Crossposted from Street Prophets, because this is important, dang it!
In fact, important action item before I even get into the meat of this post–please, if you think it is important for progressive religious types to actively oppose the so-called “Religious Right”, be sure to add a link to Equality Ohio to your blogrolls.
I’m serious. Go do it now. Equality Ohio. Or at least write yourself a note to remind you to do it later.
The other day, for the first time in a number of months, I had the opportunity to sit down and have a chat with my priest. There wasn’t anything particular I wanted to talk about, but I like to be able to do that every now and then–just sit down and talk about stuff. By stuff, I mean anything and everything–the mundane things that are keeping me so darn busy, my “call” (whatever that is), pets, the Episcopal church, politics–you name it. Good timing for a meeting, since the service I usually attend was cancelled due to the Columbus Marathon (he also told me St. Stephen’s is providing some of the entertainment on the marathon route–a jazz band). But most importantly, at least as far as all of you are concerned, he mentioned an event he attended yesterday morning.
If I hadn’t talked to George the other day, and if he hadn’t felt obliged to explain why he was “dressed up” (he wasn’t wearing a priestly robe or anything, but had on the black shirt, no collar), I might never have found out about the Equality Ohio event he attended.
Here is a link to the press release (and click that same link if you want to sign up for a monthly eNewsletter and action alerts from Equality Ohio.)
Faith and political leaders from throughout Ohio held a news conference at 9 a.m. today at the Trinity Episcopal Church on Capitol Square. Their goal was to shed light on Reformation Ohio, a coalition whose vision by 2009 is to align Ohio culture and law with its narrow interpretation of the Christian faith.
Click here to read the rest of the press release. They planned their event and press conference to come before the big Rod Parsley shindig.
Unfortunately, press mention of the Equality Ohio event was harder to come by than coverage of Parsley’s larger, scarier event.
More than 1,000 people gathered outside the Statehouse for the launch of Reformation Ohio. The group, founded by the Rev. Rod Parsley, a television evangelist and pastor of the World Harvest Church in suburban Columbus, vehemently opposes gay rights, and Parsley has written that the teachings of Islam were inspired by demons.
The group’s formation comes after last November’s election in which Christian conservatives helped pass a gay-marriage ban in Ohio and give President Bush the electoral votes he needed to claim victory.
…
Parsley said voter registration is secondary to Reformation Ohio’s two main objectives: converting 100,000 people to Christianity within four years and providing food, clothing and other necessities to the needy. He sent his followers from the Statehouse on an evangelical note.
“Sound an alarm. A Holy Ghost invasion is taking place. Man your battle stations, ready your weapons, lock and load,” Parsley said to enthusiastic applause.
You can read the rest of the article here.
Anyway, now that I know that there is a coalition, including religious leaders, coming together to oppose the narrow religious vision of Parsley, Blackwell, and others, I want to do what I can to make sure word gets out. My impression is that the inclusive, interfaith group that is opposing Reformation Ohio is a very new group just getting off the ground.
Since George mentioned that Ohio gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland spoke at the event, I tried that name to see if I could find any additional coverage of that event, and found something in the Beacon Journal:
A half-hour before Parsley started his event at the Statehouse, an ecumenical group of religious leaders and Democratic state and national politicians met across the street on the front steps of Trinity Episcopal Church to question Parsley’s Reformation Ohio.
“They are eloquent, passionate and dramatic,” the Rev. Grayson Atha, a Columbus United Methodist minister, said of Parsley’s coalition. “But they will try to lead us down a path to take us places we dare not go.”
He said Americans fought in Afghanistan to “free it of religious zealots,” and now this group “is seeking to take us down a path that is contrary to democracy.”
U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Lisbon, a former minister and psychologist who is running for governor, said religion “is being used as a political weapon.”
“As I look at the New Testament, I see no indication that Jesus Christ tried to use the instruments of government to accomplish his kingdom on this Earth,” Strickland said.
Most of the rest of that article is about Parsley’s rally. I won’t quote it here, as this entry is already pretty long, but click here to read and (most likely) be horrified. If the page asks for a login and password, you should be able to get that at http://www.bugmenot.com
