http://EmilioX.stumbleupon.com/review/27322413/

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:46:10 -0800

The Sins of Our Neighbors
wherein we engage religious hatred on its own terms

Atrocity, hatred and bigotry in the name of religion is certainly nothing new, and these lamentable human frailties have figured dramatically into the same-sex marriage maelstrom engulfing California and much of the nation. In the aftermath of California's Proposition 8, there appears to be joy and elation among those who were beguiled into the belief that God wanted them to fight for the vilification of their neighbors. I am left wondering whether they will realize, before it is too late, the spiritual price that they must surely pay for straying from the path toward salvation. Wearing religion on their sleeves as they so often do, I wonder whether their fall from grace already haunts their dreams.

I believe that in His infinite wisdom, and for reasons beyond my reckoning, God made me and millions of His other children differently than He made most other people. I do not know why I am drawn to members of my own gender to find the emotional and spiritual fulfillment so vital to the human condition, but that is more typically the province of different-gender relationships.� I do know that this yearning is as much a part of me as the shape my head or the color of my heart.� Being too weak to walk such an uncharted path, for almost 4 decades I strove to deny my true nature and to defy God's beautiful plan for my life. During that time, I was beguiled into thinking that His plan was mine to reject, not because it was a bad plan or even a difficult plan, but because the callous world around me denied me the ability, in my weakness, to even imagine being myself. I know now that my weakness was an affront to God, and I fervently pray for remission of this sin above all others.

There is no sin in being homosexual; indeed, there cannot be. God does not create broken, sinful people. He does not make mistakes. I am not a mistake. But people can and do make mistakes, some of them brazen enough to risk departure from God's grace. Witness those who fought in California to abridge the rights of their neighbors and to demean and vilify their lives. This much is clear to me: when Judgment Day comes, it will be the souls of these misguided zealots that are imperiled. Myself, I am content to meet my Maker at the appointed time and be held accountable for my life. Like most, my path through life has not been simple, and my journey to acceptance of my own homosexuality has been cruelly difficult. I have sinned in many ways for which I seek remission and forgiveness, but being gay will never be among them. If I am wrong, the price will be mine to pay, but the faith that God has given me tells me otherwise.

Dark Roasted Blend: Architectural Genius of Antoni Gaudi

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:42:44 -0800

Paxton Prints - Photography by Steve Paxton

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:42:23 -0800

photographies de sophie thouvenin - ronces

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:42:13 -0800

Patricia Rovzar Gallery | Layne Cook

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:42:04 -0800

Lian Hearn.com

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:41:50 -0800

"The tension in my work is always between humans' drive to power and their desire for peace." --Lian Hearn

I don't generally enjoy fantasy or SciFi; but Lian Hearn's "Tales of the Otori" is a happy exception to that rule. A fantasy world based on feudal Japan, these are beautiful and captivating stories of seemingly commonplace events told on an ethereal level. Highly recommended.

Kinetic Car Sculpture at the BMW Museum by CubeMe

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:41:38 -0800

Eric Zener

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:41:29 -0800

This makes me think of myself and I don't even know why.

http://www.susannagaunt.com/straw/strawframeset.html

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:41:22 -0800

"In Englands Green and Pleasant Land" Fine Art Print by Graeme Pettit Photography [1030371-2] - RedBubble

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:41:15 -0800

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