[Active-seattle-l] [Active-l] (NEWS) Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)
kahvi at murkworks.net
Tue Nov 28 22:53:50 PST 2006
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---- actual message starts here ----
Mitt Romney - theoconservative candidate for the Republican nomination
for President in 2008 - goes to court to force the legislature to put
an anti-marriage amendment on the ballot in 2008, after they declined
to do so. Interestingly, Focus on the Family brings up the "zomg he's a
Mormon" issue on their own;
Fundamentalist leadership starts tearing into Barak Obama in response
to him trying to talk to religious conservatives; seen courtesy Andrew
Sullivan ( http://andrewsullivan.com );
Dennis Prager says that incoming Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN)
should not be allowed to take his oath on the Koran, and that he must
take it on the Bible; he is, according to a variety of sources, wrong
about that - there's no law saying what you have to swear on, despite
what Mr. Prager says; Prager calls not swearing on the Bible an attack
on American civilisation;
RespectLifeUSA is starting an anti-contraception billboard campaign;
Supreme Court refuses to hear lawsuit by fundamentalist family - they
wanted to use state vouchers for religious schools; Focus on the Family
criticises the refusal;
Focus on the Family news article on New Jersey and Maryland marriage
rights issues; they're trying to avoid legalised marriage rights in
Maryland by pushing a "Equal Benefits Act" which would be a subset of
rights and could be used by any two people; mind you, the rest of the
time these things are called "counterfeit marriage," but when it's the
best you've got, suddenly it's the reasonable and equal solution;
FotF report on efforts to make it harder to get abortions in Alabama
via a new route; requiring physicians get more certifications - the
more, the better;
Focus on the Family article slamming Newsweek claims that the Bible
considers homosexuality and the murder of children in child sacrifice
to be equal;
ABC soap opera to have a transgendered character - FotF is not
impressed; mind you - and this is a personal word - since a soap opera
(_Days of our Lives_) was the first TV show to ever give me nightmares,
I'm not impressed either, but it's for different reasons;
FotF: Polygamists are borrowing from "the same-sex marriage playbook";
Indiana legislature to consider a Constitutional amendment banning
marriage and domestic partnerships/civil unions in all forms;
FotF attacks the idea of church/state separation again - I just like
the headline, really; "Dr. Dobson Helps Larry King Understand
'Separation of Church and State,'" mostly by claiming there shouldn't
be any;
Planned new Christian Coalition head hits the eject button when told
that he couldn't spread the Christian Coalition message past
anti-abortion and anti-gay activities; he'd wanted to focus more on
other issues but was told no, so decided not to take over after all;
An example of the kind of proselysation the fundamentalist movement
actually wants in schools;
The Thomas Moore Society files a wrongful death lawsuit against a
fertility clinic which accidentally disposed of four frozen embryos
without permission; the key point here is that they're suing
specifically for _wrongful death_;
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM against Alaska benefits for same-sex
state employee couples; they want to stop the benefits from ever being
put into place;
FotF supports anti-contraception/nonmartial-sex-causes-brain-damage
Bush appointee to Health and Human Services family-planning head
position;
FotF: Arizona voters voted down a state Constitutional marriage ban
because they were mislead by gay activists;
Focus on the Family: Wal-Mart to "reconsider" support of National Gay
and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce; includes ACTION ITEM to thank Wal-Mart
and urge they drop support for any GBLT groups; they've satisfied the
American Family Association, so you can assume they won't be dealing
with GBLT business groups anymore;
Anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund sues Ohio university for offering
same-sex DP benefits;
ABC appeals Janet Jackson "Wardrobe Malfunction" half-million dollar
fine;
USA Today runs a column by a pastor worried that the anti-gay focus of
evangelical Christianity may discredit Christianity in a way not seen
since Galieo; many of the comments at the end of the column are
_really_ virulent;
Catholic bishops meet, say GBLT people must be closeted,
straight-acting, and abstinent (not their words, but it cuts to the
chase); the Baptists in South Carolina are moving to expel any
GBLT-friendly Baptist church from the Baptist State Convention, and to
start up investigations into and trials against congregations seen as
too "gay-friendly"; Presbyterians are trying a minister for being
involved in a lesbian couple's marriage ceremony.
----- 1 -----
Romney Files Suit to Support Marriage Amendment
Legislature continues to ignore the will of the people.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
11-28-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000003236.cfm
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney made good on a pledge he made before
Thanksgiving to press lawmakers in his state to vote on placing a
marriage amendment on the 2008 state ballot.
Romney joined a lawsuit Friday alongside 10 of the signers of the
original citizen's petition seeking the amendment to define marriage as
one man and one woman.
Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, said the
suit seeks to force the Legislature to do its duty. Bay State lawmakers
voted 109-87 on Nov. 9 to recess a Constitutional Convention without
taking a vote on the marriage amendment.
[...]
Minnery, meanwhile, said it is really too early in the process to know
how evangelicals might approach a Romney candidacy.
"He has a huge obstacle to overcome," Minnery said, "and that is the
immensely deep theological differences between Christians and Mormons.
It depends on what he says about that as to whether evangelicals would
vote for him."
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Obama's Wooing Of Evangelicals Runs Into Fierce Resistance
TPM Cafe
By Eric Kleefeld
http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2006/nov/28/
christian_right_leaders_bash_obama_warren_appearance
Barack Obama's efforts to reach out to evanglical Christians in
preparation for his possible Presidential campaign is running into very
stiff resistance from the Christian right. As the Chicago Tribune
reported recently, Obama is set to attend a huge evangelical gathering
in California on Dec. 1, at the invitation of megachurch Pastor Rick
Warren, the evangelical superstar who wrote The Purpose-Driven Life.
Analysts have interpreted Obama's scheduled appearance as a sign he's
working much harder than Dems ordinarily do to win over Evangelicals.
But the appearance is now provoking an intense backlash from leaders of
the Christian right. They are calling on Warren to disinvite Obama from
the event because of his liberal positions, especially abortion rights
— or as one of those leaders put it, Obama's support of "the murder of
babies in the womb."
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
America, Not Keith Ellison, decides what book a congressman takes his
oath on
By Dennis Prager
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2006/11/28/
america,_not_keith_ellison,_decides_what_book_a_congressman_takes_his_oa
th_on
Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States
Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the
Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran.
He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American
hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American
civilization.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
Yellow Snapdragons
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Ridiculous
http://yellowsnapdragons.blogspot.com/2006/11/ridiculous.html
These billboards are all over Tulsa.
[Picture at URL]
----- 5 -----
U.S. Supreme Court Turns Away School-Voucher Case
Parents sought to use vouchers for religious-school tuition.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
11-28-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000003235.cfm
The U.S. Supreme Court's refusal Monday to hear a school-voucher case
out of Maine leaves a confusing patchwork of laws around the country.
Eight families from rural communities without high schools sought to
use vouchers to send their kids to religious schools, but a state court
ruled that an impermissible mixing of church and state. All the
children involved in the suit have since graduated.
Their attorney, Dick Komer of the Institute for Justice, called the
high court's refusal the "end of the road."
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Same-Sex Unions Pending in New Jersey, Maryland
Focus on the Family
11-28-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003233.cfm
While New Jersey lawmakers debate the best way to address a court order
to provide benefits to same-sex couples, Maryland's Supreme Court is
preparing to hear arguments concerning a lower-court ruling that struck
down the state's marriage law.
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled in October that the state must
either allow same-sex couples to marry or create civil unions that
offer the same rights and benefits.
Republican Sen. Gerald Cardinale introduced a constitutional amendment
that would preserve marriage -- defining it as the union of one man and
one woman.
"It is almost an obscenity that the Supreme Court would seize unto
itself the power to order the Legislature to create legislation," he
told The Star-Ledger. "That is unheard of in New Jersey.
"That kind of activism requires a reply," he added. "This is not a
government of appointed justices."
Len Deo, president of the New Jersey Family Policy Council, said his
organization is prepared to introduce a separate bill, called the Equal
Benefits Act, that would protect the definition of marriage, but would
also provide civil benefits not based on sexual orientation.
"There are many families who cannot have access to the benefits of
marriage because their living arrangements are outside the realm of
marriage," he said. "For example, two elderly women who are domiciled
together, or perhaps a grandparent and grandchild."
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Abortionists Fight Proposed Rule Change Governing Clinics
Focus on the Family
11-28-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003231.cfm
Alabama abortion providers and pro-life advocates, at a public hearing
in Montgomery on Monday, debated the need to tighten clinic
regulations, The Birmingham News reported.
The hearing, held by the Alabama Department of Public Health, discussed
proposed new regulations that would mandate physicians be board
certified in obstetrics and gynecology in order to perform abortions.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Newsweek Tells Evangelicals What to Do
The media hit on a new tactic.
by Don Feder
Focus on the Family
11-27-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/clcommentary/A000003203.cfm
After decades of excoriating evangelical Christians as bigoted morons,
foaming-at-the-mouth fanatics and vile hypocrites -- both
sexually-obsessed and sexually-repressed (part Elmer Gantry, part Elmer
Fudd) -- the media have hit on a new tactic.
The cover story (“America’s God Complex – Like George W. Bush, The
Religious Right Is At The Crossroads”) in the Nov. 13 Newsweek explains
that evangelicals aren’t really that bad – it’s just that the poor
fools have been duped by the Republican Party, their energies (which
should be devoted to more worthwhile endeavors) diverted to sordid
politics.
[...]
Leaders like Dobson, Falwell and Robertson have “lost their focus on
the spirit of Jesus and have separated the world into black and white,”
Hamilton declares. “I can’t see Jesus standing with signs at an
anti-gay rally.”
Nor can one picture Jesus standing with a sign at a pro-life
demonstration, an anti-pornography rally or a rally against global
warming.
There weren’t many leather bars in Jesus’ day. In 1st century Judea,
“gay rights” was a non-issue. There also weren’t rallies against child
sacrifice or ritual prostitution – which the Bible puts in the same
category as conduct of the San Fran persuasion.
[...]
Since their political awakening in the mid-1970s, while evangelicals
worked to end the scourge of abortion and stay the steady march of
social decay (the Sodomizing of American culture), they have
simultaneously raised billions to fight famine in Africa, build homes
for the poor, rehabilitate addicts and provide aid to the most
destitute among us.
[Lots more at URL]
----- 9 -----
Soap Opera to Introduce Transgendered Character
Focus on the Family
11-27-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003218.cfm
ABC's All My Children is about to introduce the story of a
transgendered character on the way from being a man to being a "woman."
According to The Associated Press, rock star Zarf will fall in love
with a lesbian character later this week, leading to the gender
confusion.
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
Polygamists Borrow from Same-Sex Marriage Playbook
The same legal strategies are increasingly being employed.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
11-27-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000003201.cfm
Adopting a strategy from the same-sex marriage playbook, polygamists
are attempting to move into the mainstream by deemphasizing their
religious beliefs and focusing on personal freedoms. The goal is to
decriminalize plural marriages.
Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law
School, told Family News in Focus he does not support polygamy in
practice, but added, "I believe that the criminalization of polygamy is
wrong."
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Indiana Lawmakers to Consider Marriage Amendment
Focus on the Family
11-27-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003220.cfm
The Democratic majority in the Indiana House of Representatives has
announced it will bring forward SJR 07 -- a proposed constitutional
amendment to protect marriage from redefinition. If the measure passes,
voters will see the amendment on the 2008 ballot, the Indiana Daily
Student reported.
Incoming Speaker of the House Patrick Bauer, a Democrat from South
Bend, said his intention of bringing the bill to the floor is to see
its defeat, but the amendment earned overwhelming approval from both
chambers in 2005.
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
Dr. Dobson Helps Larry King Understand 'Separation of Church and State'
Focus founder correctly points out it's not anywhere in a foundational
document.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
11-27-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000003215.cfm
In an interview turned history lesson, Dr. James Dobson, founder and
chairman of Focus on the Family, helped talk-show host Larry King
understand -- over his protests -- that "separation of church and
state" is not found in the U.S. Constitution.
During last week's hour-long conversation on Larry King Live, King
quizzed Dr. Dobson on myriad topics including O.J. Simpson's rejected
book, the fall of evangelical leader Ted Haggard and Michael J. Fox's
TV ad for embryonic stem-cell research. But when the discussion turned
to attempts to redefine marriage -- the TV host made it an issue of
separation of church and state.
KING: Why is it a state institution rather than a religious
institution? Why is the state involved?
DOBSON: Well, it's both. It is both.
KING: But we have a separation of church and state.
DOBSON: Beg your pardon?
KING: We have a separation of church and state.
DOBSON: Who says?
KING: You don't believe in separation of church and state?
DOBSON: Not the way you mean it. The separation of church and state is
not in the Constitution. No, it's not. That is not in the Constitution.
[More at URL]
[Editor's note: The meme they're propagating here is that because the
phrase "separation of church and state" doesn't appear in the document,
there's not actually any such thing. This is a combination of bullshit,
memetic story-making, and big-lie propaganda, and is related to the
assertion being spread in similar circles that the 14th amendment only
applies to racial issues. This is mostly because the leadership knows
full well that the 1st amendment has this affect, and that the 14th
amendment spread these protections to the state. The idea appears to be
that if they can get people to think that the 14th amendment actually
only applies to race, then they can get more state involvement in
religion at the state level.]
----- 13 -----
Longwood pastor quits as coalition president
The Rev. Joel Hunter was set to take the reins of the national
Christian Coalition.
Willoughby Mariano | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted November 23, 2006
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/orl-
coalition2306nov23,0,5647938.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-seminole
The Central Florida pastor recently tapped to lead the Christian
Coalition of America resigned his position in a dispute about
conservative philosophy -- more than a month before he was to fully
assume his post, he said Wednesday.
The Rev. Joel Hunter, of Longwood's Northland, A Church Distributed,
said he quit as president-elect of the group founded by evangelist Pat
Robertson because he realized he would be unable to broaden the
organization's agenda beyond opposing abortion and gay marriage.
He hoped to include issues such as easing poverty and saving the
environment.
"These are issues that Jesus would want us to care about," Hunter said.
[...]
The coalition's rejection of Hunter's approach means it is unwilling to
part with its partisan, Republican roots, Hunter said.
"To tell you the truth, I feel like there are literally millions of
evangelical Christians that don't have a home right now," Hunter said.
[...]
Critics called him "liberal," a label Hunter said he rejects. He is
against abortion and gay marriage.
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Public school teacher tells class: 'You belong in hell'
Jim Lippard
http://richarddawkins.net/article,335,Public-school-teacher-tells-
class-You-belong-in-hell,Jim-Lippard
Reposted from:
http://lippard.blogspot.com/2006/11/public-school-teacher-tells-class-
you.html
The following is from Paul L. LaClair, a NYC attorney who lives in
Kearny, New Jersey, and is posted with his permission. David
Paszkiewicz, the teacher described here engaging in incompetent
teaching and dishonesty, is apparently a youth pastor at Kearny Baptist
Church in addition to being a public school teacher. LaClair's son
Matthew has previously garnered attention for protesting Bush
administration activities by refusing to stand for the Pledge of
Allegiance. He seems to be a principled and courageous young man who
has caught a really bad teacher:
Kearny, New Jersey
November 10, 2006
A history teacher at the local public high school here may have bitten
off more than he cares to chew this fall. Self-described conservative
Baptist David Paszkiewicz used his history class to proselytize
biblical fundamentalism over the course of several days at the
beginning of this school year.
Among his remarks in open class were statements that a being must have
created the universe, that the Christian Bible is the word of God, and
that dinosaurs were aboard Noah's ark. If you do not accept Jesus, he
flatly proclaimed to his class, "you belong in hell." Referring to a
Muslim student who had been mentioned by name, he lamented what he saw
as her inevitable fate should she not convert. In an attempt to promote
biblical creationism, he also dismissed evolution and the Big Bang as
non-scientific, arguing by contrast that the Bible is supported by what
he calls confirmed biblical prophecies.
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Pro-Life Attorneys File Briefs in Embryo-Death Case
Focus on the Family
11-22-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003186.cfm
The Thomas More Law Society filed briefs in Illinois Appellate Court in
a wrongful-death suit against a fertility clinic accused of disposing
of a couple's frozen embryos without permission.
In 2005 Cook County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey Lawrence found that
Alison Miller and Todd Parrish had cause to sue Chicago's Center for
Human Reproduction for mistakenly disposing of the embryos four years
prior.
Lawrence cited the 1980 Wrongful Death Act which allows for lawsuits to
be filed if preborn babies are killed in an accident or assault,
regardless of their "state of gestation or development."
"Philosophers and theologians may debate, but there is no doubt in the
mind of the Illinois Legislature when life begins," he said. "It begins
at conception."
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Alaska Lawmakers Delay Same-Sex Benefits
Focus on the Family
11-22-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003185.cfm
The Alaska Legislature, during a special session called by Gov. Frank
Murkowski, passed a bill that seeks to postpone the implementation of
court-ordered same-sex benefits for state employees and retirees, The
Associated Press reported.
Residents of Alaska voted in favor of a constitutional amendment in
1998 to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman, but,
shortly after, 14 homosexual couples, represented by the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU), challenged the state, demanding employment
benefits for same-sex partners.
The state Supreme Court ruled that since same-sex couples can't get
married, the state is obligated to give them benefits. The
court-imposed deadline is January 1.
[...]
TAKE ACTION:
If you are an Alaska resident, contact Gov. Frank Murkowski and ask him
to take the needed steps to ensure the implementation of same-sex
benefits is delayed until the people and the Legislature have the
opportunity to weigh in.
If you are a CitizenLink Daily Update subscriber, click on the blue
"Take Action" button in the e-mail to be automatically logged in to our
Action Center. Otherwise, click on this link.
[More at URL]
----- 17 -----
Dems in Congress Protest Pro-Life, Pro-Abstinence Nomination
Focus on the Family
11-22-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003183.cfm
Fourteen Democratic U.S. Senators have demanded that President Bush
rescind his nomination of Dr. Eric Keroack to head the family-planning
program at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), All
American Patriots reported.
Keroack, who is pro-life, is currently a member of the Medical Advisory
Council of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse and serves as the
medical director for five crisis-pregnancy centers.
[...]
Raymond Ruddy, president of Gerard Health Foundation, said Keroack is a
pioneer in the use of medical arguments to explain the devastation
caused by abortion as well as the reasons teens should remain abstinent
until marriage.
"He was one of the first doctors ever to really get involved in the
medical aspect of some of these pregnancy-resource centers," he said.
"For very, very little pay, he sacrificed a lot to help women do
ultrasounds and do what was right in the abortion decision.
"It's pretty much what he has done all his life."
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Defeat of Arizona Marriage Amendment Influenced by Singles, Retirees
Focus on the Family
11-22-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003181.cfm
The Arizona campaign to defeat a constitutional amendment to define
marriage as the union of one man and one woman used scare tactics to
sway retired voters. Opponents falsely claimed the amendment would deny
retirees of some benefits, The Washington Post reported.
Marty Rouse, national field director of the gay-activist Human Rights
Campaign (HRC), said it's clear the majority of people in the state do
not support gay marriage -- so his group had to use a different
argument to sway the vote.
"Once you say 'gay' and 'lesbian,' people hone in on that," he said.
"We have to focus on the majority of people that will be affected by
this -- and the majority of people are straight couples."
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
Wal-Mart to Reconsider Sponsorship of Controversial Issues
American Family Association cancels its boycott.
11-21-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000003162.cfm
Wal-Mart has begun to distance itself from organizations that support
“highly controversial issues” such as same-sex marriage, a company
official said Tuesday.
The giant retailer had been criticized for making a $60,000 donation to
Out and Equal, an organization for homosexual employees which deals
with workplace issues, but which also supports changing the definition
of marriage. The company also had joined the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of
Commerce and sent it $25,000 in dues.
The Wal-Mart executive who served as the company's representative to
the chamber has since left for unrelated reasons and will not be
replaced.
[...]
“Going forward, we’ll be looking differently at organizations we donate
to,” the official said. “There are some areas we need to get corrected
and that is what we’re focused on.”
He emphasized the new direction was not aimed only at the issue of
homosexuality, but also other social controversies. He was not more
specific.
[...]
The American Family Association (AFA) canceled its call for a two-day
post-Thanksgiving boycott of Wal-Mart after hearing the company's
statement. AFA said it believes Wal-Mart will now remain neutral in
cultural battles.
[...]
TAKE ACTION:
If you'd like to thank Wal-Mart for reconsidering the sponsorship of
controversial groups, you can find contact information on the company's
Web site.
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
ADF to Appeal Ohio Domestic-Partnership Ruling
Focus on the Family
11-21-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003158.cfm
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) announced today it will appeal a
decision by the Ohio Court of Common Pleas that declared the plaintiff
did not have a right to pose a legal challenge to Miami University's
domestic-partnership program.
In November 2004, Ohio voters passed a state constitutional amendment
that defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman. In
addition, the amendment prohibits the state from creating marriage
substitutes, such as civil unions or domestic partnerships for same-sex
couples.
Despite the amendment, the university offers benefits to same-sex
partners if they file an "Affidavit of Same-Sex Domestic Partnership"
which requires proof that the two share a common residence and are in a
long-term committed relationship.
[...]
"We knew this would be a case with multiple appeals," he said. "ADF and
its allies will continue the legal battle to defend the Ohio
Constitution from this attempted end-run by state officials."
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
CBS Appeals Fine over Wardrobe Malfunction
Focus on the Family
11-21-2006
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000003157.cfm
CBS filed an appeal Monday with the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
concerning a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fine levied
against the network for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show in which
Janet Jackson's breast was exposed, MarketWatch reported.
The FCC found that CBS had broken indecency standards and must pay a
$550,000 fine -- representing 20 stations at $27,500 each.
In the appeal, the network argued it should not be accountable for "an
unscripted, unauthorized, and unintended long-distance shot of Ms.
Jackson's breast for nine-sixteenths of one second."
[...]
Clyde Ensslin, a spokesman for the FCC, said the commission stands by
its findings.
"CBS continues to ignore the voices of millions of Americans, Congress
and the Commission by arguing that Janet Jackson's half-time
performance was not indecent," he said. "CBS believes there should be
no limits on what can be shown on television even during family viewing
events like the Super Bowl; we continue to believe they are wrong."
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
When religion loses its credibility
Galileo was persecuted for revealing what we now know to be the truth
regarding Earth’s place in our solar system. Today, the issue is
homosexuality, and the persecution is not of one man but of millions.
Will Christian leaders once again be on the wrong side of history?
By Oliver "Buzz" Thomas
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2006/11/when_religion_l.html#23more
What if Christian leaders are wrong about homosexuality? I suppose,
much as a newspaper maintains its credibility by setting the record
straight, church leaders would need to do the same:
Correction: Despite what you might have read, heard or been taught
throughout your churchgoing life, homosexuality is, in fact, determined
at birth and is not to be condemned by God's followers.
Based on a few recent headlines, we won't be seeing that admission
anytime soon.
(Illustration by Adrienne Lewis, USA TODAY)
Last week, U.S. Roman Catholic bishops took the position that
homosexual attractions are "disordered" and that gays should live
closeted lives of chastity. At the same time, North Carolina's Baptist
State Convention was preparing to investigate churches that are too
gay-friendly. Even the more liberal Presbyterian Church (USA) had been
planning to put a minister on trial for conducting a marriage ceremony
for two women before the charges were dismissed on a technicality. All
this brings me back to the question: What if we're wrong?
Religion's only real commodity, after all, is its moral authority. Lose
that, and we lose our credibility. Lose credibility, and we might as
well close up shop.
It's happened to Christianity before, most famously when we dug in our
heels over Galileo's challenge to the biblical view that the Earth,
rather than the sun, was at the center of our solar system. You know
the story. Galileo was persecuted for what turned out to be
incontrovertibly true. For many, especially in the scientific
community, Christianity never recovered.
This time, Christianity is in danger of squandering its moral authority
by continuing its pattern of discrimination against gays and lesbians
in the face of mounting scientific evidence that sexual orientation has
little or nothing to do with choice. To the contrary, whether sexual
orientation arises as a result of the mother's hormones or the child's
brain structure or DNA, it is almost certainly an accident of birth.
The point is this: Without choice, there can be no moral culpability.
[... comments section is full of stuff like this:]
In spite of what you try to "prove" and your smear tactics against good
Christian people, Bible-believing Christians will NEVER accept your
lies and propaganda for a sinful lifstyle which God Himself in the
Bible condemns. Homosexulality is sin and no one is born with it. Your
hatred of the church only reflects your own bias. I you want to promote
this perversion you have a right to do so, but don't condemn others who
choose to believe the Bible instead of your lies and distortion!
Posted by: Michael Davenport | Nov 20, 2006 8:23:18 AM
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
3 Christian Groups Move To Condemn Gay Sex
By Alan Cooperman and Peter Whoriskey
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, November 15, 2006; A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/14/
AR2006111401337_pf.html
BALTIMORE, Nov. 14 -- Faced with rising public acceptance of same-sex
relationships, three U.S. Christian denominations are taking strong
measures this week to condemn homosexual acts as sinful.
The nation's Roman Catholic bishops, meeting in Baltimore, declared
Tuesday that Catholics who minister to gays must firmly adhere to the
church's teaching that same-sex attractions are "disordered." Catholics
with "a homosexual inclination" should be encouraged to live in
chastity and discouraged from making "general public announcements"
about their sexual orientation, the bishops said.
The largest Baptist group in North Carolina, meanwhile, moved to expel
any congregation that condones homosexuality, adopting a policy that
allows the Baptist State Convention to investigate complaints that
member churches are too "gay-friendly."
And on Wednesday in Pittsburgh, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a
mainline Protestant denomination with about 3 million members, will put
a minister on trial for conducting a marriage ceremony for two women.
[...]
Donald W. Wuerl, Washington's new [Catholic] archbishop, said the
document should not be seen as a crackdown on pro-gay ministries.
Rather, he said, "the starting point is the church living in a culture
in which these things are being promoted, and our task is to keep
saying: 'Remember, here are the true teachings of the church.' "
Serratelli, summarizing the document, said the church considers
same-sex attractions to be "objectively disordered" because "they do
not accord with the natural purpose of sexuality." Although "simply
experiencing a homosexual inclination is not in itself a sin," he said,
homosexual acts are "sinful," "never morally acceptable" and "do not
lead to true human happiness."
[...]
In North Carolina, the state Baptist Convention voted to broaden its
fight against homosexuality by moving to expel churches that "affirm,"
"approve," or "bless" same-sex relationships.
The measure targets as many as a dozen Baptist churches in the state
that position themselves as actively welcoming gays, but it could
exclude any church that enrolls openly gay members.
[...]
What made the measure extraordinary, church members on both sides said,
is that for what may be the first time in the convention's 176-year
history, membership in the group would be contingent upon a specific
policy -- that is, treatment of gays.
"This issue has emerged as a litmus test," said Andrew Wakefield,
professor of biblical studies at Campbell University, in Buies Creek,
N.C., which is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention.
[More at URL]
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