It is “Best Life Week” on the OPRAH Show.  All week long OPRAH will be helping you start your year off right with advice from experts on various life topics.  Yesterday’s show was “Spirituality 101.”  Her panel of guests included REVEREND BAKER (rector of All Saints Episcopal Church), MICHAEL BERNARD BECK (spiritual director of Agape International Spiritual Center), and ELIZABETH LESSER (co-founder of Omega Institute). During the show the two guest ministers dropped a bomb when they agreed that “Being gay is a gift from GOD…”  Wow!  Oprah was not ready for that comment.  The topic was sparked by a viewer named SEDRICK, who participated live from his home here in Decatur, GA.  SEDRICK spoke on how his homosexuality made it hard for him as a teen growing up in Alabama.  I wish I had the video for you, but here’s the quote feedback he received from the panel:

REV. BACON

“Being gay is a gift from God, but our culture doesn’t understand that, and consequently the culture sends messages that you ought to isolate.  And isolation is the antithesis of what all of us need.  We need community.  We simply can’t do spirituality,  we can’t be our best self,  we can’t be fully alive without a community.”

OPRAH commented that she’d never heard a minister speak those words before and MICHAEL BECK quickly chimed in and said “Now you’ll hear two…”

He continued to offer his perspective in support of REV. BACON’s statement.

It was refreshing to hear an alternate perspective on such a controversial subject coming from such an unlikely source.  The reality is there is a community of people that are made to feel they are tolerated rather than accepted.  Could you imagine how it would feel to be constantly judged by your peers just for being who you are?  It’s sad that the gay community is forced to have thick skin.  Once religion and homosexuality are introduced in the same sentence we already know what to expect…  It’s important to mention that this discussion on OPRAH was separating the idea of spirituality from religion.  The ministers acknowledged that various religions have a different outlook on the topic.  However, when it comes to spirituallity, they validated the right for the gay community to have pride in who they are.  I understand that many people’s beliefs are so strong that they were disturbed and even offended by the comment that “Being gay is a gift from God.”  Everyone has a right to their opinions and beliefs.  My focus is not the religious debate on the matter, but instead that these ministers were bold enough to deliver a lesson on love, acceptance, and unity.

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