Part 3 in the Video Series onTraditional Marriage

 Hey its bible study time!

...oh  how boring. 

No way, this stuff is really rich, todays' topic is the ever so fun "Marriage is sacred because it is a transfer of property"

marriage... yeah... wait what?

Oh YES!      and also they have multiple wives

...no way... 

yeah, 700 wives

NO WAY!!!! what the heck is in that thing?

We've moved on from some of our history, isn't it time to move away from our homophobia too?

A Mountain I'm Willing to Die On

I haven't always identified as a Christian, sometimes the definition that most people go by seems too limiting, but I really like how the author of this amazing article describes her definition. 

One of our members posted this article on the SoT Facebook Page (which you should become a fan of).

I am so glad I was going through the wall posts, because this really moved me.

For those of you who haven't clicked on the link above, here is an excerpt, with the story printed in whole after the break.

This is during the letter to her son:

"What I'm trying to say is that each Christian uses different criteria to decide what parts of the Bible to prioritize and demonstrate in their lives. Our criteria is that if it doesn't bring us closer to seeing humanity as one, as connected, if it turns our judgment outward instead of inward, if it doesn't help us become better lovers of God and others, if it distracts us from remembering what we are really supposed to be doing down here, which is finding God in every human being, serving each other before ourselves, feeding hungry people, comforting the sick and sad, giving up everything we have for others, laying down our lives for our friends... then we just assume we don't understand it yet, we put it on a shelf, and we move on. Because all I need to know is that I am reborn. And here's what I believe it means to be reborn:

The first time you're born, you identify the people in the room as your family. The second time you're born, you identify the whole world as your family. Christianity is not about joining a particular club, it's about waking up to the fact that we are all in the same club. Every last one of us. So avoid discussions about who's in and who's out at all costs. Everybody's in, baby. That's what makes it beautiful. And hard. If working out your faith is not beautiful and hard, find a new one to work out. And if spiritual teachers are encouraging you to fear anyone, watch them closely, honey. Raise your eyebrow and then your hand. Because the phrase repeated most often in that Bible they are quoting is Do Not Be Afraid. So when they tell you that gay people are a threat to marriage, honey, think hard."

Whole Article printed after the break:

Traditional Marriage? Video Part 2 of the series

Having worked with Pastor Grant for several years now, I can say I have always been inspired by his way of cutting through the BS of the world and speaking the truth. I am really proud of this video series because I believe it cuts through one of the biggest lies that people who are opposed to Gay Marriage regularly tell in order to win people to their hateful cause, namely the lie that "Gay marriage, isn't okay because it isn't traditional."

In this video series Grant takes the time to look directly at many of the stories we have in our "traditional" texts, and speaks not only to the words, but the circumstances in the society that they describe. He unpacks some of the relevant information for why the Bible says the things it says, and describes how we as a society have chosen to move beyond that narrow context, in order to create a more egalitarian society.

As the video series progresses he points to references in the Bible that show us that this direction towards freedom, respect and love for all, is directly a part of the biblical tradition as well, and that love and freedom are a truth of our faith. In the end, this amendment gives us the opportunity to discuss what we want of our society, do we want a society that works for all of us, or one that limits the capacity of our own brothers and sisters and ignores their humanity.

Please share!

Interesting trending videos

The work of a few dedicated individuals

Today I would just like to give a heads up to some of the excellent work being done in the Spirit of Truth Community.

First off can I point out that Minnesotans United for All Families has shared Grant's first video on their Facebook page and it is getting a good amount of traffic so maybe we can start having a new conversation in MN about what we want out of marriage.

I know Grant put a lot of work into these videos and I am really looking forward to the discussions that follow as we take a look at what the Bible really says (and doesn't say) about marriage.

I have been sitting next to another one of our leaders (Ben) for the past few hours as he has been enthusiastically (and quite loudly) adding, manipulating and editing pictures and videos and text fonts for a brand new home base on the webpage. 

I think the new homepage brings out the action based approach of SoT, and Ben's energy in this project will be deeply appreciated as we move forward in our campaign for Marriage Equality in MN. 

Check Back soon for more updates!

Traditional Marriage? series

This is the first in a video series with Pastor Grant Stevensen of Spirit of Truth Faith Community. The Series will look at some of the pivotal stories in the Bible (Old and New Testament) to figure out what "traditional Biblical Marriage" really is and whether this is the standard we want to look to for our marriages today.

Cartoons for you!

Governor rejects ALEC Template Bills

What is ALEC?

ALEC is the organization that is pushing legislation through states all over the country. Most recently in MN many of the major constitutional  amendments (check out more here)  proposed have been ALEC written or are based on ALEC prewritten legislation.

I think we can all agree that we don't need corporations running our state.

Some good links from the Spirit of Truth community

A few weeks back one of our members asked me to keep an eye on this page

Theprogressivecatholicvoice

I wish I had because I might have seen this awesomeness

Catholics for Marriage Equality Launch Online Petition

Do your part and sign the petition today! 

Check out more good work here Catholics for Marriage Equality

I also highly suggest this website which was brought to my attention by the same member. 

It is at times very educational, at other times extremely moving.   

Thewildreed

Some good activity over at the Spirit of Truth Facebook Page
remember to "like" "share" and "comment" to get things circulating.

Marriage Equality Meeting at 10:00 AM this Sunday at Spirit of Truth (st matts) 

The news of the week.

Washington State Legalizes Gay Marriage

Prop 8 gets another look, Judges say its not constitutional

With all the headlines of victory this week, its easy to get a little frustrated with our state.

In MN gay marriage isn't legal and the fight for marriage equality is on the defensive, still it is good to see that throughout our country and throughout the world there is momentum for marriage equality.

This picture has been floating around the internet lately...

I think it is interesting to see that same sex marriage is legal in South Africa a country where not too long ago the brutal segregationist policy of Apartheid existed. 

If a country can evolve that far in such a short period of time, perhaps we can all move forward with the right effort? 

The Truth in Cartoons

Republican Fear Driven Amendments

Several weeks ago at SoT we had a talk about the kinds of legislation the Republicans are proposing, but namely how in a rather unusual way they are trying to legislate through fear based constitutional amendments such as the Anti Gay Marriage Amendment, and the "Right to Work" amendment (that dismantles Unions).

One of the other Amendments that was mentioned was the proposed Voter ID amendment that would basically keep thousands of our citizens from voting but wouldn't in anyway prevent the almost non-existent voter fraud the amendment is supposedly against.  For more on Voter ID laws see the following video:

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