Gays march through Jerusalem

Organisers said it was a protest against hatred

Thousands of Israeli gays and lesbians have marched through Jerusalem for the holy city's first gay pride parade.

There was heavy police protection and fierce opposition from ultra-Orthodox Jews and other right-wingers to the march, which took place a few hours before the start of the Jewish Sabbath.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews condemn homosexuality as a disgrace

Orthodox Jewish groups had put up posters condemning the march as blasphemy, saying it would drive holiness out of the city.

Organisers of the parade, which included the Jerusalem Open House, said it was a march against hatred in a city where religious opposition to homosexuality dominates.

One organiser told the crowd: "We did not believe the day would come when this could happen in Jerusalem.

"It wasn't simple, but there are people here for whom this is their first day out of the closet to get out of the dark and into the light."

Estimates of the number of participants ranged from 2,000 to 4,000.

Many were brightly dressed and carrying the rainbow flag of the gay movement in the afternoon sunshine.

The parade kicked off in central Jerusalem and made its way to Independence Park, where a concert was organised featuring a line-up of prominent gay Israeli singers and entertainers.

But the march also addressed the continuing violence between Israelis and Palestinians and black balloons were released to commemorate the victims of the uprising.

We won't let this become Sodom

Among the posters, one called for "Free condoms, free Palestine".

Police had prepared for possible disruptions by Palestinian militants and other Israelis who opposed the march.

But only around 50 protesters were seen on the side of the one-kilometre (half-mile) route, holding signs reading: "We won't let this become Sodom," a reference to the Biblical city known for its depravations.

Before the march, Jerusalem's Deputy Mayor Rabbi Haim Miller, denounced the participants.

"I think they have a problem, they have a perversion, it is a disgrace," he said.

"Before, you would be ashamed of this. A person who had this problem used to hide in the street. Today they want to go out into the city streets and call it 'pride'."

Homosexuality is not considered a crime in Israel, and a number of courts have even recognised the rights of gay couples.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/wor...00/2031817.stm

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Stogus Maximus †

That is pretty brave...I mean, with all the car bombs and stuff going on over there. Its a wonder someone hasn't been killed.

Well, maybe God's looking out for them. He's said to stand by us when we're showing courage.

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No! HE would not look out for people flaunting their sins.
He would only look out for them if it were a repentance rally.
How dare people unrepentantly practicing immorality defile the Holy City in such a way?
Why didn't they march through Ramallah instead.
They all deserve an eternity in you-know-where.

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Hmm. Well, if He wouldn't look out for people flaunting their sins, those people must not have been flaunting any sins. Sorta makes you wonder. Maybe what they were flaunting was not, in and of itself, sinful. For all I know, the dozens of scholars who think that, and who say they have been guided by God away from their previous positions of hatred, are correct.

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Save me / And when you see me strut / Remind me of what left this outlaw torn
I follow Christ; therefore I am
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
. I affirm the Nicene Creed.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. -- Romans 8:38-39

"They all deserve an eternity in you-know-where."

Pardon me, isn't there something in the bible about not judging, lest you be judged? It is one thing to believe that God will condemn these people for their sins, and quite another one to condemn them to Hell oneself. Statements such as these do not merely display concerns over public morality; they are a direct expression of hatred.

Jesus seems to have been a lot more tolerant than some of the people posting on this forum!

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I agree with Rose-Mary and Brimshak. I totally disagree with homosexuality, it says in Galations 5 that people that practice things like that will not inherit the Kingdom of God, but their sin is NO greater than ours. Who are we, being so sinful ourselves, able to judge another's sins? Just pray that they turn from their sin towards Jesus instead.

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"A man is a success if he wakes up in the morning and goes to bed at night. And in between does what he wants to do." --Bob Dylan

I feel that they are still living in the dark. I pray that one day Jesus will lead them into true light.

LOVE

This topic is always so extreme. People are either for it or against it. Not hardly any middle of the roaders.
This convinces me that these issues are a battle between god and satan.
The bible says that man shall not have sex with man. It is a sin. The same goes for women.
These people are not showing pride or how brave they are. They are showing themselves in shame before God and hell is the price they will pay if the don't seek redemption.
rek.