Thanks for the welcome Ann Maree 🙂

It’s awesome to be here – I love freedom 2b, the site has really encouraged me and helped me find strength; knowing I’m not alone in my sexuality and my faith journey… awesome to find you all.

Ellen

Hi Peter

I appreciate the non-judgmental nature of this forum and open mindedness. And the banner at the top of it that says “Freedom 2B”. If it said “Freedom to love Jesus” I doubt I’d bother visiting the site at all. I have no intention of ever returning to Christianity, and am happy to be without it.

BTW, that doesn’t mean I’ve “not reconciled” with the Christian experience. I have completely reconciled my beliefs with my life, and Christianity is not for me.

Thanks for your point about reconciliation of the Christian experience not necessarily having to include going back there. It’s important to reflect on the fact that we can make peace with that part of who we are/were and it can change or develop our spirituality no matter where we end up. Even if we take a completely different direction, the Christian experience can still be an important part of our journey, of where we’ve come from and where we are headed.

Blessings,

Ann Maree

Hi Ann Maree,

I agree my Christian experience has been a big part in my spiritual direction. It has shown me exactly what not to be.

Hi hereiam

Yes you make an excellent point and I like your examples. And I guess a sign like ‘freedom to belong’ could apply even more broadly to the wider society or anywhere really. At least that’s how I interpreted that message rather than associating the belonging with f2b.

And yes in any group there are always some differences but that doesn’t mean people are excluded.

Mardi Gras is such a fabulous event and the team at f2b have done a great job organising and participating in it.. I would never want to lose sight of that..Not for a minute. 🙂

At the same time it’s useful to sometimes review our charter to evaluate if we’re still happy with it and see if the way we present ourselves is in line with that and note if we need to make changes or not. Discussing and exploring like we have been doing here helps us understand ourselves better and fine tune what we are about.

Thanks for your input to that end.

Blessings,

Ann Maree

I do understand those thoughts,

however this is not a support network for people that have been burnt by ex partners or burnt by their children …

so I do beg to differ in the comparisons.

If it is okay to have such signs as that within the context of the march, considering the past of most of the participants of this forum then it must be okay for me to make my own signs and say any number of things I am free to do … that is not the spirit of this march for Freedom2b participants, or so I thought.

But anyhoooo … .

As I said, I am not here to slap anyone in the face. I do think overall this year’s event was awesome.

I however will not be marching again with there being references to Jesus.

This is not a hissy fit.

And I wish all the very best in their journey/walk and future MG marches.

Cheers

Tez

Hi all… I’ve been reading this and I kinda feel for you oooooo to have a strong reaction to the sign. I read it over and the one thing that mainstream Church, because of their actions it leads us to a kind of perspective or a way of fthinking that Jesus would never love us because we are Gay.. The sign does not represent Freedom2B directly, I feel its more of a personal individual choice and as a challenge to the Church out there to think twice about their behaviours which makes us think that God would never love us. 🙁

I’m interested in your background to further understand the situation. It’s father disturbing to see you confronted in such a way that I have seen Jewish people react to the message.

As a Christian, I believe in Jesus as my saviour and he is my reason why I am still alive today. It’s a very personalise experience that not everyone shares.

A part of me is saddened that you don’t believe in the “freedom to love Jesus” and you were complete confronted by it and it would have sat in your head and made you extremely uncomfortable. To have such a strong reaction I would rather bury the sign to cause you any affliction in your journey in life. But that would affect others who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and again we are all on different levels in our lives. It’s a catch 22 situation. I am more interested in what was going on in your head, what are your beliefs and how this sign impacts you as an individual.

I remember hearing a joke about Deaf people form a hearing person. I was so offended because it was wrong and out of place to share that joke. The hearing person had no idea that he caused me great offence and in my head I already stuck him off the list to have any involvement with and in my Deaf Community. But I could turn around and say same joke with another Deaf person and we’d have a good laugh. Hearing people can joke about themselves and the mistakes they made wtih a Deaf person,… but not share jokes about Deaf incidents as much as it was funny, only Deaf can make fun or joke about Deaf matters with other Deaf… from a hearing person it looks down on us. I often wonder if that kind of thing happened in this situation. Hmmmmm?

I was never out and well protected where many of others experience horrendous therapy that litterally damages the core being of each person who had that raw experience and its enought to put anyone off God and religion. I’ve seen actual scars on invididuals who felt they couldn’t change but wanted to be loved by God and attempt to take their own lives because they were told God hates them. Too many contradictions can cause one so much harm. I never experienced numbing and soul destroying aspect of cleansing to be straight myself but I see it around me as people struggle with the term “gay” and the indoctrination that comes with trying to manage or control these “gay” individuals.

I would like to be able to march next year… this year was impossible due to living in Inverell.

The one thing I got to say that really turns me off is that awful tacky beads neglace people wears… auuughhhh…. can we come up with something more tasteful than that… its so not becoming. LOL. :bigsmile:

In answer to oooooo, “is it just me?”. oooooo you are on a different journey and your road intersects at that point where you saw the sign “Freedome to love Jesus” you’r road continues wherever it takes you. As much as that could be confronting and it’s not the only motto of F2B, its one of individual’s desire to be accepted and to be allowed to love Jesus without being told… “sorry, you can’t love Jesus… he don’t like the Gays”. I have an impluse to gently look at the person while the anger inside wants to grab their hair, drag em through the church and get Jesus off the cross and nail em onto the cross to just so they can comprehend why Jesus died for us.

No, it’s not just you. When I was stuggling and if I saw that sign I would have been offended because I was not at that level of acceptance that is needed to understand the message. I’m not implying that you haven’t reached an acceptance… its very individualised. Thanks to F2B and those long lenghtly discussions and late nights arguements and adjusting my boundaries and adjusting the level of truths which has enaled me to be ok with myself and accepting who I am.

oooooo, may you always be welcomed and part of this group and may you always enlighten us with learning and help us be sensitive to you as our brother in this journey. Wherever you go may you be protected and accepted for where you are in life. Many hugs.

Craig.