Open and affirming churches/religions of all types

[FireSignFemme]

Originally Posted by JDeere

Anyone else on here Baptist?

On my mother's side both my great and great great grandfathers were Baptist preachers in NC & SC. http://www.reeceschapel.com/ To appease our relatives back east as a child I was sent to every Baptist church in town and the next two cities over. There are so many different types of Baptists within the denomination that you just truly never know what you're going to see at a Baptist church that's new to you until you get there.

One guitar player great with Baptist roots was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She was born Rosetta Nubin in Cotton Plant, AK. Her mother was a preacher for the Church of God in Christ founded in 1894 by a black Baptist bishop named Charles Mason, who encouraged rhythmic musical expression, dancing in praise and allowing women to preach in church. Encouraged by her mother she began singing and playing the guitar as 'Little Rosetta Nubin' at the age of four and was cited as a musical prodigy*.Your post reminded me of her and I thought I'd post it for any Southern Baptists who might be out there.




*Source - compilation wikipedia and guitar world dot com

[JDeere]

Originally Posted by FireSignFemme

On my mother's side both my great and great great grandfathers were Baptist preachers in NC & SC. http://www.reeceschapel.com/ To appease our relatives back east as a child I was sent to every Baptist church in town and the next two cities over. There are so many different types of Baptists within the denomination that you just truly never know what you're going to see at a Baptist church that's new to you until you get there.

One guitar player great with Baptist roots was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She was born Rosetta Nubin in Cotton Plant, AK. Her mother was a preacher for the Church of God in Christ founded in 1894 by a black Baptist bishop named Charles Mason, who encouraged rhythmic musical expression, dancing in praise and allowing women to preach in church. Encouraged by her mother she began singing and playing the guitar as 'Little Rosetta Nubin' at the age of four and was cited as a musical prodigy*.Your post reminded me of her and I thought I'd post it for any Southern Baptists who might be out there.




*Source - compilation wikipedia and guitar world dot com

Thanks for this. I'm hoping more Baptists come out of the woodwork on here to discuss things.

[Greyson]

I forgot about this thread. I am a third year student in seminary right now here in the San Francisco Bay Area. My first year as a seminarian I was very surprised to find that there are many, many LGBTQ people in seminary. Most of us are working on getting a Master's of Divinity degree. Some will seek ordination, some will not.

There are many mainline Protestant religions that are open and affirming. Even if "Open and Affirming" is not yet official across the entire denomination, many of the individual church's do indeed welcome LGBTQ people. "Christianity" ain't what it use to be. Most of the Queer Christians and members of other spiritual traditions I go to school with are very concerned with social justice issues.

It is not required for you to attend church to be a Christian, but what you do get by attending many church's is a community. The right wing Christian is not the 21st century Christian. Your choice of religion or spiritual practice is yours to decide. Let us not forget the Humanist, they too are now getting chaplains in the military.

[JDeere]

Originally Posted by Greyson

I forgot about this thread. I am a third year student in seminary right now here in the San Francisco Bay Area. My first year as a seminarian I was very surprised to find that there are many, many LGBTQ people in seminary. Most of us are working on getting a Master's of Divinity degree. Some will seek ordination, some will not.

There are many mainline Protestant religions that are open and affirming. Even if "Open and Affirming" is not yet official across the entire denomination, many of the individual church's do indeed welcome LGBTQ people. "Christianity" ain't what it use to be. Most of the Queer Christians and members of other spiritual traditions I go to school with are very concerned with social justice issues.

It is not required for you to attend church to be a Christian, but what you do get by attending many church's is a community. The right wing Christian is not the 21st century Christian. Your choice of religion or spiritual practice is yours to decide. Let us not forget the Humanist, they too are now getting chaplains in the military.

I remember growing up being told by my devoted Baptist grandparents that you have to go to church to be a Christian. As I've gotten older I know better.

[CherylNYC]

Originally Posted by FireSignFemme

...

One guitar player great with Baptist roots was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She was born Rosetta Nubin in Cotton Plant, AK. Her mother was a preacher for the Church of God in Christ founded in 1894 by a black Baptist bishop named Charles Mason, who encouraged rhythmic musical expression, dancing in praise and allowing women to preach in church. Encouraged by her mother she began singing and playing the guitar as 'Little Rosetta Nubin' at the age of four and was cited as a musical prodigy*.Your post reminded me of her and I thought I'd post it for any Southern Baptists who might be out there.




*Source - compilation wikipedia and guitar world dot com

Thank you for posting this. I've loved Sister Rosetta Tharpe for decades. She's just now getting some revived interest with a documentary about her life and a PBS biography. I haven't seen either of them, so I don't know if they gloss over what historians have often described as her 'unconventional lifestyle'. That's usually code for gay. Sister R.T. was just as at-home in country juke joints and big city night clubs singing proto rock and R&B as she was at church singing gospel. When I heard Sister R.T's gospel recordings with Marie Knight I was sure they were more than just performing partners, and that was before I ever heard a peep about her 'unconventional lifestyle'. I have no historical evidence whatsoever about Marie Knight, by the way. That's just my hunch.

[FireSignFemme]

Originally Posted by CherylNYC

Thank you for posting this. I've loved Sister Rosetta Tharpe for decades. She's just now getting some revived interest with a documentary about her life and a PBS biography. I haven't seen either of them, so I don't know if they gloss over what historians have often described as her 'unconventional lifestyle'. That's usually code for gay. Sister R.T. was just as at-home in country juke joints and big city night clubs singing proto rock and R&B as she was at church singing gospel. When I heard Sister R.T's gospel recordings with Marie Knight I was sure they were more than just performing partners, and that was before I ever heard a peep about her 'unconventional lifestyle'. I have no historical evidence whatsoever about Marie Knight, by the way. That's just my hunch.

I haven't heard anything of it. I do know that once source did mention she was married once.

[CherylNYC]

Originally Posted by FireSignFemme

I haven't heard anything of it. I do know that once source did mention she was married once.

She was married several times. Considering the time in which she lived, that's not much of an indicator.

[JDeere]

I have been attending the church where my girlfriend works but they do not know we are a couple, we are keeping things under wraps because I don't want the drama and neither does she nor do I want her to get a bad review or fired.

I really like the church, way better then the one my parents attend, I am not sure why.

Anyone else been church shopping before?

[FireSignFemme]

I've been church shopping before but it was a long time ago what type of church are you looking for? BTW Happy Sunday Everybody.

[JDeere]

Originally Posted by FireSignFemme

I've been church shopping before but it was a long time ago what type of church are you looking for? BTW Happy Sunday Everybody.

I'm not really church shopping now. I was trying to get dialogue going on the thread.

[iamkeri1]

Originally Posted by JDeere

I have been attending the church where my girlfriend works but they do not know we are a couple, we are keeping things under wraps because I don't want the drama and neither does she nor do I want her to get a bad review or fired.

I really like the church, way better then the one my parents attend, I am not sure why.

Anyone else been church shopping before?

Hi JDeere,
What kind of church is it that you have been attending, and what do you like about it?
Smooches,
Keri

[iamkeri1]

Hi Y'all,
I'm the one who started this thread. Sorry if any of you feel it is moving slowly. It's maybe true that this is not a thread for everyone. MANY of us have been burned by the religious experiences in our life. If you express your spirituality privately, that is great. If it's good for you, that is a wonderful thing ... and there is certainly a lot to be said against organized religion.

BUT some of us are attracted to an organization of one kind or another, for one reason or another. My own reason is that it there is not much in the way of gay activities in my area. There are a few bars. I always enjoyed them when I was younger, and I still go for Karaoke every once in a while. But I really hate the smoke. The other choices are churches, of which we now have three that are gay-based. So I go to meet people and hang out with friends. It is the only queer aspect of my life. My partner is FTM, and most people relate to me as straight. So me "church" it is a valuable thing.

Anyway, In this thread I am not particularly interested in the discussion of the details of any one religion or another. Just tell us why you feel comfortable with what you have chosen. What I was hoping to provide is info for folks who do have some interest in organized religion to help them find one that will meet their needs.

And it certainly does NOT have to be Christian. If you are jewish, pagan, wiccan, bahai, buddist, jain, muslim, rostifarian, etc. etc. etc., you are free to post here. You must NOT show judgment for another individuals choice, however. No "my religion is better than your religion" crap.

This is what I am looking for. If you go somewhere "religious" on a fairly regular basis, and when you sit your queer ass down in a seat there, or on the floor, or whatever is done in that place, and in that place you are accepted as equal and affirmed as a queer being of whatever kind or variety you espouse, then share it with us. There might be someone else in B-F land that says, "Wow, that sounds perfect to me. I'm going to go there too."

Smooches,
Keri