The Words of Reason

I will probably utilize this space for posting many of the quotes that I love. They are words that have touched me in some way. I hope they bless you.

Today's quote is an older one from Tammy Bruce's book The Death of Right and Wrong. Tammy Bruce is a woman who has spent her life defending and fighting for the rights of women and the gay community. I really respect much of what she says in the book. She has a chip on her shoulder and at times I had a hard time hearing what she had to say, but she points out and attacks a real and present danger in the word "tolerance." Tolerance is good, but there must be balance and everyone has to start wondering what is going on when those who scream tolerance the loudest turn out to be the least tolerant people around.

One of my favorite stories about her is when she was the president of NOW in Los Angeles and was organizing the Gay Pride March. A group of peope came in leather and chains under the banner of the S & M community. Tammy looked at them and told them to get out because gay pride was not about what she called, "sick fetishes."

She feels tolerance is good, but not at the expense of our values and what we believe.

It helps me to remember that I cannot group people together into nice compartments and boxes. Every person is different and must be treated as an individual. It is in relationship that we need to deal with issues in peoples' lives and it is in community that we need to discuss serious issues. Do I think there is something unhealthy about wanting to tie someone up and inflict pain for sexual pleasure or be tied up and be beaten for the same...yes, unequivocally. But that is not what the church should be attacking. I am not sure the church should be attacking anything and definately not anyone. I think the church needs to offer the truth of forgivness and the healing touch of the light of life to people who are broken. Whether that brokenness plays out in sadomasochism or codependency or depression is not much concern to me. The fact that there are broken and hurting people is. Let's all get on the ball and stop focusing our anger (which is not righteous I assure you) and energy on the bad fruit, but on the root that brings it forth. I want new believers who have been freed from their burdens and pain, not outraged people that will never be able to hear the truth due to our obnoxiousness.

Anyway...here is the quote that I started this mess:

Yes, we have the freedom to do as we please, but it only works because we don't do everything we might please--we should exercise some degree of personal, and corporate, responsibility. -Tammy Bruce-