Jonathots Daily Blog
(3750)
There are matters that are too important to ignore or leave to chance. These are salient moments.
Anita Bryant.
I would guess, to my average reader, the name neither rings a bell nor stimulates any particular memory.
But back in 1977 (when a few determined dinosaurs still roamed the Earth), Anita Bryant was voted “The Most Trusted Woman in America.”
She was a former Miss America contestant who had a singing career and was well-known as the pitch person for Florida orange juice.
She was vibrant.
She was youthful.
And she was, as we gradually discovered, quite political.
For you see, when the Fort Lauderdale City Council passed an ordinance removing all limitations on lodging and civil considerations for the homosexual community, Anita objected.
And we’re not talking about an op-ed letter to the newspaper. She hit the streets, held rallies, and turned a local situation into a national debate over the issue of whether people who pursued a homosexual lifestyle should be granted all of their civil liberties.
She was in demand. Her performances were packed. She did interviews on all the Christian talk shows, and even one for Playboy Magazine. She was America’s sweetheart.
For you see, at that time in our country, the jury was not only out on the gay community, but was leaning toward the “rejection penalty.”
It was popular to be anti-gay.
It was considered patriotic to be against them.
As we arrived in the 1980s, and the horrific AIDS epidemic spread across the land, those who believed homosexuality to be an abomination to God also whispered that perhaps this new virus was the Almighty’s punishment.
Things changed.
Suddenly a little boy in Indiana got AIDS from a blood transfusion–and it was no longer merely an infection of the flaming queens. Ryan White, with his generous spirit, refused to believe that his particular AIDS was any different from the AIDS contracted by those in San Francisco.
He was humble, he was non-judgmental, and he was strong until the day he died.
He made those who condemned their brothers and sisters look foolish–especially Anita Bryant.
She is still alive, but unfortunately, her name is equated with intolerance instead of righteousness–or orange juice, for that matter.
An interesting fact that you may want to tuck away in your memory: lepers are remembered more favorably than Pharisees.
So here is your salient moment:
You can’t defend God or morality by attacking behavior and hurting people.
The producers of jonathots would humbly request a yearly subscription donation for this wonderful, inspirational opportunity
Jonathots Daily Blog 