Current Listen - Almost Heretical: "LGBTQ - The so-called Divine Ideal" (Part 1) (Released May 31, 2019)
“But what I realize is that many of us have been led to assume that what you see in Genesis 1 and 2, just by the nature of its being there, that means this is a snapshot of a) what is the ultimate ideal, it’s the best possible world, and therefore b) that means that’s the world that we have to live into. And I don’t think that’s how the actual text is presenting itself to us.” - Tim Ritter
“One that’s actually expressly stated as God’s restrictions on how the man and woman were supposed to behave was they were supposed to be vegetarians. That’s actually placed there as one of the only rules. They’re told that they’re supposed to eat the plants, the plants were created for them and the animals to eat, and they’re not supposed to eat the animals. So why you have thousands of American Christians eating beef and claiming that heterosexual marriage is a divine ideal that every human being has to uphold to, otherwise they’re sinful - there’s a huge inconsistency there.” - Tim Ritter
“How can we conceptualize that God entrusted us...all of us...entrusted us to rule the world and think that God thinks we don’t have the capacity to make a single ethical choice for ourselves? Paul’s language saying, ‘Don’t you know you will judge angels?,’ is saying, ‘Don’t you know it is your job to make even the highest possible ethical choice with the most severe bearing?’” - Tim Ritter
This episode of Almost Heretical is part 1 in the LGBTQ and the Bible series. Nate Hanson and Tim Ritter discuss what has been called the divine ideal for marriage as they lay a foundation for the next episode in this series and future episodes that address sexuality and gender.
#natehanson #timritter #almostheretical #podcast #podcastrecommendation #podcastrec #lgbtqandthebible #evolvingfaith #faithtransition #deconstruction #reconstruction #spiritualmisfit #exvangelical #empathy #equality #listening #learning #justice #socialjustice #restorativejustice #love #loveyourneighbor #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative
Account to Follow - Nov. 6, 2019
#latashamorrison #accounttofollow #bethebridge #beabridgebuilder #race #justice #racialhealing #racialequity #racialreconciliation #tellthetruth #healthydialogue #conversationsaboutrace #love #empathy #equality #reflection #action #loveyourneighbor #checkbiases #checkassumptions #learning #socialjustice #seekjustice #restorativejustice #lovemercy #walkhumbly #repent #repair #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative
Additional Rec. - Nov. 7, 2019
Account to Follow - Nov. 6, 2019
As you can see in Latasha Morrison’s IG profile, she is the Founder and President of Be the Bridge (@beabridgebuilder). She is also a speaker and the author of Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation, which was released October 15th. I highly recommend purchasing a copy of this book.
In May 2017, I attended a Be the Bridge meeting and heard about Latasha Morrison. We watched a video in which Latasha explained the reasons and ways Be the Bridge was formed. Latasha has the words “reconciler” and “bridge-builder” in her profile,” and these characteristics are beautifully displayed through her vision and founding of Be the Bridge. I have learned so much from Latasha Morrison, not just about racial justice and reconciliation but about being a better human as she leads the Be the Bridge organization full of wisdom, empathy, and grace. Latasha Morrison’s work has transformed me and continues to transform me. I am deeply grateful for her.
Follow @latashamorrison if you aren’t already, and support the work being done through Be the Bridge.
#latashamorrison #accounttofollow #bethebridge #beabridgebuilder #race #justice #racialhealing #racialequity #racialreconciliation #tellthetruth #healthydialogue #conversationsaboutrace #love #empathy #equality #reflection #action #loveyourneighbor #checkbiases #checkassumptions #learning #socialjustice #seekjustice #restorativejustice #lovemercy #walkhumbly #repent #repair #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative
Additional Rec. - Nov. 7, 2019
Additional Rec. - “The Combahee River Collective Statement” by the Combahee River Collective
This statement is dated April 1977, but there is still much work to be done under the leadership of black women as the words of the Black and lesbian feminists shared below are still applicable today.
“The most general statement of our politics at the present time would be that we are actively committed to struggling against racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression, and see as our particular task the development of integrated analysis and practice based upon the fact that the major systems of oppression are interlocking. The synthesis of these oppressions creates the conditions of our lives. As Black women we see Black feminism as the logical political movement to combat the manifold and simultaneous oppressions that all women of color face.”
“Black women's extremely negative relationship to the American political system (a system of white male rule) has always been determined by our membership in two oppressed racial and sexual castes.”
“Black feminists and many more Black women who do not define themselves as feminists have all experienced sexual oppression as a constant factor in our day-to-day existence.”
“A combined anti-racist and anti-sexist position drew us together initially, and as we developed politically we addressed ourselves to heterosexism and economic oppression under capitalism.”
“Our situation as Black people necessitates that we have solidarity around the fact of race, which white women of course do not need to have with white men, unless it is their negative solidarity as racial oppressors. We struggle together with Black men against racism, while we also struggle with Black men about sexism.”
“We realize that the liberation of all oppressed peoples necessitates the destruction of the political-economic systems of capitalism and imperialism as well as patriarchy. We are socialists because we believe that work must be organized for the collective benefit of those who do the work and create the products, and not for the profit of the bosses. Material resources must be equally distributed among those who create these resources. We are not convinced, however, that a socialist revolution that is not also a feminist and anti-racist revolution will guarantee our liberation.”
“As we have already stated, we reject the stance of Lesbian separatism because it is not a viable political analysis or strategy for us. It leaves out far too much and far too many people, particularly Black men, women, and children. We have a great deal of criticism and loathing for what men have been socialized to be in this society: what they support, how they act, and how they oppress. But we do not have the misguided notion that it is their maleness, per se—i.e., their biological maleness— that makes them what they are. As BIack women we find any type of biological determinism a particularly dangerous and reactionary basis upon which to build a politic.”
“The major source of difficulty in our political work is that we are not just trying to fight oppression on one front or even two, but instead to address a whole range of oppressions. We do not have racial, sexual, heterosexual, or class privilege to rely upon, nor do we have even the minimal access to resources and power that groups who possess anyone of these types of privilege have.”
“The psychological toll of being a Black woman and the difficulties this presents in reaching political consciousness and doing political work can never be underestimated. There is a very low value placed upon Black women's psyches in this society, which is both racist and sexist. As an early group member once said, ‘We are all damaged people merely by virtue of being Black women.’ We are dispossessed psychologically and on every other level, and yet we feel the necessity to struggle to change the condition of all Black women.”
“If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.”
“The inclusiveness of our politics makes us concerned with any situation that impinges upon the lives of women, Third World and working people. We are of course particularly committed to working on those struggles in which race, sex, and class are simultaneous factors in oppression.”
“One issue that is of major concern to us and that we have begun to publicly address is racism in the white women's movement. As Black feminists we are made constantly and painfully aware of how little effort white women have made to understand and combat their racism, which requires among other things that they have a more than superficial comprehension of race, color, and Black history and culture. Eliminating racism in the white women's movement is by definition work for white women to do, but we will continue to speak to and demand accountability on this issue.”
“We believe in collective process and a nonhierarchical distribution of power within our own group and in our vision of a revolutionary society. We are committed to a continual examination of our politics as they develop through criticism and self-criticism as an essential aspect of our practice.”
The Black and lesbian feminist writers of the 1977 Combahee River Collective speak for themselves, and I have nothing to add. I recommend reading the statement in its entirety.
This statement is dated April 1977, but there is still much work to be done under the leadership of black women as the words of the Black and lesbian feminists shared below are still applicable today.
“The most general statement of our politics at the present time would be that we are actively committed to struggling against racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression, and see as our particular task the development of integrated analysis and practice based upon the fact that the major systems of oppression are interlocking. The synthesis of these oppressions creates the conditions of our lives. As Black women we see Black feminism as the logical political movement to combat the manifold and simultaneous oppressions that all women of color face.”
“Black women's extremely negative relationship to the American political system (a system of white male rule) has always been determined by our membership in two oppressed racial and sexual castes.”
“Black feminists and many more Black women who do not define themselves as feminists have all experienced sexual oppression as a constant factor in our day-to-day existence.”
“A combined anti-racist and anti-sexist position drew us together initially, and as we developed politically we addressed ourselves to heterosexism and economic oppression under capitalism.”
“Our situation as Black people necessitates that we have solidarity around the fact of race, which white women of course do not need to have with white men, unless it is their negative solidarity as racial oppressors. We struggle together with Black men against racism, while we also struggle with Black men about sexism.”
“We realize that the liberation of all oppressed peoples necessitates the destruction of the political-economic systems of capitalism and imperialism as well as patriarchy. We are socialists because we believe that work must be organized for the collective benefit of those who do the work and create the products, and not for the profit of the bosses. Material resources must be equally distributed among those who create these resources. We are not convinced, however, that a socialist revolution that is not also a feminist and anti-racist revolution will guarantee our liberation.”
“As we have already stated, we reject the stance of Lesbian separatism because it is not a viable political analysis or strategy for us. It leaves out far too much and far too many people, particularly Black men, women, and children. We have a great deal of criticism and loathing for what men have been socialized to be in this society: what they support, how they act, and how they oppress. But we do not have the misguided notion that it is their maleness, per se—i.e., their biological maleness— that makes them what they are. As BIack women we find any type of biological determinism a particularly dangerous and reactionary basis upon which to build a politic.”
“The major source of difficulty in our political work is that we are not just trying to fight oppression on one front or even two, but instead to address a whole range of oppressions. We do not have racial, sexual, heterosexual, or class privilege to rely upon, nor do we have even the minimal access to resources and power that groups who possess anyone of these types of privilege have.”
“The psychological toll of being a Black woman and the difficulties this presents in reaching political consciousness and doing political work can never be underestimated. There is a very low value placed upon Black women's psyches in this society, which is both racist and sexist. As an early group member once said, ‘We are all damaged people merely by virtue of being Black women.’ We are dispossessed psychologically and on every other level, and yet we feel the necessity to struggle to change the condition of all Black women.”
“If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.”
“The inclusiveness of our politics makes us concerned with any situation that impinges upon the lives of women, Third World and working people. We are of course particularly committed to working on those struggles in which race, sex, and class are simultaneous factors in oppression.”
“One issue that is of major concern to us and that we have begun to publicly address is racism in the white women's movement. As Black feminists we are made constantly and painfully aware of how little effort white women have made to understand and combat their racism, which requires among other things that they have a more than superficial comprehension of race, color, and Black history and culture. Eliminating racism in the white women's movement is by definition work for white women to do, but we will continue to speak to and demand accountability on this issue.”
“We believe in collective process and a nonhierarchical distribution of power within our own group and in our vision of a revolutionary society. We are committed to a continual examination of our politics as they develop through criticism and self-criticism as an essential aspect of our practice.”
The Black and lesbian feminist writers of the 1977 Combahee River Collective speak for themselves, and I have nothing to add. I recommend reading the statement in its entirety.
#additionalrecommendation #recommendation #combaheerivercollectivestatement #combaheerivercollective #blackfeministstatement #blackfeminists #lesbianfeminists #whitefeminismisnotfeminism #antiracist #antiracism #antisexist #antisexism #endheterosexism #socialism #intersectionality #freedom #socialjustice #seekjustice #restorativejustice #lovemercy #walkhumbly #believeblackwomen #supportblackwomen #equality #reflection #action #loveyourneighbor #endALLdiscrimination #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative
Book Rec. - Nov. 9, 2019
Book Rec. - Nov. 9, 2019
Past Read - Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
“When I hung up the phone that night I had a wet face and a broken heart. The lack of compassion I witnessed every day had finally exhausted me. I looked around my crowded office at the stacks of records and papers, each pile filled with tragic stories, and I suddenly didn't want to be surrounded by all this anguish and misery. As I sat there, I thought myself a fool for having tried to fix situations that were so fatally broken. It's time to stop. I can't do this anymore. For the first time I realized that my life was just full of brokenness. I worked in a broken system of justice. My clients were broken by mental illness, poverty, and racism. They were torn apart by disease, drugs and alcohol, pride, fear, and anger. I thought of Joe Sullivan and of Trina, Antonio, Ian, and dozens of other broken children we worked with, struggling to survive in prison. I thought of people broken by war, like Herbert Richardson; people broken by poverty, like Marsha Colbey; people broken by disability, like Avery Jenkins. In their broken state, they were judged and condemned by people whose commitment to fairness had been broken by cynicism, hopelessness, and prejudice…It took me a while to sort it out, but I realized something sitting there while Jimmy Dill was being killed at Holman prison. After working for more than twenty-five years I understood that I don't do what I do because it's required or necessary or important. I don't do it because I have no choice. I do what I do because I'm broken, too. My years of struggling against inequality, abuse of power, poverty, oppression, and injustice had finally revealed something to me about myself. Being close to suffering, death, executions, and cruel punishments didn't just illuminate the brokenness of others; in a moment of anguish and heartbreak, it also exposed my own brokenness. You can't effectively fight abusive power, poverty, inequality, illness, oppression, or Injustice and not be broken by it. We are all broken by something” (Stevenson, 2014, pp.288-289).
With the story of Walter McMillian at the center, Bryan Stevenson shares narrative from his own life and work, the life of Walter McMillian, and the lives of others he has represented as a lawyer. The resistance, strength, dignity, and beauty of Bryan Stevenson and those he represented were on full display in this book as our shared humanity was highlighted. Please buy Just Mercy, but I also urge you to financially support the work of the Equal Justice Initiative.
#pastread #justmercy #justmercybook #bookrecommendation #bookrec #bryanstevenson #waltermcmillian #reading #learning #racialhealing #equality #reconciliation #justice #redemption #seekjustice #restorativejustice #socialjustice #loveyourneighbor #endmassincarceration #endthedeathpenalty #rehabilitation #wholehumanhealth #lament #repent #repair #blackauthors #supportblackauthors #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative
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