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from Theological Issues
Gay Men's Group To Present Sessions
On S&M At National Religion Conference
"The embrace of homosexual practice," says a traditionalist religious scholar, "logically and experientially demands" acceptance of other atypical sexual behaviors
October 8, 2004 - The Gay Men's "Issues In Religion" Group will be presenting workshops at the
American Academy of Religion's (AAR) 2004 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas
(November 20-23).
The AAR is an umbrella organization of professors of religion, church
historians, theologians, and ethicists.
The gay group will be presenting a series of lectures with the theme: "Power and
Submission, Pain and Pleasure: The Religious Dynamics of Sadomasochism," as well
as a workshop on transgenderism (including transsexualism and transvestism).
Justice Tanis with the gay Metropolitan Community Church will conduct a lecture
titled, "Esctatic Communion: The Spiritual Dimensions of Leathersexuality."
Thomas V. Peterson, Alfred University will present a session titled, "S/M
Rituals in Gay Men's Leather Communities: Initiation, Power Exchange, and
Subversion."
Katherine Baker of Vanderbilt University will present a workshop called "The
Transvestite Christ: Hedwig and the Angry Inch Perform Queer Theology."
Dr. Robert A. J. Gagnon, associate professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh
Theological Seminary, notes that this year's theme is a complement to the
session conducted by the gay men's group at last year's AAR conference: "Love is
a Many Splendored Thing: Varied Views on Polyamory."
Last year, the group promoted the concept of multiple sex partners as being
blessed by God. One author presented a workshop called "Trinitarian Tango:
Divine Perichoretic Fecundity in Polyamorous Relations" and noted that
Christians traditions stop short of applying the Trinitarian concept to human
sexuality.
"Why do people think that bringing male homosexual behavior into the mainstream
is going to tame male homosexuality," said Robert Gagnon, "rather than destroy
basic societal norms?" Dr. Gagnon is associate professor of New Testament at
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
"One wonders what is next for the Gay Men's group at AAR: the promotion of
incest, 'pedosexuality,' and bestiality? There is certainly little or nothing in
the presenters' theology that would lead away from such ultimate absurdities,"
he added.
"...Like most things, the bizarre stuff that makes its way through the religious
academy of scholars eventually filters down to church leaders," said Dr. Gagnon.
"It represents the coming wave. Look out. The embrace of homosexual practice
logically and experientially demands it."
Updated: 3 September 2008
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