Comments

1
I was raised in the Episcopal Church. I have not been a Chrisitian for many years but I am proud of Bishop Robinson and very glad he took the time to make this video. His is a message that many more Christians need to be making.
2
God bless Bishop Robinson.
3
This is the guy we need on TV to shoot down the anti-Christian blather of Tony Perkins.
4
wow

what a tool.....
5
It's pretty ironic that Danny is attacking religion as the source of homosexual marriage.

In fact, he has it 180º wrong-

let's plagiarize!

"Religion and suicide:

"Persons who attend religious services, on average, exhibit much lower rates of suicide. "Those who attend church frequently are four times less likely to commit suicide than those who never attend." 3,7 This affect is seen in various studies which compare church attendance and suicide rates:
Over time: "...fluctuations in church attendance rates parallel the suicide rates for different subgroups: whites, blacks, men, and women." 4
Among states in the U.S.: with varying attendance at religious services. 5
Among countries worldwide. 6

"In fact, the rate of church attendance predicts the suicide rate better than any other factor (including unemployment, traditionally regarded as the most powerful variable)."

.

Isn't that just ironic?

Danny attacks religion,
and blames it for homosexual suicide,
when in fact going to church is the surest antidote for suicide.

ISN'T THAT JUST SOOOOO FUCKING IRONIC?!
6
what the fuck does this moron know about homosexuality?

wife? check.

fathered kids? check.

oh yeah, he's got homo-cred out his fat wazoo.....
7
I'm sick of hearing what people think god wants. It's only when you have freed yourself from religion can you find true happiness. But people have been so brainwashed their whole lives they find it difficult to free themselves. So I suggest they start with what and how we understand the universe as seen through the Hubble Telescope. We can see for trillions of miles. No heaven, no gods. But there are vast clouds of dust and gas forming new stars and new planets. Understand nature and you will understand yourself.
8
Robinson treasures his marriage stating, "[T]hat is inextricably tied up with having children."

Yeah, no having kids- no marriage.

Did you hear the good Bishop, Danny?

9
I am no longer Christian, but this is the church I was raised in. This same church taught me that the old testament is tribal memory and/or allegory rather than absolute truth and only the gospels were to be taken to heart.
I didn't encounter fundamentalism until I moved to another state. The SBC and such may call themselves Christian, but it's a different religion to me. When I still went to church, I had SBC folks tell me I wasn't Christian because of my church's views on gays, women, not taking the entire bible literally, etc. Didn't mean much to me, because I didn't consider them to be Christian because of their intolerance and such.
I remember Gene Robinson becoming Bishop in the Episcopal church. There was lots of outcry but thankfully the church stuck to their guns.
10
And what exactly is this Jackasses authority to tell anyone else what religious teachings are true and what are not?
Other than that he agrees with St Danny of the Bleeding Rectum?

You faggots and your made up religion-

WHAT A RIOT!!!
11
So it's OK for a religious "authority" to tell us what to believe-
as long as he tells us to believe what we already believe?

Okie dokie.

And we will bow ourselves to this "religion" we made up ourselves?

And it will Save our Souls?

Really?
12
I've got to agree with Vince, here. I've gone to progressive churches, and tried to carve some positive spirituality out of the dogma, and imagined I was looking down at myself while reciting the Lord's prayer, or Apostle's Creed, or whatever, and thought we all sound like nothing more than sheep ...in the end, realizing that all religions spring from nature, and from an awe in the beauty and power of the natural world is where anyone (I think) who truly investigates religion will end up. Every major religion today is based on older, pagan versions, and those come from nature itself. Honour the natural world, and be a good person. Treat people with respect. Why does it have to be more complicated?
13
It gets better.
You leave your wife and kids.
then the fun starts.....
14
May mighty atheismo bless this wonderful man.
15
Dan's response to the "Christian" in his latest column prompts me to share my recent posting on Suite 101-- a cry for drastic action regarding the people who would ultimately have led to Tyler Clementi's death:

http://www.suite101.com/content/are-you-…

These needless teen deaths cause me to want to crack some heads together-- literelly.

16
As a gay atheist, I think messages like this are critical for suicide prevention, especially for those kids stuck in more anti-gay religious environments. It would be great to see more like this, especially from non-LGBT religious people.
17
Not sure if the church is to blame for rampant homophobia or if rampant homophobic assholes are to blame for turning that sentiment into a religious ideal- chicken or the egg...which came first? However, it's nice to see a religious person make a statement that contradicts all the hatred that comes spewing from so many religious people.
18
I lived in Minneapolis when Gene Robinson was made a bishop. People protested outside the convention center as the decision was being made. I'm so glad he persevered and the right decision was made.
19
There was another thread recently where the comments were taking main line Christians to task for not being more vocal in their support of gay rights and as a main line Christian (Episcopalian, actually, same as Bishop Robinson) it got me wondering why that might be.

The answer I arrived at is just that while evangelicals focus like a laser on the one or two hot button issues that they care about, we in the main line churches see so much pain that requires our attention that our focus is more diffuse. I am strongly in support of gay rights myself, but the issues that speak most to me are ones centered around basic human needs like food and shelter. Right now, I am tracking the attempt by Gift of Grace Lutheran in Wallingford to put a SHARE shelter in their basement and countering the vitriol of my spoiled neighbors is absorbing all my moral outrage.

So it is not that we don't care, but rather that we care too much about too many things. But hopefully, if each of us cares enough, maybe we can have grace enough to deal with ALL these problems.
20
Its too bad that guys like Gene Robinson don't get more press. No the idiots like Tony Perkins and Pat Robinson do.
21
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visit our website, www.marketing-pity.com
22
Well, I'm an atheist, so I don't buy his message. But I'm not his target audience.

I'd much rather see a deeply religious suicidal teen listen to Bishop Robinson than Tony Perkins.
23
@16: I agree.

For those who are religious, who have a need to believe in an afterlife, soul, etc., it doesn't do much good for us (who don't believe in a god) to tell them that they're OK because their belief in a god is false so their religion is false. Instead, Gene Robinson's message of a loving god can be much more effective for those who need a god.

Atheism works for some of us, but it's never going to work for everybody.
24
Good lord, slog troll. Maybe time to cut back on the triple espressos first thing in the morning. You're frothing, dude.
25
Where is this loving God of whom he speaks? It is not the god of a supermajority of Americans who consistently denigrate gay people in the public sphere. A loving God would not have produced such vile, hateful followers. To believe that this is a loving God is to have such a fucked up idea of what a loving God would bestow upon his children that it boggles the mind.
26
@3: This is they guy who wasn't televised during the inauguration while Rick Warren was. Yeah, he should get more time, but that is exactly the kind of Christian message that is not widely acceptable in America.
27
wow. it's nice to see this. and yeah, some of the kids out there need a god, not a bunch of atheists telling them to screw god. and this guy is the right guy to help them see a god. good on bishop robinson.
28
That was awesome. Where are the rest of the Christians who supposedly feel this way, who are so adamantly against anti-gay bullying?
29
Gene Robinson has an important message. Not everyone is atheist, not everyone wants to be atheist, and there are plenty who believe on their own. These kids need to hear THIS message because it tells them what they need to hear. They don't need to hear "it's OK, because what you believe is false". They already have enough they're going through. They're being attacked for their sexuality. Let's not be the group on the other side who's going to push them away for another thing.
30
In the not too distant future it will be only the most extreme hate filled churches that espouse the anti-gay poison. The mains stream churches will adapt, and accept gay folks, as they adapted to women's rights, and stopped using the pro-slavery passages in the Bible to justify it's practice.
31
Not sure if the church is to blame for rampant homophobia or if rampant homophobic assholes are to blame for turning that sentiment into a religious ideal- chicken or the egg...which came first? However, it's nice to see a religious person make a statement that contradicts all the hatred that comes spewing from so many religious people.
32
I liked his message. I liked the fact that he chose to focus on God and being loved. I also appreciated that he left God open ended. By open ended, I mean that within Christianity there are differing views of God. The first being supernatural theism, the second panentheism, the third being natural theism. The first, supernatural theism, being that God is a personlike being that intervenes in this world supernaturally and exists beyond the universe. If you see God this way then Robinson affirms that God sees you, loves you and is intervening for you. The second, panentheism, sees God and the universe as being the same thing, "the More" that is in everything and everything is within. Panentheism rejects the language of "divine intervention" . With this view Robinson affirms that you belong that you are within God and that God is within you. The third way of viewing God, which to my knowledge is not as prominent as the other two, is natural theism. Natural theism basically sees God as a divine being that sets things in motion and then steps back. If you have this view than Robinson affirms that you are exactly how God created you to be.

Being someone who is utterly fascinated by the role religion plays in society, and loves studying the Bible in particular, I really appreciate this affirming message on many levels. And, I know that some will grumble, because they think his message perverts their "truth" and that he's constructing a different Christianity then theirs, they may think that about every stated Christian who contributes a video that is affirming. I think that may be because not everyone knows that there is something like 5000 different versions of the ancient writings (none of them original) that make up the canonized Bible. Each is different, none reads the same, which is to be expected since they are written records of oral traditions. So, the attitude that a particular individual, congregation, or denomination has the "truth" fascinates me. Hence, Bishop Robinson's message that God is love, and the underlying message that where there is love you find God is a wonderful one. I really hope more voices within religious communities will be added to IGBP. There can't be too many videos. I've often heard it said that for every negative spoken it takes 30 positives to neutralize it.

Keep up the good work.
33
We need to get to a place in our society where the only acceptable tolerance of others is a live and let live, que sera sera, c'est la vie philosophy. This has to be taught and we need to start today. When we teach our kids this mentality it will make them smarter, better educated, more sympathetic decent human beings. Only good can come of it. It may sound like a pipe dream, but anything is possible when it becomes who we are and what we stand for.
34
Robinson seems like a nice guy, but telling kids a fairy story about a "loveing God" does not help! I know, been there, heard that, learned how false it is!
35
Kim, I love your insights! You are so knowledgable and kind. I wish *you* would make an "It Gets Better Video", I am sure it would be a doozy. I know you aren't gay, but you are an ally, and I am sure Dan & co would love your contribution.

As for Bishop Robinson - I am so grateful that he added his message to the project. The message that God loves you just as you are is a powerful one - for both gay and straight people.
36
@25: agreed, completely. Why does no one bother to explain why it is, if god "loves you beyond your wildest imagining," he lets gay kids get bullied? If god is testing those kids, that's hardly love beyond one's wildest imagination. . .
37
@36: I guess it's because God loves the homophobes more.

I don't even understand how anyone can make a claim about a loving God if they know any history of Christianity. Any sort of tolerance we've seen out of Christians have been forced by secular rule of law. And Christians seem to be rejecting that idea more and more as Muslims, gays, and atheists demand that they be treated as fully human and full citizens.
38
awh cute, people still think there are gods.....adorsable.

39
The just and loving God idea is actually a very bad idea in Christianity. It is exactly the reason why fundamentalists developed the Just World theory - in that if terrible things are happening to you, it is because you deserve it for defying God.

No amount of hippie Christians trying to put a positive spin on that helps. That attitude is the ONLY way to square the idea of an all powerful, all knowing, and loving God with the terrible things we see happen in life. The only way to explain the bad things under these premises is that they deserve it.

So Robinson in promoting this idea, is promulgating the kernel that is used to justify the bullying. Those kids defy God and they deserved it.
40
Obama prays.

Everyday.
41
Yesterday Michelle Obama told radio host Tom Joyner that she's thankful for people's prayers.
"Everybody I know in our communities are praying for us. Every day we feel that and let me just tell your listeners it means the world to us to know that there are prayer circles and people who want to keep the spirits clean around us."
43
@30: Too bad the Catholic church, from the very top, says that this will happen roughly when hell freezes over.
44
Actually, @39, that's not how Christians view bad shit happening to people who don't deserve it. The bible says "The rain falls on the just and the unjust," meaning that sometimes there are things that happen to you whether or not you deserve them.

I think most of the conservative Christians I know take a two-fold view of evil occurring in the lives of innocent people. 1-the fact that there is evil reinforces their viewpoint that the world is fallen and in need of redemption. 2-God does not intervene in every single choice that humans make, and thus at times we all will be subjected to the detritus of our "sinful" nature and the effect that our choices (good or bad) have on others and the world around us.

The problem of pain and suffering is the biggest challenge for Christian theology. If God is good & just, why doesn't he end it? The typical response is that our perception of what is "bad" for us is perhaps not as big-picture as it needs to be, but I know that is not going to satisfy someone who is in the midst of suffering.

Each belief system has its weak point, and that's a glaring one for Christianity.
45
Hooray homestate of NH! that being said: this is just me- but it's hard to really draw comfort from his "god loves you soooo much" speech. It's his word against countless other Christian representatives and denominations who claim to speak for their God. I don't know- I just feel like "I think you are wonderful just the way you are, I don't want you to change, and there are countless others who feel the same" would have been a stronger message. Because when it comes to a Christian God it's their word against his. But when it comes to his feelings and the feelings of those around him- that's concrete and unambiguous.
46
@39 No. The idea that Robinson is promoting is that LGBT's are not less than other people in God's eyes. That is a great ethical improvement compared to what most other religious leaders teach, and more religious people who truly are allies to LGBT kids, especially, need to get that message out.
47
Though the Episcopal Church is hardly monolithic, it is progressive on the issue of full inclusivity at all levels of Church governance and welcoming people without seeking to change who they are. Bishop Robinson is a force for good in the Church just as John Shelby Spong (a retired Bishop) before him. Especially for any Catholic folks who enjoy the liturgy of that faith, the Episcopal Church offers much the same experience, without the official discrimination that persists there. The national head of the Church is a female and a scientist by training. We now have openly gay and lesbian Bishops. The forces of bigotry within the church are splitting away to form their own groups. I understand why Dan rails against many so-called Christians, and do not fault him. If you read him carefully he is not painting with a broad brush. I am glad to see him promoting avowed Christians who act as Jesus would have us act and without using God-talk to support bigotry.
48
@44: So God is all knowing, all powerful, and all loving, yet he condemns gays to this kind of hell on earth? Those lines in the Bible that you quote are an attempt to walk back from the obvious implications of the belief system. The best Christians have to answer for this conundrum is that we can't know God's plans. I guess you can think that making kids so miserable they want to kill themselves is something that that God would do, but the mystery part of the plan better be fucking worth it. And no, Heaven doesn't count because there's no proof it exists. All we know for sure is that these kids were fucking miserable, largely because of the hyper-religiosity of their communities, and now they are dead.
49
AndyM @28 We're around, we just don't get much media attention.

I'm very glad Dan put this on the slog. I know he doesn't agree with the theology, but it often feels like everyone ignores the "Christian left" and gives the right all the attention, which increases their power. I've been very glad to see a some positive Christian messages get attention on slog lately.

If you are looking for more of us, try The Reconciling Ministries Network: http://www.rmnetwork.org/
50
I find this video offensive. A powerful message that could help prevent the suicide of gay kids who believe in God is much less valuable than the all-important agenda of atheist proselytizing. WTF are you thinking, Dan?
51
My mother was involved in ecumenical projects with Gene Robinson before he became bishop. In person, he's just as decent, kind, loving, and devoted as he comes across here.

You may not agree with his particular religious viewpoints, but if his message helps Christian gay teens stay alive, that's really all that matters. Dan created It Gets Better to save lives, and that's really what counts. Period.
52
Every single one of you callous, smug atheist twits disgust me. This video nearly brought me to tears as it made me think of how many isolated LGBT kids and teenagers in parts of the USA who are practically imprisoned in towns ruled by bigoted, intolerant micro-cultures might not kill themselves because of messages like this. Pull your heads out of your asses you fucking idiots and realize what's at stake here: PEOPLE'S LIVES; every single message that saves an LGBT youth's life is valuable and you have no right or privilege to say otherwise because you're oh so proud of your atheism.
53
52, you took the words right out of my mouth.

Some of you need to reign in your evangelical atheism, and stop alienating gay-friendly and gay-sympathetic Christians.

Remember, no matter how much Mormon and right-wing Christian money supported Prop 8, it was OBAMA voters that provided the winning margin.
54
10 and 11 (and maybe more, I stopped reading) - if anything should be called a "made up religion", it would be the very recently invented fundamentalist sects. Or perhaps Mormonism, the brain-child of that consummate con-man, Joseph Smith. The Episcopal church is the American branch of the Church of England, the second oldest Protestant denomination. If you are going to go rating religions, it's got a certain amount of credibility.

Of course, in another sense, they're all "made up" - just people talking to their invisible friends in the sky.
55
54

Let's rate religions!
(based on their own claims...)

Episcopals/CofE-
Broke off from the (apostate Whore of the Earth) Catholics.
Over Henry's divorce....
Did God send a Moses or Peter to redeem the apostate Church?
No.
He sent Henry(?!)
Who established himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England.
Did Henry claim to be a prophet?
Can a dead tree (the apostate Catholic Church...) yield a live branch?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints-
Established by Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith to end the long dark centuries of apostasy.
Like the Church of old; headed by a prophet, has 12 apostles, produces scripture, claims Priesthood authority.
Not a manmade reformation of a dead apostate religion but a new living creation planted by Jesus Christ.

(Please be aware that the troll is enormously fond of all things British and sees the courageous heroic struggle and victory of Protestant England over Catholic Spain as one of the most important episodes in the history of the world....)

Was Joseph Smith a fraud?
Possibly.
But if he was not a fraud he must have been a prophet.
Like Moses and Peter.
You must admire his audacity if nothing else-

If the Catholic Church was an apostate abomination
and the True Church was to be restored to the earth,
whose story seems more plausible ?

(Mormons/Episcopals, please forgive the troll if he has gotten something wrong- wiki only gets you so far...)
56
@52 -- Thank you, thank you, thank you! And 53.
That's all I have to say.
57
My favorite point in the Catholic Mass is the emulation of the centurion (or as my little brother used to call it the "Lord I am not worthies"), and has been since an inspiring exposition on it by a young (yeah, in retrospect clearly gay) Priest in his weekly homily (sermon) when I was a 12 year old alter-server. He tied the centurion's love of his servant to our love of each other as a congregation; explaining to my satisfaction that what Jesus was saying was that ALL love is holy enough to produce miracles.

I want everyone who considers themselves Christian to read Matt 8:5 and Luke 7:1, the story of the healing of the centurion's servant at the great Roman provincial city in Galilee, Capurniam . The consensus of the experts is that the "dear servant" was clearly the centurion's same-sex lover. The social convention of the time was that such lovers of such military officers were slaves or emancipated slaves of their households. NOW understand that the miracle of the dear servant's recovery, in Jesus own words was the centurion's great faith, which in Christian terms was a natural product of his great love.

It's been there all along; hidden, misrepresented, misinterpreted, misused, but there nevertheless, the only statement that Jesus ever made about the quality of gay love was that it is holy and capable of producing miracles. No matter how much it is exhibited by those who profess to speak in his name, and it is in obscene abundance, you will find no hate in Jesus Christ who told us that the whole of God's law is to love each other as we would be loved.
58
This is one of the many reasons I am proud to be an Episcopalian. A bishop in a main-line christian church has a lot of influence, even amongst people of other sects and religions. Atheists don't need his message, and that's fine. But to those in a church-- gay teens contemplating suicide, for instance-- his message is a powerful counterweight to the message of hate coming from ignorant and bigoted denominations. For someone being raised in a religious household, his message may very well save a life.
59
58

rest assured.
folks from other denominations
(and half those in his own splinter group)
recognize him as a douche faced asswipe.

Please wait...

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