Read CitizenLink: Commentary: A Time to Speak, A Time to Listen . Stuart Shepard meets with a protesting Mother outside of the Indianapolis Love Won Out Conference. Here are his concluding thoughts …
I wonder whether the mom on the side of the road had taken into account all that she was supporting by holding her hand-lettered posterboard sign.
But I don't think she was there because she had been doing sociological research and run across the silly 10 percent figure. And I don't think she was there because she had been doing zoological research on gay penguins. And I don't think she had been studying the impact of relationships on religious freedom, either.
She was there because she unconditionally loves her daughter. At its heart, that's something to honor, although we certainly disagree on how best to express that.
There is a time for debate. A time to speak our position clearly. A time to say, "This far and no further." But I am convinced there also is a time to intently and simply listen. So we know who these folks are on the side of the road. So we know what they're thinking. So we know what brought them to that moment.
Because we dare not forget that there are not only battles to win, there are people to win, as well.
Stuart does get into a little of the point/counterpoint arguments that their discussion brought up. I enjoy the civility and respect both of them showed each other at the event and in his concluding thoughts.
As a wise man said, it is easy to love someone you already love. The true test of love is to love comes when you are given every reason not to and you do it anyway. Love doesn't mean affirmation but I think it does not exist without a willingness to listen.
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[...] Randy Thomas also links to a CitizenLink article about a recent Love Won Conference. The article is a collection of casual thoughts relating to a conversation the author had with a protester outside of the conference (a mother holding a sign saying “I love my lesbian daughter). He breaks apart their conversation: Her daughter’s relationship doesn’t hurt anyone: Well, research makes it clear that being involved in a lesbian relationship increases the risk for smoking, substance abuse, depression and suicide. So it may very well wind up hurting her daughter, and frankly, that pain would impact mom as well. [...]