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May 28th, 2012
05:36 PM ET
Conservative leader agrees to visit home of married gay couple for first timeBy Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor (CNN) - A conservative Christian leader who opposes same-sex marriage has agreed to the idea of dining at the home of a married gay couple, after saying he had never done so in an interview with CNN. Tony Perkins, who heads the Family Research Council in Washington, received the invitation after telling CNN’s Brooke Baldwin on Thursday that he’d never been to the home of a married same-sex couple. "My wife and I will be glad to respond when we receive the invitation to find a time that works," Perkins said in a statement to CNN on Monday, referring to the invitation. The Family Research Council has helped lead a national movement to ban same-sex marriage, helping pass anti-same-sex marriage laws in dozens of states. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories The invitation to Perkins came from Jennifer Chrisler, the executive director of a gay rights group called Family Equality Council. Chrisler and her wife have twin 10-year-old boys, with another child on the way. “I would like to extend an open invitation for you and your family to visit my home and have dinner with my spouse and children with the full hope that you will witness the love that exists in our families,” Chrisler wrote in her invitation, which was sent to the Family Research Council by certified mail on Friday, according to a spokesman with Family Equality Council. My Take: Why some Christians focus on homosexuality “While I recognize it may not change your mind, I hope that it might soften your heart,” Chrisler said in her invitation, which was sent to news media. “As Christians, I think we can both agree that ours is not to judge and that we must live by the golden rule.” In an interview with Baldwin on Monday, Chrisler said she was surprised that Perkins accepted her invitation. She said she had been inspired to send it after seeing President Barack Obama announce his personal support for same-sex marriage earlier this month. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter She noted that Obama and Vice President Joe Biden said that getting to know same-sex couples who are raising kids played a big role in their decisions to support same-sex marriage. “I tell my 10-year-olds, if you’re having problems with somebody, if you don’t understand them and they don’t understand you, talking to each other is the first step,” Chrisler said Monday. Watch CNN Newsroom weekdays 9am to 3pm ET and weekends. For the latest from the CNN Newsroom click here.
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This visit to a gay household is probably just a cover so that Perkins can spend the night and have a 3-way.
Gimme a break.
hehe I just wrote that. Absolutely agree with you Frank
Are you suggesting that a religious leader, could also be a hypocrite?
@Frank
You said, "This visit to a gay household is probably just a cover so that Perkins can spend the night and have a 3-way."
Didn't you read the article? He wouldn't be interested in a 3-way with them. These two gays are women.
“As Christians, I think we can both agree that ours is not to judge and that we must live by the golden rule.”***She doesn't understand her Bible–Christians are to judge–Bro. Ignatius Mary addresses this topic, "Contrary to popular opinion, the bible specifically tells us to make judgments. Admonishing a sinner and instructing the ignorant are two of the Spiritua Works of Mercy. One has to make a judgment that a sinner is a sinner in need of admonishing or a person is in need of instruction to be able to offer those works of love. Love demands judgment, not a judgment of condemnation or hypocrisy, but a judgment of recognizing Truth and error. We are to judge ideas, philosophies, behavior, and actions. We are never to judge a person's heart or judge a person to hell." And "Archbishop Beuchklin of Indianapolis identifies plausibility (the desire to never judge even at the expense of truth) as the major reason why catechesis in the United States is nearly zero. We are so concerned about not stepping on toes and not offending anyone that we are allowing people to live in error that risks their souls."
And those of us with at least 10 functioning neurons keep trying to educate you ignorant fundiots that being born gay is a normal natural variant of human sèxual orientation.
Primewonk – People are tempted to conduct various forms of sin. This is one of them.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Amen.
he who is without sin should cast the first stone – yep that sounds like we are supposed to make judgements as christians! (sarcasm intended!)
Sad but true, HeavenSent. Sad but true.
...and you wonder why more and more people are losing their religion or faith altogether. It's due to crackpots like ICBM and Tony Perkins. Luckily, I escaped the fairytales and land of make believe to lead a true life where I am responsible for my own actions as I know it's the only one I have. I make the most of this life, not looking forward to a magical world after this one where I will apparently live for eternity. Do you realize how silly you sound?
"Give man fish and he will eat for a day. Teach man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. Teach man religion and he will die praying for fish."
Sorry Petercha but this is one more thing your god was wrong about. He has a long history of being totally ignorant about science, so this comes as no surprise.
Perhaps you, and the other fundiots should crack open a science journal or twenty.
Well said. While we are busy worrying about stepping on people's toes the blind are leading the blind. Alt least with people like you they will see there is an alternative to the deceitfullness of sin. Keep it up.
The levels of cognitive dissonance and bigotry surrounding/emanating from Mr Perkins are astounding. Since it appears that no logical or rational argument will penetrate his mind, perhaps these women will have a shot a softening his heart instead.
Why anyone would go out of their way to oppress people the way this guy does it beyond me.
He's not oppressing people–he's pointing out sin–which cause people to be separated from God–which results in people going to Hell–rather, he's trying to prevent this from happening–Satan is the oppressor and the one that makes sin so appealing–he wants as many as possble to join him.
No, ICBM, he's just collecting money from easy marks such as you.
@ICBM,
If you force someone to live by your beliefs, when they don't share those beliefs, you are oppressing them. It doesn't matter that he thinks they're sinning, or that he doesn't want them to go to hell, or how high and lofty his ideas of saving them from themselves are. they do not believe what they are doing is a sin; there is no other reason to deny them that ability to marriage. He is contributing to, and advocating, their oppression. It's not a religious debate it's a simple definition.
ICBM: Religion is Satan's perfect storm!
ICBM
He's not oppressing people–he's pointing out sin–which cause people to be separated from God–which results in people going to Hell–rather, he's trying to prevent this from happening–Satan is the oppressor and the one that makes sin so appealing–he wants as many as possble to join him.
--------
You belief in myths have no bearing on other people's lives. From what you state I would caution you to seek professional help.
ICBM wrote, " He's not oppressing people–"
Soorry but this is pure unadulterated bullshît. He and his hate group seek to legalize discrimination against gay folks.
So people disagree- as Christians there are agreeable ways to disagree and move on. That's only a side bar to the real issue which is what does God have to say about our choices. If you really, really, really, really want to know, God's word says to asked Him. It's not about popular opinion or where society is trending or even religious doctrine, ask Him.
There is a saying only two things are certain in life–death and taxes. Well after death comes the judgment of what we done in this life. The done part is whether we chose the gift of salvation.
al: seems like an awfully big assumption about judgement
Al – this isn't a "disagreement". This is a group of ignorant religious idiots wanting to legislate discrimination against gay folks.
In the name of Darwin: The Darwinian theory is absolutely opposed to Christianity, and a public demonstration in its favor should not be permitted.
http://www.concentric.net/~pvb/otabenga.html
Hate to break it to you but there is no "Darwin Theory". I do understand that you have no understanding of science and that is clear.
Dar·win·ism (därw-nzm)
n.
A theory of biological evolution developed by Charles Darwin and others, stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. Also called Darwinian theory.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Darwinian+Theory
Only ignorant fundiots use the term Darwinism, and use as a pejorative. Do we have Newtonism? How about Faradayism?
Plus, thanks to your ignorance, you don't realize that 90% of the Christians in the world below g to sects whose position is that there is no problem with a faith in the Christian version of god and an understanding that evolution is a fact. You also choose to be ignorant about the Clergy letter Project – 12,000+ professional theologians who all state there is no problem with a faith in god and an understanding that evolution is a fact.
Apparently WOW thinks he/she knows more than 12,000 professional theologians.
What a putz.
Actually, Darwin argued that his theory of evolution, and the theory of creationism, are not mutually exclusive.
Darwin himself had Christian beliefs, sorry to disappoint you. The science vs religion war only exists in the minds of people who don't know much about either of them.
Being Christian is a choice . . . . . .
Not a good one either.
To all the christiany haters, you can hate all you want but when the day comes and your homeless in the streets, no athiest organization will come help you but a church will at least give you a hot soup and a blanket. Dont knock on our churches doors when your athiest monkey loving love style doesnt get you anywhere.
Wow Brian, that was SO Christian of you.
That is why it is soooooooo awful!
Brian, sorry, but not all food packages for the poor and needy are owned by Christians.
"no athiest organization will come help you"
There are plenty
Except for organizations like:
Atheists Helping the Homeless
Secular Humanist Aid and Relief Effort
Emmaus
Red Cross
UNICEF
Doctors Without Borders
Council for Secular Humanism
Atheist Volunteers
EARTHWARD
Fred Hallows Foundation
Second Harvest
And countless others.
The largest individual donors to charity are not Christians.
@Brian:” but a church will at least give you a hot soup and a blanket.”
Christian charity is mostly just bait to lure in the unfortunate. It comes with a lot of strings.
Also if Christians were even ½ as generous and companionate as they like to pretend to be, there wouldn’t be any tattered or hungry or homeless people in America
just like the good christians who gave the American Indians blankets infected with small pox! I'll pass on anything from self-proclaimed good christians!
Forget Anthony Perkins....Tony Perkins is the true psycho!
On top of that, he looks really gay. He is sooooo latent.
HeavenSent and Nii, nice try at dodging the issues again and preserving your myths, but myth is all they are. Again, like I said, (and you should really read it this time, because I'll keep at you):
"But even if you think the OT was god's mistaken first go around, you have to ask why a perfect, loving enti-ty would ever put such horrid instructions in there. If you think rationally at all, that is.
And then, if you disagree with my interpretation, ask yourself how it is that your "god" couldn't come up with a better way to communicate than a book that is so readily subject to so many interpretations and to being taken "out of context", and has so many mistakes in it. Pretty pathetic god that you've made for yourself.
So get out your sacrificial knife or your nasty sky creature will torture you eternally. Or just take a closer look at your foolish supersti-tions, understand that they are just silly, and toss them into the dustbin with all the rest of the gods that man has created."
I'll post front and center again to be sure you read it. You can try to dodge again if you like, but my case is clear and visible.
Ask the questions. Break the chains. Join the movement. Be free of Christianity and other superstitions.
http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/
@ bob: God's plan has been there from the beginning. He knew man would fall, given that we have free will.
"He knew man would fall, given that we have free will."
LMAO! Yeah, that's why he had to send a flood and kill everything on the planet because he knew his creation was a failure. LMAO!
@ a person of the name – so your god's plan all along was that the creatures he designed would become evil, and that he would torture them for all eternity.
What a swell guy you've chosen to worship!
Bob, while i respect your right to free speech, it always bothers me that you, and others, tend to take a particular pleasure in trying to smash people's religious speech/beliefs. if someone is comforted by the belief in a god, they live a good life and aren't harming you atheists, then why try to take that comfort from them? just appears malicious and cruel to me.
mdbill, I get you but with in your post is kind of the point: those religious beliefs don't exist inside an isolation can (although they should...an asylum for the religiously deluded comes to mind...).
The people who hold those beliefs are inevitably and obviously affected in their decisions by them, including, sadly, re who they vote for and in influencing public policy. This makes it an imperative to oppose religion and all its wrongthink whenever it rears its ugly (and often hurtful and/or violent) head.
Bob, i hear you. however using sarcasm and caustic remarks isn't going to win any "converts". for thousands of years, including these current years, religion has been used to do much harm, yet much good has come from religion as well (see mahatma gandhi, mother theresa, and martin luther king). i've found in my 53 years that nothing is as black and white as we frequently want to simplify it. ...
mdbill, I'm not buying the stories of Mother Theresa doing good, nor of religion generally. In other cases, one still has to ask how would things have turned out without the religious dogma in the way,
Here's some goods on that evil Mother Theresa:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/fighting_words/2003/10/mommie_dearest.html
As for "black and white", it is often by looking at the extreme cases that we can test the validity of arguments and statements. That is not a black and white error; it is a valid testing method.
why does anybody care what this religious leader thinks? He believes in religion. Right there it tells you he's delusional.
This guy draws a paycheck to spew hate.
Actually, you are the one that is being deceived. Remember the song, "Amazing Grace"? Well part of that song includes the phrase "I once was blind", that is for all unbelievers, you are blind you just don't know it..
"that is for all unbelievers, you are blind you just don't know it.."
Says who? You? Actually, the Vikings were the ones with sight and you are blind. Or was it the Romans? The Greeks? The Mayans? The Muslims? The Hindus? It takes a huge amount of arrogance and ignorance to assume that your religion is the only one out of hundreds created by man which is true and real.
Does love exist in gay home? I think chances are it would be not much different than a straight home. But does that make it right? If Mr. Perkins was invited by a polygamist to see how loving that family is I wonder if he would go there too.
So, what would make it wrong?
I'll answer your question if you answer this question: Would you accept making polygamy normal? If not, why not?
The problem with polygamy is that complicated legal issues could arise if one of the wives decided they wanted to get divorced, especially if children are involved.
J.W. You make it sould like divorse is no problem as long as it involves two people. Anyway, if those complications were solved by a legal minded wiz, and all the parties could be equally hurt by it, would you then be in favor making polygamy normal?
Tony Perkins a religious leader? Puh-leeze. Tony Perkins is head of the Family Research Council, a bona fide hate group according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Tony Perkins leads a hate group. He has nothing constructive to say; he just spews bile.
More info: http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/groups/family-research-council
Totally true. Perkins needs an ethics transplant.
Like I'm going to trust what the EXTREME left wing Southern Poverty Law Center says......
the SPLC is hardly unbiased
A hate group? Yet,he's willing to go sit down and have dinner with a lesbian couple? You mean anyone that doesn't agree with your lifestyle is a hatemonger? Jesus had no problem with breaking bread with sinners,but people were never the same after meeting Him. They changed. He said things like go and sin no more and people did just that.
What makes for a bona-fide hate group? That you disagree with them?
Tony Perkins is a religious leader like Ralph Reed. They are both politicians in ministerial robes. Perkins has his talking points down to a science... so to speak. He'll visit this couple, then say that he liked them and respects them, but doesn't condone their marriage. It is bigotry hiding behind scripture.
You're so right. I mean, what exactly is this couple going to do to change his mind that he's so clearly made up. He can't exactly do an about face in public and all of a sudden condone and lose all his following. I mean honestly, the most they'll get his Tony saying, they're nice, but living in sin. The End.
They could catch him off gaurd, take it the other way. Instead of being completely normal, come to the door and go through the dinner in full on bondage gear, red candles lit all around the house. The more fundamentalist groups want to label all LGBT couples as "perverse", so give them more than they bargained for. When all they are face to face with his stunned look just ask "Well what were you expecting?"
How is it that most of the country calls itself "Christian", but the gay marriage thing is 50/50 in terms of popularity? Sounds like a huge number of Christians are for it. So, ultra-conservative wackos, are they just not "real" Christians? If so, can you pull them out of your calculations when you talk about how America is a "Christian" nation because most of the US is populated by Christians?
The issue with trying to throw the label of "Christian" at really anything is that it is very different among adherants. Even Chrisopher Hutchins called himself a "Christian Athiest" because, even though he was an athiest, Christian principles still affected his discision making processes.in all reality, any ideological lable is only as stable as the constistancy among those who share the term
@on the fence
You're wrong about Hitch, he called himself a "Jewish Atheist" because he found out later in life he was descended from Jews and it's possible to be that because Judaism is greater than just the religious aspect, however it's pretty close to impossible to consider yourself a Christian Atheist, it's an oxymoron.
Hitch is my man-crush.
"Christian" is a broad label that anyone can use. There are some very vocal groups that claim that label, and rant and rave about gay marriage, and spend hours and hours researching the subject. There are plenty of other christian groups that have no problem with gay marriage. Evenwithin any given subgroup of christians, some are devout, and some think about going to church at easter, some can recite the bible and study interpretations in detail, others just know that they are on team jesus. It's a big tent.
TONY PERKINS IS GOING TO DINNER AT A GAY COUPLE'S HOME!!!! SO THAT HE AND HIS KIND CAN CAUSE THEM A WORLD OF HURT!!!! I WOULDN'T TRUST HIM OR ANY ONE LIKE HIM AS FAR AS I CAN SPIT!!!!
spit on your caps lock key. it's pressed by accident or something
I would pay almost anything to be a fly on the wall and see these people try and "out-polite" each other, trying to one up each other on manners, parenting. The most it's gonna do is Perkins is gonna walk away from the dinner thinking to himself, "the devil make it seems so seductive, so normal, so easy" and still have something wrong to say about these people, because at the end of the day, whenever a christian deems something as wrong or sinful, it's Man's freewill or Satan's fault. Satan is apparently both overtly and subtly evil and only even in a house filled with love and a strong family dynamic, satan must be there.
It's almost definitely going to end in a polite screaming match where they end up throwing the bigots out on their behinds. It can't possibly end well.
LOVE 101
TYPES OF LOVE
1)CHARITABLE LOVE
2)MOTHERLY LOVE
3)PARENTAL LOVE
4)SIBLING LOVE
5)FAMILIAL LOVE
6)FRIENDLY LOVE
7)ROMANTIC LOVE
8)LUST
9)PHILIA
(IN DESCENDING ORDER OF MAGNITUDE)
A FULL DEFINITION OF CHARITABLE LOVE IS FOUND IN 1CORINTHIANS 13
PS LESBIANS ARE NOT "GAY" IN THE BIBLE
can you elaborate on: LESBIANS ARE NOT "GAY" IN THE BIBLE
Sodomy is what is an abomination. The NT also only reffers to buttsmex, so for all the women out there who happen to be cunning linguists you're OK, it's just that folks interpret it to mean you to.
But if you do believe in the xchan skyfairy know that he doesn't care if you eat fish or not.
Romans 1 v 26,27-For this reason God gave them over and abandoned them to vile affections and degrading passions.For their women exchanged their natural function for an unnatural and abnormal one.And the men also turned from natural relations with women and were set ablaze with lust for one another-men committing shameful acts with men and suffering in their own bodies and personalities the inevitable consequences and penalty of their wrong-doing and going astray,which was their fitting retribution.
:::sigh::: people are so dum. we all seem to think that "LOVE" gives us the right to do what we want, dont we?
what about the pedophiles that lovvvvve love love little kids?
what about the rapists who cant get enough?
what about the theives who love their jobs?
love isn't the decider nor the equalizer.
I say go to dinner, Tony... you gonna eat what you're served ?
Yes people are so dum (sic). Some are so dumb that that they think pedophiles love little kids. They are so dumb they dont know what love is.
Frink: Well said.
This is the same argument when African Americans wanted the right to marry and when interracial couples wanted to marry... Classic strawman argument... try again
Oh Teresa, before calling people dumb, you should learn how to spell it. The love between two adults is not and never will be anywhere near the "love" you used as depictions for your poorly made argument. REAL love does not come at the expense of the well being of another.
Your examples ae not "love", they're victimization. Adult, consenting gay couples actually experience real love, not your twisted, purile, and pedantic definition.
It's about consent, teresa. Common sense would tell you that.
the difference is that those individuals you are talking about are not unions between consenting adults. Unions between consenting adults is something we can debate about the viability of rights. Unions between unwilling participants is not. If you can't tell the difference, please stay away from people...
*** people are so dum. we all seem to think that "LOVE" gives us the right to do what we want, dont we?
Between two consenting adults, yes.
The grand majority of Christianity are never going to change their ways, as the whole anti-gay thing is pretty well cemented in.
To suddenly change that is akin to uprooting an entire forest by yourself rather than some weeds. To the people who have no problem whatsoever are generally non-practicing ones, who eventually go down to Agnosticism/atheism because they had enough of it.
Not like gay couples even NEED them, anyways, seeing as church's don't hold the monopoly to "marriages."
Actually, most polls show that various Christian denominations are showing greater and greater acceptance of LGBT equality issues. It is a vocal minority among the parishioners and a considerable number of the leadership that maintain hate and bigotry in their views.
This guy didn't have a choice but to accept the dinner invitation - he would've made himself look stupid if he didn't– but having dinner with these ladies isn't going to change his opinion of them - they're wasting good food and their time, IF IT EVER HAPPENS that this guy has dinner at their home!
Maybe they will serve fish?
This is like a situation you would see on a sitcom. What could go wrong?