Prayer: Not Just for Straight People

Today, Jeremy at Good As You ("We're don't want to ruin your days, Linds. We also don't want you to ruin our marriages/truths/families/rights/protections") brought us the touching but inspiring story of one Lindsey Douthit, a concerned woman for America, who lives right here in the bowels of the liberal menace, Washington, DC.

As the story opens Ms. Douthit is commuting to work with the rest of the uncaffeinated, mostly liberal horde from whom she needed to protect her vulnerability spirituality. In their midst she was horrified "as homosexual activists, pro-abortion groups, radical leftists, and environmentalists pushed their agendas forward with nods of approval by the new commander in chief." Please! Anything but radical leftists and, and — environmentalists!

But wait! As if in a vision a beam of light pierced the acrid brimstone haze and illuminated for Ms. Douthit a most inspiring scene:

As I made my way to the Metro station, preparing myself for another day of legislative difficulties and setbacks, I passed a café and noticed three men sitting at a table near the window. But they weren’t just drinking coffee — they were huddled together, with their heads bowed and eyes closed. Thankfully, since they couldn’t see me staring, I was able to look more closely and witness something truly inspiring. With a Bible open in the center of their table, the men were praying.

Hallelujah!

But Ms. Douthit, perhaps distracted by the singing of choirs of cherubim, overlooks one obvious possibility. Shall I spell it out?

If I see three men huddled together, clasping hands, I naturally assume that they are gay men. (Wanna bet that the café was in Dupont Circle?) If there's a Bible on the table, I'd simply assume that they were three gay men praying.

In her haste to believe that she and her christian-soldier friends know the one true way, Ms. Douthit incorrectly supposes that prayer is something that only straight people do. I know that she would be shocked to learn the truth: gay and lesbian people, many of whom are self-identified christians, actually pray.

Now, you know probably what my attitude is about the effectiveness of prayer, but that's not really the issue here. The issue is that Ms. Douthit and her ilk seem to believe that they own prayer, just as they feel that they own morality, marriage, and the history of our country.

However, I know plenty of gays and lesbians who pray. As Austin Cline once put it so eloquently ("Mine! Mine! Mine!"), pissing on it doesn't make it yours.

Posted on September 30, 2009 at 20.26 by jns · Permalink
In: All, Faaabulosity, Laughing Matters

4 Responses

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  1. Written by S.W. Anderson
    on Monday, 5 October 2009 at 03.29
    Permalink

    That's a good point, about the presumption of ownership.

    Re: the three men presumably praying. Whatever their sexual orientation, there's a fair chance they were praying they could keep their jobs, or find jobs if they've been dumped. Given who brought us to the mess our country is in, that's something Douthit ought to spend some time contemplating.

  2. Written by jns
    on Monday, 5 October 2009 at 11.54
    Permalink

    Contemplating? No doubt Douthit spent the Bush years fervently praying, convincing herself that it would be much, much worse now if she hadn't — although one wonders why their prayer wasn't adequate to elect McCain. Did they not pray loudly enough? Were they insincere? Were they impure? Were they sinners?

  3. Written by BearToast Joe
    on Monday, 5 October 2009 at 16.22
    Permalink

    I wish all those "Christians" would stop pissing all over Jesus. I am a Christian, and I am gay. I pray. But prayer is not about our changing God's mind. It is about God changing us. Perhaps she should listen more.

    I spent a lot of years praying to be straight. When I finally listened, I heard God call my name, "Welcome, my beloved gay child. You are as I have made you. And you are beloved."

  4. Written by jns
    on Monday, 5 October 2009 at 16.52
    Permalink

    Despite my own beliefs, you are fortunate that you heard those words, Joe.

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