Republic of Gilead

Lapin Looks Askance at Secularism, Birth Control, "Sexual Depravity"

2012-02-11T01:07:00.000-05:00

On the February 7th edition of Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk, Focus of the Family founder James Dobson interviewed Rabbi Daniel Lapin as part of "The Battle for Civilization" series. Lapin, president of the American Alliance of Jews and Christians, reportedly had ties with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and participated in Glenn Beck's 2010 Divine Destiny revival. Additionally, he has a history of unkind comments about gays, animal rights, and "secular liberal males," according to Right Wing Watch. Throughout Family Talk, Lapin painted secularism in ominous colors and decried the alleged role of changing sexual attitudes in societal decay.

Dobson set the tone of the interview at the 0:25 mark when described modern society as in decline.

"It is no secret to any of us that the American way of life such as it's been known for generations is under attack today. At least that's what we believe. The Judeo-Christian system of values on which this country, and truly much of Western civilization, have been founded are threatened on a number of different fronts."

Much of Lapin's talk revolved around the alleged dangers of secularism and the degeneration of society. For instance, at the 3:06 mark, Lapin explained that he and his wife homeschooled their seven children to shield them from "the sordid stain of secularism" in public schools.

"We realized that sending them off for the best part of every day to fall under the influence of a system that is fundamentally spreading the sordid stain of secularism, essentially a public educational system that has as one of its prime purposes the obliteration of faith, that seemed to me to be an incredibly self-destructive act after we've invested so much of ourselves ... into these children."

Throughout the show, Lapin's distaste for secularism was clear. At the 16:32 mark, he demonized secularism as a "sinister and aggressive religion" bent on the obliteration of faith.

"You don't see secularism as a sort of benign, comfortable absence of religion. On the contrary, when you see that secularism is actually a very sinister and aggressive religion all on its own ... if you are a secular fundamentalism, then yes, you do need to obliterate all evidence of competing religions, and Christianity of course is the most conspicuous of the competing religions. And so obviously a prayer to the god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must be removed from schools. Praying to Jesus Christ, yes, must be stopped and eliminated."

In line with Lapin's contempt for secularism was his positive opinion of school prayer, whose demise in the U.S. he lamented. At the 13:40 mark, he suggested that school prayer is not an assault on anyone's rights, stunned that anyone would be opposed to school prayer.

"Prior to the Supreme Court rulings in that period, it was unthinkable. I mean, nobody ever thought that there was anything problematic--I know so many Jews of that generation who said, 'Of course we all said prayer in public school. So what? It was wonderful. It was not a bad thing.' And all of a sudden, over a span of terrifyingly few decades, people have been trained to consider prayer as a violent assault that challenges your rights to, what? Secularism?"

Like other voices from the Religious Right, Lapin help up Biblical knowledge as paramount. At the 9:15 mark, Lapin lamented that "timeless truths" from the Torah have been rendered "unpopular" in modern society. Amusingly, he suggested that this is the first generation in all of human history that considers itself sophisticated despite its alleged lack of Biblical knowledge.

"Christians ... during the colonial period were deeply aware of the permanent principles and the timeless truths to be found in the Torah, and they implemented them to build the society. And as the society has become more secularized and these timeless truths have been stripped one by one from the culture and made unpopular, to the point where interestingly enough we are now in the very first generation in all of human history ... this is the first generation where people, there are people in America today who consider themselves educated and sophisticated ... and yet they are utterly and sublimely clueless about the Bible. There's never been people who dared to consider themselves educated and yet who were ignoramuses Biblically."

Um, Rabbi Lapin? You do know that countless societies existed long before the Bible was compiled? And that many non-Christian and non-Jewish societies have existed across the globe? Were they uneducated and unsophisticated by default, despite their impressive contributions to history? To boot, Lapin's assumption that well-read, cosmopolitan people aren't truly "educated and sophisticated" unless they are knowledgeable about the Bible was extremely condescending.

In keeping with Religious Right rhetoric, Lapin pointed to sexual practices he disagreed with as culprits for a host of social ills. During a discussion of the roots of societal decline, Lapin attributed the emergence of the birth control pill to the alleged rise of "perpetual male adolescence." At the 11:35 mark, he had this to say.

"Perhaps one of the notable events ... was the arrival of the birth control tablet in the 1960s. And what that did for the very first time is it created the possibility of perpetual male adolescence. It made it possible for the first time for men to really never grow up and essentially it transformed masculinity and with all the implications of honor and respect and courage and the ability to defer gratification, everything that we think of as responsible masculinity got transformed into a very simple question: did you remember to take your pill, honey?"

Lapin conflates male responsibility with delaying sex, and delaying sex with the absence of birth control. The idea that birth control use is a form of responsibility meant to prevent unwanted pregnancy was not considered, nor was the idea that men can embody "honor and respect and courage" and have non-procreative sex. To boot, Lapin neglects contraception's immensely positive impacts on women, allowing them to enjoy intimacy while postponing or foregoing childbearing. This, in turn, allows them to cultivate other realms of their lives such as education, career, and community life.

Similarly, Lapin claimed that removing faith and Biblical wisdom from society heralded a tide of abortion, homosexuality, and changing sexual attitudes. Describing "sexual depravity" as the "barometer of a failure of a culture to control its basic instincts," he had this to say at the 21:20 mark.

"There is only one force powerful enough to combat the pull toward sensuality. Only one force powerful enough to defeat the compelling urge of rising sap in adolescent bodies, and that is God's power, the power of faith, and the wisdom of the Bible. When you strip that out of a society, you start off gradually with the violation of sexual mores, which we found during the Sixties and Seventies. It follows on with abortion, which is of course just another way of furthering if you like the sexual revolution, and then finds full expression in homosexuality which is ultimately the freest form of sex there is."

In keeping with familiar right-wing tropes, Lapin looks askance at secularism, contraception, and homosexuality as supposedly corrosive to a sound society. Instead of recognizing church-state separation, reproductive autonomy, and LGBT inclusion as positive developments, Lapin excludes them from his vision of an ideal society.

To listen to the broadcast, visit www[dot]oneplace[dot]com/ministries/family-talk/custom-player/the-battle-for-civilization-i-256510.html

(Hat tip to Right Wing Watch)

News Tidbits

2012-02-09T20:14:00.000-05:00

C-SPAN: Catholic Students Respond to HHS and Catholic Bishops on Contraception

Washington Post: White House seeks to soothe concerns over contraception rule

CNN: Santorum slams Romney on contraception mandate for rape victims

Washington Post: ‘God’ reference removed from Air Force office

Pink News: Ex-gays claim ‘illegal discrimination’ over flyers

Pink News: New York Rabbi Yehuda Levin: Cure gays with chemicals

American Independent: Bachmann backs Minnesota anti-gay marriage amendment, says same-sex marriage is like incest

Edge Boston: US Court Sides With CDC Over Fight With Counselor

Commentary Tidbits

2012-02-09T20:10:00.002-05:00

Whatever Works: Where Are the Women? Parts I, II, III, and IV

Raw Story: ‘Romney Condoms’ offer protection for the ‘elite penis’

Right Wing Watch: Steve King and White Nationalist CPAC Panel Warn that America's Greatest Threat is its Diversity

Constance Johnson at the Guardian: About my 'spilled semen' amendment to Oklahoma's Personhood bill

Fallen from Grace: The Catholic Church, Catholic Women, and Birth Control

Mother Jones: The Republican War on Contraception

Aljazeera: Planned Parenthood pulls a 'Buffy' on the Right

Salon: The making of gay marriage’s top foe

California's Proposition 8 Ruled Unconstitutional

2012-02-08T22:26:00.000-05:00

On February 7th, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that California's Proposition 8 (which banned same-sex marriage) was unconstitutional. An article in the Washington Post suggests that the decision could take the same-sex marriage issue all the way to the Supreme Court, but other news articles note that this is not certain.

Tuesday's decision is a milestone for the struggle for LGBT equality, and I hope the ruling has a wider policy impact. Predictably, anti-LGBT voices from the right are less than thrilled.

- In a February 8th blog post at the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) website, executive director Brian S. Brown claimed that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judges " decreed themselves to be the supreme overlords of the people." Unhappy that the judges had allegedly invalidated millions of Californians' vote, Brown framed the ruling as an affront to the American founders. (See www[dot]nomblog[dot]com/19061/)

"Not only must our founding fathers be rolling over in their graves with the preposterous notion that marriage is unconstitutional, but the ruling is an affront to the millions of Americans—the vast majority of the nation—who recognize that man does not have the right to redefine marriage. After all, how can federal judges redefine something that man didn't create?"

- In a February 7th statement at the Concerned Women for America website, CEO Penny Nance called the decision "a new low" for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, accusing it of disregarding the Constitution and the will of the voters. (See www[dot]cwfa[dot]org/content.asp?id=20901)

"Our experiences have shown us, as science proves, that the best environment for children to develop as productive members of our society is in a home where there is a mother and a father who love them and each other unconditionally. Yet with a stroke of the pen these three judges have undermined the foundations of the family and liberty."

- In a February 7th press release, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins called the decision "disappointing" and an act of "judicial tyranny." Perkins painted the decision as a "Hollywood-funded lawsuit, which seeks to impose San Francisco values on the entire country." (See www[dot]frc[dot]org/newsroom/family-research-council-criticizes-ninth-circuit-ruling-to-overthrow-definition-of-marriage)

- In a statement at his website, GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum lambasted the decision as one of many "radical activist rulings by this rogue circuit." He accused the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals of ignoring the will of the people, adding that the country cannot have "50 different definitions of marriage." (Hat tip to the Advocate. See www[dot]ricksantorum[dot]com/pressrelease/santorum-responds-proposition-8-ruling)

For additional commentary, visit the following links.

Media Matters: O'Reilly: Ruling Striking Down Prop 8 Is "Judicial Activism"

Freak Out Nation: Proposition 8 Ruled as Unconstitutional, NOM Has a Hissy Fit

Huffington Post: Proposition 8 Ruling Prompts Outpouring of Political Reaction

Commentary Tidbits

2012-02-08T21:16:00.001-05:00

AlterNet: How Deep Is the Republican Christian Right's Connection to the Anti-Gay Bills Sweeping Sub-Saharan Africa?

Whatever Works: The bishops and the 70 million Catholics here – not on the same page, yet again

Equality Matters: WA Family Policy Institute Promotes Claim That Gay Parents Molest Their Children, Turn Kids Gay

Media Matters: Fox's Crowder: Obama "Should Go Back To Burning The Taxpayer-Funded Incense To Whatever Pagan, Foreign Deity He's Worshipping"

Media Matters: CBS To Receive Award From Fringe Group At CPAC

Epiphenom: Simply being near a church makes people more hostile to outsiders

Daily Kos: Turns out Komen Foundation Senior VP Karen Handel is a fundie anti-gay bigot

RH Reality Check: Mammograms, Contraception, and Abortion are Always Political, Even Religious. We Ignore This At Our Peril

Box Turtle Bulletin: Another Ex-Gay Ministry Attempts Stealth Mode

Pam's House Blend: LaBarbera, Wooden tell me to find Jesus – and a man to breed with to ‘rock my world'

Salon: Jesus versus the GOP

Feministing: Santorum misses the days of back-alley abortions. Don’t you?

News Tidbits

2012-02-08T21:16:00.000-05:00

IOL News: Pope urges renewal at Vatican abuse summit

BBC News: US Catholics angry at contraception rule

Christian Science Monitor: Abortion, birth control becoming major campaign issues

Pink Paper: Miley Cyrus targeted by Christian bigots over same-sex marriage support

Vancouver Sun: Evangelical group targets schools

NPR: Controversial Komen Policy Official Resigns

CNN: Bishop Eddie Long apologizes to Jewish group after Torah ceremony

Ms. Magazine: South Dakota House Committee Strikes Down CPC False Advertising Bill

Behind the Mask: Uganda's "Kill the Gays" Bill Firmly Back on Parliament's Agenda

The Independent: Prominent Tory disowns 'religious right' and supports gay marriage

American Independent: Navigating anti-abortion online strategy

Politico: John Fleming links to Onion story on Facebook

University Offers Emergency Contraception Through Vending Machine

2012-02-07T22:39:00.000-05:00

According to the Associated Press, students at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania can now purchase Plan B (a form of emergency contraception) for $25 through a on-campus vending machine. The vending machine at the university's Etter Health Center dispenses condoms, pregnancy tests, Plan B, and other medication.

According to ABC News, Vice President for Student Affairs Roger Serr said that the vending machine was installed upon the request of the student association, and after a survey found that 85% of students questioned were in favor of it. Also, according statement from Mr. Serr, the vending machine is located in a private room of the campus health center, accessible only to students. Students must check in with identification at a check-in desk before they can access the machine.

Plan B is a form of emergency contraception meant to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. Emergency contraceptive pills prevent pregnancy by delaying ovulation and inhibiting fertilization, according to the Princeton University's Emergency Contraception Website. Contrary to myth, emergency contraception does not induce abortion of an existing pregnancy and is not the same as the abortion pill. As reproductive rights activists and sexual assault advocates have noted, emergency contraception is an option for rape victims and is offered as part of sexual assault forensic exams.

As Republic of Gilead has observed before, several voices from the Religious Right have looked askance at emergency contraception (see here, here, and here). Not surprisingly, several right-wing voices disapproved of Shippensburg University's new service.

- In a February 7th blog post, Students for Life claimed that Shippensburg University is "offering curbside abortions" by offering this service. Demonizing Plan B as a "lethal drug" and an "abortion pill," the author expressed dismay that emergency contraception was being sold through a vending machine without a doctor's exam. (See studentsforlife[dot]org/2012/02/07/shippensburg-university-press-a1-for-a-coke-a2-for-an-abortion/)

"Shippensburg University’s decision to sell Plan B – an emergency contraception that results in the murder of pre-born children and can be dangerous to women – in a vending machine on campus is reflective of how dangerous the disease of abortion has become. This is a dire reflection of how quickly the pro-life movement must take action to change the hearts and minds of college students before the abortion industry and their allies in liberal academia are able to indoctrinate them with the abortion industry’s propaganda."

- In a recent Washington Update, Family Research Council called the service "a shocking way to normalize a drug like Plan B" and repeated the claim that Plan B allegedly causes early abortions. (See www[dot]frc[dot]org/washingtonupdate/churches-walk-a-fined-line)

- Anti-abortion groups Bound 4 Life is unhappy with the new service. In a February 6th post at the Bound 4 Life Moral Outcry blog, Susan Michelle claims that Plan B is considered by "many" to be an "early abortion pill." Michelle also complains that local minors could have access to Plan B. (See bound4life[dot]com/blog/2012/02/06/campus-vending-machine-sales-of-plan-b-raise-a-bigger-question-of-underage-access)

"If anyone can come into a lobby and use a vending machine, rather than go through a pharmacist, what’s to prevent local kids from coming in town? ... What about local meets of high school and junior high athletes or academic competitions? Most colleges host outside visitors ... It’s really pretty easy to get anywhere on a college campus if you know how to blend in. And now this public university has managed to give any local visitor who wants it access to a very controversial pill than even a pro-abortion admiration decided wasn’t safe to allow to just anyone."

As mentioned above, a statement from Shippensburg University Vice President for Student Affairs Roger Serr indicated that students would have to check-in and present identification at the health center in order to access the vending machine. Plan B would not be available to "any local visitor."

To my disappointment, right-wing voices are not only promoting tired myths about emergency contraception and abortion, but ignoring the benefits of this service. Students will now have easier access to a medication that can prevent unwanted pregnancy, which is a positive development. Despite Religious Right suspicion of emergency contraception, progress marches on.

To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Slate: University Selling "Morning-After" Pill From Vending Machine

Jezebel: University Scandalizes Everyone With Whorish Plan B Vending Machine

News Tidbits

2012-02-04T15:45:00.002-05:00

CNN: Bishop Eddie Long Crowned "King"

Washington Post: Vatican to Host Global Summit on Sexual Abuse

Christian Science Monitor: FCC: Chicago station can drop graphic anti-abortion ad during Superbowl

Edge Boston: Catholic Church Raised $750K for Minn. Marriage Amendment

The Advocate: Minister Calls Pro-Equality Starbucks “Hater of God”

Commentary Tidbits

2012-02-04T15:39:00.001-05:00

Groping the Elephant: President Obama's Religious Outlook

Rolling Stone: One Town's War on Gay Teens

The Atlantic: Top Susan G. Komen Official Resigned Over Planned Parenthood Cave-In

The New Civil Rights Movement: Top 10 Most-Offensive Things About Anti-Gay Tennessee Senator Campfield (That You Didn’t Already Know)

Huffington Post: Sit-Ins for Stacey

CPAC 2012 Is Just Around the Corner!

2012-02-04T00:51:00.000-05:00

The annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will take place on February 9-11 at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington D.C. I had the opportunity to observe CPAC in 2011 (see here and here), and like the Values Voters Summit, it offers a glimpse into the American right.

A vertitable who's who of conservatives, CPAC's confirmed speakers this year include current and former political figures such as Speaker of the House John Boehner, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida Governor Rick Scott, Newt Gingrich, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Mike Huckabee. Also in the CPAC line-up are Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly, prolific mother Michelle Duggar, and commentator Ann Coulter, among many others.

According to the 2012 CPAC schedule of events, a number of workshops and panel discussions will focus on themes we've come to expect.

- In the Name of “Tolerance”: Countering Sexual Identity Politics in Schools & Wait No More

- Why are U.S. taxpayers spending billions to promote abortion and homosexuality worldwide?

- The Phony Divide Between Fiscal & Social Conservatives: Protecting Marriage as a Case Study

- Return of Big Labor: What Can We Learn from Wisconsin & Ohio?

- The Failure of Multiculturalism: How the pursuit of diversity is weakening the American identity

- Taking Back Wall Street: The Tea Party vs. Occupy Wall Street

- Advancing the Pro-Life Movement through Media

CPAC 2012 will also screen multiple films, including the following.

- Fire From the Heartland: The Awakening of the Conservative Woman, a Citizens United production featuring Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Rep. Michelle Bachmann, and antifeminist Phyllis Schlafly. (See firefromtheheartland[dot]com)

- The Gift of Life, an anti-abortion film from Citizens United narrated by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. (See thegiftoflifemovie[dot]com)

- Monumental: In Search of America’s National Treasure, a film about American decline and founding principles featuring Kirk Cameron. (See www[dot]monumentalmovie[dot]com)

For additional information, visit cpac2012[dot]conservative.org/.

To download the CPAC schedule of events, visit cpac2012[dot]conservative[dot]org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Schedule-Of-Events_Latest.pdf.

For additional news and commentary, visit the following links.

The Advocate: Fred Karger Accuses CPAC of Illegal "No Gays Allowed" Policy

Huffington Post: Sarah Palin To Be Keynote Speaker At 2012 CPAC Conference

Mother Jones: CPAC Cosponsor: Nelson Mandela a "Bloodthirsty Terrorist"

Komen Reverses Decision; Religious Right Disgusted

2012-02-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

Earlier this week, the media reported that breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen For the Cure was ending breast health grants to Planned Parenthood. A public relations firestorm erupted, culminating in a letter from twenty-six Democratic senators to Komen CEO Nancy Brinker, urging her to reconsider. On Friday, Susan G. Komen For the Cure announced that it has reversed that decision and will continue to fund Planned Parenthood.

As you can imagine, the Religious Right was not amused.

- In a February 3rd press release by the Family Research Council, FRC Director for the Center of Human Dignity Jeanne Monahan said that it would be "heartbreaking" for breast cancer victims if Planned Parenthood "bullied" Komen into weakening their standards. She expressed dismay that Planned Parenthood allegedly took Susan G. Komen For the Cure and "demonize[d] it overnight for simply making their grants results-oriented." (See www[dot]frc[dot]org/newsroom/frc-responds-to-susan-g-komens-reconsideration-of-abortion-neutral-stance)

- At the Bound 4 Life Moral Outcry blog, Susan Michelle insisted urged observers not to "get caught up in a war of words" between Komen and Planned Parenthood. She insisted that Christians are "literally seeing spiritual warfare in ways that some only see through eyes of discernment in a spiritual sense," sharing a provocative quote from Ephesians 6:12. Amusingly, Michelle compared the Komen/Planned Parenthood debacle to pink robots. (See bound4life[dot]com/blog/2012/02/03/finding-peace-in-the-komen-vs-planned-parenthood-spiritual-war)

"...it’s interesting to me how every time Planned Parenthood gets threatened they manage to get even the US government on their side and make enough noise that they end up with something just short of a congressional medal. If we see with spiritual eyes, we will see this goes so much deeper than a tug-of-war between two women’s organizations."

- In a commentary at the National Review Online, Focus on the Family president Jim Daly claimed that Komen gave into "a relentless barrage of political bullying." Daly described Komen's reversal as "political correctness ... running amok."(See www[dot]nationalreview[dot]com/corner/290143/komen-foundation-was-bullied-left-jim-daly

- In a statement at the National Right to Life website, Carol Tobias criticized Planned Parenthood for launching "a shrill online campaign to bring Komen to its knees by bullying the organization into submission." Tobias insisted that Planned Parenthood is in the "business" of abortion, not breast cancer, and discouraged Susan G. Komen For the Cure and other cancer research groups from funding Planed Parenthood. (See www[dot]nrlc[dot]org/press_releases_new/Release020312.html)

News Tidbits

2012-02-02T20:22:00.000-05:00

Washington Post: The National Prayer Breakfast: Live coverage

Edge Boston: GetEQUAL, Other Groups Protest National Prayer Breakfast

KTVA 11 Alaska: Equal Rights Initiative Becomes Religious Battle Between Clergy Over Homosexuality

My Fox DC: School Defends 'Friends of Ex-Gays' Flyer Handed Out to Students

The Advocate: Is NOM Hiding Its Donors Again?

Commentary Tidbits

2012-02-02T20:17:00.000-05:00

RH Reality Check: Millennials Stifled by Evangelical Doctrines

Politicus USA: Fundamentalist Kristi Watts Upset that Atheists Do Not Hate Wiccans

The Village Voice: Vi Simpson: The Woman Who Punked The Radical Republicans in the Indiana State Senate and Their Creationist Bill

AlterNet: Praying to Be Skinny and Straight: Why Evangelicals Are Concerned With Weight-loss and 'Ex-gay' Therapies

Salon: The Christian right, alive and powerful

Washington Post: A Mormon church in need of reform

Not Very Useful Truths: Besieged

New York Times: A Male-Dominated World

Media Matters: Right-Wing Media Cheer Decision That Could Hinder Access To Breast Cancer Services For Thousands Of Women

Daily Kos: Ken Ham says dinosaurs were on Noah's Ark. His KY theme park gets $43 million tax break.
(Hat tip to Groping the Elephant)

Susan G. Komen For the Cure Ends Partnership with Planned Parenthood

2012-02-01T22:45:00.004-05:00

2/3/12 UPDATE: Susan G. Komen For the Cure announced today that it will continue funding for Planned Parenthood.

(Click here if you're having trouble viewing the video.)

Breast cancer charity Susan. G. Komen For the Cure has ended its partnership with Planned Parenthood affiliates and halted grants for breast health services at Planned Parenthood clinics. According to NPR, the Komen ended the relationship because Planned Parenthood is currently under investigation, thanks to an inquiry launched by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Florida) into Planned Parenthood's use of public money.

Commentators have speculated on whether the right-leaning politics of some high-ranking staff at Susan G. Komen For the Cure played any role in recent events. Mother Jones notes that Komen CEO Nancy Brinker has donated money to Republican candidates and the Republican National Committee. RH Reality Check observes that Komen Senior Vice President for Policy Karen Handel is a former anti-abortion gubernatorial candidate, and that Komen Advocacy Alliance Board member Jane Abraham is General Chair of the Susan B. Anthony List.

Not surprisingly, anti-abortion activists were elated at this news, several using it as an opportunity to ridicule Planned Parenthood.

- In a press release at his website, Louisiana Senator David Vitter (yes, that Sen. Vitter) wrote that he urged Komen CEO Nancy Brinker to end the organization's relationship with Planned Parenthood. (See www[dot]vitter[dot]senate[dot]gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=39a4d74b-efad-5c21-dea1-ec121e58e582)

“This is a welcome, long overdue decision that will make Komen more effective in the fight against breast cancer, which is why I wrote a letter to Komen’s founder and CEO last May urging her to take this step. Komen does tremendous good by supporting education and research to fight breast cancer, and it was clear that their association with Planned Parenthood was unnecessary to advance that core mission."

- In a January 31st press release, the Family Research Council applauded the Susan G. Komen For the Cure for ending its funding of Planned Parenthood. FRC president Tony Perkins praised the organization for "putting women's health first rather than fund the nation's largest abortion provider." Perkins accused Planned Parenthood of allegedly covering up cases of statutory rape and committing financial misconduct. (See www[dot]frc[dot]org/pressrelease/frc-commends-susan-g-komen-foundation-for-halting-grants-to-largest-abortion-provider)

- At the blog of anti-abortion group Bound 4 Life, Susan Michelle was pleased with the Komen's decision and urged readers to pray that the decision remains permanent. (Hat tip to Right Wing Watch. See bound4life[dot]com/blog/2012/01/31/komen-stops-funding-planned-parenthood)

"Though Komen says these public criticisms are not a factor in their choice to stop funding Planned Parenthood, it’s hard to believe that the pressure didn’t impact the decision ... Pray for this to be permanent; pray the truth behind the abortion industry is exposed in this congressional investigation—and thank Komen, as well. If the public support is higher for cutting support than not, Komen is unlikely to return to it."

- The Silent No More Awareness Campaign blog praised the decision while making questionable links between abortion and breast cancer risk. The blog discussed at length efforts by SNMAC and other anti-abortion groups to promote the dubious link between abortion and breast cancer. The blog failed to mention a 2003 National Cancer Institute gathering of over 100 global cancer experts, which concluded that abortion does not increase a woman's risk of breast cancer. (See www[dot]silentnomoreawareness[dot]org/about-us/article.aspx?articleid=3939&owner=0)

- Americans United for Life CEO Charmaine Yoest approved of the move as well, lambasting Planned Parenthood as a "billion dollar, abortion mega-provider." In a January 31st blog post, she insisted that Susan G. Komen For the Cure should not be "intertwined with an industry dealing in death." The post added that Americans United for Life urged Rep. Stearns to investigate Planned Parenthood. (See www[dot]aul[dot]org/2012/01/auls-dr-charmaine-yoest-commends-susan-g-komen-for-the-cure-for-ending-support-of-abortion-giant-planned-parenthood/)

For additional commentary, visit the following links.

Brilliant at Breakfast: If you've been donating to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, it's time to stop

Jezebel: Susan G. Komen Foundation Begins Backpedaling for the Cure

Right Wing Watch: 'Pro-Life' Activists Pile Praise Decision to Defund Breast Cancer Screenings at Planned Parenthood with Phony Science

Credo Action: Tell the board of Susan G. Komen for a Cure: Don't throw Planned Parenthood under the bus!

News Tidbits

2012-01-31T11:46:00.000-05:00

New York Times: Ruling on Contraception Draws Battle Lines at Catholic Colleges

New York Times: Lt. General William Boykin Withdraws from West Point Talk

Miami Herald: Judge denies effort to block Colorado abortion protester

Washington Post: Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims blast Rick Santorum on ‘equality’ comment

Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Foes of marriage amendment raise $1.2 million

Pink Paper: What happened when we infiltrated last week's gay conversion meeting in London

Pink News: Ex-Archbishop of Canterbury backs ‘gay cure’ therapist

Commentary Tidbits

2012-01-31T11:28:00.000-05:00

Freedom from Religion Foundation: Pennsylvania Bible Resolution Is "Sinfully' Unconstitutional

Whatever Works: Still Believe in the Heritage Foundation?

The Rantings of a Gothic Atheist: Mark Driscoll's Seven Sex Essentials from the Bible

St. Louis Beacon: Darwin vs. Design

Concord Monitor: The Darwin connection: Anti-evolution bills put my health at risk

Metro Weekly: Baltimore's Catholic head uses atrocious "blacks vs. gays" argument against marriage rights

Media Matters: Fox Breathlessly Attempts To Smear Obama As Anti-Catholic

SPLC Hatewatch: WND Promotes Anti-Abortion Film for Black History Month

Friday at the 2012 Creating Change Conference

2012-01-31T02:03:00.000-05:00

Pro-LGBT clergy stoles on display at the
National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change

On Friday, January 27th, I volunteered at the 2012 National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change in Baltimore, MD. Hosted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the conference draws thousands of attendees from across the country each year to explore LGBT issues. The 2012 Creating Change Conference sported several high-profile speakers, such as Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, NAACP president Benjamin Jealous, and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force executive director Rea Carey.

The Hilton Baltimore was brimming with a sea of LGBT people and allies, young and old, racially diverse, and religiously varied. In one wing of the hotel, the Practice Spirit, Do Justice initiative hung rows of pro-LGBT clergy stoles to demonstrate how members of the faith community support LGBT rights. One room was designated as an art lounge, where visitors could draw, paint, or contribute to a collective art piece stretched across a table. Hospitality lounges devoted to youth, health, and other topics offered relaxation and refreshments.

Collaborative art piece in
the art lounge

The exhibitor hall was lined with tables from dozens of organizations such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Truth Wins Out, NARAL, and Out at Work. The presence of faith groups such as Lutherans Concerned and Bangor Theological Seminary were a reminder that affirming Christians support the LGBT community. Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse oversaw a table loaded with books for sale on gender, sexuality, and LGBT issues.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the workshop schedule offered several sessions on Religious Right issues, which is what drew me to the conference. In exchange for several hours of volunteer work, I received free admission into the Friday workshops. I'd like to focus on two particular workshops on liberating responses to religious homophobia.

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The first, "Language Matters: Why We Should Stop Saying 'Abomination' and 'Sodomy,'" was led by Jay Michaelson, associate editor of Religion Dispatches and author of God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality. Michaelson discussed Biblical words and passages that anti-gay fundamentalists have used to brand homosexuality as a sin.

Anti-gay discourse from the far right almost always focuses on male homosexuality, he observed, thereby erasing female same-sex eroticism. Whether this is an attempt to erase women's sexuality, or a result of far right men's fears of allegedly "feminine" men, he could not say. The far right avoids describing gays with the word "homosexuality," which is clinical and suggests a condition or identity, in favor of morally charged words such as "abomination" and "sodomy," Michaelson added.

One of the most common Biblical passages used to disparage homosexuality is Leviticus 18:22, which warns men not to lie with men because it is an "abomination." The passage appears in the context of Levitical laws concerning cleanliness and purity. Michaelson argues that the Hebrew word toevah, usually translated as "abomination," refers to a culturally relative taboo that sets boundaries between groups. Toevah does not necessarily denote a universally unnatural act in the same way that the word "abomination" does. Toevah is used 103 times in the Hebrew Bible, mostly in reference to idolatry or "foreign worship" (avodah zara). Deuteronomy 18:9-12, Deuteronomy 7:25-26, and Ezekiel 8:1-18 are three examples in which toevah is used to denote foreign religious practices. Also, Deuteronomy 23:18, which forbids cultic prostitution among Israelites of both sexes, suggests that the Levitical ban on male-on-male intercourse may have been a ban on a particular idolatrous religious practice. In short, Michaelson indicated that the interpretation of Leviticus 18:22 as a blanket ban on homosexuality is a simplistic and highly problematic reading of the text.

Michaelson went on to discuss the homophobic use of the Biblical Sodom story and the epithet "sodomite" to disparage gays. In Genesis 19:1-13, angels from God lodge with Lot in the city of Sodom. When the men of Sodom learn of the angel's presence, they surrounded Lot's house and demanded sex with the angels. Lot refused, offering his virgin daughters to the mob instead. The angels then blinded all the Sodomite men and warned Lot that they were about to destroy the city, urging him to flee with his family. (For a discussion of why the Sodom story is implausible, check out this post at the Wise Fool's blog.)

Michaelson argued that the Sodom story is not about homosexuality; rather, male-on-male sexual activity is the instrument of the story, not its focus. To assume that the Sodom story is about homosexuality would be like saying that a story about an axe-murderer is about an axe, he said. Rather, he argued that the Sodom story is about hospitality. The three chapters surrounding the Sodom story, he noted, also focus on hospitality or the lack thereof, thereby putting the Sodom story in a wider context. Hospitality was an important value in Biblical times, and the text emphasizes Lot's hospitality to the angels while depicting the Sodomites as violently inhospitable. The threat of male-on-male rape was an act of dominance and humiliation, meant to show the Sodomite's lack of hospitality to outsiders. Michaelson mused on reclaiming the "sin of Sodom" and "sodomy" from anti-gay figures, using these terms instead to condemn those who oppress and despise foreigners.

In short, Michaelson's workshop stressed the importance of a nuanced interpretation of scripture, especially when homophobic figures are (mis)quoting scripture to disparage gays.

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Another workshop, "When Anti-Gay Protesters Come to Campus," was led by Blaise Liffick and Alanna Berger of Silent Witness Peacekeepers, an organization performs peacekeeping duties at LGBT events in Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley region (see here). The workshop discussed non-confrontational responses to anti-gay protesters on college campuses, such as the Westboro Baptist Church.

The presentation began with a photo of two young men at a college campus, with one man shouting at the other. Liffick explained that the calm man was an anti-gay protester, and the shouting man was an onlooker -- a situation that one does not want to happen. When anti-gay protesters arrive on campus, an effective response must be non-confrontational and nonviolent. Otherwise, the situation can potentially deteriorate into violence, Liffick explained.

Organized responses to anti-gay protesters should respect everyone's rights (including the protesters' right to free speech) while encouraging indifference to the protesters' presence. Pro-LGBT voices should respect the protesters as human beings, but should also make their opposition to anti-gay protesters clear. In doing so, they show support for LGBT students who might be emotionally hurt by the anti-gay protesters, and who may have already been marginalized by society. Liffick provided examples of positive pro-LGBT responses to anti-gay protesters, such as vigils, poetry projects, teach-ins, and West Chester University's Project Lemonade.

Silent Witness Peacekeepers is one such response to anti-gay protesters at LGBT events. The organization has trained over a thousand volunteers to form "human spiritual firewalls" between anti-gay protesters and LGBT event attendees, thereby ensuring that the LGBT community has safe, peaceful gatherings. Liffick described the Kingian principles of non-violence that undergird Silent Witness, including nonviolence as a way of life, avoiding internal violence of the spirit, and striving toward "beloved community."

The workshop shed light on some of the anti-gay protesters who have demonstrated against Susquehanna Valley LGBT events, including Repent America, Life & Liberty Ministries, and Luke 10:2 Ministries. Anti-gay protesters are intentionally confrontational, Liffick said, often using tactics to evoke negative emotional responses in bystanders. These tactics include "fire and brimstone" preaching, verbal attacks on bystander's age or appearance, and the use of shills. Liffick described shills who are planted in campus audiences, shouting angrily at the anti-gay protesters (with whom they're in league) in order to rile up a taciturn crowd of onlookers.

The workshop offered suggestions for creating pro-LGBT peacekeeping groups on campus, with advice on creating an identity, communication, collaboration, recruiting, and training. In short, the workshop taught students and campus administrators about effective responses to anti-gay protesters, as well as ethical principles that should guide these responses. These lessons were coupled with practical advice for creating pro-LGBT peacekeeping groups and avoiding the emotional traps set by anti-gay protesters.

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The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force deserves a warm thank you for hosting the 2012 Creating Change Conference, as do the conference's many supporters. Kudos are also due to presenters who put together excellent workshops, such as Jay Michaelson and Silent Witness Peacekeepers. Thank you!

For additional news on the 2012 Creating Change Conference, visit the following links.

WBAL: LGBT Rights Advocates Gather In Baltimore

Baltimore Sun: O'Malley tells gay conference he backs their cause

The Root: Ben Jealous: LGBT and Civil Rights Groups Must Work Together

Edge Boston: Carey: Activists to Play "Offense and Defense" on Marriage in 2012

American Independent: At LGBT conference leaders warn against too much focus on marriage over other issues

"No, I won't take the Viking sword out of my head."

2012-01-30T21:45:00.000-05:00

Remember when former senator Rick Santorum said that rape victims who become pregnant should welcome the pregnancy as a "gift from God"? The Second City Network takes him to task with this video.

(Hat tip to Truth Wins Out)

The 2012 March for Life, Part II

2012-01-29T16:11:00.002-05:00

(To return to part I, click here.)

On Monday, January 23rd, the annual March for Life took place on the National Mall in Washington D.C. to mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. C-SPAN posted a video of the March for Life rally, which can be viewed here. The March for Life rally featured speeches by political leaders and representatives from anti-abortion organizations such as Priests for Life, the National Black Pro-Life Coalition, and Silent No More. For your edification, I've featured some of the most striking speech quotes below.

Following a speech by Speaker of the House John Boehner, Rep. Chris Smith (R-New Jersey), co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, took to the podium with his wife. Referring to the anti-abortion movement as the "greatest human rights movement on earth," Rep. Smith claimed that the House overwhelmingly approved H.R. 3 (the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act) and the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Rep. Smith delivered a scathing polemic against President Obama, whom he called the "abortion industry's enabler-in-chief." At the 52:45 mark, he insisted that abortion was incompatible with American values.

"Mr. President, the violent destruction of children in the womb, killing babies, is not an American value. Mr. President, stop violating conscience rights. Stop violating religious freedom. That is not an American value. Abortion is not, never will be an American value. And stop exporting abortion to the four corners of the Earth."

At the 53:19 mark, Rep. Smith demonized President Obama for his alleged "abortion extremism," which he claimed will be even more strident in President Obama's second term.

"The past three years, my friends, of abortion extremism by President Obama is a mere foretaste, a mere foreshadowing of what will be if he is reelected. Mr. Obama's abortion extremism will significantly worsen in a second term. Given four more years, Obama will pack the courts and will--especially the U.S. Supreme Court, with litmus-tested pro-abortion judges. Unfettered by any concern of a future election, Mr. Obama will aggressively use the coercive power of the state to compel abortion conformity."

Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin, 5th District), criticized the Obama Administration's recent decision to require all employers to provide contraception coverage in employee health insurance (see here). At the 1:03:14 mark, he had this to say.

"One of the principles upon which our country was founded is freedom. Last Friday the Obama administration took away a freedom by going against conscience protection, and what this means is that people who are health care professionals or people who work in religious-sponsored hospitals will have a choice. The choice is their faith or their job. That's not freedom. That has to be reversed."

Similarly, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio, 2nd District) framed the contraception coverage mandate as an attack on religious freedom. The fact that anti-abortion voices not only resented a government mandate to provide contraception coverage, but aired this resentment at an anti-abortion event, revealed much about their agenda. The impact this would have on women's freedom to have affordable contraception and control their reproductive lives was not considered. At the 1:14:04 mark, Rep. Schmidt echoed Rep. Sensenbrenner's rhetoric.

"I'm here to challenge you to help me make sure that we are and continue to be the greatest nation in the world, a nation under God and God's plan for us ... This administration attacked one of the basic cores of what makes America great. Not only has our right to life been under continuous attack for the last 39 years, but now our right to be the kind of person we want to be, the right to liberty ... By removing the conscience clause, this administration is now forcing us to choose between our right to be the kind of person we want to be, to have religious expression, and a job."

The March for Life rally illustrated the threads connecting anti-abortion and anti-euthanasia activists. Before introducing Bobby Schindler (brother of the late Terri Schiavo) Brother Paul O'Donnell argued that abortion was a slippery slope toward euthanasia. At the 1:46:56 mark, he told the audience that, "we need to remember that euthanasia follows abortion, just as night will follow this day."

Pastor Luke Robinson of the Quinn Chapel AME Church in Frederick, MD delivered the final rally speech. At the 1:51:10 mark, he described Roe v. Wade in nightmarish language.

"We are here because injustice is here. Thirty-nine years ago, our Supreme Court decided to legally kill children in America. Thirty-nine years ago, America bought into the lie that it could not determine when human life began ... These supreme ones were not wise enough to determine the beginning of human life, and thus plunged this nation into a bloody sea of human death with the murder of over 52 million innocent children, pre-born children! This mess must stop!"

Old abortion myths die hard, such as the myth that abortion increases women's risk of breast cancer. At the 1:51:58 mark, Pastor Robinson repeated this claim, failing to consider medical research to the contrary. In 2003, the National Cancer Institute convened a gathering of over 100 global experts on pregnancy and breast cancer risk, which concluded that abortion does not increase a woman's risk of breast cancer (see here). He also depicted abortion as a horrific site of violence against women, but did not provide examples.

"Studies have shown that abortion has tremendously increased breast cancer among women since the fatal decision handed down in Roe v. Wade. Additionally, women have been sterilized, raped, found dead on the abortion table. This mess must change!"

At the 1:56:39 mark, Pastor Robinson framed abortion as a blow to the African-American community, raging against African-American leaders who refused to condemn abortion.

"Last year it was reported that the African-American community of New York was being devastated by abortion. The report was that 60% of all the impregnations of New York City in the African-American community ended in the death of the children. That meant that out of every 100 impregnations, 60 children died and 40 lived ... It is a tragedy in America. It is a tragedy in the African American community. It's genocidal. It is the destruction of a people. Where is the voice of President Obama? Where is the voice of Jesse Jackson? Where is the voice of Al Sharpton? Where is the voice of the Black Congressional Caucus? Where is the voice of the great Democratic party? ... Could it be, could it possibly be that the billion dollar abortion business has bought them out?"

Echoing the anti-Obama rhetoric of other speakers, Robinson urged listeners to take America back on election day from "the princes of darkness and the culture of death." He concluded his speech with glorification of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, begging God to open others' eyes.

After a musical performance of "God Bless America," the crowd left the National Mall to march to the Supreme Court, a sea of thousands peppered with umbrellas, banners, and signs.

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In conclusion, the conservative Christian flavor of several 2012 March for Life's speeches was noticeable, and the anti-abortion rhetoric was familiar enough. Speakers framed reproductive rights as an affront to religious freedom, painted abortion as a racial injustice, and spoke of contraception coverage, abortion, and euthanasia in the same disapproving breath. Equally glaring was the topics that were absent from the discussion: preventing unwanted pregnancy and exploring why women seek abortions. In their haste to demonize Planned Parenthood and contraception safeguards, speakers failed to reflect on the public health crisis that would result if either disappeared. In short, speakers at the 2012 March for Life vented their fury toward abortion without exploring its roots and complexities.

News Tidbits

2012-01-26T21:10:00.000-05:00

Los Angeles Times: Oklahoma Lawmaker Wants to Ban Fetuses in Food

Sacramento Bee: Romney's tithing raises the issue among Christian churches

Pennlive: Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg draws anger with Hitler comment

Ms. Magazine: Perp Walk for the Pope

American Independent: Michigan schools asked to cancel appearance of alleged ex-terrorist Kamal Saleem

New York Times: In Police Training, a Dark Film on U.S. Muslims

Xtra: Vancouver School Board censures Denike and Woo

Washington Post: Poll: Preachy politicians turn off many voters

Albany Times-Union: Gay rights activist opposes lawyer's hiring

All Africa: Ugandan Anti-Gay Bill Doesn't Make Sense, Mbeki Says

All Africa: Ugandan Clerics Told Not to Wed Homosexual Couples

Commentary Tidbits

2012-01-26T21:05:00.000-05:00

Truth Wins Out: Newt Gingrich, Self-Victimization, and the Politics of Personal Responsibility

The Grio: Rick Santorum's controversial ally: Black preacher with history of extreme rhetoric

Your Black World: Eddie Long’s Little Boys Keep Speaking Out

Tom the Dancing Bug: Sex-Act Morality Flow Chart

Salon: The right’s latest target: Girl Scout cookies

Media Matters: Fox's Napolitano Compares Roe v. Wade To "The Philosophical Argument Underlying The Holocaust"

Jewish Press: Surviving Bullying, Silencing And Torment For Being Gay In The Frum Community

The Christian Left Blog: The Enemies Within: The 20 Most Dangerous Conservatives and Their Organizations
(Hat Tip to A Feather Afrift)

The 2012 March for Life, Part I

2012-01-25T22:30:00.002-05:00

On Monday, January 23rd, the annual March for Life took place on the National Mall in Washington D.C. to mark the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I observed the March for Life in person in 2011 (see here and here), although the Gilead budget prevented me from doing the same this year. C-SPAN posted a video of the March for Life rally, which can be viewed here.

On stage, gospel group Sounds of Liberty crooned to the rally's massive crowd, which was dotted with signs celebrating the sanctity of life and urging the defunding of Planned Parenthood. A joint opening prayer between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox religious leaders featured Metropolitan Jonah, primate of the Orthodox Church. In his benediction, Metropolitan Jonah spoke of abortion as something cloaked in "despair and hopelessness" at the 29.37 mark.

"Remember not our negligence and sin. Remember not our failure to be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Remember not our hypocrisy, external zeal matched only with practical inaction to assist those who fall prey to the despair and hopelessness of abortion."

After the opening prayer, March for Life president Nellie Gray addressed the crowd, asserting that the right to life as understood by the anti-abortion movement is embedded in America's founding documents. At the 34:47 mark, she had this to say.

"We want to make certain that we remind our officials that this is not something unusual for America. Our founding documents put in them the right to life endowed by our creator, so that we understand that from the beginning, America was indeed a land understanding a right to life for each human being."

At the beginning of her speech, Gray insisted that anti-abortion activists "love the abortionists that we're trying to show and educate that they should not be active in the intentional killing of thousands and thousands of innocent preborn children." However, she later condemned abortion providers at the 35:21 mark, accusing them of deceiving the world so as to strengthen their "industry."

"There's an abortion industry in our country. This industry has begun to build itself, and how does that happen? It begins with their language. They want to deceive the world that what they are doing in the intentional killing of the innocent preborn children is something that is a right, it's a choice. And so with language they have developed unfortunately a killing industry for our country."

Following Gray, speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) spoke at the podium. Speaker Boehner, well-known for his anti-abortion stance, spoke of the bipartisan anti-abortion lawmakers in the House of Representatives, who are "working to restore the damage with regard to Roe." At the 49:01 mark, Boehner assured listeners that, "I've never considered being pro-life a label or a political position. It's just who I am. And it's not just that I am pro-life, it's that we as a people are pro-life."

In short, the March for Life started with familiar rhetoric against abortion, painting abortion in hopeless colors, caricaturing abortion providers as ominous deceivers, and justifying anti-abortion activism through references to America's foundational documents. The complexities of abortion, including the causes of unwanted pregnancy and the consequences if it were no longer available, were not the focus of discussion, sadly.

To read part II, click here.

To learn more about the March for Life, visit www[dot]marchforlife[dot]org/. For additional news and commentary, visit the following links.

USA Today: Thousands March on Washington to Protest Roe

Los Angeles Times: John Boehner Touts Antiabortion Efforts at March for Life

RH Reality Check: If They Called It the "March for Forced Motherhood and Female Enslavement," Then Would You Protest?

Occupy Faith DC to Host the People's Prayer Breakfast

2012-01-24T21:29:00.000-05:00

Occupy Faith DC will be hosting the People's Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, February 2nd at 7:30 a.m. at the Church of the Pilgrims in Washington D.C. According to its website, the People's Prayer Breakfast is intended to show solidarity with those who suffer economic inequality and hardship. The message of the gathering, meant for corporate interests, political leaders, and Americans in general, is that "there is enough for everyone." Occupy Faith DC, an interfaith coalition supporting the Occupy movement in the capital region, welcomes attendees and donations for the event.

The People's Prayer Breakfast was created as an alternative to the annual National Prayer Breakfast, an elite gathering of faith, business, and political leaders sponsored by a conservative Christian group called the Fellowship (a.k.a. The Family). First established in 1953, the National Prayer Breakfast has counted U.S. presidents and world leaders as its attendees. Jeff Sharlet described the history and content of the National Prayer Breakfast in his 2008 book, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. The People's Prayer Breakfast website acknowledges that good things have come out of the National Prayer Breakfast, but that new institutions are needed that speak to the faith of the grassroots rather than the elite.

Hat tip to Huffington Post. For more information or to register for the People's Prayer Breakfast, click here.

News Tidbits

2012-01-22T09:12:00.000-05:00

San Francisco Chronicle: Feds grant 1-year extension on birth control rule

Edge Boston: Pope Hits Out at ’Radical Secularism’

The Advocate: Washington Catholic Bishops: Marriage Equality Would Undermine Families

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Corbett's officials' departure initiates questions

ABC News: Mitt Romney Sent Millions to Mormon Church

The Hill: Santorum endorser Huey Mills attacks Romney on Mormonism, homosexuality

Pink Paper: Amsterdam's Chief Rabbi suspended over gay-cure endorsement

American Independent: Anti-abortion group launches database of abortion providers

American Independent: Florida senator defends resolution honoring anti-abortion pregnancy centers

Commentary Tidbits

2012-01-22T09:08:00.000-05:00

Pharyngula: A little comparative religion would do Ken Ham a world of good

New York Times: Moralizing’s High Cost

Cognitive Discopants: Driscoll & Brierley on Women in Leadership

God's Own Party: School Vouchers = Federal Funding of Christian Schools

New York Times: For God So Loved the 1 Percent...

The Daily Beast: Evangelicals in an Uproar Over Rick Santorum Endorsement

al-Arabiya: Tim Tebow, an Evangelical Candidate’s Secret Weapon

Salon: The Joy of Judgmental Christian Sex

Newt Gingrich on Marriage

2012-01-21T22:17:00.002-05:00

(Click here if you're having trouble viewing the video. Hat tip to Freak Out Nation.)

In a recent interview with ABC News, Newt Gingrich's ex-wife Marianne Gingrich alleged that he wanted an "open marriage" so that he could continue to have an affair. With Gingrich in the spotlight after these allegations and his recent win in the South Carolina primary, let's look back on what he has to say about marriage. This thrice-married man has a lot to say about the sanctity of marriage and the illegitimacy of same-sex marriage!

On January 7, 2012, Newt Gingrich had this to say about same-sex marriage during the ABC/WMUR Presidential Debate in Manchester, New Hampshire.

"We want to make it possible to have those things that are most intimately human between friend occur. For example, you're in a hospital. If there are visitation hours, should you be allowed to stay? There ought to be ways to designate that. You want to have somebody in your will. There ought to be ways to designate that. But it is a huge jump from being understanding and considerate and concerned, which we should be, to saying we're therefore going to institute the sacrament of marriage as though it has no basis. The sacrament of marriage was based on a man and a woman, has been for three-thousand years, is at the core of our civilization, and it's something worth protecting and upholding. And I think protecting and upholding that doesn't mean you have to go out and make life miserable for others, but it does mean you make a distinction between a historic sacrament of enormous importance in our civilization, and simply deciding it applies everywhere and it's just a civil right. It's not. It is a part of how we define ourselves, and I think that a marriage between a man and a woman is part of that definition."

In September 2011, Gingrich had this to say about marriage in Fort Dodge, Iowa, according to ABC News.

“I believe that marriage is between a man and woman. It has been for all of recorded history and I think [same-sex marriage] is a temporary aberration that will dissipate. I think that it is just fundamentally goes against everything we know.”

In a December 2011 letter to the Family Leader, Gingrich pledged to support legislation against same-sex marriage, as well as personal fidelity to his spouse. (See www[dot]thefamilyleader[dot]com/former-speaker-newt-gingrich-provides-written-response-to-the-family-leaders-marriage-pledge)

"I will support sending a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the states for ratification. I will also oppose any judicial, bureaucratic, or legislative effort to define marriage in any manner other than as between one man and one woman ... I also pledge to uphold the institution of marriage through personal fidelity to my spouse and respect for the marital bonds of others."

Need a chuckle after all this political talk? I do. On November 19, 2011, Gingrich made this comment about values at the Thanksgiving Family Forum in Des Moines, Iowa.

"I don't think liberty means libertine. I don't think liberty means absence of values. None of the Founding Fathers thought liberty meant that."

Forgive me if this rhetoric strikes me as hollow at this point. Whether or not Marianne Gingrich's allegations are true, I remain unmoved by Newt Gingrich's rhetoric about the sanctity of heterosexual marriage, and offended by his dismissal of same-sex marriage. People need to exhibit values before they criticize the values of others.

For additional commentary, visit the following links.

A Feather Adrift: How Many Feet Can You Fit in One Mouth?

Snoring Dog Studio: Hypocrisy and Self-Righteous Indignation Don’t Mix, Newt

Talk to Action: Eight Reasons Newt Gingrich is Emerging as the Religious Right's Anybody-but-Mitt Candidate

The New Yorker: Newt and His Wives

CNN: Why Gingrich 'open marriage' allegation may not scare off evangelicals

Commentary Tidbits: Anti-Gay Protest at SPLC Edition

2012-01-18T20:41:00.000-05:00

On January 17th, Hatewatch reported that several anti-gay activists protested outside of the Southern Poverty Law Center headquarters in Montgomery, Alabama. The protest, organized by Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH), condemned the Southern Poverty Law Center for categorizing anti-LGBT faith organizations as hate groups. According to Hatewatch, participating organizations included Abiding Truth Ministries, the Illinois Family Institute, and Mass Resistance, and scheduled speakers included Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber and Linda Harvey of Mission America.

Several LGBT and progressive blogs commented on the gathering, and for your reading pleasure, I've included links to their commentary below.

Right Wing Watch: While Protesting Southern Poverty Law Center, AFTAH Proves Why It's A 'Hate Group'

Truth Wins Out: Porno Pete Goes To SPLC For Whining Purposes, Brings Friends

Box Turtle Bulletin: Yes, Hate Groups Have African Americans Too

LGBTQ Nation: Anti-gay hate groups protest SPLC for calling them anti-gay hate groups

The New Civil Rights Movement: Anti-Gay Hate Groups Protest SPLC, Mislead About Why They're Labeled Hate Groups

Def Shepherd: Hate Groups Rally Outside Southern Poverty Law Center To Protest Being Labeled As Hate Groups

Joe. My. God: Photo of the Day: SPLC Protest

Commentary Tidbits

2012-01-17T21:36:00.000-05:00

The DV8: Ugly American Christians

SPLC Hatewatch: Anti-Gay Haters Plan Press Conference Today at SPLC

Chicago Tribune: I was (almost) a teenage Mormon

Washington Post: Climate and the culture war

The Daily Beast: Will Evangelical Christian Voters Save Rick Santorum?

Think Progress: Santorum Staffer Says Women Shouldn’t Be President Because It’s Against God’s Will

Right Wing Watch: Anti-Choice Activists use Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to Attack Abortion Rights

News Tidbits

2012-01-17T21:35:00.000-05:00

Pink Paper: Westboro Baptist Church held anti-gay protest outside Golden Globe Awards

USA Today: High school newspaper column sparks controversy

Twin Cities Daily Planet: Conservative Christian parents fight for right to discriminate against LGBT students at Anoka Hennepin

American Independent: Colorado representative urges Tim Tebow to lead House prayer

The Day of Purity and So-Called "Experimentation"

2012-01-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

The Day of Purity, a project of the Liberty Counsel, will take place this year on Valentine's Day. Supported by Christian churches and pro-abstinence groups, the Day of Purity celebrates "sexual purity" among young people. Christian purity culture is problematic, but there is another undercurrent here I'd like to discuss.

While the Day of Purity website uses the usual strategies to encourage abstinence before marriage, such as warnings about STDs and teen pregnancy, it goes beyond a pro-abstinence message. Several elements of the website suggest that this is not just a pro-abstinence campaign, but an anti-LGBT campaign as well. For instance, the website accuses modern culture of encouraging young people to become sexually active at young ages and to "experiment with sexual preferences." The Day of Purity symbol -- intertwined male and female glyphs -- and website's admonishment to youth to be "politically incorrect" strengthened my suspicion that an anti-LGBT undercurrent was present.

The Day of Purity website claims that there is a "concerted effort" in the media and schools to lure young people away from "traditional values." In the "About" section, the site casts "experimentation" with partners of the same sex in an extremely negative light. The alleged push to "experiment" with members of the same sex has led to the "bisexual chic" fad, it insists, in which girls declare themselves bisexual to be "cool." This is breathtakingly condescending not only to bisexuals, but to all LGBT youth whose sexual orientation has been trivialized as "experimentation." The "About" section disapprovingly shared quotes from two pro-LGBT organizations, GLSEN and PFLAG.

What the website fails to address is why so many LGBT youth are experiencing bullying and discrimination if so-called "sexual experimentation" is all the rage. If attraction to members of the same sex were seen as "cool," why does widespread homophobia create so much misery for LGBT youth? According to GLSEN's 2009 National School Climate Survey, 61.1% of respondents felt unsafe at school, 84.6% have been verbally harassed at school, 40.1% were physically harassed at school, and 18.8% were physically assaulted at school because of their sexual orientation. A third of students who reported such incidents indicated that the school staff did nothing in response. In another study of 7,376 students, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning youth were more likely to report high levels of bulling and homophobic victimization than heterosexual youth. The reality for today's youth bears little resemblance to the sexually freewheeling caricature promoted by the Day of Purity website.

If the Day of Purity wants to discourage sexual activity among teens, that's their right, but to do so through homophobic means is uncalled for. There are plenty of ways to help young people prevent STDs, pregnancy, and early sexual activity without mocking LGBT youth.

To learn more about the Day of Purity, visit www[dot]lc[dot]org/dayofpurity/. The project also has a UK website at dayofpurity[dot]co[dot]uk/

To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Right Wing Watch: A $370K Bonus for Saving Yourself for Marriage?

Commentary Tidbits

2012-01-16T17:10:00.000-05:00

Slate: Evangelical Super-Group Endorses Rick Santorum

Box Turtle Bulletin: The Coronation of Pope Rick Marred by Dissent

Towleroad: Focus on the Family's Appeal to NFL Fans

Pandagon: I Get Letters

Lance Wallnau on Occupy Wall Street

2012-01-15T20:54:00.001-05:00

(Click here if you're having trouble viewing the video.)

The Occupy Movement is still active, even if mainstream media coverage has declined. Blogs such as Freak Out Nation have been keeping tabs on the movement, and Religious Right voices are still offering commentary on the Occupiers.

Lance Wallnau, a New Apostolic Reformation preacher and CEO of the Lance Learning Group, mentioned Occupy Wall Street in a recent episode of Prophetic Perspectives. Wallnau and other NAR preachers were at the center of a controversy in 2011 when they were scheduled to speak at Harvard University's Social Transformation Conference (see here and here).

During the January 4th edition of MorningStar TV's Prophetic Perspectives, "Changing Society with the Kingdom of God," Wallnau discussed Seven Mountains theology. Wallnau argued that Occupy Wall Street arose out of frustration with the economic system, which was corrupted by diabolical powers. At the 9:35 mark, he insisted that because the economic system wasn't infused with "kingdom principles regarding fiscal responsibility," the Devil sent his "kings" into the economic world.

"We have focused so exclusively on the mission of getting people saved ... what we've misunderstood is the world system has to have teaching, because the only way you're ever going to see nations made disciples is if we unpack what we've got in these systems. What are these systems? These are the systems that are in chaos right now because they haven't been taught. Right now you've got, depending on when you watch this broadcast, you've got an Occupy Wall Street movement. You know why? Because we didn't occupy Wall Street with kingdom principles regarding fiscal responsibility and discipline. Now we've got people that are frustrated, you know, like Woodstock generation type, next generation people on the streets who are upset because somebody didn't deal with economics, so if you don't deal with economics, guess what? The Devil will send kings into that area who will screw it up."

Wallnau continued, arguing that the Devil would corrupt other spheres of society if believers do not influence them. At the 10:38 mark, he had this to say.

"If you don't deal with the arts and the music and the literature and the songs and the culture that your children are being baptized into, guess what? The Devil will send the influencers into the art world and they'll pervert your kids' thinking. If you don't start to control truth in media and conscience in media, so that there's accountability ... the Devil will send kings who will dominate the information process. If you don't start to get a hold of government responsibility and laws properly framed that have a Biblical worldview ..."

Wallnau reminded viewers that they must help solve problems instead of point fingers on policy matters. He urged believers to be tactful rather than combative when addressing public officials. "These people that are there, unfortunately they're not only under the influence of darkness, when they meet us, they don't always meet the best of us," he said

Wallnau's talk painted a familiar picture of Seven Mountains theology, one in which Christians must exert control over the spheres of society, lest diabolical powers take control of them. Still, I doubt that many Occupy Wall Street demonstrators would embrace his theory that the Devil's minions scrambled the economic system!

Hat tip to Right Wing Watch. To watch the full episode, visit www[dot]morningstartv[dot]com/prophetic-perspective-current-events/changing-society-kingdom-god

Open Letter Frames Same-Sex Marriage as Threat to Religious Freedom

2012-01-15T17:40:00.001-05:00

January 11th was the release date of "Marriage and Religious Freedom: Fundamental Goods that Stand or Fall Together," an open letter opposing same-sex marriage. The document has been signed by almost three dozen American religious leaders, mostly conservative Christians, including Salvation Army national commander William A. Roberts, National Association of Evangelicals president Rev. Leith Anderson , LDS presiding bishop H. David Burton, New York Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, and Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission president Dr. Richard Land.

The letter defines marriage as the union of one man and one women, declaring it to be a universal good and the foundation of all societies. Opposite-sex marriage, it claims, is "bound up" within the human nature of male and female. The letter argues that the "true definition" of marriage must be protected for the well-being of society. Alterations such as same-sex marriage allegedly threaten to interfere with the religious freedom of those who affirm opposite-sex marriage.

The greatest peril posed by same-sex marriage, it insists, is pressure on religious organizations and individuals to treat sexual conduct by same-sex partners as the "moral equivalent" of opposite-sex marital sex. The letter laments that changing the civil definition of marriage to include same-sex unions will compel religious people and organizations to acknowledge same-sex marriages in their occupations and ministries (i.e., schools, hospitals, counseling services). Failure to do so could result in the withdrawal of government funds and other benefits, it suggests. For instance, religious adoption services would be required to place children with same-sex couples, and religious employers would be required to give health benefits to same-sex spouses. The horror!

The letter concludes by urging "those entrusted with the public good" to support legislation that upholds opposite-sex marriage as the only valid form of marriage, and in doing so safeguard religious freedom.

Where do I begin? First, the letter's assertion that the meaning of marriage transcends society and religion is incorrect, as notions of marriage and family differ across cultures and eras. Along these lines, the document's assumption that one particular concept of marriage is a "universal good" is incorrect. To boot, the idea that opposite-sex marriage is inscribed upon human nature ignores people who are LGBT, asexual, or single by choice.

In keeping with common anti-LGBT rhetoric, "Marriage and Religious Freedom" frames equal rights for LGBT couples and religious freedom as mutually exclusive. Discrimination against same-sex married couples by religious institutions is framed as an exercise of religious freedom, not unfair treatment. However, as more Americans, including religious Americans, acknowledge the rights of LGBT people, will "Marriage and Religious Freedom" resonate with the populace?

To read "Marriage and Religious Freedom: Fundamental Goods that Stand or Fall Together," visit manhattandeclaration[dot]org/media/MarriageandReligiousFreedom.aspx. For additional news and commentary, visit the following links.

Washington Post: Religious leaders: Same-sex marriage threatens religious freedom

MyQuest: My Thoughts on Life's Journey: A Critique of MARRIAGE AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: Fundamental Goods that Stand or Fall Together, Parts I, II, and III

Lez Get Real: Religious Leaders Want to Fight Marriage Equality on Religious Liberty

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Faith leaders deliberately mislead about marriage equality

OneThing 2011: Lou Engle on Dreams, Tornadoes, and Abortion

2012-01-14T15:31:00.001-05:00

To read about Mike Bickle's talk at OneThing 2011, click here. To read about Corey Russell's comment on the "unequally yoked," click here.

The International House of Prayer's 2011 OneThing conference took place on December 28-31, 2011 at the Kansas City Convention Center. IHOP has since posted videos and MP3 files of the event at www[dot]ihop[dot]org/onething/. I would be remiss if I did not post on Lou Engle's December 31st talk, which contained familiar messages about dreams, prophesy, and abortion.

The MP3 recording began with Engle praising the Bound 4 Life anti-abortion ministry. Engle insisted that "seed" was being sown that night, and that years from now, audience members would be winning souls and working with orphans and adoption services.

Engle described his Christian anthropology to the audience, claiming that God forms the seat of human emotion and creates humans so that they long for their creator. Quoting Psalm 139:13 -- "you knit me together in my mother's womb" -- he celebrated how God shapes humans just as he shaped Adam in the Genesis creation story. "The womb is God's art studio," Engle said. "It's his secret laboratory where he creates those who bear his very image. You are a piece of artwork, not just a piece of work." Using a metaphor from his Firestorm 2011 talk, Engle told listeners that God wrote a novel about each of their lives, and that God doesn't writing boring novels.

Engle stressed at length the spiritual importance of dreams, which are one medium through which the divine speaks to believers. At the 17:00, he had this to say.

"We trivialize the prophetic. We trivialize our night visions and just say, 'Well, I just had a dream. It was only a dream.' Only a dream!? The Bible says in the last days, your old men will dream dreams and see visions. The language of the last days is revelatory, audible, hearing and seeing, and you say it's just a dream? Many people see the burning bush and don't even go toward it."

Engle described how Brian Kim's dream led to the creation of Bound 4 Life, an anti-abortion ministry in which members demonstrate with red tape over their mouths with "LIFE" written on it. The first such demonstration received media attention in Washington D.C., Engle said, claiming that the media is subject to prophetic ministry at the 27:13 mark.

"What I didn't realize is that the media would fall in love with the image, and they would blast that image all over the world. While standing out there, it was prophesy that was going on. The media was prophesying life, life, life, life. The media comes under the prophetic ministry of the church. The media doesn't have the last word in America. The prophetic praying church has the last word."

Engle spoke of life bands, the anti-abortion wrist bands distributed by Bound 4 Life. He described another man's dream in which a life band sat alongside David's slingshot and Samson's jawbone-bludgeon in Heaven's weapon hall of fame. He spoke at length about miraculous happenings and anti-abortion activism, attributing it to God's influence.

At the 32:27 mark, Engle spoke of sex trafficking in the same breath as abortion, claiming that God wants to make war on "the destruction of women's lives." This is not the first time Engle has suggested a moral equivalency between sex trafficking and reproductive freedom, nor is it the first time that an anti-abortion figure has suggested that abortion harms women.

"I tell you, I believe we are heading into a moment when God wants to make war on sex trafficking. He wants to make war on the abortion of babies and the destruction of women's lives, and a people that are hearing the prophetic voice are not playing games."

Engle claimed that the devastating tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri in 2011 was a sign of God's judgment upon abortion. At the 40:46, he said this.

"The Joplin tornado came last year, three tornadoes in one, rumbling through the land. I said right after that to my friends, 'This is the beginning of God's redemptive judgments for the shedding of innocent blood of the unborn. This is a sign.' God's separating the nation on the issue of abortion, just like he did when the Missouri Compromise. Out of Missouri, again, something's going on."

Engle recited a story he shared at a June 2011 gathering in Kansas City, in which a pastor dreamed that he urged President Obama to end abortion, and the pastor's daughter dreamed about President Lincon and the numerical code 52911 (the date that President Obama visited Joplin). As he has many times before, Engle spoke of racial justice and the ending of abortion in the same breath at the 44:49 mark.

"I believe as Lincoln was a president who presided over a nation that was under the judgment of the shedding of innocent blood because of the blood of the slaves, so too now President Obama is presiding over a nation that is under the judgments of God for the shedding of innocent blood of the unborn. But wouldn't it be like God that a man from Illinois could release an Emancipation Proclamation to let the blacks go free so that a black man could be president to let the unborn go free."

To read additional commentary, visit the following link.

Right Wing Watch: Lou Engle has Prophecy of Looming Natural Disasters and Economic Wreckage Because of Legal Abortion

News Tidbits

2012-01-13T20:21:00.000-05:00

El País: Abortion a bigger problem than joblessness, says archbishop

Buzzfeed: Bishop Romney Pressured Single Mother To Give Up Baby, Book Says

American Independent: Priests for Life releases ‘four-pronged attack’ on abortion rights

New York Times: Boys’ School Affiliated With Catholic Group Draws Conservatives in Washington

Sunshine State News: Coalition Demands Hillsborough Schools Cut Off 'Hamas Entity'

Chicago Tribune: Gay marriage a threat to humanity's future: Pope

The Advocate: Osteen: Being Gay’s a Sin, But We Can Go to Heaven

Christian Science Monitor: On the front lines of sexual assault in the military: Army chaplains

Commentary Tidbits

2012-01-13T20:08:00.001-05:00

Vanity Fair: The Meaning of Mitt

CBC News: Can Mitt Romney Survive the Rapturous right? (Thanks Knatolee!)

The New Civil Rights Movement: Unmasked! Anti-LGBT Group Behind Girl Scout Cookie Boycott

Butterflies and Wheels: Stop Ukpabio from Bringing her witch hunting campaign to the US

Wall of Separation: Hypocrisy Alert: Religious Right Likes Prayer In School – Unless It’s By Muslim Students

Dispatches from the Culture Wars: The Planned Parenthood Boogeyman

Women's eNews: Republicans Push Pro-Zygote Extremism Over the Top

Ames Progressive: Iowa! New Hampshire! South Carolina! Santorum! God!

RH Reality Check: Ultra-Conservative Doctrine May Be the Reason for Unreported Sexual Crimes in the Military

Mother Jones: Rick Santorum's Big, Anti-Gay Ally

Human Trafficking, Violence, and Scripture

2012-01-12T20:54:00.003-05:00

In a recent commentary at Religion Dispatches (trigger warning), Sarah Sentilles analyzes misogyny and violence against women in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The film revolves around a serial killer whose sexual assaults and murders of women are based on passages from the Bible, such as Leviticus 21:9. With such violent Biblical passages in mind, Sentilles takes Biblical literalists to task for selectively ignoring the Bible's offensive content.

These bloody verses that insist women be punished with violent death—often for perceived or imagined sexual transgressions—are usually overlooked, downplayed, skipped over, ignored. Most people like to pretend they aren’t really in the text. Especially people who claim to take the Bible literally."

Passages like these should render biblical literalism impossible. Their existence illuminates that literalists always engage in selective literalism, choosing the passages that support the arguments they want to make. And what is the rubric for selective literalism other than convenience and the maintenance of oppressive power relationships? When faced with such verses—or even passages about keeping kosher or not being around women who are menstruating—many a literalist will argue something like “that was then and this is now,” while in the very next breath (I’m talking to you, Rick Santorum, and you, Michele Bachmann) they’ll insist that homosexuality is an abomination or that women should submit to their husbands. Why? Because it’s in the Bible.

Sentilles' review made me reflect on other wrathful Biblical passages about "harlots", as well as the approach of many modern Christians to prostituted women and girls.

I'm heartened by the plethora of Christian groups tacking sex trafficking, offering advocacy and outreach to trafficking victims. Efforts to help trafficking victims and raise awareness should be commended, and I for one am pleased to see Christians joining the fight.*

Still, I'm perplexed by anti-trafficking advocates who hold the Bible as the inerrant word of God, given that the Bible contains many passages demonizing prostituted women. How do Christians reconcile compassion for prostituted women and youth with reverence for a text that repeatedly uses the "harlot" as a symbol of evil and violence against the prostituted woman as a symbol of divine judgment?

- Leviticus 21:9 commands that a priest's daughter who becomes a prostitute is to be burned to death.

- The prophets repeatedly compare their corrupt nation to a prostituted woman. See Isaiah 1:21, Jeremiah 2:20, Jeremiah 3:3-6, Ezekiel 16:15-17, and Ezekiel 25-33. Isaiah 57:3 lambastes the people as "offspring of adulterers and prostitutes." In Hosea 1, the prophet Hosea marries a prostituted woman to symbolize God's bond to a disobedient nation.

- In Jeremiah 13:26-27 and Hosea 2:1-13, God's chastisement of his disobedient people is likened to a man sexually humiliating his promiscuous spouse. Similarly, Ezekiel 16:35-41 depicts God and Israel's other "lovers" sexually humiliating and physically brutalizing her.

- In Revelations 17:3-6, the tormentors of Jesus' followers are symbolized by Babylon the Great, the lavishly dressed "mother of prostitutes" drunk on the blood of God's people. In a scene fit for a snuff film, Revelations 17:16-17 describes how the beast and Babylon's lovers sexually humiliate, cannibalize, and burn her.

I commend Christian organizations engaged in solid anti-trafficking work and want to see them thrive. The women and youth they have helped undoubtedly feel the same. Still, I think it would be fruitful to see more Christian voices critique and reject harmful images of prostituted women in scripture. Violence against women is abominable, and it should never be used to symbolize justice or goodness. To boot, it would be interesting to find out what prostituted women and youth think about these passages, and what impact such passages have on their own spirituality and self-esteem.

Healthy spirituality recognizes the fundamental humanity of all people, and recoils when the humanity of others is diminished. Christians (and others) who are involved in anti-trafficking work understand this well, as they labor to affirm the humanity of women and youth coerced into sexual exploitation. To combat human trafficking and affirm the dignity of its victims, there is much we need to do. We need to raise public awareness. We need to demand justice for traffickers and johns. We need to support service providers who provide advocacy and outreach to victims. We need to undermine men's demand for trafficked women and youth, and the patriarchal beliefs that undergird this demand.

Along these lines, we need to recognize the tension between compassion for trafficking victims and a belief in the Bible as inerrant. When fundamentalists dismiss disturbing Old Testament passages as “the old covenant,” it does not erase their misogyny – after all, those passages still indicate that the Biblical God endorsed misogynist ideas in the past. Readers of the Bible need to be critical of scriptural passages that ignore the human dignity of the prostituted women, caricaturing her as the quintessential symbol of idolatry and depravity. We need to reject inerrant interpretations of scripture in favor of nuanced interpretations that recognize patriarchal human influences on the text – and leave room for our common humanity.

For additional commentary, two excellent discussions of violence against women in the Bible are Joan M. Sakalas' "The Whore of Babylon Metaphor: Permission to Erase Evil?" and Renita J. Weem's Battered Love: Marriage, Sex, and Violence in the Hebrew Prophets.

* I am not referring to right-wing voices that use dubious trafficking rhetoric to bludgeon Planned Parenthood. Nor am I referring to those who lump sex trafficking into the same moral category as behaviors they happen to dislike.

Commentary Tidbits

2012-01-09T23:30:00.000-05:00

Groping the Elephant: What Keeps God Strong in America?

No Longer Quivering: Bring Me the Flaming Head of Barbie!

Life as a Reader: Religious Trauma Syndrome: Articles by Dr. Marlene Winell

NPR: Has Obama Waged A War On Religion?

RH Reality Check: Did Abstinence-Only Ideology Create a Bully Generation?

Pharyngula: Santorum Will Tell You How and When You Can Have Sex
(Hat tip to Infidel753)

News Tidbits

2012-01-09T23:25:00.000-05:00

The Guardian: Climate scientist disowned by Newt Gingrich speaks out over book spat

NPR: How Rick Santorum's 'Google Problem' Has Endured

Los Angeles Times: Rick Santorum focuses on gay marriage

American Independent: News anchor, anti-abortion activist to be the ‘face’ of Minnesota anti-gay marriage amendment

Chicago Tribune: Cardinal George apologizes for linking Pride Parade to KKK

New York Times: The Evangelical Brain Trust

Quotes from the ABC/WMUR Presidential Debate in New Hampshire

2012-01-08T19:19:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, January 7th, ABC News and WMUR hosted a Republican presidential candidate debate at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. Participants in the debate included Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, John Huntsman, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, and Rick Perry, reflecting a GOP presidential race that is slowly thinning out. While the debate probed a range of political issues, including candidate qualifications and foreign policy, it is the candidates' comments on marriage, reproductive issues, and "anti-Christian bigotry" that I will focus on here.

First, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum indicated their antagonism to Roe v. Wade, which comes as little surprise. "Do I believe that the Supreme Court should overturn Roe v. Wade? Yes I do," said Romney. Santorum also supported overturning Roe v. Wade, claiming that the Constitution did not enable abortion.

"I am for overturning Roe v. Wade. I do not believe that we have a right in this country in the constitution to take a human life. I don't think our founders envisioned that. I don't think the writing of the Constitution in anywhere enables that."

With regard to state governments and contraception, moderator George Stephanopolous had the following tense exchange with Mitt Romney, which struck me as evasive on Romney's part.

STEPHANOPOLOUS: Governor Romney, do you believe that states have the right to ban contraception, or is that trumped by a constitutional right to privacy?

ROMNEY: George, this is an unusual topic that you're raising. States have a right to ban contraception? I can't imagine a state banning contraception. I can't imagine the circumstances where a state would want to do so, and if I were a governor of a state or a legislator of a state, I would totally and completely oppose any effort to ban contraception ... Given the fact that there's no state that wants to do so, and I don't know of any candidate that wants to do so, you're asking could it constitutionally be done? We can ask our constitutionalist here. [Gestures to Ron Paul] ...

STEPHANOPOLOUS: ... Do you believe that states have that right or not?

ROMNEY: George, I don't know whether the state has the right to ban contraception. No state wants to. The idea of you putting forward things that states might want to do that no state wants to do and asking if they me whether they could do it or not is kind of a silly thing ... Has the Supreme Court decided that states do not have the right to provide contraception?

STEPHANOPOLOUS: Yes they have. In 1965. Griswold v. Connecticut.

ROMNEY: I believe that the law of the land is as spoken by the Supreme Court, and that if we disagree with the Supreme Court, and occasionally I do, then we have a process under the constitution to change that decision.

On the issue of LGBT rights, several candidates had much to say in opposition to same-sex marriage. Romney expressed support for a federal amendment banning same-sex marriage, saying, "My view is, we should have a federal amendment to the constitution defining marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman." Likewise, Rick Santorum stressed the finality of a federal marriage amendment.

"If the constitution says marriage is between a man and a woman, then marriage is between a man and a woman, and therefore that's what marriage is and would be in this country, and those who are not men and women who are marriage would not be married. That's what the constitution would say."

When asked about same-sex couples who wished to make lifelong commitments, Romney claimed that same-sex couples can have domestic partnerships or contractual agreements, but not marriages. The fact that domestic partnerships and contracts do not provide the same benefits or the same validation by society was not deemed problematic.

"That's a wonderful thing to do, and that there's every right for people in this country to form long-term committed relationships with one another. That doesn't mean that they have to call it marriage, or they have to receive the approval of the state and a marriage license and so forth for that to occur. There can be domestic partnership benefits or a contractual relationship between two people, which would include, as Speaker Gingrich indicated, hospital visitation rights and the like. We can decide what kinds of benefits we might associate with people who forms those kind of relationships state by state, but to say that marriage is something other than the relationship between a man and a woman I think is a mistake. And the reason for that is not that we want to discriminate against people or to suggest that gay couples are not just as loving and can't also raise children well , but it's instead a recognition that for society as a whole, the nation presumably will be better off if children are raised in a setting where there's a male and a female, and there are many cases where that's not possible. Divorce, death, single parents, gay parents, and so forth. But for society to say we want to encourage through the benefits that we associate with marriage people to form partnerships between men and women and then raise children, which we think that will be the ideal setting for them to be raised."

Romney delved deeper into the same-sex marriage debate, arguing that same-sex marriage would allegedly create problems for families, religious freedom, and other social institutions.

"We have to recognize that this decision about what we call marriage has consequence which goes far beyond a loving couple wanting to form a long-term relationship. That they can do within the law now. Calling it marriage creates a whole host of problems for families, for the law, for the practice of religion, for education. Let me say this. Three-thousand years of human history shouldn't be discarded so quickly."

The homophobic assumption, it seems, is that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples, and that allowing same-sex couples to legally marry would somehow damage the social fabric. As much as Romney tried to soften his rhetoric, his opposition to equal rights for LGBT couples still shone through.

Similarly, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich suggested that the "sacrament" of marriage (a term with religious overtones) would be treated "as though it has no basis" if same-sex marriages were permitted. He conflated opposition to same-sex marriage with "protecting and upholding" opposite-sex marriage as the foundation of our society.

"We want to make it possible to have those things that are most intimately human between friend occur. For example, you're in a hospital. If there are visitation hours, should you be allowed to stay? There ought to be ways to designate that. You want to have somebody in your will. There ought to be ways to designate that. But it is a huge jump from being understanding and considerate and concerned, which we should be, to saying we're therefore going to institute the sacrament of marriage as though it has no basis. The sacrament of marriage was based on a man and a woman, has been for three-thousand years, is at the core of our civilization, and it's something worth protecting and upholding. And I think protecting and upholding that doesn't mean you have to go out and make life miserable for others, but it does mean you make a distinction between a historic sacrament of enormous importance in our civilization, and simply deciding it applies everywhere and it's just a civil right. It's not. It is a part of how we define ourselves, and I think that a marriage between a man and a woman is part of that definition."

Gingrich frowned upon the emphasis on same-sex marriage, arguing that Catholic institutions have suffered "secular bigotry" and "anti-Christian" bias that the media ignores. The insinuation was that Christian groups have been victimized in the struggle over LGBT rights.

"You don't hear the opposite question asked. Should the Catholic Church be forced to close its adoption services in Massachusetts because it won't accept gay couples, which is exactly what the state has done? Should the Catholic Church be driven out of providing charitable services in the District of Columbia because it won't give into secular bigotry? Should the Catholic Church find itself discriminated against by the Obama administration on key delivery of services because of the bias and the bigotry of the administration? The bigotry question goes both ways, and there's a lot more anti-Christian bigotry today than there is concern on the other side, and none of it gets covered by the news media."

In short, the January 7th debate served as a reminder that opposition to abortion and LGBT equality remains a strong element in many GOP presidential candidates' platforms.

For additional commentary, visit the following links.

Truth Wins Out: TWO Expresses Revulsion Over Extremist Anti-Gay Positions Expressed By GOP Candidates at Debate

Religion Dispatches: The GOP's Race to the Dark Ages

Washington Post: Fact checking the ABC News and ‘Meet the Press' debates

Commentary Tidbits

2012-01-07T14:48:00.001-05:00

Politicus USA: Ralph Reed Wants You to Believe Evangelical Vote is a Myth

CNN: Santorum wants to impose 'Judeo-Christian Sharia'

Brilliant at Breakfast: And just how does making women bear children they don't want bring your son back?

Salon: From Texas to Israel, Santorum’s twisted history

Think Progress: Rick Santorum’s Top 10 Most Outrageous Campaign Statements

RH Reality Check: The Burning of an Abortion Clinic on New Years Day and a Call to Action on Abortion Rights

SPLC Hatewatch: Apparent Arson Levels Abortion Clinic Hit Many Times Before

National Center for Science Education: Monitoring Anti-Evolution Bills in New Hampshire

News Tidbits

2012-01-07T14:44:00.000-05:00

CNN: Santorum benefits from evangelical surge, but born-again Iowans splinter

CBS News: Why evangelicals coalesced around Rick Santorum

New York Times: Margaret Court Defends Her Views on Gay Marriage

WFSB: Hartford Archdiocese implementing program to help those with same-sex attraction

Pink News: George Michael slams “twisted” prayer for his death

The Advocate: Professor Says Antigay Activist Misused Her Research

Guttmacher Institute: States Enact Record Number of Abortion Restrictions in 2011

American Independent: Archbishop orders Minnesota priests to support or stay silent on anti-gay-marriage amendment

Florida Independent: Police arrest suspect in Pensacola abortion clinic fire

2012 National Conference on LGBT Equality Coming to Baltimore

2012-01-07T14:36:00.000-05:00

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force will host the 2012 National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change on January 25-29 in Baltimore, MD. To register or volunteer, visit the conference website.

The conference schedule sports an impressive selection of sessions on advocacy, movement-building, diversity, health, crime, and a range of other issues. Also, the conference will offer several workshops of interest to observers of the Religious Right.

- Language Matters: Why We Should Stop Saying 'Abomination' and 'Sodomy

- When Anti-Gay Protesters Come To Campus

- Using Peacekeepers to Oppose Spiritual Violence

- Stacking the Deck: Why Conservatives Are Starting to Win in the Courts and What We Can do About It

Finally, the Practice Spirit, Do Justice initiative will offer a plethora of workshops on LGBT issues and faith, including ways to engage in constructive dialogue with Christians.

- Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself: How to Start a Productive dialogue between LGBTQ activists and Evangelical Christians on a College Campus

- Powerful Voices: Leading the Way to the Liberating Jesus

- Auburn Media Toolkit: How to Talk to Conflicted Christians about LGBT issues

- God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality

News Tidbits

2012-01-03T21:54:00.000-05:00

Washington Post: Ron Paul’s surprising appeal for religious conservatives

New York Times: Appealing to Evangelicals, Hopefuls Pack Religion Into Ads

Huffington Post: Rick Santorum: 'I Feel Sorry' For Man Who Glitter-Bombed Me

Mediaite: The Duggar Family Endorses Rick Santorum

Commentary Tidbits

2012-01-03T21:52:00.000-05:00

Freak Out Nation: Rick Santorum Claims He Would Invalidate Legally Married Same-Sex Couples

RH Reality Check: Why the Iowa Caucus Is About Abortion

Rethinking Vision Forum: The Oppression of Youth and Dominionism

MSNBC: Controversy grows over pro-spanking book after abuse deaths

Epiphenom: Evangelists love Wal-Mart - even the ones who should know better
(Hat tip to Triangulations)

OneThing 2011: The Unequally Yoked

2012-01-02T16:42:00.004-05:00

To read about Mike Bickle's talk at OneThing 2011, click here. To read about Lou Engle's talk, click here.

As mentioned in my previous post, OneThing 2011 took place on December 28-31, 2011 at the Kansas City Convention Center, and IHOP has since posted videos and MP3 files of the event at www[dot]ihop[dot]org/onething/

Corey Russell, a member of the IHOP senior leadership team, gave a talk on Wednesday, December 28th entitled "We Are a New Creation in Christ." At the 2:40:40 mark of the video, Russell urged "unequally yoked" listeners to break off friendships and romantic relationships with "unbelievers."

"He says do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. That looks like boyfriend, girlfriend, you're not going to get them saved. Just forget it right now. Quit trying to evangelize them. They're evangelizing you. They're evangelizing you. Their values, their vision, their system, and it's because we haven't touched the power of the living God. Break it. Text them right now, saying 'Sorry buddy, it's over.' [Applause] Do it right now. We're going to text and tweet. Tweet 'em that! 'Sorry Bobby, it's over. I won't even remember your name here in ten years.' Break it. Break it with these friends. I'm telling you right now, break these ties, because God is calling you to himself."

The contempt for non-Christians here is palpable. Russell seems to envision faith as a zero-sum game in which Christians either convert or are converted by the non-Christians around them. The idea that Christians and non-Christians can share common ground and friendship while respecting each other's beliefs is not considered. Such an us-versus-them attitude, including wholesale rejection of "unequally yoked" friends and lovers, is a recipe for insularity among fundamentalist Christians. Sadly, that's the whole point.

OneThing 2011: Mike Bickle on Vampires and Divine War

2012-01-01T23:30:00.001-05:00

To read about Lou Engle's talk at OneThing 2011, click here. To read about Corey Russell's comment on the "unequally yoked" at OneThing 2011, click here.

The International House of Prayer (IHOP) hosts an annual year-end conference called OneThing, which Republic of Gilead commented on in 2010. OneThing 2011 took place on December 28-31, 2011 at the Kansas City Convention Center, and IHOP has since posted videos and MP3 files of the event at www[dot]ihop[dot]org/onething/

IHOP director Mike Bickle gave several talks at OneThing 2011, including a Friday talk entitled, "Jesus, the Bridegroom King: Waging a War." Bickle explored the Revelations image of Jesus as conquering warrior, refusing to shy away from Revelations' graphic violence. Amidst his amusing comments about vampire movies and the occult was an unsettling excitement when discussing the Bible's violence.

At the 14:52 mark, Bickle explained that Revelations 19 is so violent because the world will be a wicked place in the end times.

"The nations will be blaspheming god. The nations will be walking in unprecedented levels of wickedness. They will walk in wickedness far beyond any other time in history. The occult is going to explode. Immorality is going to go far beyond what it is now. What's happening in the internet, realm of immorality is going to go so far beyond in the next ten, twenty, thirty years than it is right now. We can't even imagine."

I find it interesting that Bickle lists occultism and internet foulness, rather than war, poverty, or oppression, as the wickedness that will characterize the end times. Bickle goes on, condemning films and television shows with vampires -- films and shows he admits he has never seen -- as a means of "desensitizing" society into accepting "demon activity." At the 15:29 mark, he had this to say about pop culture.

"These kind of cute, kind of romance new films or shows with demons and beautiful women and beautiful men that are demons, or whatever-whatever. Haven't watched any of them, but I've heard about them, and believers thinking, 'oh, it's cute.' Video games. This stuff is really bad. It's not cute. It's calculated to desensitize an entire generation of the earth so that they are not scandalized by demonic activity and what demons do. This vampire this, or whatever it is that, the cute guy, but he's really this guy, or he's a demon ... Never watch that stuff. It's not cute, it's not innocent, it's desensitizing you, and it's a setup for the occult explosion that's about to happen ... And then the devil's going to pull his mask off, and they're not even going to mess with the cute guy and the romance and the vampire. It's going to be straight demon activity, straight on, face-to-face."

I loathe Twilight as much as the next person because of its toxic messages (see here and here), but not because it supposedly promotes demonic activity. As consumers of entertainment, we need to be media savvy, not paranoid about demons.

Bickle tells listeners that Jesus will march on Jerusalem in the end times to liberate it from its enemies. At the 24:26 mark, he launches into a pro-Israel speech, warning that the devil will try to destroy the Jewish people once again.

"The nations are going to gather, surround the city of Jerusalem with the intention of annihilating and exterminating the Jewish people. That's where history is going. Someone said is anti-Semitism going to break out again. It is going to reach all-time levels like never before. The devil wants to exterminate the Jewish race. He tried to do it through Adolf Hitler, and he failed. He's going to try again in a far more dramatic way through the Antichrist, and I have good news. He's going to fail again, but I have another news. The body of Christ is going to stand with Israel like no time in history, and we're going to be there as the first line of defense under Jesus' leadership."

Bickle describes in detail the graphic violence of Revelations, including how Jesus will "tread the wine press of the wrath of God" as he slays the armies at Jerusalem. With regard to the bloodshed that Jesus will unleash, Bickle asserts that "it's terrifying, but it's glorious in its end result." So that the land will be clean after the conquest, Jesus will gather birds to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the slain. Jesus' garments will be stained red, as if discolored from stomping grapes in a wine press. Bickle's euphoria as he described Jesus' violence was disconcerting, even if the violence he described would supposedly "clean the planet of evil once and for all."

Bickle's glorification of divine bloodshed made my blood run cold. After my fellow Americans have returned from a bloody and traumatizing war in Iraq, and having just read Child, Victim, Soldier, I have little patience right now for anyone who imagines war as "glorious." War is ugly, savage, dehumanizing, and corrosive to our fundamental humanity -- sometimes necessary as a last resort but never "glorious." What kind of vision of God is this, in which God is depicted as a conqueror who engages in mass bloodshed? What does it say about the authors of Revelations that they depict divine war in such celebratory terms? What does it say about Bickle that he revels in the image of Jesus as a blood-spattered warrior?

As 2012 Draws Near, Happy New Year from Republic of Gilead!

2011-12-31T02:35:00.000-05:00

I'd like to wish all my readers a Happy New Year!

Without further ado, here's a list of my top eleven event posts for 2011. If you're new to the blog or just want to revisit old posts, check out the following links. Republic of Gilead is looking forward to new fans and new events in 2012!

(1) The December 15th talk in Baltimore, MD by Truth Wins Out and the Southern Poverty Law Center on the harms of so-called "ex-gay" therapy and its links to prominent Religious Right groups.

(2) Although I couldn't be there in person, the November 11th TheCall Detroit rally, featuring Lou Engle, Alveda King, Kamal Saleem, and this guy.

(3) The 2011 Values Voters Summit in Washington D.C. in October, where LGBT issues, reproductive rights, science and nature, and Mormon-Evangelical tensions were part of the heady discussion. Glenn Beck was there too, as were some very nice local atheists. Remember, don't be the weird one!

(4) The Occupy D.C. camp in McPherson Square, as well as the Stop the Machine protest in Washington D.C.'s Freedom Plaza.

(5) Abby Johnson's September 23rd anti-abortion talk in York, PA.

(6) The controversial Response rally (parts I, II, and III) on August 6th in Houston, TX, which I observed via internet livestream.

(7) The Summer of Choice gathering on August 1st, where pro-choice and anti-abortion protesters converged near Dr. LeRoy Carhart's late-term abortion clinic in Germantown, MD.

(8) The 2011 Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania (CHAP) conference in Harrisburg, PA in May, featuring talks by Doug Philips of the Vision Forum and Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis.

(9) The 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington D.C. on February 12th, which had generation controversy among some right-wing voices because of the involvement of GOProud.

(10) Silver Ring Thing, a pro-abstinence Christian ministry that visited Milton, PA in January.

(11) The 2011 March for Life, a prominent anti-abortion gathering in Washington D.C. on January 24th.

Commentary Tidbits

2011-12-30T13:56:00.001-05:00

Truth Wins Out: TWO Steps Up Campaign Calling on Chicago Archbishop Francis George to Resign with Full-Page Chicago Tribune Ad

Dispatches from the Culture Wars: Pat Buchanan's Christian Nation

Right Wing Watch: Cindy Jacobs Unveils Election Initiative to 'Remove the Lie of Separation of Church and State'

The Advocate: Teens React to Rick Perry's Anti-Gay Ad

News Tidbits

2011-12-30T13:48:00.000-05:00

New York Times: Bishops Say Rules on Gay Parents Limit Freedom of Religion

Washington Post: 11 Ways Religion Changed in 2011

BBC News: David Cameron on Christianity

MSNBC: Fox News Latin America Apologizes to Jews for Facebook Poll on Jesus

TheEstherCall Laments the "Trail of Tears" of Abortion

2011-12-30T02:07:00.000-05:00

Recently, a YouTube video announced TheEstherCall, an all-female anti-abortion event that will gather in spring 2012. On March 17th, 39 women (representing every year that has passed since Roe v. Wade) will initiate a 21-day walk from an abortion clinic in Houston, TX to Dallas, TX, where Roe v. Wade began. The walk will end in Dallas on Good Friday, where TheEstherCall rally will pray for an end to abortion, just as Esther beseeched the Persian king to spare her people in the Bible.

According to an information packet on TheEstherCall available from the Dallas House of Prayer, a documentary team with an internet channel will livestream the 21-day walk, featuring daily accounts from women on how abortion has impacted their lives. (See www[dot]hozdallas[dot]com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Esther-Call-Information-Packet.pdf)

In the above video, TheCall founder Lou Engle, TheEstherCall founder Tracy Eckert, and Back to Life director Laura Allred invite viewers to participate. Laura describes the 39 women participating in the walk as ""carrying the burden of the Lord for 54 million babies that have been aborted in our nation." At the 0:13 mark, Engle once again compared abortion to racial injustice, referring to abortion as "another Trail of Tears."

"Here we're actually feeling the wound of racism in America, the pain of the inner city. It's the black American Trail of Tears. The Native peoples in our nation have known their Trail of Tears. God wants to heal America. There's another Trail of Tears. Fifty-four million babies have died since Roe v. Wade, 1973, and millions of women have suffered the pain of post-abortion trauma and guilt and shame."

Republic of Gilead will keep you posted!

For additional information on TheEstherCall, visit www[dot]facebook[dot]com/pages/The-EstherCall-2012/296047497085888 and www[dot]hozdallas[dot]com/the-esther-call

Quotes from the Presidential Pro-Life Teletownhall

2011-12-29T03:03:00.000-05:00

On December 27th, Personhood USA sponsored the Presidentual Pro-Life Teletownhall, moderated by radio show host Steve Deace. The participating GOP presidential candidates -- Texas Governor Rick Perry, Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich --signed Personhood USA's Presidential Pledge, thereby endorsing the belief that life begins at conception and vowing support for a human life amendment to the U.S. constitution. (See www[dot]personhoodusa[dot]com/blog/personhood-republican-presidential-candidate-pledge) Throughout the evening, candidates reiterated anti-abortion positions discussed during the December 14th Citizens United forum in Des Moines, with emphasis on the belief that personhood begins at conception.

Deace began the forum by alleging that President Obama has shown "absolutely no regard for the inalienable right to life," and that anti-abortion voters seek a champion for the abortion issue. The first candidate to speak was Gov. Rick Perry, who quoted Psalm 139:13 and attributed his anti-abortion stance to the Founders at the 4:35 mark.

"My commitment to the unborn, it's actually rooted in the Founding Fathers documents, and that came from the wisdom of the Old Testament and the natural law written on our hearts. The Declaration of Independence declared life liberty and pursuit of happiness are rights that are endowed by out creator, and that's not open to some arbitrary bureaucrat or a judge in a black robe -- legislator's robes as I refer to them -- or for that matter any human power. They declared it as a right. It comes from God."

Rep. Michele Bachmann stressed that the anti-abortion struggle was "what I would literally die for," outlining her abortion platform at the 21:40 mark.

"We know that President Obama has a war on the family, and just days after he took office, he advanced his cause by reversing Mexico City. Nothing has helped save more human life than the Hyde Amendment, but it doesn't go far enough. What we need to do to upend Roe v. Wade and end that horrible holocaust in the United States of life is to pass the personhood amendment. I am the first person to sign the Personhood USA pledge, and I'm proud to say that, to define life from the moment of conception. We don't have to wait just for the Supreme Court. We can be involved in this ourselves ... As president of the United States ... I will veto any congressional attempt to provide federal funding of abortion."

Moderators read a question submitted by Lou Engle of TheCall, who asked how candidates would combat "chemical abortions" in the wake of Secretary Sebelius' refusal to allow the over-the-counter sale of Plan B. Bachmann replied that repealing Obamacare was the best way to do so, expressing anger that President Obama supposedly has the authority to put "abortion pills" alongside bubblegum in stores. (Bachmann seemed to be conflating emergency contraception with "abortion pills" as she did at the December 14th Des Moines forum.)

Finally, long-time abortion opponent Rick Santorum argued that the life-at-conception position is not a belief, but rather at fact at the 30:28 mark.

"When politicians say 'I believe life begins at conception,' that is conceding ground, and the ground that we concede is by using the term 'believe.' Life beginning at conception is not a belief, it's not an article of faith, it's an article of fact, the biological fact that life in fact begins at conception, and we need to begin to understand that we have to use language that is consistent with what the truth is."

On a final note, although Texas Rep. Ron Paul signed Personhood's USA presidential pledge, he did not speak at the December 27th forum. Indeed, Personhood USA requested clarification from Paul on his anti-abortion stance, according to a December 26th press release at www[dot]personhoodusa[dot]com/press-release/ron-paul-signs-personhood-pledge-personhood-usa-questions-commitment

The fact that several prominent GOP presidential candidates signed Personhood USA's pledge and spoke at a forum it sponsored should give us pause. The anti-abortion stance of several candidates is absolute, condemning the procedure under any circumstances. As the far right becomes more prominent in politics, its beliefs manifests through even more stridently anti-abortion candidates.

To listen to the forum, visit stevedeace[dot]com/news/national-politics/deace-show-podcast-12-27-11/. To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Des Moines Register: Some GOP presidential candidates sign anti-abortion pledge, but Paul’s stance is questioned

Huffington Post: GOP Candidates Reveal How They Would Enact Pro-Life "Personhood" Laws

Right Wing Watch: Bachmann to Personhood USA: Ending Abortion 'Is What I Would Literally Die For'

Commentary Tidbits

2011-12-28T13:15:00.000-05:00

Cognitive Dissenter: Fall on your knees, oh hear the Broncos losing

Butterflies and Wheels: Pope Says: Be Stupid

Infidel753: The Christian Right loses the future

Atheist Oasis: The Road To Theocracy Is Often Littered With Broken Promises
(Hat tip to Infidel753)

Books from the Religious Right: ME TARZAN, YOU JANE

2011-12-27T16:23:00.000-05:00

When I observed the 2011 Values Voters Summit in Washington D.C., I picked up a copy of Me Tarzan, You Jane by Janice Barrett Graham from the Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) information table. A children's companion book to Wild Elephant (alternately known as Chased by an Elephant), Me Tarzan, You Jane encourages children to think of gender in fixed, binary categories and adopt heteronormative views of romance and marriage.

The book begins with young Tarzan meeting Jane in the jungle and immediately recognizing that she is different from him because she is a girl. The text emphasizes that there is no other type of "normal" human being besides male and female, as this is how God created humans. (The world's sizable population of intersex people would strongly disagree.) The differences between male and female, the book insists, are necessary to human life, and respect for this "truth" helps one live in an "orderly" manner.

On the next page, we see a drawing of young Tarzan looking at himself in a mirror hung from a tree. The book tells readers that one's reflection has much to do with being a boy or girl, because if you're a boy, you're wearing "boy clothes" and have somewhat "boyish" hair. Likewise, if you're a girl, you're wearing "girl clothes" and have "girlish" hair. In doing so, one is being the male or female God designed, the text argues. How this passage would resonate with tomboys or gender-nonconforming kids can only be imagined. To boot, since children's clothing is becoming less gender-defined (i.e., children of both sexes wear pants, overalls, etc.), it's not always clear what constitutes boys clothes versus girl's clothes. In short, the text assumes that binary gender roles always apply to children's appearances.

Boys should treat each other as "fellow boys," the book instructs, and girls should treat each other as "fellow girls." This passage left me puzzled. Was it instructing readers not to recognize their peers as transgender or intersex? Was it instructing readers to encourage their peers to behave in traditionally gendered ways? I don't know. Additionally, Me Tarzan, You Jane teaches that boys should become interested in girls as they age, and vice-versa. By demonstrating such a preference for heterosexual feelings, the book disregards children who might discover that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, or questioning when they grow older.

Me Tarzan, You Jane insists that being male or female is also reflected in how one thinks and acts. It admonishes children to start learning how to be a boy or girl as they grow up, reminding them that they can learn important ways to be "boyish" or "girlish" from their parents. This, it explains, is why children have both a mother and a father (thereby leaving out single parents, same-sex couples, and other non-traditional families). Children must learn the "right" way to think about gender and act as male or female, the book asserts, comparing it to learning how to eat with a fork and knife. Reading this, I wondered how truly "natural" such gender roles could be if they had to be taught.

Strong romantic feelings, the book insists, are only to be "used" between husbands and wives. The one chief purpose of romantic feelings is mating, which the book claims that only a man and a woman can do. Me Tarzan, You Jane bluntly states that two men cannot mate with each other, nor can two women (which would be very surprising news to millions of sexually active LGBT people worldwide).

The book warns readers that sometimes romantic feelings can be as strong and dangerous as an elephant, and thus people must understand God's rules and boundaries for those feelings. The world is filled with many dangers, including "wrong ideas" and "bad behavior" which come from people who oppose God's rules. Me Tarzan, You Jane encourages readers to think before they act, follow "good, trusty" thoughts, and use God's gift of free will to arrive at correct actions.

I'm not surprised that the PFOX table was distributing copies of Me Tarzan, You Jane, given the organization's stance on homosexuality and support for the "ex-gay" movement. I find it unfortunate, however, that PFOX and the author of Me Tarzan, You Jane would target children with these messages.

In effect, Me Tarzan, You Jane advocates for binary gender roles (without specifying what such gender roles should look like) and heterosexuality as part of God's supposed plan for humanity. The idea that gender is a flexible social construct that occurs along a continuum is not given credence, and the book refuses to legitimize homosexuality and bisexuality.

Me Tarzan, You Jane seems to be a reaction to society's increasing acceptance of LGBT people and new interpretations of gender. By expressing disapproval of these social developments and holding up traditional gender roles and heteronormativity as godly, the book attempts to shape the minds of children. As as much as this attempt to influence children troubles me, I question how effective it will be in moulding children's attitudes toward gender and sexual orientation in the long run. As young readers grow older, they will undoubtedly encounter LGBT people and people who do not conform to rigid gender roles. They will see that such people can be happy and healthy, and that the human race is breathtakingly diverse. As they grow older, some of these young people may realize that they themselves are LGBT, or that the stereotypical gender roles imposed by fundamentalist Christianity do not reflect who they truly are. Whether the messages of books like Me Tarzan, You Jane can endure in an increasingly open-minded society remains to be seen.

GOP Candidates Lambaste Abortion at Des Moines Forum

2011-12-26T23:28:00.187-05:00

Click here if you're having trouble viewing the video.

On December 14th, Citizens United (yes, that Citizens United) hosted an anti-abortion forum for GOP presidential candidates in Des Moines, Iowa. The forum featured regional anti-abortion speakers as well as four Republican presidential candidates: Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann, Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. To boot, the event introduced the anti-abortion film The Gift of Life, the brainchild of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee produced by Citizens United. As expected, the forum featured familiar rhetoric about the sanctity of life, coupled with disturbing vows to cut funding to Planned Parenthood and erect anti-abortion policies.

The first speaker appearing in C-SPAN's coverage was Jenifer Bowen, executive director of Iowa Right to Life. With a basket of dolls in tow, Bowen devoted much of her speech to demonizing Planned parenthood for allowing "webcam" abortions, or the use of telemedicine to connect doctors and patients over long distances for the purpose of providing mifepristone (formerly known as RU-486). As a June 2010 article in the New York Times explains, the use of telemedicine to provide mifepristone makes abortion available in communities where abortion providers are not available. Bowen, however, was disgusted by the idea, insisting that the medical director of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland "dismembers our Iowa babies alive." Bowen lambasted the use of the drug, which she described as a substance that "starves" an unborn fetus and allegedly traumatizes women because they're left to deal with a "dead baby" alone.

Next to speak was Bob Vander Plaats, president of the Family Leader. Vander Plaats told the story of his sisters' unplanned fourth pregnancy, and her distraught telephone call to their mother. According to his story, their mother urged her to keep the baby, saying, "We didn't want Bob either ... Now what would life be without him?"

Vander Plaats insisted that all people are special because they are made in the image of God. God has a plan for all lives, he argued, and humans thwart God's plan when they decide when life can begin or end. Candidates, office-holders, families, and society must embrace the sanctity of life, he told listeners, insisting that we cannot expect God's richest blessings if we get this issue wrong. At the 9:25 mark, he referred to the Founding Fathers to defend his anti-abortion stance.

"Our founders and our framers, they listed life as the first of the inalienable rights. Why? Because that's how important it is. Life was first, before liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It was the number one. It was life."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The first presidential candidate to speak was Rep. Michele Bachmann, who called abortion the "seminal issue of our time." At the 15:44 mark, she depicted anti-abortion activists as the alleged victims of indifferent politicians.

"Too often, those of us who have called ourselves pro-life have found ourselves on the receiving end from politicians where they tell us they're going to do something, and why is it that it's the pro-lifers who always end up being told to stand against the wall, maybe later we'll get to your issue. I'm here to tell you tonight, as president of the United States, pro-lifers will never again be sent to stand against the wall. We will advance the cause of life in my administration."

Bachmann insisted that the chief way to advanced the anti-abortion cause was to repeal Obamacare, because it supposedly allows for taxpayer funded abortion. (Actually, President Obama signed an executive order in March 2010 maintaining the ban on use of federal funds for abortion in his healthcare law, except in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the life of the woman.)

Ridiculing President Obama as the "most pro-abortion president" in U.S. history, Bachmann also fumed that the president required private insurance companies to cover all contraceptives and emergency contraception, which she erroneously labeled the "morning-after abortion pill." She blasted the emergency contraceptive Plan B as a "three-day abortifacient," ignoring the fact that Plan B does not induce abortion, but rather prevents pregnancy from occurring. To boot, Bachmann lamented that Plan B would be sold in grocery stores "where little girls would find it next to bubble gum and next to M&Ms." (Actually, on December 7th, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius refused to allow Plan B to be sold over-the-counter, a decision that President Obama defended.)

Bachmann voiced her eagerness to repeal Obamacare and thus prevent Planned Parenthood from "essentially having an open field day in every public school classroom." In keeping with widespread anti-abortion activists' attacks on Planned Parenthood, she vowed that Planned Parenthood would be completely defunded under her presidential administration.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich spoke after Rep. Bachmann, and he quickly resorted to his usual attacks on an amorphous "secular elite." At the 24:51 mark, he had this to say.

"We're engaged in a cultural struggle with a secular elite that believes that life is random and has no moral meaning. And the whole reasoning behind Roe v. Wade is a utilitarian, phony science reasoning that has collapsed under the weight of modern technology. And the fact is as the country became more and more aware of the meaning of Roe v. Wade, it has turned more and more against abortion, and this has been a cultural fight ... It goes to the heart of what it means to be an American."

Gingrich argued that the key to American exceptionalism lies in the Declaration of Independence, which asserts that all are created equal and endowed by the creator with inalienable rights. Rights come from God, he insisted, and thus no judge or authority can take them away. Defining when someone becomes a person is central to the issue of rights, and if the state declares when someone becomes a person, why would it stop with Roe v. Wade, he asked. Gingrich suggested that euthanasia and other dubious practices could result, making abortion the central moral question of the age.

Upon becoming president, Gingrich vowed to erect four anti-abortion policies: reinstate the Mexico City policy (also known as the Global Gag Rule), reinstate President Bush's "conscience policy" that would permit medical personnel to refuse to perform procedures on religious grounds, submit legislation to defund Planned Parenthood, and submit legislation defining personhood at conception.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Next, Texas Governor Rick Perry spoke at the podium, acknowledging that "pocketbook issues" now dominate the public conversation and that unemployment and poverty are fomenting "great angst." Nevertheless, he asserted that conservatives cannot disengage from moral debates, for if they do, they neglect the nation's moral fiber. But aren't poverty and economic injustice moral issues? I thought.

Perry wondered out loud what the Founding Fathers would think of the U.S. now, as the country has supposedly drifted from the Founder's vision of life as an inalienable right. America, he argued, was founded on the idea that human life is sacred and must be protected.

Values are coming under attack, Perry said. He disapprovingly cited the Obama administration's rejection of federal financial aid to Catholic charities over their refusal to provide abortion services, as well as the administration's mandate that religious groups provide insurance coverage for their employees that covers abortion. (Actually, the Department of Health and Human Services' Affordable Care Act mandated insurance coverage for things such as contraception and contraceptive counseling, not abortion.)

Perry proudly boasted that he signed a Texas state budget that defunded Planned Parenthood, which was followed by the closure of twelve Texas Planned Parenthood clinics. In response to the federal government's claim that said defunding was a violation of federal law, Perry told the audience that, "if Washington D.C. is looking for a fight, they found one."

If elected president, Perry vowed to end taxpayer funded abortion "period," and to add a human life amendment to the U.S. constitution. Perry's promise to end the use of taxpayer funds for abortion confused me at first, given that the Hyde Amendment already stands. However, according to a fact sheet from the National Abortion Federation, the current form of the Hyde Amendment requires funding of abortion in cases of rape, incest, and life endangerment. Does Perry wish to end funding for abortion under those circumstances too?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The final candidate to speak was former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, who told the audience that the 2012 election was the most important election of our time. After defending his credentials as a social conservative who has fought in the "trenches," Santorum vowed to defund Planned Parenthood and reinstate the Mexico City policy (Global Gag Rule) if elected president.

Stressing that family, freedom, and life are foundational issues, he claimed at the 42:46 mark that respect for life and the traditional family undergirds America's strength.

"We cannot be a strong country economically or any else. We cannot have limited government unless we are moral and decent people living out moral and decent lives, respecting life and embracing and supporting the American family. It is the bedrock. It is the bedrock of our economy. It is the bedrock of our country. It is the bedrock that allows limited government because when the family breaks down, and respect for life and moral values breaks down, then government gets bigger and bigger and bigger."

Santorum scoffed at the idea of a truce on social issues, pointing to abortion, funding for stem cell research, and same-sex marriage being "imposed" by courts across the country. "It is a surrender, not a truce, and under a Santorum presidency there will be no surrender," he emphasized.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Predictably, speakers criticized abortion from multiple angles while avoiding discussions of why unintended pregnancies occur or how to prevent them. As with many issues, the candidates and their supporters cited the Founding Fathers and our founding documents to legitimize their views on abortion. Not surprisingly, several used the abortion issue as a means of condemning President Obama and an amorphous "secular elite." In short, the Des Moines forum featured familiar rhetoric from the more right-wing Republican candidates.

Amidst the candidates' often dubious claims and fiery rhetoric, several common themes came into focus: threats to defund Planned Parenthood, reinstate the Global Gag Rule, and pass policies that would make it even more difficult for American women to secure abortions. As the 2012 election inches closer, voters should reflect on these troubling vows and the impact they would have on women's reproductive health if Bachmann, Gingrich, Perry, or Santorum were elected president.

For additional commentary, visit the following links.

Salon: The Many Fictions of Huckabee's Abortion Forum

Talking Points Memo: GOPers Gather for Huckabee's Abortion Documentary

Los Angeles Times: Candidates tout antiabortion views before Iowa film premiere

Merry Christmas to All My Readers!

2011-12-24T14:59:00.000-05:00

Happy holidays from the Republic of Gilead!

Bill Bennett Talks to James Dobson About Abstinence, Feminists, Gays

2011-12-24T00:56:00.000-05:00

As you recall, former Secretary of Education and Drug Czar Bill Bennett just released a new book, The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood, which he discussed with Pat Robertson in an October 26th episode of The 700 Club. Bennett spoke at length with James Dobson about the book in a two-part segment of Family Talk, where the men had both positive and negative things to say.

Dobson and Bennett began "The Value of Manhood I" segment of Family Talk with familiar jabs at feminism and the LGBT community. At the 5:04 mark, Dobson and Bennett attributed modern "confusion" about masculinity to alleged moral relativism, gay culture, and feminists.

BENNETT: We used to know and be unapologetic about saying what it means to be a man and to raise men to manhood ... We're not sure of that anymore because of the things, Jim, you and I have been talking about forever ... Moral relativism, the notion that there's no right or wrong, who's to say. The dizzying array of signals, to gay culture, which has confused an awful lot of boys, the messages there.

DOBSON: And the feminist movement has just hammered away at what manhood means.

BENNETT: The feminist movement. Remember Gloria Steinem? "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." If you put on TV, if you go to the universities, if you check the popular culture, you'll see there is not a consistent message to boys about what it means to be a man, and as a result they’re confused.

Dobson and Bennett covered a wide range of topics during their discussions, including Ronald Reagan as an exemplary man and (to their credit) the horrors of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal. On the topic of masculinity, the two spoke of the importance of men working hard, showing courtesy to women, and loving and providing for their families.

The conversation took an unexpected turn at the 20:33 mark of "The Value of Manhood II," when Dobson asked Bennett to talk about his wife Elayne. Bennett described his wife's work with Best Friends, a sexual abstinence program for teens that drew controversy in 2008 over its federal funding. (See www[dot]bestfriendsfoundation[dot]org) During the conversation, Bennett lamented that Elayne could not "talk about one form of family being preferable to another" in her program, a possible jab at calls for tolerance for same-sex couples.

DOBSON: Here at the end of the program, talk about who she is ... She has had this program for teenage girls called Best Friends.

BENNETT: She's a hero of mine, and she's a hero of the country. It's by the research the most successful abstinence education program in the country, and she works in the public schools, which is not an easy place to work. She's now been given some directions from people in the Obama administration about what she can say and not say. They'd prefer that she--strongly prefer that she not use the word 'abstinence."

DOBSON: Can't even use the word. They tell her not to use the word.

BENNETT: And do not talk about one form of family being preferable to another, you know, that the the nuclear family, the family of husband--of man and woman.

DOBSON: And the government can say that to her because they provide some money for her.

BENNETT: It's the guidelines, yeah, and she's being audited, which I believe, I shouldn't say this, but I think she's being harassed because the success of her program.

Amidst otherwise positive messages -- including horror at the Sandusky abuse scandal and calls for men to be responsible and courteous -- Bennett's appearance on Family Talk also included jabs at feminists and gays that we've come to expect.

(Hat tip to Right Wing Watch)

To listen to "The Value of Manhood I", visit www[dot]drjamesdobson[dot]org/Broadcasts/Broadcast?i=2efb89d0-eda5-4cca-816d-f94dce80fe1c

To listen to "The Value of Manhood II", visit www[dot]drjamesdobson[dot]org/Broadcasts/Broadcast?i=e7d41662-2468-436a-b236-580d711651dd

Commentary Tidbits

2011-12-24T00:55:00.000-05:00

Poz: HIV-Positive "Ex-Gay" Pastor Links Gays With AIDS

Daily Kos: Operation Rescue's Randall Terry Gets Glitterbombed

Good News: New Dominionists: Meet the Christian Couple Behind the Right’s Most Viral Videos

Mother Jones: The Last Vacation of Christ

Ms. Magazine: Abstinence-Only: It's Baaaack

Media Matters: Limbaugh: "Gay People Really Hate Rick Santorum," And That "Filters Down Through Newsrooms"

Washington Post: GOP: Gay-Obsessed Party

News Tidbits

2011-12-24T00:53:00.000-05:00

New York Times: In Islamic Law, Gingrich Sees a Mortal Threat to U.S.

Chicago Pride: Cardinal Francis George equates gay liberation movement to KKK

Pink News: “Ex-gay” group promoted in Jamaica as US arm faces “financial oblivion”

WREG: Parent Questions School's Anti-Gay Policy

The 700 Club Interviews Kamal Saleem

2011-12-23T22:00:00.000-05:00

My first introduction to Christian speaker Kamal Saleem was through videos of TheCall Detroit this November, where Saleem claimed to be a former Muslim terrorists who now embraced Christ and Israel. To my surprise, I discovered that Saleem has been featured several times on The 700 Club, painting Islam in ominous colors. Saleem's anti-Islam message, it seems, was in circulation long before TheCall Detroit.

On November 25th, The 700 Club rebroadcast a segment on Kamal Saleem from a May 13th, 2011 show, available at www[dot]cbn[dot]com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/archive/club/700Club112511_WS&search=Saleem&p=1&parent=0&subnav=false. In the interview, Saleem spoke of his upbringing in Lebanon, claiming that his parents raised him to be a martyr for the cause of jihad. At the 18:18 mark, he quoted his mother as follows.

"From my childhood, my mom said 'One day you'll be a martyr, my son. You will die for the sake of Allah and you will exalt Islam.' She said, 'If you kill a Jew, my son, your hand will light up before the throne of Allah, and the host of heaven will celebrate what you have done.'"

Saleem's parent allegedly sent him to Muslim training camps beginning at age seven, where he learned to use weapons and engage in "culture jihad." At the 19:02 mark, he describes such "culture jihad" as such.

"In Islam, liberty, freedom, monarchy, all these are idols, and these must be brought down, so the liberty that you have in the United States of America, it's anti-Islam, you know, so America must be changed. So I moved to the Bible belt, specifically. The Bible belt was the strongest of the strongest. That's where the stout Christians are, and I want[ed] to take on the best of the best, because I considered myself as a sword of Islam."

According to his narrative, Saleem moved to the U.S. and targeted men in his neighborhood for recruitment into Islam. After a devastating car accident which left him with a broken neck, he was treated by Christian medical professions and nursed back to health in the home of a Christian orthopedic surgeon. Saleem was touched by the doctor's compassion, but also confused to see that Christians were good people instead of enemies.

In his confusion, Saleem prayed fervently to Allah, begging to hear Allah's voice but receiving only silence. Then, he allegedly heard a voice saying his name, calling him to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Did anyone bother to tell Saleem that Allah and the god of Abraham are the same?) The glory of the God of Abraham filled the room, and he beheld a vision of Jesus with holes in his hands and feet, he claimed. Amazed, Saleem vowed to die for Jesus, but Jesus said no, as Jesus had already died for him.

This was not the first time The 700 Club had featured Saleem. In a 2009 face-to-face interview with Pat Robertson, Saleem discussed his alleged involvement with the PLO, encounters with Saudi financial patrons, and his autobiography, Blood of Lambs. (See www[dot]cbn[dot]com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/vod/SUS118_KamalSaleem_041409&search=Saleem&p=1&parent=0&subnav=false)

At the 2:54 mark, Saleem made the dubious claim that martyrs for Islam become "messiahs" who can intercede for their family members' entrance into paradise.

"The first reward when you--the first drop of blood, you become the savior, the messiah, almost the intercessor, and you become intercessor for seventy of your family members. These will go to heaven without judgment because the Quran teaches that everybody will have to go to hell first, pass through it, and then they will have to go through heaven."

As discussed in a previous post, Saleem's words have not gone unquestioned by observers. For instance, Haroon Moghul offered scathing criticism of Saleem's questionable statements about Islam at TheCall Detroit, while Sakil Saghir dissected Saleem's October 2011 presentation at the Midland Center for the Arts. Similarly, Chris Hedges, Doug Howard, and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation have also looked askance at some of Saleem's more colorful assertions. Whether Saleem's statements are true or not, several observers have found him less that credible.

Kamal Saleem's recurring presence on The 700 Club served a transparent purpose: to glorify Christianity and disparage Islam as a bellicose religion. As with TheCall Detroit, his presence on The 700 Club suggests a certain distaste for Islam by those who invited him, and a certain willingness to depict Muslims as "other." While terrorism and religious extremism are very real, we need credible information in order to resist them. And, we must resist them in a way that does not demonize all who follow Islam.

(Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.)

Commentary Tidbits

2011-12-19T20:34:00.002-05:00

Cognitive Discopants: Who Needs a Savior? Wright vs. Comfort

Are Women Human: Recapping the Mars Hill Documentary: Gender, Race, Sex, and Cults of Personality

She Wired: An Open Letter to Homophobic Christian Parents This Christmas

The New Civil Rights Movement: Homophobe Pastor Rick Warren Tweets On Hitchens' Death. Twitter Responds.

Truth Wins Out: Here Is How Russia Became Anti-Gay

Digital Journal: Campaigner: Religion Is Behind Homophobic Persecution in Africa

Right Wing Watch: Bachmann Hopes to Reshape the Judiciary According to her 'Biblical View of Law'

New York Times: The Evangelical Candidates Fizzled

Box Turtle Bulletin: Pink Bibles and Six Degrees of Absurdity

Think Progress: Newt Gingrich: Gay People Choose To Be Gay Like Priests Choose Celibacy

Salon: Limbaugh rejects teachings of Jesus

News Tidbits

2011-12-19T20:34:00.000-05:00

New York Times: Waging a One-Man War on American Muslims

ABC News: Undecided Iowa Evangelicals Pray For an Answer

Los Angeles Times: Evangelical leader makes case for Newt Gingrich

Pink News: Rick Santorum blames lower US wedding rates on marriage equality

Truth Wins Out and SPLC Tackle "Ex-Gay" Programs in Baltimore

2011-12-18T23:16:00.002-05:00

(Click here if you're having trouble viewing the video)

On Thursday, December 15th, I had the pleasure of attending a talk about the harms of so-called "ex-gay" programs, hosted by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Truth Wins Out. The event took place at 2640 Co-op, a beautiful venue housed within St. John's United Methodist Church in Baltimore, MD. In this retired worship space, amidst stained glass windows and pillars, an audience had gathered to hear Wayne Besen, Chris Camp, and others speak.

The evening began with a presentation by Ashley, an LGBT community advocate with the Southern Poverty Law Center. Ashley provided an introduction to the SPLC, including its background, its work monitoring U.S. hate groups, and its Teaching Tolerance project, which encourages educators to promote justice and equality. She encouraged audience members to share input with the SPLC about what issues they should address through their LGBT rights efforts.

Next, the audience listened to a presentation by Sam Wolfe, a staff attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center and a member of its LGBT Rights Project. Wolfe introduced listeners to the SPLC's legal efforts in the name of LGBT rights, the first of which involved two Minnesota girls -- Desiree Shelton and Sarah Lindstrom -- who were forbidden to walk as a couple in their high school's Snow Days processional. After the SPLC filed a federal lawsuit on the girls' behalf in early 2011, the school agreed to a settlement that allowed the girls to walk in the Snow Days promenade with the other students. The SPLC also filed a lawsuit challenging an Anoka-Hennepin School District policy that mandated teacher neutrality on sexual orientation, arguing that the policy contributed to a hostile environment for gay students. According to the Minnesota Independent, the Parents Action League, a conservative group with ties to the Minnesota Family Council, urged the school to retain the policy. The Minnesota Independent also reported that the Parents Action League pushed the school district to include "ex-gay" programming and oppose LGBT content in classrooms. The ex-gay agenda, Wolfe observed, is trying to enter schools and send homophobic messages to youth.

Wolfe, himself was a survivor of "ex-gay" therapy, reminded listeners that the ex-gay movement is a political movement, noting that Religious Right groups that opposed LGBT equality such as NARTH and the Family Research Council espouse ex-gay thinking. If people can allegedly change from gay to straight, their thinking goes, why give LGBT people a seat at the table?

Given that the talk was taking place in Maryland, Wolfe spoke briefly about the International Healing Foundation, an ex-gay program based out of Bowie, MD. (See gaytostraight[dot]tripod[dot]com) It was ludicrous, he argued, to think that the IHF's "touch therapy" (i.e., cradling exercises) could make gay people straight.

Wolfe shared his story of growing up in a Mormon family and attending Bringham Young University after his two-year mission. To live in the Mormon community, he developed coping mechanisms to appear straight, but concluded that this strategy was unsustainable. While at BYU, he sought help through Evergreen, a Mormon ex-gay program, but was surprised by what he observed in the group. Older men in the group seemed clearly gay, and their men's marriages to women were disastrous, often resulting in divorce and unhappy children. After attending Evergreen and a BYU reparative therapy group and failing to become straight, Wolfe came to embrace his gay identity and affirm who he truly was.

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Next, Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out spoke next, sharing his own experiences with homophobia and ex-gay efforts. From a young age, he felt societal pressure to appear heterosexual. For example, in high school, after the high school basketball team he played with lost a game, their coach berated them by saying that everyone "played like a fag" except Besen. When Besen came out to his parents, they bought him "Gay and Unhappy" cassette tapes, which were intended to hypnotize the listener into heterosexuality through pro-heterosexual messages and ambient music (!). Besen shared a hilarious excerpt from The Daily Show which featured the "Gay and Unhappy" tapes, as well as Richard Cohen of the International Healing Foundation defending reparative therapy.

Besen noted out the faulty logic and sexism behind ex-gay theory, which attributes homosexuality to problems with one's relationship with one's parents. Lesbian women supposedly reject their mothers and their associated femininity, while gay men supposedly reject their fathers and masculinity. Thus, much of ex-gay theory associates binary ideas of gender with sexual orientation.

Besen pointed to the early 1990s as the time when the ex-gay movement came into its own. As more LGBT people were coming out, and more people knew someone who was LGBT, hateful anti-gay messages were becoming less effective. Thus, the Religious Right turned to ex-gay programs to create the appearance that they cared about LGBT people while still opposing LGBT rights.

Unfortunately for the ex-gay movement, several prominent ex-gay voices were found to be less than heterosexual. As examples, Besen listed John Paulk (whom he'd photographed in a Washington D.C. gay bar in 2000) and Michael Johnston (a former employee of Jerry Falwell who resigned after allegedly having encounters with men he met on the Internet).

Besen listed five reasons why observers should care about the ex-gay movement: (1) it's a wealthy industry, (2) ex-gay groups are political, in that they strive to keep anti-LGBT discrimination legal by lobbying against pro-LGBT laws, (3) the ex-gay movement focuses on youth, in that it is trying to get ex-gay literature and speakers into schools, (4) the ex-gay movement does great harm, and (5) the ex-gay movement's scope is international. On this final point, Besen added that Exodus board member Don Schmierer, ex-gay counselor Caleb Brundidge, and Pink Swastika author Scott Lively took part in an anti-gay conference in Kampala, Uganda in 2009. Uganda, as readers may recall, later became the center of an international controversy over its proposed "kill-the-gays" bill.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

The next presenter to speak was Chris Camp, a non-denominational minister and an ex-gay program survivor. Camp told listeners of his upbringing in a loving conservative California family, his early realization that he was gay, and his attempts to mask his sexual orientation as a young man by playing sports and having girlfriends. He spoke of the hopelessness and sorrow he felt at having to hide his identity, unable to confide in anyone about his attraction to the same sex.

In college, Camp fell in love with his best friend, later having an intimate encounter with the friend that left him wracked with guilt. When he confided in his pastor, the pastor referred him to an ex-gay church group that had received its training from Exodus. Like Wolfe, Camp was convinced that the men in the group were still gay, suggested by the lingering gazes and too-long handshakes of some of the men. Even though Camp was not physically intimate with men anymore, his feelings had not changed, and he poured himself into faith studies and the Bible in response.

Camp eventually went to Dallas Theological Seminary as a world missions major, where he had the realization that after all his efforts, he was still gay. He's always felt that way, he admitted to himself, and he'd never chosen that sexual orientation, in contrast to what the church had taught him about homosexuality. After this realization, Camp came to accept his sexual orientation as inborn and morally neutral, like eye color, finally accepting himself as a gay man. He expressed his happiness that he no longer had to hide who he was, and that his faith has deepened since accepting himself.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Wayne Besen provided the final presentation of the night, exposing the many hidden facets of the ex-gay movement. For example, he noted that while reparative therapy groups glorify heterosexual marriage, they don't tell observers about the nightmares that result when "ex-gays" enter opposite-sex marriages, including extreme sexual incompatibility, divorce, and straight spouses' sense of betrayal. Besen shared several video clips in which the straight spouses of supposedly ex-gay people shared their feelings of being used and deceived.

Besen also shared the many stories of the ex-gay movement's failings, as well as the triumph of truth and healing for many formerly ex-gay voices. Among them were Michael Bussee and Gary Cooper, the co-founders of Exodus International who later left the group, accepted their gay identities, and married each other. Also among them was John Smid, the former executive director of Love in Action who admitted this fall that sexual orientation cannot change and that he is indeed gay. Brazilian ex-gay leader Sergio Viula also reached conclusions similar to Smid's. And, of course, who can forget George Rekers and his rentboy?

With no minced words, Besen accused the ex-gay movement of false advertising, in that it promises change of sexual orientation without delivering that change or even defining what "change" entails. People in ex-gay groups are encouraged to deny what they feel and behave like actors reciting lines, he argued, but eventually the "final curtain of reality comes crashing down." To boot, he accused the ex-gay movement of targeting people at vulnerable times in their lives and grasping at contrived reasons to blame their homosexuality on. Chillingly, many groups that promote reparative therapy have also been classified as hate groups by the SPLC, including the Family Research Council and the American Family Association.

The evening was an amazing education into the politics of the ex-gay movement, one that more people need to hear. I applaud Truth Wins Out, the SPLC, and Chris Camp for sharing their stories and educating the public about ex-gay groups!

It's Been a Busy Week

2011-12-18T20:47:00.000-05:00

My regrets for not blogging this week. Work has been insanely busy, and I've also been running around getting things done for Christmas. I will report on the December 15th talk by Truth Wins Out and the SPLC in Baltimore very soon, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, here's what I'm listening to right now. I command you to rock to Unheilig!

Commentary Tidbits

2011-12-14T22:16:00.000-05:00

God's Own Party: Who Invented Newt?

Slate: Lowe's Caves into Anti-Muslim Pressure

Natalie's Narrative: Don't put me on a pedestal, when you've really locked me in a cage

Religion Dispatches: God Wants You to Work Harder, and to Stop Complaining

Truth Wins Out: The Top 10 Ex-Gay Stories of 2011

Washington Post: The religious right returns

SPLC Hatewatch: Internet Evangelist: Glenn Beck is a ‘Wolf of Satan’

News Tidbits

2011-12-14T22:10:00.000-05:00

Washington Independent: National Organization for Marriage’s 2010 financial records raise questions

Florida Independent: People for the American Way calls for Lowe’s boycott over All-American Muslim ad pull

Washington Post: Florida group behind Lowe’s ad flap has a long history of protesting gay rights

New Jersey Star-Ledger: New Jersey's black churches open doors to gay congregants, but not right to marry

La Stampa: Pope Benedict XVI Supports Teacher Accused of Showing Graphic Images of Apocalypse

Haaretz: Rick Perry's 'strong' religious message sparks strong religious response

Des Moines Register: Iowa audience members yell at Rick Perry after Ames appearance

Commentary Tidbits

2011-12-11T00:32:00.000-05:00

Washington Post: Republicans color the abortion debate

New York Times: The New Evangelicals

Canyonwalker Connections: “I no longer identify as a Christian ...” they write

Huffington Post: Santorum Campaign Proves 'Anti-Gay' Can Sink Even a GOP Candidate

News One: Is The Church Brainwashing Black Folks Against Homosexuality?

Godless in Italy: Abolish the Lateran Treaty!

Media Matters: The Poor Christians and the Happy Poor

Media Matters: Fox's Todd Starnes: "Vile Atheists" Are Trying To "Cleanse The Nation Of Christianity"

News Tidbits

2011-12-11T00:29:00.000-05:00

Pink News: Australian church which sacked pro-gay marriage pastor “hardly Christian”

Wall Street Journal: Perry Ad Attacks Gay Rights in Appeal to Iowa’s Evangelicals

Houston Chronicle: Macy’s worker reportedly fired for not allowing transgender shopper into dressing room

BBC News: Gay rights: Africa, the new frontier

Anti-Choice Voices Delighted with Sebelius Decision on Emergency Contraception

2011-12-09T22:49:00.001-05:00

On December 7th, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius refused to lift age restrictions on the over-the-counter sale of emergency contraception, overruling a decision by the Food and Drug Administration. Plan B One-Step, according to the New York Times, has been available without a prescription to women ages 17 and older, but girls under 17 will continue to need a prescription. Reproductive rights supporters, including Planned Parenthood vice-president Dr. Vanessa Cullins, Sharon Camp of the Guttmacher Institute, and Andrew Beck of the ACLU, were very unhappy with Sebelius' decision.

To provide background, emergency contraceptive (EC) pills can be taken up to 120 hours after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. EC is also offered to rape victims as part of sexual assault forensic exams. EC pills prevent pregnancy by delaying or inhibiting ovulation, inhibiting fertilization, and possibly by preventing implantation of a fertilized egg in the endometrium, according to Princeton University's emergency contraception website. EC pills do not induce abortion once pregnancy occurs, and are not the same as abortion pills.

Still, EC has been a frequent target of right-wing anti-abortion activists who equate it with abortion, as discussed in a prior post. Not surprisingly, several Religious Right voices were delighted about this news.

- First, in a December 7th press release, Jeanne Monahan of the the Family Research Council wrote that Secretary Sebelius was right to in her decision not to make EC available over the counter to adolescents. Monahan claimed that giving girls access to Plan B would have "bypassed" medical care for sexually active adolescents. Furthermore, she claimed that Plan B could be given to sexually abused or trafficked girls without their consent. Finally, Monahan reverted to anti-abortion attacks on EC, claiming that Plan B can "act in a way that can destroy life by preventing implantation." (See www[dot]frc[dot]org/newsroom/frc-responds-to-obama-administration-and-fda-decision-on-removing-age-restrictions-for-plan-b-over-the-counter-availability)

- Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-Life Action League, penned a commentary piece at USA Today that praised Sebelius' decision. Scheidler claimed that the "pro-abortion lobby" wants Sebelius to reverse her decision and therefore "sacrifice" adolescent girls' health for the sake of their "radical ideology." Furthermore, he claimed that if EC were available to girls over the counter, it would foment discord between children and parents, while encouraging both girls and older predators to engage in high-risk sexual behavior.

- Anti-abortion preacher Lou Engle tweeted about the decision as well. In a December 6th message on Twitter, Engle wrote, "Have you ever seen a woman under the wound of guilt who has used the morning after pill? Did I or didn't I forever." (See twitter[dot]com/#!/LouEngle/status/144197657085227008)

- Also, in a December 8th response to a woman who asked if EC and the abortion pill were the same, Lou Engle tweeted, "the morning after pill prevents a fertilized egg from being implanted thereby destroying life after conception." (See twitter[dot]com/#!/LouEngle/status/144928507829567488)

It is important to remember that the struggle for reproductive rights is not just about abortion, but also about contraception and a host of other issues. Secretary Sebelius' decision, as well as the Religious Right glee surrounding it, serve as a reminder that the struggle continues.

To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

The Pump Handle: Shocking move from Secretary Sebelius on Plan B

Salon: Obama's Woman Problem

NPR: A Very Bad Plan: How Selebius Endangered Our Girls

RH Reality Check: In Astounding Move, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Overrules FDA Recommendation to Make Plan B Over-the-Counter

Obama Administration Stands Up for LGBT Human Rights; Homophobes Go Ballistic

2011-12-09T00:03:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday, December 6th, President Obama issued a historic memorandum announcing initiatives to advance LGBT human rights internationally. The memorandum directed agencies involved in U.S. foreign assistance and diplomacy to safeguard LGBT human rights. Specifically, it called for such agencies to combat criminalization of LGBT status or conduct, protect vulnerable LGBT asylum seekers and refugees, and work with international organizations in the struggle against anti-LGBT discrimination.

The release of the memorandum coincided with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's address to the United Nations in Geneva, in which she urged all countries to respect LGBT civil rights. Secretary Clinton acknowledged the violence and unjust treatment encountered by LGBT worldwide, calling them "an invisible minority." Wisely, she countered common stereotypes that homosexuality is supposedly a Western phenomenon, that homosexuality is a disease than can be cured, that gays are sexual predators, etc. Secretary Clinton also acknowledge that LGBT rights are human rights, and that LGBT persons share "a common humanity." Finally, she announced the launch of a new Global Equality Fund that will support organizations working on LGBT issues worldwide.

This is amazing news. The U.S. government has taken a concrete stand for the global LGBT community, and has issues two powerful statements expressing their support for LGBT human rights. In a world where LGBT people face horrors such as murder, corrective rape, and draconian anti-gay legislation, such support could not be more timely.

Unfortunately -- but not surprisingly -- members of the Religious Right have expressed outrage at this White House show of support for LGBT rights. Tiresome rhetoric about "special rights" and "traditional values" abounds among Religious Right commentators, as the following examples demonstrate.

- First, Family Research Council immediately condemned the memorandum with scathing language. In a December 6th press release, FRC senior fellow Peter Sprigg was stunned that President Obama wanted to promote "the radical ideology of the sexual revolution" overseas. He condemned the White House for "imposing an alien ideology" on other nations, claiming that U.S. allies would supposedly accuse the president of "cultural imperialism" if he did so with other issues. Sprigg insisted that the United Nations is divided on whether "special rights" should be granted on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. (See www[dot]frc[dot]org/newsroom/frc-criticizes-obama-administration-foreign-policy-toward-homosexuals)

- During the December 7th edition of The 700 Club, Pat Robertson lamented that the U.S. was supposedly "forcing" other countries to accept LGBTs but was not taking enough action regarding the persecution of Christians in other parts of the globe. He warned viewers that continued violation of God's principles would result in a "horrible" fate. (Hat tip to Right Wing Watch. See www[dot]cbn[dot]com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/archive/club/700Club120711_WS&t=k&search=700clubepisodes) At the 5:23 mark of the episode, Robertson had this to say.

"Isn’t it appalling that the United States of America would try to force the acceptance of homosexuality on other nations, but at the same time we would not force them to take care of their religious minorities and they would permit discrimination and persecution of Christians? What kind of a country have we got? You know, there is a God in heaven and he is just. Thomas Jefferson, ‘I tremble when I remember that God is just.’ He is just. He is not going to allow this kind of thing to go on forever. This country cannot continue to violate God’s principles and to make a mockery of His laws and think we’re going to get away with it. And when the blow comes, it’s going to be horrible."

- In a December 6th statement on his website, Texas Gov. Rick Perry lambasted the Obama Administration for its supposed "war on traditional values," accusing it of being at "war" with people of faith. He criticized the promotion of "special rights for gays in foreign countries," insisting that it did not deserve taxpayer money. (Hat tip to the Advocate. See www[dot]rickperry[dot]org/news/statement-by-gov-rick-perry-on-obama-administrations-use-of-gay-rights-to-make-foreign-aid-decisions/)

- CNN reports that former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum was unhappy with the memorandum. According to the article, Santorum accused President Obama of "promoting gay lifestyles and gay rights," and said that the U.S. should distribute humanitarian aid based on need rather than "whether people are promoting their particular agenda."

- In a December 7th commentary at World Net Daily, Bob Unruh claimed that President Obama wanted to make the U.S. the "global sex cop" and create "special provisions" for gays to enter the U.S. Unruh quoted favorably from anti-LGBT activists such as Peter LaBarbera of AFTAH and Randy Thomasson of SaveCalifornia. (See www[dot]wnd[dot]com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=375277)

- In a December 7th broadcast of The Janet Mefferd Show, Janet Mefferd and Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel lambasted the memorandum and U.N. speech. At the 21:21 mark of the second hour of the broadcast, Barber mocked the measure as allegedly in keeping with the Obama administration's "self-righteous, presumptuous, and wholly disingenuous approach to these issues." At 22:21, Barber fumed that the U.S. was "essentially exporting America's moral decline to other nations and using extortion to insist upon and to force poor nations, poor people, poor countries to adopt this postmodern sexual anarchist view of these types of behaviors."

Mefferd and Barber complained about LGBT rights being associated with human rights, with the assumption that equal rights for the LGBT community did not constitute human rights. Like Pat Robertson, they also fumed that attention was being given to LGBT rights as opposed to persecution of Christians worldwide. The idea that one could support the rights of both persecuted Christians around the globe and the LGBT community was not considered. At the 28:38 mark, the two scoffed at the idea of violence against LGBT individuals.

MEFFERD: Here’s a question I had too. In all the stories that I was reading yesterday about this directive, in none of them did I see any breakdown of statistics on the number of homosexuals and transgenders worldwide who are being tortured, persecuted and killed for being gay. Have you seen any statistics like that?

BARBER: Of course not. It’s nonsense. It’s Orwellian newspeak.

It seems that neither Mefferd nor Barber researched the readily available documentation of persecution and violence against LGBT people at home and abroad. Had they done so, they would have realized that homophobic and transphobic violence are very real, and that addressing such violence is a human rights priority. Violence against LGBT persons does not merely consist of random, isolated crimes, but is a systematic form of oppression that springs from homophobia and transphobia. (Hat tip to Right Wing Watch. See www[dot]janetmefferdpremium[dot]com/2011/12/07/janet-mefferd-radio-show-20111207-hr-2/)

At such a positive moment in history, when faced with such bigotry, all I can say to the haters is YOU'RE WRONG. It gladdens my heart that LGBT rights are making progress, even as homophobes and transphobes spew venom. Despite their angry rhetoric, human rights are moving forward, and the world will be better for it.

To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Do the religious right even care about the victims of anti-gay persecution?

Wall of Separation: Clinton's Challenge: Secretary of State Says Religion is No Excuse for Anti-Gay Bias

Think Progress: The Right Goes Wild: Conservatives Condemn Obama Administration for Treating Gay People as Human

Truth Wins Out, GetEqual, and SPLC Coming to Baltimore and D.C.

2011-12-07T21:17:00.001-05:00

Attention readers in the Baltimore/Washington region! LGBT advocacy groups Truth Wins Out, GetEqual, and the Southern Poverty Law Center will be hosting two events next week on so-called "reparative therapy." These events are part of a collaborative campaign intended to inform the public about these discredited and dubious "ex-gay" practices. If you live in the region, check out one of these upcoming events.

- On December 13th, Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out and "ex-gay" movement survivor Nick Cavnar will speak from 6-8 p.m. at Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th Street NW at V Street in Washington D.C. Free refreshments will be served.

- On December 15th, Besen and "ex-gay" movement survivor Chris Camp will speak from 6-8 p.m. at 2640 Co-op, 2640 Saint Paul Street in Baltimore, MD. Free refreshments will be served.

To read more about these upcoming events, check out this Truth Wins Out press release. Don't forget to RSVP if you plan to attend.

Commentary Tidbits

2011-12-05T21:31:00.002-05:00

Godless in Italy: The cost of the Catholic church

Washington Post: Newt Gingrich, the savior of the religious right?

RH Reality Check: Concerned Women for America's Condescending Treatment of Our Female Troops

Dispatches from the Culture Wars: Freshwater Continues to Lie

Talk to Action: The Camp Pendleton Cross: The Facts vs. What the "Persecuted" Christians Are Saying

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: What About the Gay Members of Eddie Long's Church?

I Kissed Reality Goodbye: Gender Roles and Abuse

Friendly Atheist: The Problems with Biblical Parenting and Discipline

Love, Joy, Feminism: Spanking, Fear, and Privileging Obedience
(Hat tip to Be the Change)

News Tidbits

2011-12-05T21:17:00.000-05:00

New York Times: Anti-Abortion Groups Are Split on Legal Tactics

New York Times: Charismatic Church Leader Eddie Long, Dogged by Scandal, to Stop Preaching for Now

ABC News: HHS Under Fire for Denying Grant to Catholic Group

NPR: Catholic Groups Fight Contraceptive Rule, But Many Already Offer Coverage

CBS News: Kentucky church's ban on interracial couples voided

WMUR 9: Pastor In Willis Rape Trial Resigns From University

Roanoke Times: Ten Commandments lawsuit survives motion to dismiss

Homeland Security News Wire: Kentucky allowed to rely on God for homeland security

New Pew Report: Lobbying for the Faithful

2011-12-04T23:18:00.003-05:00

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life recently released a report entitled Lobbying for the Faithful: Religious Advocacy Groups in Washington D.C. The report provides an overview of religious lobbying and religion-related advocacy groups in the U.S., with sobering information about Religious Right advocacy and lobbying.

The Pew Forum found that the number of organizations engaged in religion-related advocacy or religious lobbying in the nation's capitol has exploded in the past 40 years, from less than 40 groups in 1970 to over 200 now. Almost two-thirds (64%) of groups in the study involve themselves in both domestic and foreign issues. Groups commonly involved themselves in human rights (56%), poverty and economic issues (49%), peace and democracy (44%), and tolerance/interfaith dialogue (28%), among other issues.

Catholic (18%), evangelical Protestant (18%) and mainline Protestant (8%) organizations make up a sizable percentage of religious lobbying groups, suggesting a substantial Christian presence among such groups. Interestingly, roughly one-forth of the groups in the study either represented multiple faiths or advocated for religious issues without subscribing to a specific religion.

Perhaps the most attention-grabbing data in the Pew report is its list of the organizations with the greatest advocacy expenditures. The report estimates that the combined annual expenditures of religious lobbying and advocacy groups is over $390 million. However, most of the the groups that expend more than $10 million a year are prominent Religious Right organizations, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (over $26 million in 2009), the Family Research Council (over $14 million in 2008), Concerned Women for America (over $12 million in 2009), the National Right to Life Committee (over $11 million in 2009), the Home School Legal Defense Association (over $11 million in 2009), and Focus on the Family affiliate CitizenLink (over $10 million in 2009). Several of these groups loudly oppose LGBT rights and/or abortion rights, and the Family Research Council has been classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The fact that several prominent Religious Right organizations are among the most high-spending religious advocacy and lobbying groups should give us pause. Lest we underestimate the Religious Right or dismiss Religious Right organizations as fringe voices, we must remember that they are well-funded and active in Washington D.C. The data above should serve as a reminder that pro-LGBT, pro-choice, and church-state separation activism is highly important, given that we face well-funded and well-organized challengers.*

To read an executive summary of Lobbying for the Faithful, click here. For additional commentary, visit the following links.

Mother Jones: Study: K Street Is Holy Place

Equality Matters: Anti-LGBT Organizations, Hate Groups Ramped Up Spending in 2009

Open Secrets: Religious Lobby on the Rise

* It is not my intent to portray all religious advocacy and lobbying groups as negative. Many such groups do positive work in the world, which should be commended. It is Religious Right organizations that oppose LGBT rights, reproductive rights, and church-state separation that are my concern here.

More Gems from the Thanksgiving Family Forum

2011-12-04T01:01:00.000-05:00

In a prior post, readers were treated to startling quotes from Republican presidential candidates from the first few minutes of the Thanksgiving Family Forum. In this post, we have even more right-wing rhetoric to share from CitizenLink's edited video of the roundtable discussion, available at
www[dot]citizenlink[dot]com/2011/11/19/thanksgiving-family-forum-complete-video/

First, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich spoke of values and religion, conflating secularism with an absence of values. He claimed that a faction in the U.S. "which believes thing which are profoundly wrong" is determined to destroy values. At the 19:00 mark, he had this to say.

"I don't think liberty means libertine. I don't think liberty means absence of values. None of the Founding Fathers thought liberty meant that. The pursuit of happiness in the 18th century enlightment meant wisdom and virtue ... The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 to organize Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin says 'religion, morality, and knowledge being important,' we need schools. It was the Pelosi House that cut off the first three words, and said 'knowledge being important.' None of the founding fathers would have said that education without character is useful. They would have said it is in fact dangerous. Now what you have today is an outgrowth of the French Revolution. Gertrude Himmelfarb brilliant book on three enlightenments captures it perfectly. The French Revolution was an anti-clerical, anti-God rejection of the larger world in favor of secularism. It has dominated our academic world. Our academic world supplies our news media and our courts and Hollywood, and so you have a faction in America today which believes thing which are profoundly wrong. Now that is a fight. That's not a passivity. In a culture in which they know what they're doing and they are determined to destroy our value system, and we are passive or confused, is a world in which America is going to stay in deep trouble."

Gingrich, like so many other right-wing commentators, painted the world in black-and-white, binary terms. In this vision of the world, forces of faith and morality struggle against immoral secularism, with little room for gray area or thoughtful analysis.

At the 34:20 mark, Gingrich lashed out at the Occupy movement, caricaturing demonstrators as entitled, lazy protesters who need to bathe. The fact that Occupy demonstrators might have valid grievances, pay taxes, or defy stereotypes was not discussed.

"All the Occupy movements start with the premise that we all owe them everything. They take over a public park they didn't pay for, to go nearby to use bathrooms they didn't pay for, to beg for food from places they don't want to pay for, to obstruct those who are going to work to pay the taxes to sustain the bathrooms and sustain the park so they can self-righteously explain that they are the paragons of virtue to which we owe everything. Now that is a pretty good symptom of how much the left has collapsed as a moral system in this country and why you need to reassert something as simple as saying to them, 'go get a job right after you get a bath.'"

Other participants waxed poetic about the "Judeo-Christian" values that supposedly undergird American society. At the 21:19 mark, Texas Governor Rick Perry told the audience that "Judeo-Christian" values need to be the values guiding the issues faced by Congress and the president.

"If you are a pastor, you need to be in the pulpit every Sunday, and frankly every day that you have the opportunity to be in that pulpit, talking about values, because values are going to get decided. Somebody's values are going to decide what the Congress votes on or what the president of the United States is going to deal with, and the question is whose values? And let me tell you, it needs to be our values, values and virtues that this country was based upon in Judeo-Christian founding fathers."

Similarly, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann argued that American exceptionalism is grounded in "the Judeo-Christian ethic" and that the Ten Commandments allegedly formed the foundation of American law. These comments were framed in her larger commentary on the "censorship" of Americans pastors, who must abstain from endorsing candidates to maintain their tax-exempt status. At the 24:08 mark, Bachmann had this to say.

"I think probably the the greatest amount of censorship in this country today is in the pulpits of our churches, because we have a law that limits pastors for what they can say about politics in the pulpit. That's not the American way ... That is the First Amendment, allowing pastors to say whatever they want to say in the pulpit, because one thing they recognize is the the whole concept of American exceptionalism, and American exceptionialism is grounded on the Judeo-Christian ethic, which is really based upon the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were the foundation for our law."

By branding restrictions on clergy endorsement of candidates as "censorship," Bachmann fails to consider the role this restriction plays in safeguarding church-state separation. Furthermore, by linking America's alleged exceptionalism with "the Judeo-Christian ethic," Bachmann seems to suggest that Christianity is what makes the U.S. strong and unique. Bachmann's statement should be troubling to those who value church-state separation and religious diversity in the U.S.

The candidates' comments at the Thanksgiving Family Forum troubled me for several reasons. First, several candidates conflated American identity with Christianity -- presumably right-wing Christianity -- thereby excluding Americans of other faiths or no faith. To exclude non-Christians from national identity in a religiously diverse society is to promote division. Second, political rhetoric at the Thanksgiving Family Forum demonized secularism and liberalism, promoting a right-wing Christian vision of the state. Sadly, none of this rhetoric was new, as this batch of candidates has made similar statements in the past. In short, American voters need to take these candidates at their word, and remember their theocratic rhetoric in November 2012.

For additional commentary, visit the following links.

Religion Dispatches: Gingrich’s Anti-Secularism Greatest Hits

Slate: Rule of Lord

Def Shepherd: The GOP Thanksgiving Family Forum Debate: The Giblets

Commentary Tidbits

2011-12-01T22:17:00.001-05:00

Groping the Elephant: Rick Santorum: Idiot And Presidential Candidate

GLAAD: JONAH rabbi circulates anti-LGBT "Torah Declaration"

Ex-Gay Watch: Exclusive: Secret Conference Held to ‘Save Exodus International’ from Ruin

The Daily Beast: Evangelicals Flocking Toward Newt Gingrich

The Bilerico Project: Why You Shouldn't Donate to the Salvation Army Bell Ringers

Salon: Are evangelicals a national security threat?

RH Reality Check: Mike Huckabee to Premiere an Anti-Choice "Documentary"

Ms. Magazine: Should Organized Religion Have More Rights Than Women?

Media Matters: Pat Robertson: Don't Worry About Living Next To Cemeteries...Unless There Are Witches

Politicus USA: Pat Robertson Resurrects Old Fears that Peace Symbol is Broken Cross

News Tidbits

2011-12-01T22:12:00.000-05:00

CNN: Gingrich meets with pastors in South Carolina

New York Times: Evangelical Leader Rises in Brazil’s Culture Wars

Nashua Telegraph: Santorum claims conservative mantle

Associated Press: Georgia counseling student in court over view on gays

Des Moines Register: Michele Bachmann debates same-sex rights with high-school students in Waverly

Vancouver Sun: Atheists, rapists top list of people religious believers distrust the most, UBC study finds

Washington Post: Religious coalition vows to fight same-sex marriage in Maryland

Telegraph: 'Harry Potter and yoga are evil', says Catholic Church exorcist

The Thanksgiving Family Forum: Government, God, and Gab

2011-11-29T22:51:00.000-05:00

On November 19th, the Family Leader hosted the Thanksgiving Family Forum at First Federated Church in Des Moines, Iowa, with CitizenLink and the National Organization for Marriage as keynote sponsors. The forum was an online roundtable discussion among several GOP presidential contenders, including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas), Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota), Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), former Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), and businessman Herman Cain. Given that several questions posed to candidates involved religion and values, the Thanksgiving Family Forum was a feast of startling quotes. An edited video of the roundtable discussion has been posted at www[dot]citizenlink[dot]com/2011/11/19/thanksgiving-family-forum-complete-video/

Moderator Frank Luntz began the roundtable with a question about the line "so help me God" in the presidential oath of office. At the 4:11 mark, Michele Bachmann claimed that George Washington fervently believed in the force of Providence at work in the early nation, arguing that without God's aid, Americans won't be able to get the U.S. back on track.

"It reminds me that it was George Washington that added those last four words, 'so help me God,' and after he added those four words, he reached down and he kissed the Bible. And I think it's because if there was any American who had seen the hand of God rising up this nation, it was George Washington. He literally said without the aid of Providence, we wouldn't have had this land, and I think the time that we're in right now in this country is also at such a critical time, without his hand, we won't be able to get back on track."

Afterwards, Bachmann talked at length about her conversion to Christianity and experiences with God. Rick Perry also emphasized human dependence on the divine, insisting that a president needs God's wisdom and guidance to lead successfully. At the 6:14 mark, he had this to say.

"Being the president of the United States is got to be the hardest job in the world, and the idea that one of us sitting around this table could do it with our own human intellect, our capability, is beyond any of us, and we have to have that eternal wisdom that comes from God, and so 'so help me God' is almost a plea ... The idea that I would walk into that without God almighty holding me up would scare me to death."

Luntz asked the group what they consider to be the number one value that America needs to reclaim. At the 7:55 mark, Rick Santorum made the troubling claim that American civil law must agree with divine law, throwing in anti-abortion sentiment for good measure.

"America is a country that was founded on the concept that our rights come to us from our creator. Rights come to us from God, and that when God gives us rights, he doesn't say, 'Well, here are your rights, just do whatever you want to do with them." That in fact he has laws that we must abide by. Now unlike Islam, where the higher law and the civil law are the same, in our case, we have civil laws. But our our civil laws have to comport with the higher law ... As long as abortion is legal, at least according to the Supreme Court, legal in this country, we will never have rest because that law does not comport with God's law which says that all life has value ... As long as there is a discornance between the two, there will be agitation."

Santorum them derailed into a lengthy discussion about his faith and the role of God in his election to the U.S. Senate. Hilariously, Luntz called him out on his failed reelection bid at the 9:17 mark.

SANTORUM: I knew, at that moment when I won, I had a constituency of one. And I always felt that way. I always felt like, you know, that God had sort of pulled me out and given me this opportunity. But I've got to tell you, it took me until the United States Senate to really see what God had in store for me.

LUNTZ: So can I ask you then what message was God sending to you when you lost your race for the U.S. Senate? [Audience laughs]

SANTORUM: Can I first tell you the good news? I mean, come on, You sort of glossed over the good news to get me--I'll get to that.

LUNTZ: Quickly.

At the 10:57 mark, Newt Gingrich stressed that Americans must remember that God supposedly endows humans with rights, casting secularism as short-sighted and narrow in its political vision. His rhetoric about God allegedly being driven from the public square is a familiar Religious Right chestnut.

"It would be to ensure that every American understood that we are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, and therefore you have to explain the word 'creator,' and I wouldn't have anybody teaching who felt uncomfortable explaining what the founding fathers meant when they said that our rights come from our creator, because it changes everything else. 'Secular' is a term that comes actually from the Latin secularis meaning 'century,' and it basically says life is very limited, so you might as well get the most you can now. A belief in God is the precise opposite. It's a belief that we are all part of an eternity and that eternity stretches behind us and ahead of us, and therefore we have to measure what we do within the framework of God's greater plan. A country which has been now since 1963 relentlessly in the courts driving God out of public life shouldn't be surprised at all the problems we have because we have in fact attempted to create a secular country which I think frankly is a nightmare. So I think the first step is--this is not sectarian. It's not Protestant, Catholic, Jewish. This is a factual historic statement. Our founding document, which is the base of our government, says we are endowed by our creator and therefore we have responsibilities as citizens to that creator, and if we simply have a system that reasserts that and educates that and tries to live up to that, we will be a dramatically better country, and other policies follow from it."

For this statement, Gingrich received warm applause from the audience. Gingrich neglected to add that not all Americans believe in God (or one god), not all Americans agree on what such a being would expect of humans, and that not all Americans want faith and government entwined. By caricaturing secular government as a short-sighted, he forgot that separation of church and state protect both from each other.

In only the first few minutes of the Thanksgiving Family Forum, candidates flaunted their Religious Right credentials to an approving audience. Amidst pious words about their faith and their visions of God in government, candidates revealed an alarming vision for America.

Stay tuned for even more quotes from the roundtable!

For more information on the Thanksgiving Family Forum, visit www[dot]thefamilyleader[dot]com/thanksgiving-family-forum. For additional commentary, visit the following links.

Why Evolution is True: Republicans insane; want to establish theocracy

The Daily Beast: Best Moments From the GOP's Thanksgiving Family Forum

Huffington Post: Thanksgiving from Hell: The Republican Family Forum

Washington Post: GOP Candidates Court Conservative Christians in Iowa

Commentary Tidbits

2011-11-28T22:13:00.000-05:00

Telling Secrets: Army of God

Talk to Action: Michele Bachmann Dodges Question about Dominionism from Christianity Today

Media Matters: Pat Robertson Incorrectly Claims Peace Symbol is a Broken Cross

Lady Atheist: "Ungodly Discipline" on CNN Trigger warning
(Hat tip to Infidel753)

News Tidbits

2011-11-28T22:07:00.001-05:00

New York Times: The Unbelievers

UK Press Association: King James Bible scheme for schools

The Advocate: New York Archbishop Claims Deception, Plans to Fight Marriage Equality in Other States

Edge Boston: Evangelical Christian Mom Becomes an Unlikely Advocate

San Francisco Chronicle: Street survivor looks out for homeless LGBT youths

Washington Post: New Jersey nurses charge religious discrimination over hospital abortion policy

WMBF: Thanksgiving defender leaves scolding letters for early Christmas decorators
(Hat tip to Backwater Links)

Homophobia and the Penn State Sexual Abuse Scandal

2011-11-27T23:39:00.000-05:00

On November 4th, former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky was indicted on forty counts of sexual abuse of minors. Pennlive reports that two additional cases of reported sexual abuse were recently opened by Pennsylvania Children and Youth Services, one of which involves a family member of Sandusky's. The Second Mile, a charity founded by Sandusky to help underprivileged youth, has come under fire by donors, and may be sued by one of the young men who reported sexual abuse.

Sadly, some voices from the Religious Right are using this situation to launch attacks against LGBT people. Rather than use this scandal as an opportunity to discuss child abuse in a constructive manner, some voices have used it as an excuse to disparage gays.

- During the November 14th edition of his radio show The Line of Fire, Michael Brown had scathing things to say about the Penn State scandal. At the 10:08 mark, he insisted that reported sexual abuse of boys related to the Catholic Church and the Sandusky scandal is a "homosexual scandal."

"If a man is attracted to young men or boys, that is a homosexual attraction. If a man is attracted to young women or girls, that is a heterosexual attraction. Yes, a perverted extension of those attractions, and in the case of homosexuals, perverted extension of a wrong attraction to start, but to say that guy was straight, no no no. Straight men, if they are pedophiles, abuse girls. The scandal with many priests in the Catholic Church abusing boys and young men, that was a homosexual scandal, was it not? Was it not?"

Brown failed to distinguish pedophilia (sexual attraction to children) from heterosexuality and homosexuality (attraction toward adults of the opposite sex or same sex, respectively). The fact that sexual abuse of children is fundamentally defined by unequal power and manipulation, and therefore in a category apart from sexual orientation, is not explored.

Brown stressed that he does not believe most gays are pedophiles, and he acknowledged that most gay men were repulsed by the Sandusky scandal. Despite these claims, Brown went on to state that LGBT history programs glorify alleged pedophiles in history. While touching upon the allegations against Sandusky, Brown alleged that there is a "pedophile elephant in the gay activist closet." At the 12:25 mark, he had this to say.

"There is a pedophile elephant in the gay activist closet that very few want to talk about, and if you dare bring this up, you talk about getting vilified, you talk about getting mocked, rejected ... What I'm discussing is the celebration and exaltation of men in quote gay history, gay education networks want these people taught on in schools. They want it to be celebrated that so-and-so was gay, that this famous man was homosexual, and yet, in many cases these men were pederasts ... And yet, gay activists still celebrate their names, still want them exalted in our history lessons."

What this had to do with the Penn State controversy was unclear, but it nevertheless reveals a certain antipathy toward LGBT history. (See www[dot]lineoffireradio[dot]com/2011/11/14/reflections-on-the-penn-state-scandal-and-other-recent-news/)

- According to One News Now, Diane Gramley of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania was pleased that Penn State President Graham Spanier was removed from his position. The article stated that Gramley advocated for Spanier's dismissal for years because he allegedly promoted a "homosexual agenda" at the school. She stressed the importance of finding a replacement who recognizes the supposed dangers of an "anything goes" attitude. As a side note, fans of the documentary Out in the Silence may remember Gramley's anti-LGBT activism in the film. (See www[dot]onenewsnow[dot]com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=1478054)

- In a column at World Net Daily, Joseph Farah claimed that "the lines between right and wrong sexual behavior have been moved" due in part to the "thuggery" of a "self-interested minority." Farah argued that tolerance of alleged sexual abuse at Penn State was somehow the result of a cultural environment that accepts homosexuality. He fumes that "government schools" are supposedly teaching students how to perform homosexual sex acts (!?) and that God no longer decides what is sinful behavior for Americans. (See www[dot]wnd[dot]com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=368465)

- Likewise, in another commentary at World Net Daily, David A. Noebel tries to place homosexuality and child sexual abuse together under the umbrella of "moral relativism." He laments that America's "libertine culture" is supposedly making child abuse as acceptable as the LGBT community. In a breathtaking show of insensitivity, he wrote that the president and secretary of education are as guilty as Sandusky because they have allowed LGBT issues to enter children's education. (See www[dot]wnd[dot]com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=368209)

- In a commentary at Renew America, Bryan Fischer raged about the sexual abuse charges against Sandusky, writing that Sandusky deserves harsh punishment if found guilty. Fischer described child sexual abuse as "one of the darkest pathologies associated with homosexual behavior," insisting that gays sexually abuse children at higher rates than heterosexuals. As his evidence, Fischer cites a study, oft-quoted by Religious Right voices, that allegedly corroborates his claim. Fischer neglects to mention critiques of such research, as well as other studies that did NOT find links between LGBT status and sexual abuse perpetration (see here, here, and here). Additionally, Fischer seems unaware of research that distinguishes androphilia and pedophilia as two different phenomena. (See www[dot]renewamerica[dot]com/columns/fischer/111112)

It sickens me that opportunistic homophobes are using the Penn State scandal to lash out at the LGBT community. Their conflation of homosexuality and child sexual abuse is not only a grave insult to LGBT people, but it also trivializes the trauma of sexual abuse victims. It ignores the abuse of power and betrayal of trust inherent in sexual abuse, instead casting abuse as yet another form of sin alongside same-sex relationships. By spouting homophobic rhetoric, these commentators are inflaming hatred toward the LGBT community, failing to help abuse victims, and deflecting attention away from the real roots of sexual abuse. Religious Right commentators need to discuss child sexual abuse with maturity and sensitivity, instead of using it to take cheap shots at the LGBT community.

For additional commentary, visit the following links.

Truth Wins Out: Hate Group Figures Rush to Tie Jerry Sandusky to Gay People

Right Wing Watch: Brown Likens Penn State Abuse Scandal to LGBT History Law

Commentary Tidbits

2011-11-26T00:53:00.002-05:00

It Is Better to Speak: Your Innocence Will Not Save You: Conservative Christianity and Childhood Sexual Abuse Trigger warning

I Kissed Reality Goodbye: How to Sell Abstinence

Natalie's Narratives: Why I Don't Believe in a Literal Adam and Eve

A Feather Adrift: If You Find Yourself Turning East to Pray, It Might Be the Turkey

Religion Dispatches: Who Would Jesus Bully?

Right Wing Watch: TheCall Whines About Right Wing Watch Exposing Their Anti-Muslim Rhetoric

Truth Wins Out: New Book: Why I Slept With My Therapist: How One Gay Man Tried to Go Straight

(Hat tip to Are Women Human for several of these links)