Forum focuses on gays in churches

Pastor Robert Ferguson tried to "pray and fast his gay away." He was engaged to be married, and wanted to change. But, it didn't work. \nHe began to question his religion, but never questioned his faith. Ultimately, Ferguson said he decided to leave his church and attend one that reached out to gay African Americans.\nA panel of Indiana ministers met Thursday night in a packed hall at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center to discuss ways to create spaces for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people within church and community settings. \nMinister Ryon Cobb, Pastor Kelly Oglesby and Pastor Robert Ferguson all sat on the panel to discuss how to welcome the GLBT community in faith.\n"I am not a representative of any denomination or group," Oglesby said. "However, we need to look congregationally and individually on how we can be approachable and reachable (to the GLBT community)." \nSome audience members felt they should address personal beliefs questioning homosexuality as a sin. One woman said she believes homosexuality is a choice that could be corrected, and that church members should treat gays as sinners. \nBut facilitator Tahirah Akbar-Williams steered the discussion away from the subject of "sin" and geared it toward how the church can help gays and lesbians grow in their faith. \n"We are here to talk about how we can respect one another," Akbar-Williams said in response to a comment about homosexuals being considered "sinners." "We need to create a space for GLBT people in churches or religious institutions. I hope and pray to start a dialogue of respect and begin the process which helps us acknowledge that we are all different and we practice our faiths differently. However, within these differences, we can respect one another and move forward." \nCobb explained a Biblical story about a community wanting to condemn a woman caught in an act of adultery. \n"'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone,'" Cobb quoted. "Regardless if we agree or disagree with someone's lifestyle, they are being oppressed."\nThe evening began with a prayer that was meant not to serve as an endorsement of any religion, but for the audience to "start with peace and love," Akbar-Williams said. A 20-minute screening of the film "All God's Children" served as an introduction to the topic. \n"God loves me just how I am, because that's how God made me," said one woman in the film. \nCobb said people must support others who are marginalized. \n"The Bible calls for us to stand by those that are oppressed, even those whose lifestyles we may disagree with," he said. "Discrimination is a human rights issue (and we need to) stand up against oppressive structures."\nPhilip Thomas, secretary of Iota Phi Theta, said his fraternity co-sponsored the event to educate people and end discrimination. \n"We're here to learn in the classroom, but also to learn from the diversity of others," Thomas said.\nEric Love, adviser for the student group Blacks Like Us, said a lack of dialogue leads to "a lot of ignorance" toward marginalized groups. BLU is the first black group on campus for GLBT people. \n"Ignorance leads to fear, and fear leads to hate," Love said. \nLove said he was "thrilled" with BLU's efforts and proud of the Iotas for taking a step toward increasing understanding.\nFerguson asked the group to take positive steps towards accepting those who are gay or lesbian into the church.\n"We need to separate the man-made stuff from the God stuff," Ferguson said. "That's when you find the truth"