A Meeting of the Heart

The forum was sponsored as a community service by P-FLAG, parents and friends of lesbians and gays. "Homophobia threatens society, not homosexuality," said Nancy Kailing president of the Fairbanks chapter of P-FLAG, as she told her story of her own lesbian daughter, her involvement in P-FLAG and the strife her family has endured for this cause. Since their involvement in the organization Kailing and her husband have received many threatening phone calls, including a few for this conference.

Showing just how emotional this issue can be in the community, members of the Bible Baptist Church gathered early outside of the Club to stage their discontent. They formed two lines on either side of the entrance to the Curling Club and handed packets to forum attendees. The packets contained information from Bible Baptist Church on lesbians and gays, informing that such people are more likely to drink urine, eat feces, molest children and commit mass murder. Conference organizers invited the protesters in to share their opinions, but were refused. Bible Baptist preacher Reverend Doug Duffitt did stay for part of the conference, but left before the lunch break. Each pastor in attendance at the conference received a packet reading, Warning: P-FLAG and other Pro-Sodomite groups ignore the Holy Scriptures.

But the mood inside the forum was much less strained. In all, 9 preachers took the podium to discuss their churchs view on homosexuality. Even the two more conservative preachers, Brad Snow of the Open Door Church and Allen Corrick of the Door of Hope Church agreed that dialogue is a necessary step in the acceptance of all people. Corrick spoke of the goodness of a time when we can sit down and talk with love and respect not only on the things we agree on but on the things we disagree on.

Rev. Milo Thornberry of the First United Methodist church informed listeners that his church does not condone the practice of homosexuality. No church funds may go to homosexual causes and there can be no admittedly homosexual priests. Thornberry went on to express the pain he feels at this contradiction in the churchs policy on human and civil rights. He spoke emotionally of his gay son, whom his own church cannot accept. "I'm terrified for you and I'm terrified of AIDS," he quoted himself as saying to his son when he came out to him.

As the floor was opened for questions, a man who called himself David stood up and told his story of being a young man in New Jersey who was saved by God from his fleshly desires. He described a time when he had a longing for other men but God relieved his sin and took those desires out of [his] heart. David expressed discontent with the panel, saying "I feel if I had come to you and said I have these desires in my heart, you would have said this is Ok." Reverend Richard Kraiger of Fairbanks Lutheran Church responded to David saying, "I think we would have prayed for guidance."

An atheist man challenged the panel with the question of the high rate of suicide among gay teens. Father Jim Kolb, a Catholic priest, acknowledged this question and said that his church now gives a full burial for these teens. "I think our church has grown a lot in compassion," he said. Other religious leaders seemed to agree on this need for understanding and acceptance by a community that preaches love for all of God's creatures.