Conscious Choice Seattle: Divine Orientation

March 2006 | Conscious Comment

Divine Orientation

By Rev. Eric Allison

When political initiative activist Tim Eyman started a petition drive recently to give a voters a chance in November to overturn the state’s new gay civil rights legislation, Rev. Eric Allison of the Swedenborgian Church in Redmond was quick to respond to Conscious Choice. Here are his thoughts:

Back in the ‘70s the theological school in Boston (Swedenborg School of Religion) where I was a student was nearly rent asunder by a deep division in the student body. A new group of students came into the school “full of the spirit.” To this liberal intellectual institution it was a major challenge.

These students openly prayed for all sorts of things at the drop of a hat, any hat, spoke in tongues and engaged in healing and practices that shook the school to its foundations.

The students often judged things as “having the spirit” or not “having the spirit.”

Being on the leading edge, the school offered a fieldwork program at a gay-counseling center. I went there one day per week for a year. The “spirit” students pointed to passages in the Bible condemning homosexuality and the battle was on.

Then something quite miraculous happened. For a group activity we went to the Metropolitan Community Church in Boston to attend the worship service held on Sunday evening.

The Reverend Troy Perry (founder of MCC) gave a rousing sermon I still remember entitled “little things.” It was a wonderful “spirit-filled” service. I still remember the look of shock, dismay and perplexedness (yes, I know its not really a word) on the faces of the “spirit” students. They all said something like, “the Spirit is in this church.”

But they were totally against homosexuality. How could the Spirit be present in a church that was in their eyes an abomination? They had to rethink their beliefs.

That is what Spirit does. It doesn’t confirm hate and separation; it stretches to reach out, not to cut people out.

There is considerable debate among scientists about homosexuality being a choice. I side with those who believe the evidence, which clearly shows that in most cases being homosexual is not a choice any more than being heterosexual is a choice. People are born that way. People are sexual beings. Sex is an act of love when it is intended as such by consenting adults, no matter the orientation.

Tim Eyman has now shown his true colors. His desire to bring gays rights to vote is plain and simple bigotry disguised as democracy. He wants the majority to vote whether or not a minority should enjoy the same rights as everyone else. Perhaps we should be voting on his right to continually harass the legislature.

This may sound simplistic and naïve, but I really believe that difference is part of the Divine plan. That is to say, God wants us to learn to live with things that we don’t like, appreciate, understand or approve of.

It’s easy to find passages in the Old Testament condemning homosexuality. These passages say that they should be killed and they are right along side other bizarre passages saying that children who talk back to their parents should be killed or that a woman should make a guilt offering in the tabernacle after her period ends.

Thank God we have finally progressed to the point that the legislature has the insight to give freedom and justice to all.

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