Skip to main content

Marvin and Male Authority

In which Marvin and Rosa Muñoz discuss the next steps out of lesbianism for Soon. Marvin also speaks to his pastor to make a formal complaint about Brother Samuel Johnson's "reign of terror" which somehow gets Marvin to reflect upon the prisioner abuse scandal in Iraq.
this is an audio post - click to play

Comments

Jonathan said…
No you didn't?! HAHAHA..."sometimes bad apples fall from bad trees" indeed! You tell 'em Marvin!

j.
Marvin - have you ever heard of Stanley Milgram's obedience experiment:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment
Bob, thank you so much for sharing of yourself here.

You always write well (when are you starting a blog???? :-)

CA, I'll make sure that Marvin gets a print out of that wikipedia page. Thanks!
Willie Hewes said…
Submission to authority is always a sticky subject. The problem is, even if you subject to someone else's will, you're never free of your own concience.

It can be attractive to simply submit, not have to think, not have to choose what to do but it's never really true. Even if forced at gunpoint to do something, you have a choice. Not a very attractive one, but a choice none the less.

I think it's extremely important that people question authority where it's appropriate. You can't just pick someone, submit to them, and switch your brain off.

You were given the knowledge of good and evil, not to pass it up and let someone else be your concience, but so that you could do what's right, yourself.

You are first of all, and always, responsible for your own actions. And if there is going to be a great judgement at the end, I don't think the argument "but my pastor told me to" is going to cut much wood with the great Judge.

Dang, gone all philosophical. Well, as you may have guessed, I'm not all that good at submitting to authority either. I believe that's a good thing though. I submit only if I choose to. It means I'm awkward, but it also means I can face the mirror (or the Judge) without apology.

Popular posts from this blog

My Gay Husband--A Spouse Speaks Out

The other day I received the following e-mail from Susanne, a woman who found out her some years ago that her husband has same-sex attractions. I felt so moved by her words that I asked her permission to share them with you on the blog. I (recently) saw your Doin Time... and I was the one who asked about your wife during the discussion period that followed. I just read your thoughts on What About the Spouse ....and I can say, most women who find out their husbands are gay feel ALL of those things you wondered about....some in more degrees than others... When my husband was dragged out of the closet because of his irreverent, immoral, and amoral behavior that our, then, 14 and 16 year old sons had to find on our home computer, I went into the closet. I didn't know what to pray for.... Do I pray that this will go away? Do I pray that he could go back to the way things were in our family before we knew about him,? Do I pray that I could go back to the way things were? After all ,...

The False Image of LIA

John Smid and me-Graduation 1998 (above) & John Smid today (left) By now many have heard that Tennessee's Department of Mental Health & Developmental Disabilities determined that the "ex-gay" program, Love in Action, is operating two “unlicensed mental health supportive living facilities”. LIA has until Friday, September 23 to respond. If LIA statements in Eartha Jane Melzer's article are indicative to how the "change" program might respond, we may see LIA change right before our eyes from a clinical mental health compound into a house of praise and worship. Gerard Wellman, business administrator for Love in Action, and a former Love in Action client, said Sept. 13 that the organization has been in contact with the state but would not comment further. “As a church, we operate under a different set of rules,” Wellman said. Curious, and what rules might these be? What is even more curious is that according to LIA's site only one staff member ...

Puzzled

Last night I performed Transfigurations-Transgressing Gender in the Bible at Imago Dei Metropolitan Community Church in Glen Mills, PA (about 15 miles outside of Philly). I had a diverse audience of about 45 people -- college students, Quakers, straight, bi, trans and lesbian, young and old. I took my time with the piece maintaining a gentle meditative pace. For the ending when I reveal the identity of the narrator, I had instructed the light tech to dim the lights. Then as the closing music swelled, I asked her to raise the lights to their brigthest intensity. With the music playing, I exited. Always (up until last night) at this point the audience applauds, I wait 5 seconds then come out to take a bow. Last night I exited and then nothing. No one clapped. They sat quietly as the music played. I stood back stage puzzled, baffled. Now what do I do? Wait? Go out anyway? And I wondered for a moment, Did they hate it? Did I confuse them? Offend them? Bore them into a coma? After what ...