Reminder: Don't Miss NM RAIN Forum With Lt. Gov., Legislators, Councilor Heinrich Tonight in ABQ

The "Living Faith" forum hosted by NM R.A.I.N  (NM Religious Alliance for Inclusion and Non-Discrimination) will serve as the second major step in allowing people of faith, the LGBT community and members of New Mexico’s progressive community to take back "religion" from the extremist right. "We will no longer sit silent in the face of the injustice occurring in New Mexico and the United States. The Bible should not be manipulated for political gain and numerous groups are mobilizing to take our faith back from those who have used it unjustly," stated Reverend Lee Albertson.  This forum will have a lively and informative explanation of the Bible in a nonliteral, contextual view and provide hundreds of activists the tools necessary to advocate for inclusion and counter the religious right.

The forum to be held on December 8 from 7-8:15 PM at St. Michael and All Angels Church in Albuquerque (601 Montaño Rd., NW) will have a presentation on Scripture and LGBT, personal testimonies of violation of basic rights suffered by members and family of the LGBT community, a federal/state legislative update and a interactive panel discussion composed of Lt. Governor Diane Denish, Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, Representative Danice Picraux, Senator Jerry Ortiz Y Pino, Senator Linda Lopez and Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich.

"We must take back the religious agenda.  By taking the Bible seriously but not literally, by judging the holiness of human relationships by the criteria of love and commitment, we will encourage our elected officials to believe that they too can be religious and pro-LBGT.  And more importantly, we can convince them that they have a strong religious pro-LGBT constituency that from now on will be active and taken seriously" stated Reverend Brian Taylor.

NM R.A.I.N believes that it is imperative for elected officials to know that those who support inclusion and nondiscrimination have the support of hundreds of thousands of individuals of faith.  These are members of every faith denomination who have sat quietly believing that rational debate would win over the misinformation and hate filled rhetoric that has dominated the past two elections.  These citizens believe in justice, God and the rights of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender community.  NM R.A.I.N has become the faith entity for mobilization and political action.  “It gives up hope and vigor to know that our elected officials are willing to stand with us and do what is just and what is right,” stated NM RAIN Board Member Ellen Novak.

New Mexico R.A.I.N. (Religious Alliance for Inclusion and Non-Discrimination) was formed out of the exclusionary and hate filled debate that dominated the last US Presidential Election.  A single religious position has dominated media attention and leaders of NM’s faith communities are expressing a different point of view: the belief that faith and religion is based on 4 major tenets:  Tradition, Scripture, Reason and Experience and not discrimination and exclusion.

"As people of faith we believe that all people are created in the image of  God - as such, legislation and actions that attempt to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation are a desecration of God.  Our message is that God loves all people.  As such, I have faith that our elected officials will not allow themselves to be swayed by theologies of hatred and segregation, but  rather they will come to find a faith buoyed by the belief that every human being is capable of living and loving with holiness" stated Rabbi Joe Black.

The organization has membership from throughout the state and includes lay and ordained members.  The forum will be held at St. Michaels and All Angels Church (601 Montaño Rd., NW)  in Albuquerque on December 8th, 2005 from 7-8:15 p.m.  Overflow parking will be available 1 block east of St. Michaels on the north side of Montaño.

For More Information Contact:
Ellen Novak RAIN Co-Chair               
Rev. Lee Albertson, RAIN Co-Chair (505) 265-5749
Rabbi Joe Black (505) 883-1818
Rev. Brian Taylor (505) 345-8147
NMRAIN@MAIL.CO