Faith In America News Release

Faith In America today challenged Miss California’s pastor to consider the disservice he does to her and others with his embrace and promotion of religion-based bigotry and prejudice toward gay Americans.

According to Carrie Prejean’s pastor, Rev. Miles McPherson, he contacted the Miss USA contestant just hours after she stated she did not believe gay Americans should be allowed to marry when asked a question during the April 19 Miss USA pageant. After being told that Ms. Prejean attends his church in California, McPherson said he sent her a text message as she was flying to New York the day after the pageant to be interviewed by the Today Show.

In his text message, McPherson stated that he was proud her – apparently for voicing her opposition to same-sex marriage during the nationally televised pageant. McPherson, who serves as pastor of The Rock Church  in San Diego, Calif., reportedly has continued to counsel the 21-year-old woman and had her appear at an April 26 service at his church. 

“We must ask Rev. McPherson if he would have been proud of Ms. Prejean if she had stated that she believes interracial marriage is wrong based on her understanding of certain religious text,” said Rodney Powell, a member of Faith In America’s board of directors who was active in The Civil Rights Movement. 

“McPherson during a recent Fox News appearance stated that civil rights for gay Americans cannot be compared with civil rights for Africans-Americans. As an African-American who marched with Martin Luther King and as a gay American, I can state unequivocally that the religion-based bigotry and prejudice once used against me as an African-American is the same bigotry and prejudice used against me today as a gay man.”

During the May 5 appearance on Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor, McPherson said that Ms. Prejean “honored her God” by voicing her opposition to same-sex marriage. He also stated during that interview that sexual orientation is behavior and discounted the possibility that anyone is born gay – even if gay Christians were to tell McPherson that their sexual orientation is the way God created them.

Mitchell Gold, founder of Faith In America, said he would like to ask McPherson a simple question:  “When did you decide to be heterosexual?”.  

“Science and common sense prove that sexual orientation is a natural part of a human’s being and not some promiscuous choice,” Gold said. “Rev. McPherson should consider the fact that many people of faith would respectfully disagree with his statements and many have come to reject attitudes based on prejudice and misunderstanding as attitudes that people of faith should honor or uphold.

“I sincerely ask McPherson, and other pastors across America who still hold such views, to consider the immense emotional, psychological and spiritual harm that is done to gay and lesbian Americans, particularly gay youth, when they hear religious leaders say that their sexual orientation puts them at odds with their God.”

Gold said that he has sent McPherson a copy of his book, “CRISIS: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up Gay In America”, in hopes that McPherson will come to better understand the harm that is caused when religious teaching is used to justify prejudice, discrimination and violence toward gay Americans simply because of a person’s sexual orientation.

“Children at the age of 11 are taking their owns lives because they are hearing a message that gay Americans are unworthy, inferior and a threat to society,” Gold said. “To promote such attitudes is a grave disservice to people of faith and I sincerely hope that Rev. McPherson will consider the disservice that he has done to Ms. Prejean and many others with his promotion of this attitude and the fear and misunderstanding that is associated with it.”

 

Mitchell Gold, a home furnishings business owner and longtime civil rights advocate, founded Faith In America in 2005 to educate Americans about the harm caused when religion is misused to justify prejudice, discrimination and violence against people based solely on their sexual orientation. In September 2008, Gold published “Crisis: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing Up Gay In America” to help bring awareness and understanding to one of the greatest moral failures of our time:  Misusing religion in a way that subjects gay teens to traumatic depression, fear, rejection, persecution and even physical violence. The book offers understanding to parents, teachers, and religious leaders about the harm being done and how society can end it. For more information, visit http://www.crisisbook.org.