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Following my post yesterday about Charleston gay rights activist Linda Ketner, I received an interesting tip from an anonymous reader. In yesterday’s post I noted that Ketner, who recently announced she would be running against Republican Henry Brown for the First District Congressional seat in November, has a record of giving piles of cash to ultra-liberal out-of-state candidates. But that won’t be her only obstacle in trying to win Brown’s very conservative seat.
“She’s not a bad candidate because she is gay,” the reader wrote. “Who cares? She’s a bad candidate because of what she has said about Christians.” The tipster included a link to an undated article penned by Ketner on QNotes, an independent publication that bills itself as “the leading gay and lesbian news source of the Carolinas.”
From the article:
One of my past girlfriends was Jewish and used to laugh at the contradiction between my unbridled regard for Jesus and my utter disdain for southern Christianity. I’d be carrying on about how embarrassed Christ must be for the actions of those damned Christians and she’d say, “There she goes again, trying to save Christ from the Christians!” I’d really like to make a bumper sticker, “Save Christ from the Christians,” but I don’t want my car keyed.
In April at Passover and Easter time, lots of us went home for family get-togethers and many of us were encouraged to attend churches or synagogues that denigrate us. Beth and I refused to join the rest of the family at Mom’s Sanctimonious Temple of Homophobia and went to a neighboring and supportive church. There was no fight about it because this war had ended and a negotiated peace reached several years ago.
But those damned Christians, they do aggravate the hell out of me and sometimes keep me up at night.
Yikes. Somebody is pretty angry. Somebody has a few unresolved issues with southern Christians. And less than a week into her campaign, somebody has a lot of explaining to do to “those damned Christians” whose support she will certainly need to have a fighting chance in the general election.
Of course, judging by that Stepford smile and her apparent contempt for Christians, I don’t know if I should mention fighting or she might literally rip my head off.
Hooray for Linda-the lady speaks when others remain silent! Thanks Linda.
gay is not her only problem she sounds like a nut job on top of the gay part, saving christ from christians, what a fruitcake.
That Q-Notes website doesn’t include a date in the actual story, but it is in the url address. The date of the story is April 22, 2006.
I think the saving Christ from the Christians is a completely valid statement in used in the correct manner. You have people like Rush calling himself a good Christian and blaming the hurricanes on the gay people in Florida. I thought that Christianity taught tolerance and respect for others, but there are quite a few Christian groups that are spreading hate (see the alliance for marriage as an example). I personally am a catholic but am torn between my religion and the common retoric because so many catholics are intolerant of gay or lesbian people.
Not the brightest thing to do if you are going to run for office but she is right. I am Roman Catholic and each Sunday I have a priest who stands up and blasts gays and unwed mothers and really even though I have a pretty conservative view of the issue I feel awful for those in attendance who are either gay or who got pregnant without being married. We actually counted a few weeks ago he said “abortion” eleven times in one sermon; it has become an ongoing frustration week after week to hear it. I can only imagine what it is like to be gay and to be a devout Christian but to get blasted each and every week. She is right, there is nothing Christian about hated.
Everyone probably has a different view of Jesus; however the one I believe to be most commonly subscribed to was he was a man of peace and love; remember the beatitudes. Jesus slept with lepers and ate with prostitutes; he embraced sinners and told people not to cast stones. I consider myself a pretty conservative Democrat, pro-life and pro-gun (responsibly); but folks being gay do not bother me, what bothers me is the demagoguery and contempt that people vomit out in the name of Christ. It is shameful and anything but Christian.
There is more good (hopefully) espoused in the name of Christianity than bad, the shelters, the soup kitchens, the schooling, the healthcare; in my humble opinion that is what Christianity is about. The assassination of doctors, the cross burnings, the picketing of AIDS funerals, the continuous attacks from the pulpit, not to mention the wars – these are not things to be proud of especially in the name of Christ.
My only other thought on this is that if other people’s faiths and religions are like mine (which I am sure they are), it is something that is a part of my core being, it defines me but it is very personal; to go into a church and to be attacked and demonized is something that would have tremendous effects on me. I can only equate it to a boy of 4 or 5 looking up to his father like he hung the moon and then for the father to call him worthless and denigrate him. It would make you feel like you were one inch tall, and leave you filled with strong emotions. Linda Ketner went through that, she was attacked in a place where she felt comfortable, attacked to her core being. I don’t blame her for what she said, and I happen to agree with her in some regards.
I should have read the whole article Linda wrote before responding; because if you had read far enough in the article you used to draw those two paragraphs supposedly linking her hatred for Christians, you would have seen what she wrote later in the article which I think offers a slightly different explanation of your “utter distain for Christians” headline.
“Growing up in the traditional church, though, it hurt too much to laugh. We heard and heard and heard how despicable we were, and we were alone with that. It’s hard to find God when the “anointed” among you tell you that “God is not for you.” It’s hard to grow up feeling the love of God if you’re gay because you get no help. No help from family, no help from friends, no help from school and no help from religion.
It’s transforming, difficult, more complex, richer and deeper. For the very reason that traditional sources to find God aren’t available to LGBT people, when we do seek God, God often touches us directly. Religion isn’t the unquestioned, social thing that it is for so many of our straight brothers and sisters. It’s a real and living thing when we find God, a soul thing, a spirit thing, a particularly beautiful thing. ”
Sounds like a real God hater doesn’t she.
I think that she is not only brave and intelligent, but also quite correct. Southern christians and another religious zealots are not just ruining our country, but the entire planet. The more courageous people come out and speak this undebatable truth, the better off our country and the world will be. Religion is a mental illness. Religious indoctrination of children is child abuse. Stop the madness now!!
Wow, Adam, it looks like the “Rainbow Squad” takes umbrage with your post. It’s amazing what passes for brave for some people. This dilettante may be many things but brave isn’t one of them.
fogle, you capacity for hatemongering is utterly amazing
Hope the people of the first run her out of town. If you don’t like the way South Carolina works then get out.
I totally agree with Linda Ketner. The gay community is not welcome in most southern churches. They are hated and not tolerated. How Christian is that? What about the gays that have children to raise? How can the children be given the chance to worship in a church when their parent is villified? Religion is often used as a tool to manipulate, degradate and spread intolerance and hate. What would Jesus think?
Why shouldn’t she have such disdain? After all, “southern christians” exhibit complete enmity and hostility to anyone who is at all different from them. They are simply getting back what they give. Overall, “Southern christians’ seem to be the most soulless, despicable folks in this entire country, and they are the enablers of the fascists who have destroyed what this country used to be, and turned it into a torture state, and a budding theocracy. “Southern Christians” deserve such criticism in spades.
So you are a hate mongering, neo-consevative, Clemson fan? You are a disgrace Fogle.
Anonymous,
You can call me a hate monger or a neo-conservative, but don’t you dare call me a Clemson fan.
Why do the heathen so rage? They have been filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrognat and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those that do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Where in the Bible does God direct us to TOLERANT?
Is tolerance lassiez faire? If so, one must extrapolate moral equivalency and sit in the quandry that they have no justification for any moral outrage over any heinous act.
Sherry, quibbling on half truths, the hatred isn’t Christian and it isn’t all on the Christian side of the dividing line. Wanting to redefine God’s word to justify our individual sins because we are convicted by it is hateful, but God still loves us all, even Clemsonites like Adam.
Linda Ketner is hope for America and hope for South Carolina. Finally, we have an alternative to do nothing Henry Brown. I truly understand what she means about the intolrence of Christian (and yes some Jews as well). I have been the victim of Southern christian intolerance being Jewish in a Bible-belt Christian state. Linda is a very fine lady who will bring pride ansd honor back to the Palmetto State.
All should try to understand how very difficult it is to be a gay chrisian. Especially in the South. Linda Ketner sounds like progress to me, and I welcome it. Five generation South Carolinian here.
It’s time for someone new, with new ideas, and excellent experience.
The gay issue has nothing to do with the ability to be a leader. She advocates progress and rights for all. That’s more than you’re willing to give her. By the way,
why does the gay issue matter at all. It doesn’t. ” Judge not, lest ye be judged.” Judge her on the political issues and nothing more.
I think most people could agree that what modern Christianity has become isn’t always a reflection of who Jesus Christ was/is. Perhaps that was Linda’s point when she talks about saving Christ from the Christians. And I agree with her. To quote Frederick, from the film Hannah and Her Sisters: ” If Jesus came back and saw what’s going on in his name, he’d never stop throwing up.”
If you want good roads, vote for Henry Brown. If you care about any other issue (including education, energy, the economy, the environment, health care for vets and the rest of us) then you need to look into Linda and who she is and what she’s done. Her record of public service is impressive. She is or has been a successful entrepreneur, a business consultant, a small business owner, a leadership development expert, a high school teacher and a college professor. She’s also been incredibly active in more than a dozen nonprofit groups, many of them as a leader and/or founder. She believes in the power of people working together to improve our world. She’s smart, responsible, compassionate and sensible regarding fiscal matters. And, I trust her.
Christ directed us to love one another. No where in the Bible does it say we are to tolerate sin, The Bible states that a man loving a man as he would a woman to be a vile affection (Romans 1:26). As Christians we are to reach out to others to tell them of the truth and love that Jesus holds for us, but we as Christians are not to accept everyones lifestyle as just another way of living and say that is OK, in fact the Bible tells us that we are to turn away from such behavior. Homosexuality is a vile affection and abortion is murder. If Christ has a problem with Christians it is that we as Christians have not done enough to stand up againist sinful behavior of all kinds. Christ did not condemn the woman who was brought before him caught in the act of adultry but he did tell her to go a sin no more. Our problem today is that we don’t even know what sin is anymore, we have just labeled all of it as alternative lifestyles. Lifestyles that are carrying us to hell!
I am christian and tolerant of gays – both sexes. What I am opposed to is foisting an agenda on the populus that allows them more rights than everyone else. Gays have hate crime protection. This is simply just plain silly. What crime isn’t a hate crime. Criminals do crime because they like you!! get serious!! Allowing anyone more rights than another is creating division and class warfare. the politicians love this stuff. it keeps you off balance and constanly wondering if you are ‘tolerant’.
Just Like this Blog – a couple off-direction replies and suddenly the focu of the dicussion goes haywire.
What is breeding intolerance are the politicians who are making their personal agendas everyone else’s. They are dividing the house. When is it enough? Take back your power people. The politicians are no one without you. They are feeding off your indecision.
If you are sick of it all in Washington then take your power back. Fire Congress and get people in office who have values and morality.
As I see it neither candidate should be on the ballot. If this s the best we can do then we aren’t trying hard enough. We have to have better choices.
Oh. haha. given the fact that this turned up as one of the first results for a google search of Ketner I thought it would be a serious website.
Turns out Adam Fogle is an uneducated hill billy that makes me ashamed to be from South Carolina.
Oh how dare a lesbian be bitter about southern christians! Especially when they are so NOTORIOUSLY supportive and accepting of lifestyles other than their own.
The sheer ignorance and hatefulness of this state continues to amaze me