The Spell of Religion: Value Voters Summit-Rachel Maddow

Review on Amazon from Lady C.

Sheri Lawson writes not only from the heart, but from the mind and the spirit as well. In simple and uncompromising language, she elucidates how fear and religious zeal have blinded logic and reason over the subject of gay marriage. By carefully researching the foundations of her own religious backgrounds, objections to same-sex marriage become shown more as tools of control than as real heartfelt values.
Time and time again, she strips the veneer of fear-mongering and "family values" away to show the immorality of "blind obedience" to doctrine without questioning.

Unsparing even as to her own checkered background, she discovered that once she took the punitive actions laid on her as an experience to go forward and discover truth beyond the religious programming she had adhered to, the fear and "spell" of religion no longer had power.

She uses these experiences to quietly and concisely break the bonds holding the truth, asunder: that gay marriage is NOT a threatening, demoralizing agenda of evil, but a natural and civil right to be conferred honestly and without fear upon those who simply want the chance to love and take care of each other as any other married couple can. Legally and with joy.

My Letter to the Honorable Senator Harry Reid

Dear Senator Reid,

I simply want to say thanks for having the courage and ability to think with your heart and mind about issues that affect us all, such as equality for citizens in the GLBT community.

I used to belong to the Mormon Church, like you, and I'm also a straight mother and grandmother. I left the church over their involvement in Prop 22 back in 2000. I have been fighting ever since to help the GLBT community finally have the equal protection the 14th Amendment promises, but somehow those who think their religious views can trump the Constitution seem to be winning this battle.

Your bravery in speaking out not only about the Mormon Church's involvement in the politics of gay marriage, but about DODT also, took courage, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sheri Lawson

I Believe in the Power of Prayer

The Power of Prayer
August 19, 2009
S.L.Lawson

I believe in the power of prayer.

If you wish to pray for me

Feel free to pray for my well being

…but please only specify “whatever that is for me”

Feel free to pray for my happiness

…specifying only “whatever that is for me”

But please do not pray that I will become like you

Believe like you or worship like you unless that is my choice

I believe in a global humanity

Blessed by the rich cornucopia of diversity

Comprised of beings of all colors, races, creeds, religions

Genders, and gender preferences.

Your prayers for my conformity only hurt me

…and drain my individualism and my energy

If you pray for me with an agenda…Please don’t.

I believe in the power of prayer

And I pray for a more noble, caring, compassionate

And tolerant humanity that rejoices

In blessing all inhabitants of this most

Sacred Earth

Book Review from Corey

Hi Sheri,

I have been reading your book, and could not wait until finishing it to say Thank You! for writing and publishing this important work. It's a passionate, dedicated, sensitive, and personally open volume exposing the horridly cold, agonizing truth about the oppressive, ugly prejudice of organized religion. I am absolutely no authority of any "religion", but painfully aware of the anger and bitter hate that is viciously spread, in the name of God. Any "God-like" entity that I would choose to believe in would never perpetuate the wretched beliefs of these barbaric, ignorant religious cults -- that blatantly brainwash their blind followers!

Clearly, the horrors of Rev. Fred Phelps, his family, and loyal groupies are prime examples of how a corrupt, perverted, twisted mind-set can influence and feed sick, insane beliefs.

As you so rightly wrote, your target audience that needs to read your book, and give it serious open-minded thought, unfortunately will never see it -- or if they do, will predictably dismiss it as what they would wrongly classify as "propaganda" serving the "gay agenda". What can be done to educate and enlighten these close-minded hate-mongers, that are Hell-bent on destroying the loving, innocent lives of so many? It's a daunting challenge that will never be fully realized -- the truth being that malicious hate and anger is taught by parents, and cult leaders, to the very young, and they are brainwashed into believing that anyone different from themselves are sub-human trash, in desperate need of "cleansing" their souls of sin.

Sometime I would like to share with you a very sad story of my wonderful friend Kimmy Kay, her husband Greg, and their amazing daughter Sami. It's a familiar story, a painful one, but it aligns very closely with what you discuss in your book.

I wish I could have joined you, Gary, and all the other MetLife folks in San Diego for the gay pride parade and festival. But, I was called for emergency nursing duty at home. Felicity, my dearly fractured feather boa, has been losing her red feathers at an increasingly alarming speed! Oh, the trials and tribulations of an aging, balding boa with "phobias and feather issues" is so upsetting and worrisome for this frazzled, tired old Cali-Queen of the Hills.

Cheers and Love!
Corey

Review from Lynna

I relate this woman's story in my book. She just happens to be the little sister of a friend of mine from High School where we grew up next door to each other. The last time I remember seeing her was when I was in Jr. High and she was 3 or 4 years old. But somehow, during my efforts to bring equality to the GLBT community in 2008, she ended up in my living room with her partner of 16 years, along with her brother and his wife. I didn't have any idea she even lived in So Cal, let alone just a few minutes from me.

After reading her email this morning I felt that all the pain, tears and frustration I've experienced while trying to open some eyes and hearts to the harm being done by well-meaning, albeit, misguided souls, has been worth it. Like I told her, if I can help just a few people to finally have that "AHA" moment, and finally get it-- really get how misdirected this all out assault on the gay community is, if I die tomorrow, I could do so in peace. Here's her email to me: Thank you Lynna for again letting me share a little of you with the world.

Hi Sheri,

I just wanted to let you know that I finally received your book last night and read it cover to cover this morning. It's going to be hard for me to really express all my feelings about the book because I'm not a great writer like you. My first comment is Thank You! I was in tears, laughing out loud, and saying "right on sista" throughout the morning while reading it. I loved it and I want you to know that you relayed my story perfectly. I'm proud to be a part of this book and I thank you for writing it and I thank you for letting me be a part of it. You are a dangerous woman! The reason you are so dangerous is because you are relaying truths that many people are working hard to keep locked up and you are doing this without a personal agenda. If I were to write this book, it would be dismissed because I'm gay and therefore have a "gay agenda".

Without being me, you have opened your heart to understand my truth. That is hard to do. This is why you are so truly appreciated and welcomed by folks like me and why you are probably scaring the hell out of those who are fighting against truth love and understanding. I just want you to know that I appreciate you and I am proud to be your friend. In your book you talk about knowing intuitively about whether a person is of the light or dark. Even as a little girl I was drawn to the light and to you. I'm so glad I have had this opportunity to re-connect.

Love ya,

Lynna

Review on Amazon from Gary

Wow, I finished the book. You are one amazing lady! The more I learn about you the more I love you! The one resounding chorus ringing through my head as I read this book is this "Judge not, lest thee be judged." The visual in my mind as I turned each page is that of Saint Stephen. Being of Catholic heritage my mind goes to its up-bringing. Every Catholic is required to have the name of a saint as either first or second name. This is your "patron saint", you know it never really struck me until now, this was a Divine gift unwittingly bestowed upon me by my Mother whom I love dearly. Saint Stephen was stoned to death for speaking out against the Sanhedren. The Sanhedren was the supreme court of Jerusalem who saw Stephen as a heretic because he condemned them for the crucifixion of Jesus. I see those who speak out against equal rights for ALL humans as members of this same sect who think that their minds view of God's law as the only true answer. They have turned a blind eye to the true teachings of the Father.

They say that the proponents of Gay rights are seeking to take human law over God's law which will lead to darkness and death. They fail to see that this has occurred countless times in the very bible they use as their defense. They do not see that each time this has happened those governing bodies were overturned in the name of truth and righteousness. The ones left in pain and anguish were the ones purportedly following God's law...

God Bless you Sheri! God be with your every move, your every word. The angels of the Lord will protect you and take the beatings of your oppressors, feel the sting of your defeats, and help you to praise God in your triumphs over darkness and oppression.

Review on Amazon from Ray "History" Buff

The Spell of Religion is highly recommended (the book that is) and it is truly comforting to know that more and more straight people from religious backgrounds are taking such a bold stance for gay rights/marriage as Sheri Lynne Lawson does here. We in the gay community know that one of our fiercest enemies is the right-wing conservative-evangelical clan. We don't hate them but they sure are hell bent to oppress and suppress the gay community as much as they can. They don't want gay folk to have the same opportunity to love and marriage as they do; no they want that for themselves and we can't share that unless we magically change our sexual orientation which we know is impossible and God does not hear those prayers when we ask to redo his creation.

An important point made in this book is how much damage is done to each gay person who is deprived of Love and marriage. An excerpt by a Mike Kessler from her book reads, "Do not expect of others what you would not expect of yourself. Do not expect others to live a life of loneliness, deprived of love and affection, merely because their love is different from yours. Please show that you value compassion thought and love, not blind unquestionable obedience to impossible and cruel expectations."

Sheri expounds on this point by saying how much damage has been done through the years to the gay community and how the churches have indoctrinated their congregations toward this type of suffering and that they are the ones that need to get on their knees and pray for forgiveness for every heart they have shattered, for every soul drowning in the fear of never knowing God's love because they are gay.

I could go on and on but please check this book out. I wish every church member in America would read it and Sheri would also like every Mormon church goer to read it. She was deeply hurt by the passage of prop 8 as all of us in the gay community. She being an "ex-Mormon" and knowing all the money pumped in to stop gay marriage in CA made her heart sick too.

As you read this book you will see the kindness, honesty and integrity this woman has and the fighting spirit that is in her as she stands up for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all of us in America!

This book is now part of my most favorite books in my library. I encourage you all to read it and get your friends, family and church members to read it. If they have an open heart they just might begin to learn about compassion.

The Spell of Religion

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Value Voters Summit-Rachel Maddow

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