Orlando - Misguided religious leaders partially responsible

From the New York Times - 50 ARE SHOT DEAD AT GAY NIGHTCLUB IN FLORIDA; ATTACK IS WORST MASS SHOOTING IN U.S. HISTORY

We deplore the murderous anti-gay violence seen in Orlando this past weekend. All those impacted by this tragedy, you are in our hearts and our prayers.  

The shooter may have had bipolar disorder, from reports he definitely had anger management issues. Certainly, we must do everything humanly possible to keep military style assault weapons out of the hands of mentally ill persons.

This particular man was a Muslim.  He could just as easily been Christian. Or, indeed, of ANY faith - or no faith at all.

That being said, we must remind ourselves that leaders, at the highest levels of many religious traditions including Christianity, create, support and encourage the anti-gay bigotry that we saw expressed in such an extreme and murderous fashion in Orlando this past weekend.

Personally, we re-dedicate ourselves to NEVER using religious rhetoric as a spiritual weapon to demean or diminish any person - regardless of race, religious faith, nationality, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation or any other factor. 

For us, ALL people are created in the image of God and deserve lives of dignity, respect and love.
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We call on religious leaders - especially those in our tradition, the Roman Catholic Church - to examine and acknowledge their own complicity in creating the environment in which extreme anti-gay violence thrives.  

The Roman Catholic Church must end all rhetoric that brands LGBT people as defective, disordered, sinful or in any way morally-less-than heterosexual people.

The Roman Catholic Church must acknowledge that both its’ anti-gay and anti-woman rhetoric have caused grave harm and vow to make amends by taking action to bring all people together in equality and love.

The Roman Catholic Church must end and repudiate all discriminatory dogma, rhetoric and actions which demean and diminish Women and LGBT people.

For a start - ORDAIN WOMEN, MARRY GAY COUPLES

If the Roman Catholic Church wishes to retain any shred of moral leadership and relevancy in the years ahead, these are non-negotiable changes which must be implemented immediately.

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.
~Desmond Tutu