Foundation using religion to divide

Hi, all: Below is a piece that Rev. Dr. Pennybacker, who chairs KFA's Religious Advisory Committee, placed in the Herald-Leader earlier this week. Enjoy ~Jody

Foundation using religion to divide, not to embrace
By Albert M. Pennybacker

At issue: June 30 Herald-Leader article, ”Group Targets 6 on UK Faculty,“
The attack dogs are still at work among us, this time under the banner of The Family Foundation.

Many splendid comments, such as the statement by UK President Lee T. Todd Jr., have been made. But progressive religious voices have not been clearly heard, though it is a religious view that fuels this action.

I am appalled that the foundation has attacked respected professors at the very best of our Kentucky universities and sought to manipulate state funding against them.

And this action, note, is taken on the basis of the foundation's ideological agenda. Has The Family Foundation been appointed guardian of what is intellectually appropriate and morally acceptable?

Second, the foundation is an integral part of a larger network of exclusivist religion -- ”my way or the highway“ -- which is always suspect.

Why else would legitimate areas of study be attacked as offensive or inappropriate? Good religion affirms an open mind, advocates honest inquiry and applauds sound intellectual contributions to understanding the complexities in the life we share. These foster our living better together.

Third, have you noticed how preoccupied with managing our sexual identity and behavior these fundamentalist religious themes often are?

Resilient religion has always believed that human sexuality is a good and generous gift, for our joy and for our sharing in God's creation. Pinch-nosed piety has always missed the point. Most of us are very tired of having this sort of accusatory and religiously narrow voice inflicted on us.

Enough! It needs to be thoroughly repudiated. I applaud these six professors for seeking to enlarge human understanding. Many religious people concur.