[HeartStrongList] Funds and Fundies

[marcadams at heartstrong.org]

Hi everyone...

Time has just been flying by for us as we continue this outreach trip. 
The first thing I want to mention is a Thank You to an anonymous donor who
donated the $2500.00 we needed for the costs of the rest of this trip. 
This is a tremendous help to us and we are incredibly grateful.

We also received several other donations which have helped us lower the
amount we need for the second portion of this trip (starting October 16)
from $8,000.00 to $7200.00.  We are so grateful for the donations that are
helping us do our work.

The El Dorado Human Rights Council is hosting us for a program on Sunday,
September 24, in Placerville CA.  They have a
fundamentalist/neo-evangelical local minister who has been a thorn in the
side of many different groups of people.  In response to the newspaper's
anouncement of our program, the minister's son, Luke Otterstad, wrote a
letter to the editor calling me a Sodomite who hates Christians.

I have certainly been called worse.  However, I have responded to this
kid's letter to the editor with my own letter to the editor.  I'm not sure
if they are going to print mine, however, I am posting it at the end of
this email so that all of you can read it and pass it around. We are
looking for the full text of what Luke said against me and HeartStrong in
his letter and when we get that, we will forward that to you as well.

Thanks so much for your ongoing support of our work.  You may scan our
guestbook on our HeartStrong site to read about some of the people our
work has affected just recently.

As always, we need your financial support.  I believe we can raise the
remaining $7,200.00 BEFORE we leave on the second portion of this outreach
trip on October 16.  Want to help?  http://www.heartstrong.org

Make your donation online or call me at 206-351-9993 to discuss your gift.
 You may also mail your donation to HeartStrong, PO Box 2051, Seattle WA
98111.

Thank You!


BELOW IS MY RESPONSE TO LUKE OTTERSTAD.  PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PASS IT ALONG.

Luke Otterstad's Words About Me
>
It's always strange when someone who doesn't know you actually thinks they
> do know you.  When I read Luke Otterstad's words about me and my upcoming
> presentations at the Federated Church on Sunday September 24 (6:30pm) I
> saw a boy who is in the same position I was in when I was his age.
>
> I was a fundamentalist Baptist Christian trying to do things that I
> believed God wanted me to do... like speak out against "sin" and gay
> people and abortion, etc.
>
> The big difference between me and Luke is that I was gay.  When I was
> Luke's age I thought I was an 'exgay'.  I was struggling to accept myself
> in the midst of my religious choice (the fundamentalist Baptist Christian
> lifestyle).
>
> Eventually I learned that I had been lied to about my religion and I
> learned to accept myself.  Which was the only way to lasting peace and
> happiness in my life.
>
> Luke Otterstad, on the other hand, will probably spend the rest of his
> life (like millions of others around the world) battling what he thinks is
> sin because his belief system teaches him that one day he will stand in
> front of God and have to give an account for why he did or didn't do
> things like call me a Sodomite.  In fact, Luke might even feel the added
> burden that he must do everything in his power to save me and others from
> Hell.  His religious choice/lifestyle teaches his that if he doesn't do
> this and I or others go to Hell, then God will dump mine and their blood
> on his hands.
>
> That theology is extremely powerful. The guilt and burden of what you
> think is your repsonsibility when you are part of this religious choice is
> at times overwhelming.  You wind up believing that you can never do enough
> to sustain your fundamentalist Christian lifestyle choice.
>
> And when you have successfully followed your religious teachings and you
> have put your human side to death every day, as I am positive Luke does,
> it is very hard to do or say anything that is humane.
>
> I know this because I used to treat people the same way.  I used to think
> that I had a responsibility to be the "voice crying out in the wilderness"
> to quote their text.
>
> It is sad that some people's religious choice leads them through a
> lifestyle spent condemning others and their concept of "sin".  Life is
> short and full of beautiful and wonderful things to experience like love,
> peace, happiness and real family.
>
> I feel bad for people who have made choices to follow religions that
> cripple their humanity.  But, I also know there is hope.  Hope that
> somewhere inside a spark can be ignited into a flame that will help them
> find their way out.
>
> I've spent the last ten years of my life trying to spark that flame in the
> lives of many people brainwashed by their religious choice.  I assume that
> I will spend the rest of my life doing more of the same.
>
> Because there is real life, love, peace and happiness in life regardless
> of your sexual orientation or religious choice.
>