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Show snenpe renee tet heSaltLakeTribune Leer SELIGION _3 PreacherSays Bible Is Gay Friendly Dalai Lama To Visit Utah in 2001 But two S.L.pastors femain unconvinced ‘ BY BOB MIMS S2 THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Tibetan community eagerly awaits Buddhist leader BYPEGGYFLETCHER STACK THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, “For years, Samuel Kader struggled to Ghoose between love for his Maker and attraction to other men. It was one or other, he had been taught, for the Bible makes it clear that homosexuality is The Dalai Lama, revered by 6 mil. lion Tibetans as the reincarnated Bud: dha and millions of non-believers as a a’abomination to God. manofpeace and wisdom,is coming to Utah next year. From May 10 through 13, the Dalai pee eetae uae Rev. Kader,in his Lama will meet with Utah government officials, give a public lecture at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and enjoy the company of Utah's Tibetan community. Reallyis is Gay Friendly (Leyland ablicatitions, 1999), but makes a uniform of “lam very happyhe is coming,”said KhandoChazotsang, the Dalai Lama's andsalvation to all. That is what he preaches Sundays at Cémmunity Gospel Church in Dayton, hio, the predominantly gay Pentecostal wwship he founded 14 years ago.It will niece wholives in Sandy. “Hewill be able to see whata beautiful state Utah is, and how well weare settled.” The state’s 120 Tibetans began issuing invitations to the Dalai Lama to visit Utah within months of their 1992 bé-the same message he delivers April 30 during revival meetings at Ogden’s Ii God Metropolitan Community arrival, said Pema Chagzoetsang, one of the group’s leaders, «Kader says he has recently witnessed “® sovereign act of God” in the growing opénness of the homosexual community thithe gospel. =>"[Heliis causing gays to becomeon-fire jtians when the churchatlarge de- Soonafter, the University of Utah, Utah Valley State College, Westmin- ster College and Wasatch Academyall extended calls to the Buddhistleader. Ted Wilson, director of. the Hinckley InstituteofPolitics at the U., visited the Dalai Lamaseveral times in India and hand-carried an invitation to him to speak in Utah. The Tibetans continued their in- #165 God’s loveforus and our existence,” #88pastor said. “Christ is being exalted fur lives, and heis not converting us hete! — just gays who love od more and more.” *--As forthe Bible, Kader’s 160-page book nges script arguments that God condemns homosexuality. One ‘the Genesis account of the destruction oat, a fiery judgmenttraditionally ed to threats by the city’s men to rape two angels sent to rescue Lot and his “Bring them out to us, that we may know them,” Genesis 19:5 quotes the mob as-demanding. Lot offered his daughters ifiStead, but the enraged crowd rushed is door. The attack was turned back when the angels blinded the attackers. ot and his family were evacuated and Sodom perished shortly thereafter. ‘Openly Gay, Openly Christian argues that the Hebrew verb translated as “to kmow” is ambiguous,being variouslyinne into English as “to know car” and “to be acquainted with.” Rader also wonders why,ifthe crowd did @iisist of would-be sayrapists, Lot of- fred them his dai “Kader strives to a the account th other scripture. Ezekiel 16:49-50, for SeRERETE ple; lists as Sodom’s abominations Bide, haughtiness, idleness and injustice t@the poor; the passage does not mention josexuality. See PREACHER,Page D-2 Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune quiries andlast August the Dalai Lama Sacred Light of Christ Pastor Jim Morgan welcomes memberMaria Gallegos tothe altar to partake in the Holy Communion and individual prayer during church service. Atleft is altar assistant Josh Proveaux. announced he would come. Utah Ministers Speak AboutDivine Intervention, Being Gay cese, Black Diamond,the law firm of BY BOB MIMS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE The message is as Bible Belt as you can get: sin, conviction and the prospect of eternal separation from God. Then, the Rev. - Jim Morgan offers an out — the tear-stained altar before his pulpit where desperate penitents can grasp the lifeline of forgiveness. Butifthis is that Old TimeReligion,it comeswith a twist. While the message preached at Morgan’s Glory to God Metropolitan Community Church in Ogden echoes that preached every Sunday in mainline evangelical Christian churches, he knows he and his flock would be anathema to many of those samecongregations. Morgan,like mostofhis congregation,is gay. But as certain as he is about every sinner’s need for salvation, Morgan is convinced that God has blessed both his ministry and an 18-year “holy union”with his spouse, Joseph Wegener. Confirmation, Morgan says, comes whenever he takes his place behind the pulpit Sundays at Glory to God orits Salt Lake a oo church, Sacred Light Metropolitan Community ure] “T’m ableto look into their eyes andbe able to see when they ‘getit,” the pastor said.“That is absolutely oneof the most precious moments in life, when that light turns back on inside a person. You know that they understand that what they have On Mondayevening, Bishop Carolyn TannerIrish of the Episcopal DioManning Curtis Bradshaw and Bed- nar, the Utah Tibet Support Group and the Utah Tibetan Association will sponsor a fund-raising dinnerfor the Smithsonian Tibetan Folk Life Festival feared all this timeis nothing but a shadow. “Theyrealize that God really does love them and accept them the way they were created,” Morgansaid. “It’s nothingshort ofa miracle.” Miracles and epiphanies. He believes he has experienced them both onhis personal spiritual journey. Raised RomanCatholic, Morgan wanted to serve God as long as he can remember. But along with devotion to the divine, he took unshakable same-sex desires into a Southern California seminary. Finally, at age 21, he surrendered to his orientation and abandoned his priesthood quest. “T realized that this was more than justa phase,that this was whoI am,” said Morgan, now 53. “Then came a dry wasteland period that we Christians sometimes go through, where God seems to be totally absent, and yet your heart andsoul cry outfor his presence.” Eventually, he severed ties to the church of his youth and relocated to Alaska.It was life-changing move for Morgan. One day he read aboutthe Rev. Troy Perry, an openly gay preacher in Los Angeles who had launched MCCas a ministry to other gays,lesbians, bisexuals and transgenderbelievers. In 1972, with Perry's blessing, Morgan becamea minister in the 40,000-member denomination, turning a home Bible study groupinto achurch.A decadelater he met Wegener,now 49. The held in Washington, D.C., from June 23 to July 4. On handatthe eventwill be Nawang Rapgyal, one of the Dalai Lama’s representatives, and Rinchen Dhario, president of the Tibet Fund, who are helping to prepare thevisit. The Dalai Lama has been a global hero since he slipped out of Chinese- controlled Tibet in 1959 and established a government-in-exile in neighboring India. In the intervening years, he has worked tirelessly for the nonviolent liberation of his homeland, winning the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. His booksare bestsellers in the United States, his travels major media events. But he has never been in the western United States, Chazotsang said. “I hope he will see diverse things and meet diverse people,” she said. “I'm sure hewill enjoyit, assuming hewill have time to see something of Utah Sce MINISTERS, Page D-2 life.” es, You Can Find Food for Passover in Utah * In regions of the country with large Jewish populations, shop- whatthey wantin a store, Congregation Kol Ami in Salt Lake City is hosting its final Passoverfood sale on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. But it ain’t cheap, no matter easy. + Passover, which begins Wednesday andcontinues through “My in-laws in New York can getfive pounds of matzohfor$5;in California they pay $7. But we pay ‘BY PEGGY FLETCHER STACK THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE ping for Passover has always been April 26, is a multi-billion dollar , 80 grocers and wholesal@rs pack their shelves with mat2h, gefiltefish and borscht,among * Now even Utah's relatively Jewish community of 5,000 Gn find kosher Passover foods at stores. = Dan's, Albertson's, and ith’s grocery carry goods, said Debra Winkler of Temple Har Shalom in Park . Pepperidge Farm in Logan , kosher products,too, feAnd for those who cannot find Where in Utah you buyit, $17.50,” Winkler said. She doesn’t mind when the money goes to Kol Ami,butit-is _hard to pay such exorbitantprices at a store. So Winkler also belongs toa“kosherco-op” that orders food _in bulk from California. No wonder. Winkler’s family knows how to party for Passover. In 1992, she and her husband, Elliot, bought their house because the largelivingroomcouldholdup to 60 people for dinner. They moved inona Thursdayand had 45 to Passover dinner on day. Their record is 58 guests. Whyall the fuss? Passoveris an eight-day holiday that celebrates the story of God’s redemption of the Hebrew slaves from bondage in the landof Egypt, as detailed in the Bible’s Book of Exodus.Atthe heart ofthisfestival of human liberty is a meal known asa “seder.” The seder, which comes from the Hebrew word for order, uses prayer, symbols, wine and food ina ritual spelled out in a special prayer book,the. ‘The central symbol of Passover is unleavened bread, or matzoh, whichsignifies the Israelites’ hav ing to leave hurriedly, even before their bread could rise. During the Passover week, Jews eat only unleavened bread. Other sym! bolic parts of the ” meal include a bitter herb, usually a few pieces of raw horseradish. indicating the pain of slavery. Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune Kosher food advertising for Passover at Dan's Foodsin the Foothill Village shopping center. Albertson's and Smith's grocery stores also sell Passoverfood items. Then there is a mixture of chopped apples, nuts andwine representing the bricks the Hebrew slaves were forced to make. Salt water, used as a dipping sauce, suggests the tears shed by the slaves and a roasted egg is symbolic of the wholeness and continuityof life. A roasted bone represents the sacrificial Thefinal elementofthe sederis the practiceof blessing and drink. ing four cups of wine representing was just a lizard or a fruit bat. Generally, | hold with the theory that I a uae noth! Maybethe Hindu are right. Coming to Earth as an animal might not be too bad, ‘© 2000,The Salt Lake Tribune and taxed. This is a bit- ter to swallow even for someone who oe ee Seon Deak sar as last 06+. ese,| can't believe that I opted for this. teering to come down to Earth and live a life of drudgery for a finite number of only to end being dumped in a holedoesn't soundike somethingdo in the Army. T jumped out of al Maybe getting born was like that lots symbolic eat only meat or fowl that are non- violent, such as cows, sheep and demption ofIsrael uttered by God in Exodus. of screaming and mindless training so that when it came time,I didit becauseI and Beyond the specific foods, many Jewsinsist that everything they eat be “kosher.” Those whofollow a kosherdiet the four distinct promises of re- where I came from before I was born. Some would say myexistence began when I was born. Others would claim it began at conception. Some go further back and insist thatI've always existed. Then again, as the Hindu claim, maybe I * ie ® © lamb and a greenvegetable, such as parsley, recalls the rebirth of spring. See KOSHER,Page D-3 Coming to Earth as Elvis would have been worthit. But just so I'm not accused was more terrified of the jump master than I was ofhitting the ground at 900 miles an hour. I could see myself doing it of being greedy, let the record showthat I then. But whointheir right mind would in tentionally cometo Earth as a nearsighted, mortgaged and marginally attractive fat guy in Utah? Nobody, that’s who. WhenI die,I'm going to plead insanity at the judgmentbar and hope that God is. a liberal. The trial oughtto last for at least anotherbillion birthdays. unless of course you came downas, oh, say a veal cutlet. That wouldn't be cool. On the other hand,I can see myself volunteering to get born as a Yellowstone wolf,It might be nice to havethe federal governmenton myside for a change. I could also see volunteering to come to Earth if! were Elvis, After all, Earth is where the groupies are. Heaven doesn't vexactly strike me as the kind of place where rock and roll means much, even if you're the king. would havesettled for coming to Earth as Bobby Sherman. Salt Lake Tribune columnist Robert Kirby lives in Springville, The selfdescribed “Oxy-Mormon” welcomes mail at P.O. Box 684 Springville, UT, 84663, or e-mail at dark@airswitch.net |