The Delta House

I have so many things that I have been inspired to write about recently that I feel like I am going to explode. There was the whole immigration thing and John Kerry's idiotic statements that I posted on last Friday. Then I engaged in an interesting debate regarding Mandisa on LoLo's blog, one which I feel I must continue here. The comment section was way too confining for this rant. Finally, there is a subject that I intended to blog about today, but will hopefully get to tomorrow.

The premise of LoLo's post was that Mandisa is a "hater" and deserved to be voted off American Idol. I defended Mandisa.

I decided to take a look at the actual comments that she made, and her scandalous bio page on the Idol website, rather than just comment on the hearsay. Bottom line, I see absolutely nothing wrong with her comments or her actions. I will look at some of the more controversial items and comment accordingly.

From her bio:

Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?

"An author and speaker named Beth Moore. She inspires me to live more like Jesus and I want to do the same."

Beth Moore is an Evangelical Christian whose ministry primarily focuses on aiding and supporting women who desire to model their lives based on evangelical Christianity principals. She has preached on topics ranging from self-identity issues, drug/sexual addition and abuse, an evangelical Christian perspective on family life, marriage, homosexuality, and pre-martial sex.

Homosexuals consider Moore to be antigay because she believes that homosexuality is not inborn and can be overcome.

The truth of the matter is that there is presently no generally accepted scientific evidence that the homosexual inclination is inborn. There is also no evidence that there is not a genetic predisposition toward homosexuality in some people. In other words, it comes down to, "What do you believe?" Like me, Mandisa is a Christian, so I see absolutely nothing wrong with her saying that she is inspired by a Christian author like Beth Moore.

From The Advocate.com:

Would you be comfortable performing or singing at a gay event?

"I would not, no. "

Would it conflict with your religious beliefs?

"Based on what I believe, I'm not an advocate for [being gay], so it's nothing I would take part in. "

Do you remember when several artists banded together and chose not to perform at Sun City because of South Africa's apartheid policy? They were considered heroes because they chose not to perform in places where they did not agree with the South African way of life. Now I'm not comparing homosexuality to the heinous nature of apartheid, so don't start ripping me for that. I am comparing the fact that in each case, the each artist should have the right to choose venues where they want to perform. Bruce Springsteen and others thought that apartheid was wrong, so they stayed away from performing in venues where that was the law of the land. Mandisa believes that homosexuals are living morally corrupt lives, so she has every right to not perform in gay venues. In fact, she doesn't even say that she wouldn't perform there, only that she wouldn't feel comfortable performing there.

Before you sang the Mary, Mary gospel song “Wanna Praise You,” you mentioned that people's various addictions and lifestyles are not as strong as God. Were you speaking of gay people?

"No, no. That song was a very personal testimony for me. I've been dealing with an addiction to food for most of my life. I've been living in a lifestyle of pure indulgence, giving in to every single desire that I've had as far as what I've put into my body. So when I was speaking that, I was strictly speaking of how the Lord has helped me to overcome my personal struggle and I was just saying if God can do it for me—and a lot of other people face many different things out there—I was trying to be a testimony that he can do it for anybody. "

Do you see just how slanted this interview is? There is nothing stated or implied in her statement prior to singing the song that would lead anyone, other than a gay and lesbian magazine, to jump to the conclusion that the comments were about homosexuals. Absolutely nothing. They are like the 16 year-old girl in high school that thinks everyone is talking about her all the time. Get over yourselves already!

Bottom line is that Mandisa can perform or not perform anywhere that she sees fit. It's her choice, and if she doesn't want to perform in a gay nightclub, then I support her. Personally, I don't like it when Jewish artists like Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond sell Christmas albums because they are trying to profit from the birth of a saviour in whom they do not believe. Does that make me a hater?

***For the record, this is my 50th post. (As if that has any significance.)

// posted by flounder @ 2:37 PM