News Commentary in Time of Plague: 43 Pages of Obituaries in Houston Today (and the Role Many US Christians Are Playing in the Pandemic)

OUR LOCAL PAPER: The Houston Chronicle
obituary section was 43 pages today.

Let that sink in.

— Rogelio Garcia Lawyer (@LawyerRogelio) July 13, 2020

(P.S. As Newsweek reports, this is a standalone section of obituaries for the year up to now. Read the Newsweek report, and you'll see a lot of commenters on social media are stating that it's likely a high percentage of those deaths are Covid deaths.)

Some Churches Holding Palm Sunday Services in States Across US: Reuters' Documentation, April 5, 2020

Editorial Board: A response to "We Are An Easter People"

While clearly a cri de coeur from those who, like we, desperately miss the sacraments, we strongly believe that much of what the message advocates is ill advised and, worse, could cause great harm.https://t.co/4BqWnSPzuy pic.twitter.com/blmWkxY2H7

— Our Sunday Visitor (@OSV) April 4, 2020

Despite huge red flags waved in front of their unbelieving faces, there are still people who want to maintain that religious gatherings are not being held in the US in defiance of stay-at-home orders, since everyone they know is participating in religous gatherings online. These folks remind me very much of an elderly German woman I saw interviewed in a documentary this week who vowed that, no, sir, no one was murdered during the Holocaust, that the gas chambers and crematoria were fake news — and as she spoke, the camera panned to actual footage of the crematoria stuffed with ashes and bones, and actual photos of people who had been shoved into mass graves after they were shot by the Nazis.

As America Becomes Number 1 in World Coronavirus Infections, the "Beautiful" Idea of Packing Churches for Easter: My Commentary

8 in 10 white evangelicals, 6 in 10 white Catholics & Mormons, 50%+ of all US white Christians, set this nightmare into motion, claiming they voted "pro-life."

We must not forget. Racism + US white Christianity are central to this nightmare. Pretending re: this will not help.

— 𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕒𝕞 𝔻. 𝕃𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕤𝕖𝕪 🌈 (@wdlindsy) February 15, 2019

An update on the story I shared with you recently (and here), about First Assembly of God church in Greer's Ferry, Arkansas, which hosted a children's crusade March 6-8, and then discovered that some three dozen church members who attended that event were infected with coronavirus: that story continues to gain international attention, as with this recent NBC news report. 

"Good, Conservative People Who Reject Liberalism": White Southern Evangelical Attack on Social Contract & Why We Are Where We Are Now

John Sharp, "Alabama just elected 'one of the most conservative governments we've ever had'":

Election Aftertakes: "Democrats Led Republicans by More Than 12 Million Votes in Senate Races" — And Vote Count Problems from Arizona to Georgia to Florida

Notice that the caravan totally disappeared as an issue as soon as the votes were cast -- not just Fox News, but mainstream media too. Guys, you really need to take a hard look in the mirror and ask why you're so easily played 2/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) November 9, 2018

Sabrina Siddiqui:

Among the most eye-catching was a statistic showing Democrats led Republicans by more than 12 million votes in Senate races, and yet still suffered losses on the night and failed to win a majority of seats in the chamber.

The Story of the Refusal of the Episcopal Cathedral in Orlando to Baptize the Son of a Gay Couple: My Reflections

For a variety of reasons, I've been following with some interest the story of the refusal of Anthony Clark, dean of the Episcopal cathedral in Orlando, St. Luke, to baptize the baby of a married gay couple, Rich and Eric McCaffrey. I first became aware of the story a few days ago when Faithful America sent out an email asking people to sign a petition calling on the bishop of the diocese, Greg Brewer, to assure that no priest in his diocese refuse baptism to a child on the basis of the sexual orientation of the parents. The petition states,

Droppings from the Catholic Birdcage: "Without Freedom of Expression, the World Is in Danger" (Memo to Miami)

Yesterday, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, released a statement with the leaders of France's Islamic community indicating that they stand with Pope Francis in denouncing cruelty and violence caused by ideological oppression of others. The statement says,

Commentary on Archbishop Thomas Wenski and His Threatening Response to Arrival of Marriage Equality in Florida

Also today, ongoing discussion of the response of Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski to the arrival of marriage equality in Florida, something I discussed yesterday: as I noted, on 6 January as same-sex marriages began in the state, Wenski issued a threatening letter informing employees of Catholic institutions of the archdiocese that anything they say in public forums celebrating marriage equality may be grounds for firing. Here's further discussion of this story from the past two days:

Joyous Couples in Florida Marrying in Droves on Feast of Epiphany: Connecting the Biblical Story to Today

Midnight mass marriage ceremony in Palm Beach. History in the making. In tears #FLmarriage #gaywedfla @CompassCenter pic.twitter.com/1ZVVAMTMQQ
— Tony Plakas (@TonyPlakas) January 6, 2015

Epiphany: if I remember my long-ago classical (and biblical) Greek, the word is comprised of a prefix, epi, that has the connotion of "upon," and a root verb, phanein, that means "to show," "to flash forth." Epiphanies suddenly flash forth in the middle of the ordinary.

County Clerks in Florida Refusing to Marry Anyone if Gays Can Marry: A Footnote

A quick footnote to my posting earlier today about the decision of some county clerks in Florida to shut down courthouse marriages altogether — for everyone — rather than marry the gays: on my Facebook page, I posted a link to Mark Joseph Stern's Slate article about the Florida story, an article that I discussed in my posting here earlier today

County Clerks in Florida Refuse to Permit Anyone to Marry if Gay Couples May Marry: Segregationist Roots of "Principled" Resistance to Marriage Equality

I remember it as if it happened yesterday. And as I read the announcements of several county clerks in Florida that, rather than marry same-sex couples, they'll shut down courthouse weddings for everyone, the memories come flooding back all over again:

Gay Rights and the Challenge of 2015: The Price Gay Citizens Pay for Continued Foot-Dragging on Marriage Equality

Something else that matters to me as the turbulent year of 2014 ends and a new year begins: the challenge of combating deeply entrenched injustice against LGBT people in religious communities and the wider society. Here are some articles I've read in the past few days that strenghten my resolve to keep caring about this issue and struggling for justice along with others working to that end:

The Sea Change in Cultural Attitudes Toward Gay Lives: Importance of Telling Gay Stories and Bearing Gay Witness

Last week at the Huffington Post site, Arianna Huffington announced that the Oprah Winfrey Network would air several programs on 27 October about being gay in America. I'm telling you about this after the fact. Those shows aired last evening. Steve and I taped them but haven't yet watched them. The network will, I would hope, run them again at various times, in case you missed seeing them.

Struggle for Gay Welcome and Inclusion in United Methodist Churches: A Report from the Ground, Tampa, Florida

The struggle about justice and inclusion, about love and compassion for those who are made gay by God, is hardly confined to the Catholic church, by the way. For a gripping (and painful) report about this struggle within a single United Methodist congregation--Palma Ceia UMC in Tampa, Florida--read John Masters's recent posting at his Deep Something blog site. John has been a United Methodist for 54 years, and has been working patiently and assiduously in recent years to help his Palma Ceia church fashion a truly hospitable space for gay people seeking a church home.

Commentary on Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman Verdict: Monsters Cheering "Hallelujah," Murdered Boys on Trial for Own Murder

Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon, "America's Summer of Hate":

And the monsters can cheer "Hallelujah."

Trayvon and George: Subjects, Objects, and Life Goes On

I have been haunted for years by questions about what happens to people who are clearly guilty but are exonerated when their guilt comes to trial. I lived through a life-altering experience as I completed high school. In my small south Arkansas town, three white boys in my class shot and killed a black boy in cold blood.

Knowing, Then Dealing with What You Know: When Neighbors Sign Anti-Gay Petitions

The Washington Blade recently published a database of those who signed a petition in Maryland to put the question of civil marriage for same-sex couples up to a popular referendum.  Andrew Sullivan has published two statements about the publication of this database at his Daily Dish site (here and here).

Cooking to Save the Planet: Buttermilk Pie

A friend emailed me for my birthday and, among other things, told me that she particularly enjoys reading the food pieces I occasionally post here.  Since several other followers of this blog have told me the same, and because this is a friend I particularly esteem for reasons I'll explain in a moment, I thought I might share with you my aunt's recipe for buttermilk pie.  

High-School Student Brent Taghap's Tribute to Tyler Clementi

A memorial tribute to Tyler Clementi by Jesuit high school student Brent Taghap of Tampa:  a loure of J.S. Bach.

I am deeply disturbed to learn that there has been another previous suicide at Rutgers University related to issues of sexual orientation, after which LGBT students at Rutgers went to school administrators, according to this ABC news report. And were not heard.

Neil Patrick Harris and Lance Bass Address Teen Coming Out Issues; Many College Campuses Remain Unsafe for LGBT Students, Faculty, Staff

Another valuable online resource for teens dealing with issues of gender identity and sexual orientation, and adults hoping to offer support to these teens: actors Neil Patrick Harris and Lance Bass have produced videos talking about the experience of growing up gay.