I just read that a new poll, done by a conservative pollster no less, shows that six out of ten gay adults identify faith as an important part of their lives.  This may surprise some (I think it surprised the pollster) but I’m thinking, I knew that.  It’s one of the reasons I chose to write clerical mysteries for a lesbian press.  The books are funny, but they also involve parts of life that are pretty important to a lot of us.  Parts of life that don’t show up  much in an entertaining light.  Usually just the opposite:  mention “religion” and “homosexuals” in the same sentence and eyes roll.  People may even flee the area.  I can’t think of a better reason to put it smack at the center of funny, contemporary cozy mystery novels.

That said, it’s also serious stuff because religion impacts so much of our experiences of our civil rights in this country and in the world.  So I’m going to keep blogging about the Episcopal Church convention because it’s big news for all us no matter who we are.  Just like the victory for gay rights in India is a victory for all of us Americans.   The ripple effect is important, I think.

Yesterday Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori addressed the full convention at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.  You can find the text online here and I recommend it for anyone of any faith or no faith interested in finding out how at least one religious leader is talking about going forward.  It’s a far cry from the vitriolic right-wing stuff that grabs so much media attention.  You might find it a breath of fresh air.

Reading the talk reminded me that the struggle for GLBT human rights in every state and nation and church and school exists in the greater context of all of us caring for all of us, of all of us as “stewards of the whole.”  Care must be taken of all of life, from GLBT humans, to those living in poverty and war, to those out of work, to the animals and seas.  The whole of creation. Schori indicated that as the attendees considered “the needs of the poorest around us, and the inclusion of those who do not have full access to the life of this Church” they should keep in mind the convention’s theme:  “Ubuntu.”  Desmond Tutu brought this term into popular use as he worked for truth and reconciliation in South Africa after the end of apartheid.

“Africans have this thing called UBUNTU. It is about the essence of being human, it is part of the gift that Africa will give the world. It embraces hospitality, caring about others, being able to go the extra mile for the sake of others. We believe that a person is a person through another person, that my humanity is caught up, bound up, inextricably, with yours.  When I dehumanise you, I inexorably dehumanise myself. The solitary human being is a contradiction in terms and therefore you seek to work for the common good because your humanity comes into its own in belonging”.

Wow.  Wouldn’t it be cool if every church in the world hung that from a banner or a sign for all to see?  Think how that would change the world, even for those who don’t participate in religion at all?

There’s a lot of interesting stuff going on in this convention that can benefit all of us, regardless of our own faith beliefs or sexual orientation.   Words and wisdoms we can use in our own contexts to improve all of us–GLBT and humanity as a whole.