DAY OF WHAT???

Having just read a news item in The Christian Post, I’ve marked April 18th as a day of note on my calendar. Why, you ask? Well…it’s the national Day of Dialogue. How cool… a day when we’ll all chat about matters of moment. It kind of reminds me of the colloquys we use to have when I was in college. We’d rap (I know…I still use this antiquated hippie-speak term for talk…I say “dig it” too) and try to find common ground, or an understanding, or at the very least give audience to views we may not quite accept. So…a day for dialogue…that sounds wonderful.

Day of dialogue was previously the Day of Truth. Okay…that’s a little bit weirder. I started to get suspicious that we weren’t actually planning to discuss all manner of stuff on April 18th…no…we’re only going to discuss “THE TRUTH”. What truth? According to whom? And how would we really know it’s the truth?

My suspicions were not allayed. I learned that the Day of Truth, originally founded by the Alliance Defense Fund, was endorsed by Exodus International…you know…the people who claim that being gay can be cured? They’re good buddies with the folks from AFTAH…Americans for Truth about Homosexuality. Exodus International…wasn’t the recently defeated Delaware senatorial candidate Christine O’Donnell affiliated with them too? You know…she told us masturbation is a sin.

Day of Truth was originally intended as an answer for the Day of Silence (April 15)…a day when people express solidarity with LGBT issues by not talking. Day of Silence is a reminder that those who are bullied often lose their voice. It’s a response to all those who would just as soon sweep gender and orientation issues under the table because this kind of talk makes them squeamish; or pissed off; or hateful. And, the Day of Silence stands as a reminder to all those who feel that bigotry is unacceptable, who know intolerance is antisocial, and who will not allow these issues to be diluted or swept away.

Here is the Christian Post’s quote establishing a rationale for Day of Truth. It was meant to "counter the promotion of the homosexual agenda and express an opposing viewpoint from a Christian perspective." Egads…not the “homosexual agenda”…please…not again. Spare me!

In its infinite wisdom, however, Exodus International decided to abandon the Day of Truth because “of the ‘adversarial’ tone it came to take on.” Have no fear…Focus on Family to the rescue. “After Exodus stepped away, we wanted to make sure the program was continued,” Gary Schneeberger, vice president of communications for Focus on the Family, told The Christian Post. "We consider it valuable and believe in what the program stands for – which is making sure more than one perspective on the issue (homosexuality) is heard in schools."

Now it’s to be called Day of Dialogue, not Day of Truth. But...should we all be wary that this is a subterfuge? Should there be cause for concern? Will LGBT students be persecuted? Not at all. “Schneeberger stressed that the Colorado Springs-based evangelical group has zero tolerance for bullying of any kind and makes that clear to participating students. And it is asking students not to speak in ways that are condemning, antagonistic, dismissive or demeaning when engaging in dialogue about homosexuality.”

Nope…no harassing here. Not according to Gary Schneeburger. “Focus on the Family's main role in sponsoring the event is to equip students with information about God's design for sexuality – that is in the context of marriage between a man and a woman – and to provide guidelines on how to articulate that respectfully.”

Oh…I see…We’ll talk about the truth, as it’s postulated by those whose goal is to rid the world of any kind of deviance, as they define it, and call it dialogue. And, of course, Focus on Family has always had a reputation for civil and respectful discussions. My experience in chatting with those who rail against the “homosexual agenda” however, is that I’d get more responsive discourse from a turnip. So...mark April 18th on your calendar...this day’s events should be interesting, informative and will make for a wonderful day filled with meaningful dialogue.

And pigs can fly too!!

Christian Post