Not All Pastors Are Against Harlem Gay Pride Event

Pastor Joseph Tolton

Last week, there was a tad bit of controversy (and a dollop of confusion) over the Harlem Pride event scheduled for the last weekend in June. The weekend-long celebration of gay pride in Harlem left some local pastors frothing at the mouth that "the homosexual agenda will do nothing but harm the community." But not everyone is intimidated by the rainbow: "My church will be there in full force," said openly gay Pastor Joseph Tolton.

Tolton told the News that 90 percent of his congregation at Rehoboth Temple Christ Conscious Church are members of the LGBT community. He added that he wants to host a service in Marcus Garvey Park during the weekend, which Harlem Pride organizer Carmen Neely confirmed was something they were discussing. Tolton also extended an invitation to those pastors and Harlem residents who compared homosexuality with pedophilia or bestiality: "They need to come. They need to see us worship."

Watch a video of Tolton discussing the importance of having the event in Harlem below: "we're proud not only of our race, we're proud of who we are as gay and lesbian people."

Three more pastors all added their support to the event, and criticized the pastors who were against it: "It's a free country and they certainly have every right to be in the park. Spewing out venom like that does not help to foster the kind of communal spirit that we so desperately need," said Rev. Calvin Butts of Abyssinian Baptist Church. Rev. Earl Kooperkamp of St. Mary's Episcopal Church said he was happy his parishioners would be able to take part in a gay pride event uptown for once: "Now we don't have to go all the way downtown, we can celebrate gay pride right here in the neighborhood. I think it's a good thing."

Rev. Michael Walrond Jr. of First Corinthian Baptist Church tried to explain why those other pastors were so venomously against the event: "It takes no courage to stand in the firing line to shoot people down...they are afraid of someone labeling them."

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By Ben Yakas in News on June 9, 2011 1:50 PM

Comments [rss]

edgie168

stanley j really likes to read his own posts, it seems.

then again, i guess someone has to.

Mordicai

I now just add the sentence "man i am so high rite now" to the end of all his posts. It really ties the whole thing together.

edgie168

i do the same with the2ndcoming -- "jk lol" and picture zach galifianakis

Stanley J

the pope who grew up in the nazi era in germany. the pope who UNexcommunciated bishop williamson, He had been excommed from the church of england for denying the holocaust.

the church which supported the fascist dictator Francisco Franco during the spanish civil war, 1936-1939. Aiding and abetting the nazis who bombed all over spain.

the church whose bank has very recently been found laundering money for the vatican (google "vatican bank scandal")

the church which, thank God is all but dead in europe, and in so catholic Latin america, now faces 6 nations (3+3) with gay marriage / civil unions, and chile will be next with CUs. While the supreme court of Brazil a few weeks ago voted 10 to 0 for gays to have equal legal rights under civil uions.

the whole shame of it is that it has taken so long. Why is America almost the last of the westernized nations to give gays equal rights.................

Its because America is one of the most "religious". And hate helps fill the collection plates. Hardly different then how hitler used hate of Jews, and yes gays and others, to gain power.

www.catholicarrogance.org, www.nobeliefs.com/nazis.htm

go read the book - A moral reckoning" by goldhagan. in it the writer gives endless examples of how one absoltuist group helped antoehr absolutist group. the cahtolic church and the nazis.

Go to search engine www.bookfinder4u.com. It searches about 150 online booksellers for best delivered price . eg I can buy textbooks for $20 that sell in the college bookstore for $120. Goldhagens book, listed for $30 I think I paid $20.

The2ndComing

So what is there to learn from this? That only homosexuals are supporting anything that has to do with supporting homosexuals.

Hypocrisy and wickedness on a whole different level.
Lmao- preach the word of God but practice the work of evil - hilarious.
I'm assuming that devil worshippers are out preaching love peace&happiness too.
Just make sure every pedophile, dog lover and registered sex offender gets the invite.
Rejoicing in hypocrisy .. way to go

Stanley J

and haters are supporting haters. Your name says it all. for 2000 years the extremist christisns have been promising almost every year the return of Jesus. Includes that freak Camping.

the only thing they have accomplished is to get very proficient at changing dates forward.

Hint to you and your beliefs about your sky fairy = the guy died 2000 years ago.

And eg his curing blind people - we talked about that in Psychology today. I forget the term, but its just a trick a mind so desperate for attention that only the subconscious sees. Explains how people like that do seem to have an uncanny ability to avoid bumping into poles and trees etc. But otherwise are blind as can be. There is treatment for that disorder btw

and re your son of god. What about Osirus, son of the sun god in Egyptian MYTHOLOGY.. And Alexander the great, the greatest warrior of his time. Pulled out of hte forehad of the God Zeus. The worst murdrer in his time in history.

Peace And yes, I know there are great christians also. The presbyterianUSA church just recently voted to allow gay pastors in relationships

the methodist church is now seeing so many minsiters and members supporting gay marriage. the Episcopals are now marryign gays. etc

Dear the2nd coming - you can marry your boyfriend at Foundry methodist church in DC now.

(2ndcoming has a heart attack - most of those who cant stand gay people are actually secretly gay. Their hatred is really hatred of themselves, thown out on others. psychologists call it pro

Minsiter barnes, minsiter Ted Haggard - caught twice with a male prostitute, Foot tapper Sen Craig, Rep Foley. the worst homophobe in the MD legislature, whose kids think he is crazy (nice to know kids who know kids(, Sen Dyson - his gay philandering is all over the web.

George Reker - founder of the Family research council, perhaps the most virulent of the hate groups in the country. Reker paid about $15000 to hire pretty boy JO-Vanni Roman for a two week vacation in Europe,. JO-Vanni admited his job was to give reker masages on his private parts.

Superboh

It's heartening to see religious leaders coming around. For some real interesting controversy, just wait to hear the Pope's statements on Lady Gaga at the EuroPride event in Rome this weekend. http://goo.gl/SsjOX

Mordicai

In fairness to people like Ferguson & Charles Curtis, Jesus never said anything about how you had to be nice to your neighbors & love everybody. So, they've got the strength of their convictions-- they want to be like Jesus, not some hippy dippy "tolerance & acceptance" liberal.

Stanley J

Just another lie. Jesus second comamdment was to love thy neighbor as thyself.

Mordicai - both my parents were Jewish first generation amricans. MY grandparents escaped the hate in E. europe about 1900.

But in Israel, we hear of the orthodoc literally calling for the genocide of gays. The same people whose close relatives shared hitlers ovens with the gays of germany.

to our readers at large - it doesn't matter about the brand name of your religion. Hate is hate, and conservatives are full of it.

so Mordecai - none of us go to the temple anymore. 2 of our 3 kids have married out of the religion , one to an asian. S"omething that probably discusts you.

I have a peace plan for Israel and the Paliestinians which my friends alla agree with.

Since so many of the otrhodox think that the arabs should be thrown into the sea and so many orthodox have illegal settlements in the west bank, we jsut give the west bank to the orthodox . And then have the palestinaisn run the place.

As my arab friend says......Al Sallam Alechoom. (? spelling)

(the peacd of God be with you, in arabic . Identical to hebrew - Shalom Aleichem.)

ThE ARABS are our cousins./ brothers.btw (Arabic does not distinguish between those two words.)

Mordicai

Stan! Stan, Stan, Stan! Clearly Jesus said to love your freaking neighbor. This is the whole point of the second half of that book-- love & strict economic communism. Hence: Sarcasm! Of course, lots of people ignore the first part, & almost everyone ignores the second bit.

I'm really confused on how you went from my sarcastic comment-- which I get, you didn't understand that it was sarcasm-- to saying I hate Asians & Muslims. Woah there!

tl;dr. My point: SARCASM.

edgie168

you got trollololololed

Mordicai

& I'm not even Jewish!

edgie168

but.. but.. your name! oy vey!

Mordicai

I know! I know. I usually don't even bother to correct people. Then when I do I go all the way to the source. "Hey, it is an ancient Babylonian name-- it means 'like Marduk!' That makes it pagan as heck!"