Faith in America's Mission Statement
The mission of Faith In America, Inc. is the emancipation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from bigotry disguised as religious truth. The world’s great religious traditions practiced within the United States of America emphasize the love of neighbor as well as the love of God. Compassion, justice, freedom, and respect for the dignity of all people are their most authentic and noble expressions.
However, in the United States, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are victims of religious teachings based on ignorance and fear instead of knowledge and respect. This abuse of religion influences all aspects of public life in America, including civil laws and social attitudes. Because of it, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are denied equal rights and protection under civil law. They are discriminated against and socially ostracized. Physical violence against them is incited. In order to end the persecution of gay people in America, religious teachings that justify bigotry must be publicly exposed and denounced.
This expression of religion-based bigotry against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people has historical precedents, including violence, intolerance, and inequity toward women, people of color, and people with religious traditions different from those of the majority, such as Jews, Roman Catholics, Mormons and others. These precedents are recognized today by the mainstream of America to have been misguided, wrong and evil. To end the persecution of gay people engendered by religion-based bigotry, its common link with these historical precedents must be acknowledged. Faith In America, Inc. is confident that, just as Americans have rejected the distorted religious teachings that sanctioned these injustices, Americans will reject the religion-based bigotry against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people when it is exposed.
Faith In America, Inc. also has confidence in the democratic ideals embodied in The Constitution of the United States. These ideals guarantee equality, freedom and protection to all U.S. citizens without regard to religious teaching. By exposing and rebuking religion-based bigotry, Faith In America, Inc., appeals to and honors both the authentic religious and democratic ideals that rest in the soul of the American people. Faith In America, Inc. is working with churches and other organizations across the country to publicly expose religion-based bigotry against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and to inform the public how women, people of color and people of minority religions have been mistreated similarly by religion in the past.
Turning to History...and our Hearts
About 500 years ago there was a fledgling movement afoot led by among others Martin Luther who believed individuals have the
ability – and the right – to interpret Christianity's religious texts for themselves.
It was a radical but heartfelt idea at the time for it meant that the religious/political establishment had been teaching some things about
religion that a growing number of people knew in their hearts just wasn't founded in the Bible, such as a requirement that priests couldn't
marry or that one's salvation could be purchased. There was a feeling among Luther and others that certain church teachings were being used
to oppress the masses instead of liberating them. The movement was able to sustain itself and a new era would be ushered in as this new
concept would in essence democratize religion.
Some individuals during this period realized that there was a potential negative side in that allowing people to interpret the Bible for
themselves might create opportunities where people might get their interpretation of Scripture wrong and that those interpretations again
could be used to cause harm.
As Americans, we can look back today and see how indeed those misgivings proved true when we consider segments of our own history when
interpretations of Scripture were used to justify oppression and bigotry in the areas of slavery, segregation and subjugation of women –
all episodes where good Bible-believing Christians were taught that certain Scripture justified treating African-Americans and women as
inferior. Many then knew in their hearts it just wasn't right to use the Bible to justify such discrimination.
Our American forefathers, who were not that far removed from the world-shaking religious ideas of Luther and others, foresaw the potential
negative aspect of all the different interpretations of religious texts and took great care in drafting a Constitution that made sure no one
group's interpretation would ever be state-sanctioned or state-aproved.
Yet 200 years later, our society is beset by yet another form of religion-based oppression and bigotry against gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender individuals and it is causing severe oppression.
It also seems many Americans have lost sight of the inherent danger in using government to impose one group's interpretation of religious text
on society through our laws. Throughout the land we see certain religious/political groups who are advocating that their interpretation of the
Bible is sufficient grounds to oppose equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans – whether it is the right to serve openly in the military or the
right to marry the person they love and want to journey through life with.
Faith In America for the last two years has been sounding the alarm bells of history by asking Americans to closely examine how religion-based
discrimination, bigotry and oppression are still at work today in our society in regards to gay and lesbian Americans – just as it was in other
episodes of our past.
It has been allowed to flourish in our society for so long primarily because certain political and religious groups 25 years ago decided that playing
upon the fear and prejudice within faith communities would be an effective way to garner votes from those communities. So while some preachers and
religious/political commentators have pounded home a theme of rejection and condemnation toward gay and lesbian people, their influence in political
circles increased as they continued to bring in votes.
But something else was happening at the same time – people were hurting and many were dying. So just as the ground shakers of the 15th century were
correct in challenging misguided religious teaching in their day, Faith In America is asking Americans of faith to examine any interpretation that
promotes attitudes of rejection, condemnation and to place it along side the religious ideals of love, compassion, acceptance and respect that are
found not only in Christian teaching but the teachings of all great religions.
And for those persons who still believe a Scripture-based message of rejection, condemnation and discrimination is compatible with the teachings of
Christ, we simply ask you to consider how unconstitutional it is to ask our government to make laws based on an interpretation of religious text.
We have faith in American's ability to understand that we all should strive to be best that we can be and also to question just how far we have missed the
mark in the way we have treated our fellow gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender citizens.
It's a question we must as ourselves today – not tomorrow. Too many people, especially young gay teenagers, are suffering the effects of oppression
for us to wait another day.
Bringing change to this social injustice isn't complicated nor should it be a long-term endeavor. It simply takes a brief look back on history,
being honest about what we feel in our hearts and just enough humility to admit we've been misled.