder of what I suspect the aggressors in both groups fear ... an invalidation of their beliefs and/or lifestyle.

The thing to ask is why would some of the patrons of the bar in the first scenario and some of the gays in the neighborhood in the second scenario be content to let people different from themselves alone to go about their lives in peace without attacking them?

Perhaps they are secure in their own beliefs and/or lifestyle and don't feel threatened by alternate viewpoints? Perhaps they are ... tolerant?

Yes it is.  It is a direct parallel.  We can no more change ancient ROman society than we can change the Ante Bellum SOuth.  We can only look at the times we live in and change.  WHat MLK did was very provoking because it went against society (not a bad thing considering what society was doing, but that is beside the point).

You have the wrong horse here.  Clearly no one here, or the christians were doing that.  Just the loons that sought to make a peaceful demonstration (still legal in the US today - perhaps not tomorrow) a fire fight.

Uh, this is not Northern Ireland, nor are our laws their laws.  Bad comparison.  As this has already been done here peacefully (as I was on the other end of the demonstration in the past, and it was peaceful and no one got stoned).

How?  Are they demonstrating against the war by declaring war on everyone?  That is what they did.  If that was their intention, they blew it big time.  For instead of feeling wrong about it, it left many seeing that it is wrong.  Not by lifestyle, but by actions of the few.  This is a clear case of cutting off the nose to spite the face.  Lots of noseless homsexuals running around SF now.

And here you are flat out wrong,  I have lived most of my life basically in a missionary status, as I was one of a few (very few) Catholics out there.  And yes, I had the stares sneers and comments and even demonstrations against us.  I have been prayed for so many times (after all I am a devil worshipper), that I must be saved and have a sure fire ticket to heaven. Yet neither myself or any of my fellow Catholics ever stoned a demonstrator or stomped on their prayer book.

Because they have the right to condemn my lifestyle, as long as they do not then act upon their beliefs.  Here we have the same situation.  But instead of ignoring them (the best defense for this kind of action I have found), they sought to violently infringe on the rights of others.  This is AMerica.  Not some screwed up European or Commonwealth country where you can be jailed for saying "I dont like X".  If they do not like the fact that not everyone agrees with them, start a commune. Move to a totalitarian society.  But dont deny anyone of their rights jsut because you do not agree with them.

This is so not true.  So either you are deliberately lying to prove your point or you are truly very misinformed.  Homosexuals have been around for many years.  In fact, it's more prevalent today than ever.  So that can't be it. 

Sin corrupts.  PUre and simple.  No matter the sin.  Until lately homosexul activity was always considered sin.  From a Christian POV that hasn't changed even tho society is trying to tell us otherwise.  Praying for anybody is a good thing.  It's a positive, not a negative.  Praying for somebody means you care for them.  It's not a bad thing.  I covet the prayers of others. 

so what you're asking the Christian to do is to accept sin in society?  I'm sure there are many others out there who engage in other sinful behaviors who would like us also to accept them into society.  Should we? 

I don't hammer anyone with a "God will punish you" attitude.  That's not my style.  Do I believe God will punish sins?  Yes, absolutely. All sins regardless.  God is not a respector of sin.  We must speak the truth in love and to ignore sin is not showing love.  If I saw someone about to fall off a cliff should I ignore them because I don't want to embarras them or question their ability to take care of themselves?  Is that showing love?  Just let them fall headlong into a deadly situation? 

What you are telling me to do is much closer to hate than what the Christians are doing.  Praying for them and warning them of the consequences of their behavior is not hate.   Taking care of our neighbor means helping them in all aspects of life.  They may not want the help but we are to offer it anyhow.   Thousands have recognized this and walked away from the lifestyle never to return.  They understand the Christian that helped them along the way was showing them love, not hate.

Cikomyr, Did you or did you not condemn the provocation of the gays when they were out protesting in the streets after the passing of Prop 8 in California?

One of the strangest verses that ever fell from the lips of the Prince of Peace, Jesus, is this: “Think not that I have come to send peace on the earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword.”

That’s incredible because the Bible calls Him the “Prince of Peace.” What is He talking about then?

He is saying, “I came with a sword to put a line of demarcation between truth and error, between light and dark, between sin and righteousness.” When God’s standard of righteousness is set, there will always be division. Without righteousness there can be no peace. Peace can never come where sin remains.

God will never make a peace treaty with sin, never!

You are most welcome>

But it is! In LIBERAL LAND, AND IN FAIRY LAND; LIBERALS RULE THE DAY.

Hey AD no fair confusing the already confused with the TRUTH!!!!!!!!!

CIKOMYR POSTS:

I agree, KFC. Cikomyr doesn't understand Christians or of the duty and command to love our neighbor, even if he is our enemiy or we disagree with his choice of behavior, no matter what that might be.

He also gives Christians waaay too  much power...as homosexuality has been around ever since sin entered the world through the sin of Adam.

On a practical note, the homosexuals themselves, by virtue of their unsanitary sexual practices, are removing themselves and each other from existence.  Without recruitment into the lifestyle, they'd be gone.