Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: News

The Rev. Seth Carey, left, answers questions about the relation between religion and homosexuality, while Greg Spahn, middle, a member of the American Humanist Association, and EIU Pride President Dan Koteski, right, look on during the "Do Gays Need God?" debate in the Phipps Auditorium of the Physical Sciences Building on Wednesday night. (Erin Matheny/The Daily Eastern)

The Rev. Seth Ethan Carey, of the United Church of Christ, and Greg Spahn, of the American Humanist Association, debated on whether Christianity is a friend or foe to the LGBT movement.

EIU Pride, an organization on campus that represents the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered people and their supporters sponsored the debate "Do Gays Need God?" that was held Wednesday in the Phipps Lecture Hall of the Physical Science building.

Carey said he believes fundamentalists in Christianity have the potential to become great allies in the LGBT movement.

"Fundamentalists make a huge percentage of this country," he said. "To ignore them is not a good idea."

Fundamentalists are absolutists and emphasize strict guidelines set in the Bible and use them as historical tools when faced with issues such as homosexuality.

Carey said people tend to believe and accept issues based on what they thought Jesus Christ believed were wrong and right.

Carey said fundamentalists are the opposite of liberal Christians who believe Jesus was accepting and loving when it comes to homosexuals.

Spahn believes seeking out allies and supporters for the LGBT within fundamentalist organizations, such as Christianity, can take away energy from other organizations that can be more accepting to the issues homosexuals face today.

"If you focus on one particular religion, you'll be limiting yourself," he said. "It's good to recognize all organizations and give them time."

Spahn said he feels it is possible to change a fundamentalist's mind, but hard.

"Why bother changing their minds on sexuality," he said.

Carey said he has seen cases where people have made a complete turn-around when it comes to homosexuality.

"I am not convinced it's a waste of time to open up to fundamentalists, but it is probably a waste of time to argue with them," he said.

Carey said he had a woman at his church that was a hardcore fundamentalist when her daughter revealed to her she was a lesbian, and issues arose between the two.

Carey said a change came in within the woman when her daughter committed suicide.

Now, she goes around lecturing about the harms of homophobia.

Carey said even though that situation was extreme, fundamentalists still are able to change through experiences and interactions with other people.

"By interacting with other gay people, it can change someone's perspective," he said.

Spahn said extreme fundamentalists' teachings should be looked at.

"We need to be honest that some religious teachings are detrimental to society," he said. "We should look at these when they are hurting a minority group or infringe on people's social issues."

Spahn said there is incredible diversity out there within and out of Christianity when it comes to having supporters for the LGBT movement, and keeping the message general for the organization should be key.

"When you keep your message general, there is a better chance of getting your message across," Spahn said.

Pride President Dan Koteski said the debate helped his beliefs on the LGBT movement.

"The movement shouldn't be over-selective on who they take into the fold," he said.

Koteski said he understands change does not happen overnight.

"Dialogue with fundamentalist Christians is the first step," he said. "It may not preserve immediately, but fostering an accepting environment and letting them be informed will, down the line, yield gains for the LGBT movement."

Jessica Leggin can be reached at 581-7942 or at jmleggin@eiu.edu.

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