Anderson Cooper examining spirtuality, and the Trevor Helpline

Anderson Cooper on CNN is currently doing a series on spirituality, and on Wednesday night the discussion inlcuded science and global warming. He showed a clip of Jerry Falwell,saying that global warming is "phony baloney." "It is Satan's attempt to redirect the church's primary focus," he said in a videoclip. Does he mean that Satan is causing global warming, maybe by cracking open the gates of Hell and letting some heat out? Or does he mean Satan is making up the science of global warming. Falwell needs to get his head out of the sand and ...well.



This is Auguste Rodin's Gates of Hell. Commissioned in 1880, the Gates were largely complete by 1900, but were not cast in bronze until after the artist's death in 1917. Photo link: http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/rodin/rodin.html. See the "thinker" sitting there? I wonder what he is thinking about. "Maybe he's contemplating how not taking care of God's creation landed him here at the gates of hell.



Rev. Joel Hunter is an evangelical, who was once considered to lead the Christian Coalition, has seen the light, and since proclaiming that humans have a responsibility for taking care of the earth, he has been virtually demonized by other evangelicals.



On last nights show they talked about homosexuality, and had this liar on there saying that all homosexual males were that way because of a bad relationship with their father, or because of abuse of some kind, and that all homosexual males could escape homosexuality and become heterosexual. Of course, he is ignoring all that is known about homoseuxality from a scientific, medical and psychological perspective. Think of the damage people like this are doing to people struggling to accept themselves. No wonder kids who are questioning their sexuality are more likely to attempt suicide. A government study found that homosexual youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than other young people. Several researchers suggest that bisexual and youth uncertain of their sexual orientation may be at higher risk for suicidal behavior than self-proclaimed homosexual teenagers. Instead of confusing them with misinformation that may cause them to kill themselves, why not teach them to embrace themselves and accept them for who they are. The blood of these adolescents who kill themselves is on the hands of preachers like this who drive them to it.




The Trevor Helpline was established in 1998 to coincide with the HBO airing of the award winning short film Trevor, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The Trevor Helpline is the only national 24-hour, toll-free suicide prevention hot line aimed at gay and questioning youth. http://www.thetrevorproject.org/staging/helpline.aspx (this picture comes from their site so I am not "outing" anyone)


And I will not even get into the irony of Anderson Cooper interviewing a preacher about the evils of homosexuality and whether or not its a sin.


Today is Good Friday and this Sunday is Easter, and maybe I should be writing about how jesus died for all of us, not just the straight ones. But you probably already know that. The ones who need to hear it are unlikely to be reading this blog anyway. Happy Easter!