Rev Jide Interviewed In New York

Saturday, 4 April 2009

Who Is Manipulating the Truth?

Who is Manipulating the Truth?

A message received on our Youtube blog http://www.youtube.com/HouseOfRainbow

Title: Dont Manipulate the Truth
AqaMan84: (YouTube) 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.I did not leave this verse out, the implication is for those who have confessed their sin and have asked for forgiveness. You still haven't acknowledged your sin before God. So how can you be washed. Furthermore if fornication, idolatry, homosexuality, etc. are not sins than you need not to be washed or justified. But Paul in the beginning of the verse calls these behaviors unrighteous. Paul is stating that though we were these things, through Christ Jesus we are now new creatures. Once we become justified are we to still live as drunkards, adulterers, liars, effeminate (homosexuals). No true repentance is how we get the remission of sin. We must flee from sexual immorality and all things that are impure. For our bodies are the temple of the Lord. Please repent. I do not condemn. What gain is there in seeing someone perish.

Rev Jide Response
Rev Jide: We are not manipulating the truth, I do not condone sexual immorality either, the fact is that we least understand the mysteries of God, the manipulation of the truth is the failure to see the love of God in all things that we do. You say you are not condemning. Read Roman 8:1-2 (there is no condemnation). then verses33-39, (who will bring a charge against God's elect) Read Romans 9:19-25, (those who are not loved I will call beloved, and the very place where they are not loved they shall be called Children of the living God) then read John 9:35-41, (Jesus spoke about the ignorance which he referred to as spiritual blindness), Ephesian 4:14, (says we are no longer children).

Col 3:11, In that renewal* there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

It is understandable that people will feel that same sex relationship is a sin if they are not Gay, the truth for me and many people is that we have been abused under the system of ignorance, religious homophobia, what will you say to a transgender person?

The bible was used to justify slavery, misogyny, oppression of women, alienate interracial marriage, at one point Christians promoted discrimination and shamefully still does, Black people could not seat in the same church as white, it seems that people have soon forgotten the history of African Americans to concede hatred.

In my adult live I have not seen any more campaign of hate with so much venom but from other Religious people and it makes me wonder. I know who I am and I know whose I am, that is the truth.

What I am about and we do is preach the love of God to all people, bring the inclusive love of Jesus to all people. And that is the truth, which has set us free.

Read the Gospel of Inclusion by Bishop Carlton Pearson.
Read Other Voices Other World by Bishop Terry Brown.

Find out more about homosexuality before launching an attack, the truth is not easy to come by, what you are asking gays and lesbians to do is deny who they are, deny their humanity and thus deny the creativity of God, and this is more based on people's sheer ignorance of our humanity.

Ask any openly gay person what does it feel like living in the closet and being free, we are persecuted daily, how many times have you posted lengthy messages to condemn drunkenness or adultery, how many times have people been fired from their jobs or evicted from their homes because of adultery. You need to read more updated and modern versions of the bible, it does not change the truth, it simply corrects a few notions and misguided interpretation. For example, the word homosexual and Effeminate from the KJV is not used in the Today New International Version, it was referred to as Homosexual Offenders, for me and many people that is more appropriate.

Do a comparative study by visiting the following websites. Speak to gay people and listen to their stories from their heart.

http://wouldjesusdiscriminate.org/
http://www.soulforce.org/
http://www.religioustolerance.org/

Thanks for your message, God be with you and bless you always

Rev Macaulay

Thursday, 2 April 2009

Update On Our Online Inclusive Mission

With nearly 4000 hits on our videos since October 2008, the messages with Rev Jide Macaulay are inspirational, provocative, inclusive and there is more to come, visit us at http://www.youtube.com/HouseOfRainbow Also join our online membership discussion forum with more than 300 participants, 40 countries, photo gallery, over 100 topics, 60 video clips, create your own page, invite your friends etc http://spiritualityandsexuality.ning.com/, Be blessed.

Wednesday, 1 April 2009

Food For Thought

Food for Thought: get sick of listening to straight people complain about, "Well, hey, we don't have a heterosexual-pride day, why do you need a gay-pride day?" I remember when I was a kid I'd always ask my mom: "Why don't we have a Kid's Day? We have a Mother's Day and a Father's Day, but why don't we have a Kid's Day?" My mom would always say, "Every day is Kid's Day." To all those heterosexuals that bitch about gay pride, I say the same thing: Every day is heterosexual-pride day! Can't you people enjoy your banquet and not piss on those of us enjoying our crumbs over here in the corner

Wednesday, 25 March 2009

Palm Sunday Service With Rev Jide Macaulay @ MCC East London UK


Palm Sunday Service With Rev Jide Macaulay @ MCC East London UK


Host: Metropolitan Community Church East LondonType: Meetings - ConventionNetwork: GlobalDate: Sunday, April 5, 2009Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pmLocation: Metropolitan Community Church East London @ St Bartholomew's Church, Barking Road East HamStreet: 292B Barking Road East Ham E6 3BACity/Town: London, United Kingdom

On Palm Sunday Christians celebrate the Triumphal Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, the week before the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Bible reveals that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds greeted him with waving palm branches, and by covering his path with palm branches. Immediately following this great time of celebration in the ministry of Jesus, he begins his journey to the cross. We invite you to MCC East London UK for this historical celebration. Please pass on to your friends and network.

Monday, 23 March 2009

Homosexuality and the Nigerian lawmakers

Below is an editorial in the Nigerian Guardians Newspaper this morning following a response to a bias article published last week. http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/editorial_opinion/article01/indexn2_html?pdate=230309&ptitle=Homosexuality%20and%20the%20lawmakers

Homosexuality and the lawmakers

THE question of homosexuality long regarded as taboo in the highly religious society of Nigeria, has of recent been raising its head and profile in the field of public debate. No longer content to remain in the closet, proponents of homosexuality and lesbianism are actively seeking to be heard. They are up against an uphill task as they are pitched not only against culture and religion but against public perception of morality.

The various religions of the world do not condone homosexuality; Christianity and Islam, Nigeria's largest religions, in particular condemn homosexuality. The mere mention of homosexuality is guaranteed to drive many Nigerian Christians and Moslems up the wall in revulsion. But there are others, somewhat tolerant who are inclined to look at the phenomenon as a form of benign affliction from which the victims can be rescued. For this group homosexuals and lesbians should be managed until they return to the path of rectitude. For others however, homosexuality is not a stigma but a biological condition, which is as perfectly normal as heterosexual orientation.

These issues came to the fore recently when a bill to ban same sex marriages in Nigeria was tabled before the National Assembly. An attempt to obtain public reaction to the bill turned into an occasion of high drama. A group of young people under the lugubrious name of Queer Alliance stormed the House of Representatives in Abuja to protest what they say is discrimination against their fundamental human rights if a bill banning same sex marriages in Nigeria were passed. They have been joined by Amnesty International, Global Rights, Human Rights Watch and some Lesbian organisations which argue that if the bill were passed, Nigeria's obligations under the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights would be undermined.

Pitched against the homosexuals are religious bodies comprising the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and Daughters of Sarah Ministry. They warn that same sex marriages would destroy the will of God for mankind as He created us male and female. They totally reject same sex marriages as ungodly, unprofitable, unhealthy and un-African. The position of the Anglican Communion in Nigeria on homosexuality as articulated by the Very Reverend Peter Akinola is well known. In 2004, more than 300 bishops congregated in Lagos and resolved among other things not to have anything to do with homosexuality. The great Lambeth Hall, home of Anglicanism is wobbling over the issue of homosexuality and a schism is yet to be averted.

The problem with Nigerians is that we are all too eager to copy the latest fads from the western world. Not every product from the West is good and the well-heeled homosexual lobby is one such example. We must come to look at the issue of same sex relationships from the prism of our culture and religion. For the African, the idea that a man can be married to a man or a woman to a woman is anathema. The culture of marriage is predicated on the union between a man and a woman and all our traditional practices and normative values regarding marriage are based on the assumption that the other member is of the opposite sex. African parents prepare their children from birth through adolescence for marriage to the opposite sex.

Too many things will be upset were it possible to upturn age-old customs and practices. Those who argue that opposition to homosexuality amounts to a violation of universal human rights, may well need to realise that the dislike of homosexuality is not inconsistent with the observance of human rights. Nigerian homosexuals are not pilloried for being gay. They have a choice: they can marry members of the opposite sex or stay single. They only draw unfavourable attention to themselves when they threaten the safety and security of the majority.

Africans have a right to say 'no' to a movement whose ultimate outcome will be the destruction of the family. Homosexuals are claiming that men can marry themselves. If everyone followed their example, would they have even been born? Looking at the debate, we conclude that in the short run both parties cannot be reconciled without grave injuries being done to either of them. Since sodomy is already criminalised in Nigeria, we wonder whether the National Assembly is utilising its time optimally by focusing on homosexuality when the majority of our people are suffering from hunger, lack of access to water and disease.

Moreover, as pointed out by the gay lobbyists, same sex marriage is not a common social practice in Nigeria therefore legislating against it is redundant and can only further stigmatise the sexual minority. Perhaps the National Assembly should be spending its time on real issues that impact on the lives of long-suffering Nigerians.

Monday, 16 March 2009

Over One Thousands hits on One of our YouTube Video Blog

Over One Thousands hits on One of our YouTube Video Blog

http://www.youtube.com/HouseOfRainbow

I am excited and I rush this news to you that we have received over a thousand hits on one of the videos posted.All glory to God. Thanks to the unconditional and undeniable love of God and the undisputable sacrifice of JesusTo date we have twenty videos posted, with the expectation of more key messages to be posted. We have received nearly 70 posted messages, from the good to the ugly, in all the messages we receive strength and wisdom

Wednesday, 11 March 2009

House Of Rainbow Metropolitan Community Church Statement at the Public Hearing at the Nigeria Parliament 11th March 2009‏

To: The Clerk, House Committee on Human Rights, Nigeria.
11th March 2009.
Statement of House Of Rainbow Metropolitan Community Church Nigeria

Dear Honourables, Chairperson, House of Representative, Committee on Human Rights, Interested Members of the public, All stakeholders, Ladies and Gentlemen of the media.

The statement of concern from the entire members of House Of Rainbow Metropolitan Community Church Nigeria, the Pastor, leaders and board of trustees, with regards to a Bill for an Act to prohibit marriage between persons of the same gender, solemnisation of same and other matters related therewith 2008.We express our deep concern and trepidation on the matters before you today as a matter of conscience and denial of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgender (LGBT) people in our nation.

The Same Gender Marriage (Prohibition) Bill 2008, which was introduced by the Nigerian National Assembly on 15th of January, 2009, will have an extreme impact on the work and services we provide to include sexual minorities in our communities.We are aware of the Nigeria constitution “Penal Code” which makes Homosexuality illegal under federal law, however, because of widespread taboos against homosexuality, very few persons were openly homosexual and have often been ostracised, rejected and victimised by religious communities, workplace discrimination on these grounds and the society at large.

Violence against LGBT people is frequent in Nigeria. Since May 2008, several national newspapers published articles criticizing our organization, many of the articles included names, addresses, and photographs of members of the congregation and the pastor. Police harassment and threats forced the church to shut down and the pastor to retreat for safety. Some members of the congregation lost their jobs and were evicted from their homes and had to go into hiding, and several of them continue to be under threat of physical harm and harassment on the ground of their sexual orientation.This legislation would allow the state to invade people’s homes and bedrooms and investigate their private lives, and it would criminalize the work of human rights defenders, and other service providers.

“On September 12, local newspapers Nation, Vanguard, PM News and the Sunday Sun published photos, names, and addresses of members of the House of Rainbow Metropolitan Community Church, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered-friendly church in Lagos. Following publication, persons started harassing the 12 members. One woman was attacked by 11 men, while others were threatened, stoned, and beaten. No investigation was initiated by year's end. This was emphasized by the US Secretary of State Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the 2008 Human Rights Report”.

We believe that the Same Gender Marriage (Prohibition) Bill will disastrously endorse a climate of homophobia and escalating hate crime against gay and lesbian Nigerian citizens, making them among the most vulnerable in the world to human rights violations, rape, blackmail, injustice, severe abuse and extortion with no recourse to justice.Equal human rights and freedom from persecution are not only humanist and democratic values, they are necessary conditions for the human spirit to thrive. When either is absent, a society foments the conditions for untold suffering among its own people, many Nigerians now questions the nation’s commitment to a democratic state for all constituents, including those considered sexual minority.

The proposed bill, if approved, would seriously restrict essential freedoms as well as the activities of human rights defenders, members of civil society and our inclusive religious community. The United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders holds, in its article 5, that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels: a) to meet or assemble peacefully; b) to form, join and participate in non-governmental organizations, associations or groups.” Article7 of the declaration affirms that “Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to develop and discuss new human rights ideas and principles and to advocate their acceptance.”

House Of Rainbow Nigeria is a non government organisation of the Universal Fellowship of the Metropolitan Community Church, with a ministry for Global Justice , we believe that all people are created equal and attest to the diverse unimaginable creation of the almighty God, regardless of race, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and so on.

We promote a God given sexuality against the background of societal hatred and self destructive behaviours.Our work begins where other religious communities end to bring sexual minorities to a safe place of worship, these has been and will continue to be compromised by this bill, which seeks to criminalise any association and or assembly of same gender loving people.We respectfully call on:• The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria• The National House of Assembly (especially the Committees on Human Rights, and the Committee on Judiciary)• The Ministry of Justice• The Joint Committee on Human Rights, Justice and Women Affairs.• And The National Human Rights CommissionTo reverse this harmful legislation and begin reparation by de-criminalising same gender relationships, offering equal protections to Nigerian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens.

We also call on:• The President of Nigeria to ensure that the human rights of LGBT individuals and human rights defenders in Nigeria are not violated, and to openly denounce and condemn the continuous hounding of the LGBT community, its friends and families, and human rights defenders.• The Nigerian Police and Central Intelligence Department (CID) to protect LGBT individuals from all forms of violence and abuse.• The media to uphold the ethics and tenets of responsible media practice.We have faith in the democratic legislative process and it is with this hope that we believe that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Nigerians will begin to be valued within civil society and be allowed to positively contribute to the future of this democracy.

We offer our statement in solidarity with all who have been marginalized, praying for a genuine change of heart in this matter to alleviate the suffering caused by grievance, inequality, prejudice, unfairness, injustice, societal and religious homophobia and the possible enactment of this legislation.

Signed House Of Rainbow Metropolitan Community Church Nigeria.