Christian Post: Public Decries Christian Men's Conference for Featuring Speakers Accused of Rape, Sexual Abuse Cover-Up
Washington Blade: Anti-LGBT legal organization designated a hate group
The Hill: Washington court rules against florist who refused flowers for gay wedding
ABC 33/40: Alabama: Briarwood Presbyterian Church seeks lawmakers’ approval to establish police force
Huffington Post: Creationist Ken Ham’s Giant ‘Noah’s Ark’ To Feature Dinosaurs vs. Giants Diorama
Gay Star News: New Mexico Senate votes to ban anti-LGBT conversion therapy
Pink News: Christian radio host Bryan Fischer says homosexuals are ‘literally’ Nazi stormtroopers
Washington Post: Influential conservative group: Trump, DeVos should dismantle Education Department and bring God into classrooms
The Independent: UK: Children at faith school 'ordered by teachers to ignore classmate because her parent is transgender'
Showing posts with label Alliance Defense Fund. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alliance Defense Fund. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Rick Santorum to Speak at Summit on Family and "Sustainable Development"
Between the September 21st People's Climate March in New York City and today's United Nations Climate Summit, climate and sustainability are receiving much-needed attention. An upcoming conference in New York will also talk about sustainable development, but in a very different way.
The Political Network for Values will host the 2014 Transatlantic Summit on December 5th in New York City. The theme of the summit is "Strengthening the Family for Sustainable Development: How Far Could We Get?". According to the summit program, policy-makers from three continents will gather at UN headquarters "to recognize and strengthen the role of the family as a driver for sustainable development." The Political Network for Values website lists several right-wing organizations among its sponsors, including C-FAM, the National Organization for Marriage, Alliance Defending Freedom, and the World Congress of Families.
Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, whose reputation precedes him, is scheduled to speak at the gathering. Much to my amusement, the program describes him as a "candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States", which might be a tad hasty. Conservative Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia will be a special guest at the summit's reception dinner.
Also scheduled to speak is Robert P. George, a professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University, author of Conscience and Its Enemies: Confronting the Dogmas of Liberal Secularism, and co-author of What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense. George is the chairman emeritus for the National Organization for Marriage.
Scheduled speakers also include Oscar Iván Zuluaga, the opposition candidate in Colombia's 2014 presidential election whose campaign was plagued by hacking accusations, according to Al Jazeera. Also on the program is Zoltán Balog, the Hungarian Minister for Human Resources whose recent comments about Roma deportations during Holocaust ignited controversy, according to the Budapest Beacon. Jaime Mayor Oreja, a Spanish politician who has vocally championed "Christian values" and who called abortion rights an "aberration", will receive the Family and Truth award from the World Congress of Families.
The theme of the December summit -- family and sustainable development -- could make for surreal listening. Given the vision of family promoted by many of the conference sponsors -- married, heterosexual, and childbearing -- I expect the Transatlantic Summit to define family very narrowly. Furthermore, given how some of the sponsors view overpopulation and contraception, I doubt that the conference will promote family planning and other fertility reduction measures as a means of addressing population growth. This troubles me, given that rapid population growth is associated with adverse economic and environmental consequences, making family planning and reproductive rights vital for sustainable development. When December arrives, we'll have the opportunity to learn more about the summit's goals.
(Hat tip to Human Rights Campaign.)
The Political Network for Values will host the 2014 Transatlantic Summit on December 5th in New York City. The theme of the summit is "Strengthening the Family for Sustainable Development: How Far Could We Get?". According to the summit program, policy-makers from three continents will gather at UN headquarters "to recognize and strengthen the role of the family as a driver for sustainable development." The Political Network for Values website lists several right-wing organizations among its sponsors, including C-FAM, the National Organization for Marriage, Alliance Defending Freedom, and the World Congress of Families.
Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, whose reputation precedes him, is scheduled to speak at the gathering. Much to my amusement, the program describes him as a "candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States", which might be a tad hasty. Conservative Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia will be a special guest at the summit's reception dinner.
Also scheduled to speak is Robert P. George, a professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University, author of Conscience and Its Enemies: Confronting the Dogmas of Liberal Secularism, and co-author of What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense. George is the chairman emeritus for the National Organization for Marriage.
Scheduled speakers also include Oscar Iván Zuluaga, the opposition candidate in Colombia's 2014 presidential election whose campaign was plagued by hacking accusations, according to Al Jazeera. Also on the program is Zoltán Balog, the Hungarian Minister for Human Resources whose recent comments about Roma deportations during Holocaust ignited controversy, according to the Budapest Beacon. Jaime Mayor Oreja, a Spanish politician who has vocally championed "Christian values" and who called abortion rights an "aberration", will receive the Family and Truth award from the World Congress of Families.
The theme of the December summit -- family and sustainable development -- could make for surreal listening. Given the vision of family promoted by many of the conference sponsors -- married, heterosexual, and childbearing -- I expect the Transatlantic Summit to define family very narrowly. Furthermore, given how some of the sponsors view overpopulation and contraception, I doubt that the conference will promote family planning and other fertility reduction measures as a means of addressing population growth. This troubles me, given that rapid population growth is associated with adverse economic and environmental consequences, making family planning and reproductive rights vital for sustainable development. When December arrives, we'll have the opportunity to learn more about the summit's goals.
(Hat tip to Human Rights Campaign.)
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Commentary Tidbits
Think Progress: Dismantling The ‘Religious Liberty’ Talking Points Used To Justify Anti-LGBT Discrimination
Media Matters: CNN And MSNBC Expose The Anti-Gay Group Behind Arizona's SB 1062
Internet Monk: When “Christian” Teaching Enables Abuse of Power
Istoria Ministries: Bill Gothard: His Umbrella of Protection Teaching Provides an Umbrage for Perverted Behavior
Huffington Post: Putin's 'Holy Russia' Goes to War
Media Matters: CNN And MSNBC Expose The Anti-Gay Group Behind Arizona's SB 1062
Internet Monk: When “Christian” Teaching Enables Abuse of Power
Istoria Ministries: Bill Gothard: His Umbrella of Protection Teaching Provides an Umbrage for Perverted Behavior
Huffington Post: Putin's 'Holy Russia' Goes to War
Sunday, February 2, 2014
News Tidbits
Associated Baptist Press: Southern Baptist Convention's ERLC supports Hobby Lobby in Supreme Court brief
Pink News: Pastor who helped woman flee US custody battle with lesbian partner appeals sentence
Raw Story: Illinois bishop: ‘Punish’ LGBT people like children if they get married
Associated Press: Utah Bill on Liquor Rules Targets "Zion Curtain"
The Advocate: Report: Knights of Columbus Spends Millions to Fight LGBT Rights
Washington Blade: Anti-gay group joins Virginia marriage case
Columbus Dispatch: Critics: 2 Texas schools teach creationism
Gay Star News: Hong Kong Christian school threatens to fire gay and transgender staff
On Top Magazine: Nigerian Televangelist T.B. Joshua Claims to Deliver Man From Demon Which Made Him Gay
Pink News: Pastor who helped woman flee US custody battle with lesbian partner appeals sentence
Raw Story: Illinois bishop: ‘Punish’ LGBT people like children if they get married
Associated Press: Utah Bill on Liquor Rules Targets "Zion Curtain"
The Advocate: Report: Knights of Columbus Spends Millions to Fight LGBT Rights
Washington Blade: Anti-gay group joins Virginia marriage case
Columbus Dispatch: Critics: 2 Texas schools teach creationism
Gay Star News: Hong Kong Christian school threatens to fire gay and transgender staff
On Top Magazine: Nigerian Televangelist T.B. Joshua Claims to Deliver Man From Demon Which Made Him Gay
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Commentary Tidbits
The American Prospect: "Religious Liberty": The Next Big Front in the Culture Wars
Think Progress: Abstinence-Only Course In Texas Tells Kids That Having Sex Makes Them Like A Chewed-Up Piece Of Gum
Huffington Post: Keeping Church at Arm's Length From State
Joe. My. God: New Mexico: Hate Group Petitions SCOTUS On Behalf Of Photographer
The Guardian: Government shutdown just the start for America's Biblical revolutionaries
Miscellanea Agnostica: Myths About Christmas In The U.S.
What Would JT Do? Doug Phillips resigns from Vision Forum Ministries over extra-marital affair...but his marriage is still sacred
Think Progress: Abstinence-Only Course In Texas Tells Kids That Having Sex Makes Them Like A Chewed-Up Piece Of Gum
Huffington Post: Keeping Church at Arm's Length From State
Joe. My. God: New Mexico: Hate Group Petitions SCOTUS On Behalf Of Photographer
The Guardian: Government shutdown just the start for America's Biblical revolutionaries
Miscellanea Agnostica: Myths About Christmas In The U.S.
What Would JT Do? Doug Phillips resigns from Vision Forum Ministries over extra-marital affair...but his marriage is still sacred
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Online Petition Urges Marriott to Cancel Booking for NARTH Conference
The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), a notorious supporter of so-called conversion therapy, will be hosting its annual conference on November 8-9 at the Phoenix Marriott Airport Hotel in Phoenix, AZ. The conference will feature advocates of the "ex-gay" movement, including Anne Paulk of the Restored Hope Network, Joe Dallas, Christopher Doyle, Joseph Nicolosi, Sharon Slater, and Alliance Defending Freedom. The conference schedule features workshops with revealing titles:
The conversion therapy that NARTH defends is not only ineffective, but potentially harmful. Conversion therapy posits that gays and lesbians can change their sexual orientation and become heterosexual. Such so-called therapy posits that being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is inherently pathological. However, legitimate medical experts reject conversion therapy as dubious. For example, a 2009 report by the American Psychological Association concluded that efforts to change people's sexual orientation are not only unlikely to be successful, but involve risks of harm as well. The Pan American Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and other health groups have criticized conversion therapy, while research has shown sexual orientation change efforts to be highly dubious. New Jersey and California have outlawed conversion therapy for minors, citing its potential for harm. Similar bans have been proposed in Pennsylvania and New York.
NARTH and its allies have been accused of promoting dangerous junk science, misrepresenting other professionals' research, and promoting homophobia. In 2010, NARTH became a laughing stock when one of its board members, George Rekers, resigned after being caught traveling with a male escort.
LGBTQ advocates are stunned that the Phoenix Marriott Airport Hotel would host such a dubious event. All Out and SumOfUs have launched an online petition urging Marriott International to cancel booking for the NARTH conference and refrain from hosting future "gay cure" events. As of the writing of this post, the petition had accrued over 48,000 supporters, quickly approaching its goal of 50,000 signatures. (Hat tip to Pink News.)
I applaud All Out and SumOfUs for bringing attention to NARTH's upcoming conference. By incorrectly branding LGBTQ persons as pathological, conversion therapy does great harm, and organizations that support this dubious "therapy" deserve condemnation.
- When the Persecuted Become the Persecutors
- Neuro-Biological Foundations of Reparative Therapy
- The Primacy of Reparative Therapy: Evidence of Authentic Change
- Gender Wholeness
- The Legal Challenges to Client Rights
The conversion therapy that NARTH defends is not only ineffective, but potentially harmful. Conversion therapy posits that gays and lesbians can change their sexual orientation and become heterosexual. Such so-called therapy posits that being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is inherently pathological. However, legitimate medical experts reject conversion therapy as dubious. For example, a 2009 report by the American Psychological Association concluded that efforts to change people's sexual orientation are not only unlikely to be successful, but involve risks of harm as well. The Pan American Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and other health groups have criticized conversion therapy, while research has shown sexual orientation change efforts to be highly dubious. New Jersey and California have outlawed conversion therapy for minors, citing its potential for harm. Similar bans have been proposed in Pennsylvania and New York.
NARTH and its allies have been accused of promoting dangerous junk science, misrepresenting other professionals' research, and promoting homophobia. In 2010, NARTH became a laughing stock when one of its board members, George Rekers, resigned after being caught traveling with a male escort.
LGBTQ advocates are stunned that the Phoenix Marriott Airport Hotel would host such a dubious event. All Out and SumOfUs have launched an online petition urging Marriott International to cancel booking for the NARTH conference and refrain from hosting future "gay cure" events. As of the writing of this post, the petition had accrued over 48,000 supporters, quickly approaching its goal of 50,000 signatures. (Hat tip to Pink News.)
I applaud All Out and SumOfUs for bringing attention to NARTH's upcoming conference. By incorrectly branding LGBTQ persons as pathological, conversion therapy does great harm, and organizations that support this dubious "therapy" deserve condemnation.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Commentary Tidbits
Salon: Darwin inspired Hitler: Lies they teach in Texas
Right Wing Watch: Focus On The Family, Alliance Defending Freedom, NOM Leaders Reportedly Met With Author Of Russian 'Homosexual Propaganda' Bill
Rolling Stone: Why Republicans Are Losing the Virginia Governor's Race
Religion News Service: Mark Driscoll makes pacifists fighting mad
Media Matters: Fox's Starnes Urges Listeners To Donate Money To Anti-Gay Hate Groups
Washington City Paper: Film Review: God Loves Uganda
Frontiers LA: Jelly Belly Candy Chair and New York Hedge Fund Manager Underwriting Anti-Trans Student Initiative
Think Progress: How The Incendiary Rhetoric Against Transgender Youth Is Escalating
RH Reality Check: Corporations Claiming ‘Religious Liberty’ Try to Infringe on Their Employees’ Religious Liberty
RH Reality Check: Purity Culture as Rape Culture: Why the Theological Is Political
Right Wing Watch: Focus On The Family, Alliance Defending Freedom, NOM Leaders Reportedly Met With Author Of Russian 'Homosexual Propaganda' Bill
Rolling Stone: Why Republicans Are Losing the Virginia Governor's Race
Religion News Service: Mark Driscoll makes pacifists fighting mad
Media Matters: Fox's Starnes Urges Listeners To Donate Money To Anti-Gay Hate Groups
Washington City Paper: Film Review: God Loves Uganda
Frontiers LA: Jelly Belly Candy Chair and New York Hedge Fund Manager Underwriting Anti-Trans Student Initiative
Think Progress: How The Incendiary Rhetoric Against Transgender Youth Is Escalating
RH Reality Check: Corporations Claiming ‘Religious Liberty’ Try to Infringe on Their Employees’ Religious Liberty
RH Reality Check: Purity Culture as Rape Culture: Why the Theological Is Political
Sunday, July 28, 2013
New Report Claims American Religious Right Supporting Homophobia in Belize
Last week, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) released a startling report on more American Religious Right efforts abroad. Dangerous Liaisons: The American Religious Right & the Criminalization of Homosexuality in Belize documents the role of the American Religious Right in defending anti-LGBTQ legislation in Belize. Of special interest is Belize' Section 53, which punishes consensual same-sex "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" with imprisonment. Belize-based LGBTQ rights activists such as Caleb Orozco and United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM) have challenged the law, filing suit in Belize's highest national court against Section 53 in 2010. However, anti-LGBTQ voices are calling for the law to remain, such as Church Interested Parties (CIP), an alliance of prominent religious institutions in Belize, including the Roman Catholic Church in Belize, the Belize Church of England, and the Evangelical Association of Churches.
The report accuses right-wing U.S. groups such as the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), of providing legal advice to Section 53's defenders. The CIP has distributed pamphlets painting LGBTQ people as sexual predators who target children, and its court documents demonize homosexuality as morally equivalent to "incest, prostitution, and drug use", according to the report.
SPLC condemned the ADF for its homophobic activism and moral hypocrisy, asking how a group that purports to defend freedom could support a law that imprisons people unjustly.
The report also accuses Belize Action, led by American missionary Scott Stirm and supported by Extreme Prophetic Ministries, of promoting homophobic sentiment as well. Stirm reportedly called UNIBAM's suit against Section 53 “an orchestrated plan of demonic darkness to dethrone God from our constitution and open massive gateways to demonic influences and destruction that will affect generation after generation to come.”
Belize, of course, is not the first target of the American Religious Right's efforts. The report reminds readers of the role of the U.S. Religious Right in fomenting homophobia in Uganda, where a draconian anti-gay bill is currently under consideration. The report also highlighted the international machinations of groups such as the World Congress of Families, the American Center for Law and Justice, Family Watch International, and United Families International, which have opposed LGBTQ equality for years.
Promoting homophobia in Belize, where homophobic discrimination and violence are already serious problems, can only create more heartache for the country's LGBTQ community. The anti-LGBTQ efforts of the American Religious Right in Belize could not only keep an unjust law in place, but contribute to an already homophobic atmosphere that is stifling Belize' sexual minorities. The new SPLC report serves as another reminder that Christian Right activism is a global issue. The Christian Right's efforts in Belize, other Latin American countries, Brazil, Uganda, and other nations will not abate unless people of conscience condemn them.
To read the full report, click here. To read an introduction to the report, click here.
The report accuses right-wing U.S. groups such as the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), of providing legal advice to Section 53's defenders. The CIP has distributed pamphlets painting LGBTQ people as sexual predators who target children, and its court documents demonize homosexuality as morally equivalent to "incest, prostitution, and drug use", according to the report.
SPLC condemned the ADF for its homophobic activism and moral hypocrisy, asking how a group that purports to defend freedom could support a law that imprisons people unjustly.
"The ADF’s legal work in Belize is an odd initiative for an organization committed, by name, to “defending freedom.” Nowhere does the ADF explain how jailing members of the LGBT community furthers its goals of protecting “religious liberty, the sanctity of life, and marriage and family.” Indeed, the ADF so far has refused to answer any questions about its Belize initiative, one that puts it at odds with an increasing number of prominent, mainstream Christian organizations."
The report also accuses Belize Action, led by American missionary Scott Stirm and supported by Extreme Prophetic Ministries, of promoting homophobic sentiment as well. Stirm reportedly called UNIBAM's suit against Section 53 “an orchestrated plan of demonic darkness to dethrone God from our constitution and open massive gateways to demonic influences and destruction that will affect generation after generation to come.”
Belize, of course, is not the first target of the American Religious Right's efforts. The report reminds readers of the role of the U.S. Religious Right in fomenting homophobia in Uganda, where a draconian anti-gay bill is currently under consideration. The report also highlighted the international machinations of groups such as the World Congress of Families, the American Center for Law and Justice, Family Watch International, and United Families International, which have opposed LGBTQ equality for years.
Promoting homophobia in Belize, where homophobic discrimination and violence are already serious problems, can only create more heartache for the country's LGBTQ community. The anti-LGBTQ efforts of the American Religious Right in Belize could not only keep an unjust law in place, but contribute to an already homophobic atmosphere that is stifling Belize' sexual minorities. The new SPLC report serves as another reminder that Christian Right activism is a global issue. The Christian Right's efforts in Belize, other Latin American countries, Brazil, Uganda, and other nations will not abate unless people of conscience condemn them.
To read the full report, click here. To read an introduction to the report, click here.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Commentary Tidbits
Alternet: 10 Ridiculous Christian Right Prophesies
Bitchspot: Catholic Schools Struggle to Survive
The Guardian: 'Purity' culture: bad for women, worse for survivors of sexual assault
Prairie Nymph: Confessions of a Billy Graham Crusade Phone Operator
The Way Forward: Domestic Violence in the IFB Church Movement
RH Reality Check: Adoption Imperialism: A Q&A With The Child Catchers Author Kathryn Joyce
Think Progress: Conservatives Warn Of AARP’s Support For ‘Homosexual Agenda’
Think Progress: The Losing Arguments Of Anti-LGBT ‘Alliance Defending Freedom’
Bitchspot: Catholic Schools Struggle to Survive
The Guardian: 'Purity' culture: bad for women, worse for survivors of sexual assault
Prairie Nymph: Confessions of a Billy Graham Crusade Phone Operator
The Way Forward: Domestic Violence in the IFB Church Movement
RH Reality Check: Adoption Imperialism: A Q&A With The Child Catchers Author Kathryn Joyce
Think Progress: Conservatives Warn Of AARP’s Support For ‘Homosexual Agenda’
Think Progress: The Losing Arguments Of Anti-LGBT ‘Alliance Defending Freedom’
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Commentary Tidbits
Political Research Associates: Spiritual Warriors with an Antigay Mission: The New Apostolic Reformation
Raw Story: Lesbian pundit smacks down ‘pro-family activist’: Procreation is ‘not the point of marriage!’
Politico: Gay marriage not a civil rights issue, Alliance Defending Freedom argues
Religion Dispatches: Loving Uganda to Death: The Global Reach of Far-Right Christian Hatred
Huffington Post: Christianity and the Parental Rejection of LGBT Youth
RH Reality Check: Dear Conservative Christian Leaders: Why Are You Silent About Rape?
RH Reality Check: Why I Refuse to Be Taken to a Catholic Hospital—And Why Other Women Should Too
Raw Story: Lesbian pundit smacks down ‘pro-family activist’: Procreation is ‘not the point of marriage!’
Politico: Gay marriage not a civil rights issue, Alliance Defending Freedom argues
Religion Dispatches: Loving Uganda to Death: The Global Reach of Far-Right Christian Hatred
Huffington Post: Christianity and the Parental Rejection of LGBT Youth
RH Reality Check: Dear Conservative Christian Leaders: Why Are You Silent About Rape?
RH Reality Check: Why I Refuse to Be Taken to a Catholic Hospital—And Why Other Women Should Too
Monday, January 14, 2013
News Tidbits
Reuters: Vatican criticizes gay adoption
Reuters: Leading African Anglicans denounce Church of England’s gay bishop rule
The Telegraph: Gay marriage could signal return to ‘centuries of persecution’, say 1,000 Catholic priests
The Advocate: Busted! French Antigay Website Created by NOM
Gay Star News: France: Francois Hollande meets with religious leaders to discuss gay marriage
Balkan Insight: Croatia's Gays Hold Kissing Protest at Cathedral
Pink News: Chilean Bishop says gay ‘domestic partnerships bring the destruction of human beings’
USA Today: Survey: Big drop in those who say being gay's a sin
WIVB 4: Teacher files suit over religious items
WCTI 12: Lesbian couple claims restaurant owner handed them letter condemning homosexuality
WMUR: Alliance Defense Fund lawyer found guilty in child pornography trial (Hat tip to Joe.My.God)
Reuters: Leading African Anglicans denounce Church of England’s gay bishop rule
The Telegraph: Gay marriage could signal return to ‘centuries of persecution’, say 1,000 Catholic priests
The Advocate: Busted! French Antigay Website Created by NOM
Gay Star News: France: Francois Hollande meets with religious leaders to discuss gay marriage
Balkan Insight: Croatia's Gays Hold Kissing Protest at Cathedral
Pink News: Chilean Bishop says gay ‘domestic partnerships bring the destruction of human beings’
USA Today: Survey: Big drop in those who say being gay's a sin
WIVB 4: Teacher files suit over religious items
WCTI 12: Lesbian couple claims restaurant owner handed them letter condemning homosexuality
WMUR: Alliance Defense Fund lawyer found guilty in child pornography trial (Hat tip to Joe.My.God)
Friday, January 11, 2013
News Tidbits
Jewish Daily Forward: Vatican Rejects Society of Saint Pius X's Criticism of Jews
Alabama Live: Bill would strike anti-gay and abstinence-only lessons from Alabama sex-ed classes
Pink News: Dutch Priest posts photos of Catholic leavers to encourage them to stay
Pink News: Anti-gay Christian radio host John Hagee describes gay people as ‘disturbed’
Washington Blade: YouTube accused of ‘protecting’ anti-gay church
The Olympian: Thurston County judge won't perform gay weddings
BBC News: Pupil who refused to wear RFID, calling it "mark of the beast", loses appeal
Houston Chronicle: Zedler wants to license strippers, shield intelligent design researchers (Thanks Paul!)
WXII 12: Alliance Defending Freedom to help King with flag lawsuit
Treasure Coast Palm: Reinhard Bonnke's two-day 'Gospel Fest' to bring thousands to Vero Beach
Alabama Live: Bill would strike anti-gay and abstinence-only lessons from Alabama sex-ed classes
Pink News: Dutch Priest posts photos of Catholic leavers to encourage them to stay
Pink News: Anti-gay Christian radio host John Hagee describes gay people as ‘disturbed’
Washington Blade: YouTube accused of ‘protecting’ anti-gay church
The Olympian: Thurston County judge won't perform gay weddings
BBC News: Pupil who refused to wear RFID, calling it "mark of the beast", loses appeal
Houston Chronicle: Zedler wants to license strippers, shield intelligent design researchers (Thanks Paul!)
WXII 12: Alliance Defending Freedom to help King with flag lawsuit
Treasure Coast Palm: Reinhard Bonnke's two-day 'Gospel Fest' to bring thousands to Vero Beach
Friday, November 30, 2012
News Tidbits
CNN: Gay men sue counselors who promised to make them straight
Live Science: 5 Things You Should Know About Gay Conversion Therapy
Sacramento Bee: American Jewish World Service Condemns Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill and Stands in Solidarity with LGBT Ugandans
San Francisco Chronicle: Alliance Defending Freedom lawsuit: Minn. improperly pays for abortions
Metro News: Transgendered Canadians respond to conservative group’s pedophilia ‘slur’
MSN News: Man says prayer group leader told him to kill wife
The Advocate: Uganda, Considering a Devastating Antigay Bill, Has Tony Perkins's Support
Portland Press Herald: Ethics panel fines primary foe of Maine gay-marriage referendum
Live Science: 5 Things You Should Know About Gay Conversion Therapy
Sacramento Bee: American Jewish World Service Condemns Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill and Stands in Solidarity with LGBT Ugandans
San Francisco Chronicle: Alliance Defending Freedom lawsuit: Minn. improperly pays for abortions
Metro News: Transgendered Canadians respond to conservative group’s pedophilia ‘slur’
MSN News: Man says prayer group leader told him to kill wife
The Advocate: Uganda, Considering a Devastating Antigay Bill, Has Tony Perkins's Support
Portland Press Herald: Ethics panel fines primary foe of Maine gay-marriage referendum
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Commentary Tidbits
The Atlantic: For Gay Catholics, an Alternative to the Collection Plate
Box Turtle Bulletin: Anti-Homosexuality Bill Appears On Parliament’s Agenda for Today
Towleroad: Drag Queen RAs Are On the Loose, Says NOM Activist in Thanksgiving Message
Salon: Conservative legal group advises Christian clerks on gay marriage licenses
The Bilerico Project: Alliance Defending Freedom Should Clean Its Own House
Washington Post: Where are the so-called "family" organizations on Black Friday? Not where they should be.
Hollywood Reporter: Russell Brand Surprises Westboro Baptist Church With Gay Men on His FX Show
The Advocate: Dan Savage Explains The Origins of Porno Pete
Box Turtle Bulletin: Anti-Homosexuality Bill Appears On Parliament’s Agenda for Today
Towleroad: Drag Queen RAs Are On the Loose, Says NOM Activist in Thanksgiving Message
Salon: Conservative legal group advises Christian clerks on gay marriage licenses
The Bilerico Project: Alliance Defending Freedom Should Clean Its Own House
Washington Post: Where are the so-called "family" organizations on Black Friday? Not where they should be.
Hollywood Reporter: Russell Brand Surprises Westboro Baptist Church With Gay Men on His FX Show
The Advocate: Dan Savage Explains The Origins of Porno Pete
Monday, November 19, 2012
News Tidbits
Concord Monitor: ADF Lawyer Facing Federal Pornography Charges Arrested by FBI
Minnesota Public Radio: Evangelical Leader Jim Daly Suggests It's Time To Collaborate
Bloomberg Business Week: Bible Publisher Won’t Have to Fund Birth Control Coverage
WGAL News 8: Youth pastor pleads not guilty in mock kidnapping
Washington Post: Romney won over white evangelicals, Catholics, but they weren’t enough to win race
Associated Press: Anti-gay marriage marchers take to French streets
Minnesota Public Radio: Evangelical Leader Jim Daly Suggests It's Time To Collaborate
Bloomberg Business Week: Bible Publisher Won’t Have to Fund Birth Control Coverage
WGAL News 8: Youth pastor pleads not guilty in mock kidnapping
Washington Post: Romney won over white evangelicals, Catholics, but they weren’t enough to win race
Associated Press: Anti-gay marriage marchers take to French streets
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
America for Jesus Rally -- Saturday
(To read about the America for Jesus youth rally on September 28th, click here)
The America for Jesus rally took place on September 28-29 on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, PA. After Friday night's Awakening youth rally, a Solemn Assembly took place on Saturday, broadcast live on the GOD TV website. The Solemn Assembly's content was even more blatantly political than the youth rally's content, brimming with pro-Israel, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-abortion messages from prominent Religious Right speakers.
I tuned into GOD TV's live feed of the event around 11 a.m. Eastern as musicians were performing Christian music for the praying audience. The lead singer begged Jesus to bless America, lamenting that "we have devalued blood, we have devalued the blood of Jesus, royal blood shed for us." The crowd, a diverse mix of races and age groups, was dotted with American and Israeli flags and the occasional cross. Occassionally, the bellow of a shofar would ring out. In the distance was a Family Research Council bus similar to one I saw at the Values Voters Summit in Washington D.C. earlier this month.
Jim Garlow of Skyline Church took to the stage, asking listeners, "How did our nation get in the situation it's now in? What happened that would allow us to kill 55 million babies in the womb?" He expressed dismay that America was allegedly redefining marriage and plummeting into a debt-ridden "economic suicide." Garlow blamed these supposed ills on silent pulpits in the U.S., which started on July 2nd, 1954, when "166 years of pulpit freedom" was allegedly undermined by the Johnson Amendment. The result of the amendment was that "muzzled and intimidated" pastors began to "self-censor" themselves on issues such as homosexuality, marriage, and abortion, because "Biblical application" to national life was . "People no longer recognize authentic biblical preaching, and it's time to turn that," Garlow insisted.
Garlow asked pastors to exercise "Biblical authority" and celebrate their "pulpit freedom" by defying the Johnson Amendment from October 7th until the election. America would not witness a spiritual turnaround until the pulpits were unmuzzled, he insisted. The tax exemptions awarded to churches did not come from the IRS, but from the Founding Fathers who understood that government has no authority to dictate a church's message, Garlow claimed. After giving a shout-out to the Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly Alliance Defense Fund) he promoted the Pulpit Freedom website.
Garlow's speech quickly turned to the subject of same-sex marriage. Four states would soon be voting on same-sex marriage, and thus those states need the support of people with "Biblical values" to defend "traditional, Biblical, natural marriage," he told the audience. He likened "religious liberty" and the "radical homosexual agenda" to two locomotives racing toward each other on a train track, adding that the two cannot exist in the same nation at the same time. Parental rights, religious liberty, and personal freedoms would all be jeopardized if the definition of marriage were expanded to include same-sex couples, he claimed.
Next, Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel took to the stage, delighting in the sight of so many American and Israeli flags in the crowd. He told listeners that they must stand with Israel, as they share common values with the Jewish people and America was supposedly founded on a "Judeo-Christian" foundation. America, which exalts the divine as "one nation under God," is a "shining city on a hill," but that shining city is now jeopardized by "forced abortion funding" and redefinition of marriage, he claimed. "We are deeply sorry that in this land, under our laws, we kill a child every 20 seconds," he prayed. "Forgive us that your pulpits have been silenced."
After Staver spoke, right-wing history author David Barton of Wallbuilders addressed the crowd. Barton discussed the Great Awakening of the 18th century, with emphasis on preacher George Whitfield. Barton described how Whitfield's "Father Abraham" sermon encouraged Christians to transcend their sectarian differences, as well as how it supposedly influenced the Founding Fathers. He also spoke of Congress calling Americans to prayer, fasting, and thanksgiving throughout its history, trying to depict America as a historically prayerful country. The America for Jesus rally was "rekindling a covenant" made earlier in America's history, Barton said.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In keeping with the rally's pro-Israel theme, several Messianic Christian speakers delivered pro-Israel rhetoric. The next speaker was Jonathan Cahn of the Beth Israel Worship Center/Jerusalem Center in Wayne, NJ. Cahn, author of The Harbinger, affectionately pointed out an "Arab believer who loves Israel" in the audience.
Cahn preached that when a nation is in danger of divine judgment, God calls his people to repentance. He plugged The Harbinger, claiming that it explains the September 11th tragedy and America's economic downturn as signs of impending judgment. When ancient Israel turned away from God, nine warnings (harbingers) appeared in the land, he claimed, and the same nine harbingers are now appearing in the U.S. because America has turned from God. Like Israel, America was founded on God's will and blessed more than any other nation, Cahn asserted, but it has driven God out of government and culture while sacrificing the lives of unborn children. However, God will heal the land if Americans humble themselves before him again, Cahn assured the audience, stressing that America's hope lies with Jesus rather than the president, military, or economy.
Robert Stearns appeared after Cahn, repeating many of the same messages he delivered to the youth rally on Friday evening. He delivered a prayer of repentance for the "apathy" and "silence" that have characterized the church for the past century, begging that the crowd's shouting and rejoicing would spill out from churches into universities, media, and Congress. He blew his shofar three times, with the crowd shouting and cheering on the third bellow.
Sid Roth of It's Supernatural, who introduced himself as "the Jewish man who's red-hot for Jesus," reminded politicians of Genesis 12:3, a passage he interpreted to mean that God will bless those who bless the Jewish people and scorn those who disrespect the Jews. He called "dividing up God's land" a "tipping point" for the U.S., insisting that Israel is not the Jewish people's land or the Palestinian people's land, but God's land. God has arranged a "long-term lease" of Israel to the Jewish people, and as the U.S. does to Israel, God will do to the U.S., he warned. Cindy Jacobs of Generals International echoed his sentiments, assuring the audience that God is willing to forgive the U.S. just as he forgave ancient Israel.
Other speakers grieved for a supposedly tainted America, bringing talk of demons and dark forces to the stage. Phil Cappuccio of Kingdom Life Covenant Church in Hershey, PA urged listeners to repent because the "waters have been polluted" and death haunts the land. Bishop Bill Hamon of Christian International Ministries preached that it was time to release God's people from "demonic activity," joyous that Stearns' shofar would blast millions of demons from the area. Hank Kunneman of One Voice Ministries asked God to descend upon America and allow the "demonic veil" to be lifted off the nation.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The America for Jesus rally, which took place forty days before the U.S. presidential election, seemed to be an attempt to energize the Religious Right base. With its unabashed homophobia, anti-abortion rhetoric, and pro-Israel sentiments, the rally would have reminded right-wing voters about key Religious Right issues. Although I did not hear speakers promote any candidates, this was an undeniably political rally with a familiar Christian nationalist message.
For more information on the America for Jesus rally, click here and here.
The America for Jesus rally took place on September 28-29 on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, PA. After Friday night's Awakening youth rally, a Solemn Assembly took place on Saturday, broadcast live on the GOD TV website. The Solemn Assembly's content was even more blatantly political than the youth rally's content, brimming with pro-Israel, anti-LGBTQ, and anti-abortion messages from prominent Religious Right speakers.
I tuned into GOD TV's live feed of the event around 11 a.m. Eastern as musicians were performing Christian music for the praying audience. The lead singer begged Jesus to bless America, lamenting that "we have devalued blood, we have devalued the blood of Jesus, royal blood shed for us." The crowd, a diverse mix of races and age groups, was dotted with American and Israeli flags and the occasional cross. Occassionally, the bellow of a shofar would ring out. In the distance was a Family Research Council bus similar to one I saw at the Values Voters Summit in Washington D.C. earlier this month.
Jim Garlow of Skyline Church took to the stage, asking listeners, "How did our nation get in the situation it's now in? What happened that would allow us to kill 55 million babies in the womb?" He expressed dismay that America was allegedly redefining marriage and plummeting into a debt-ridden "economic suicide." Garlow blamed these supposed ills on silent pulpits in the U.S., which started on July 2nd, 1954, when "166 years of pulpit freedom" was allegedly undermined by the Johnson Amendment. The result of the amendment was that "muzzled and intimidated" pastors began to "self-censor" themselves on issues such as homosexuality, marriage, and abortion, because "Biblical application" to national life was . "People no longer recognize authentic biblical preaching, and it's time to turn that," Garlow insisted.
Garlow asked pastors to exercise "Biblical authority" and celebrate their "pulpit freedom" by defying the Johnson Amendment from October 7th until the election. America would not witness a spiritual turnaround until the pulpits were unmuzzled, he insisted. The tax exemptions awarded to churches did not come from the IRS, but from the Founding Fathers who understood that government has no authority to dictate a church's message, Garlow claimed. After giving a shout-out to the Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly Alliance Defense Fund) he promoted the Pulpit Freedom website.
Garlow's speech quickly turned to the subject of same-sex marriage. Four states would soon be voting on same-sex marriage, and thus those states need the support of people with "Biblical values" to defend "traditional, Biblical, natural marriage," he told the audience. He likened "religious liberty" and the "radical homosexual agenda" to two locomotives racing toward each other on a train track, adding that the two cannot exist in the same nation at the same time. Parental rights, religious liberty, and personal freedoms would all be jeopardized if the definition of marriage were expanded to include same-sex couples, he claimed.
Next, Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel took to the stage, delighting in the sight of so many American and Israeli flags in the crowd. He told listeners that they must stand with Israel, as they share common values with the Jewish people and America was supposedly founded on a "Judeo-Christian" foundation. America, which exalts the divine as "one nation under God," is a "shining city on a hill," but that shining city is now jeopardized by "forced abortion funding" and redefinition of marriage, he claimed. "We are deeply sorry that in this land, under our laws, we kill a child every 20 seconds," he prayed. "Forgive us that your pulpits have been silenced."
After Staver spoke, right-wing history author David Barton of Wallbuilders addressed the crowd. Barton discussed the Great Awakening of the 18th century, with emphasis on preacher George Whitfield. Barton described how Whitfield's "Father Abraham" sermon encouraged Christians to transcend their sectarian differences, as well as how it supposedly influenced the Founding Fathers. He also spoke of Congress calling Americans to prayer, fasting, and thanksgiving throughout its history, trying to depict America as a historically prayerful country. The America for Jesus rally was "rekindling a covenant" made earlier in America's history, Barton said.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In keeping with the rally's pro-Israel theme, several Messianic Christian speakers delivered pro-Israel rhetoric. The next speaker was Jonathan Cahn of the Beth Israel Worship Center/Jerusalem Center in Wayne, NJ. Cahn, author of The Harbinger, affectionately pointed out an "Arab believer who loves Israel" in the audience.
Cahn preached that when a nation is in danger of divine judgment, God calls his people to repentance. He plugged The Harbinger, claiming that it explains the September 11th tragedy and America's economic downturn as signs of impending judgment. When ancient Israel turned away from God, nine warnings (harbingers) appeared in the land, he claimed, and the same nine harbingers are now appearing in the U.S. because America has turned from God. Like Israel, America was founded on God's will and blessed more than any other nation, Cahn asserted, but it has driven God out of government and culture while sacrificing the lives of unborn children. However, God will heal the land if Americans humble themselves before him again, Cahn assured the audience, stressing that America's hope lies with Jesus rather than the president, military, or economy.
Robert Stearns appeared after Cahn, repeating many of the same messages he delivered to the youth rally on Friday evening. He delivered a prayer of repentance for the "apathy" and "silence" that have characterized the church for the past century, begging that the crowd's shouting and rejoicing would spill out from churches into universities, media, and Congress. He blew his shofar three times, with the crowd shouting and cheering on the third bellow.
Sid Roth of It's Supernatural, who introduced himself as "the Jewish man who's red-hot for Jesus," reminded politicians of Genesis 12:3, a passage he interpreted to mean that God will bless those who bless the Jewish people and scorn those who disrespect the Jews. He called "dividing up God's land" a "tipping point" for the U.S., insisting that Israel is not the Jewish people's land or the Palestinian people's land, but God's land. God has arranged a "long-term lease" of Israel to the Jewish people, and as the U.S. does to Israel, God will do to the U.S., he warned. Cindy Jacobs of Generals International echoed his sentiments, assuring the audience that God is willing to forgive the U.S. just as he forgave ancient Israel.
Other speakers grieved for a supposedly tainted America, bringing talk of demons and dark forces to the stage. Phil Cappuccio of Kingdom Life Covenant Church in Hershey, PA urged listeners to repent because the "waters have been polluted" and death haunts the land. Bishop Bill Hamon of Christian International Ministries preached that it was time to release God's people from "demonic activity," joyous that Stearns' shofar would blast millions of demons from the area. Hank Kunneman of One Voice Ministries asked God to descend upon America and allow the "demonic veil" to be lifted off the nation.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The America for Jesus rally, which took place forty days before the U.S. presidential election, seemed to be an attempt to energize the Religious Right base. With its unabashed homophobia, anti-abortion rhetoric, and pro-Israel sentiments, the rally would have reminded right-wing voters about key Religious Right issues. Although I did not hear speakers promote any candidates, this was an undeniably political rally with a familiar Christian nationalist message.
For more information on the America for Jesus rally, click here and here.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
The Religious Right Around the Globe: South Africa's Errol Naidoo
A recent article in Pink News focused on a South African Religious Right figure named Errol Naidoo, former pastor of His People Church in Tokai and the head of a right-wing think tank called Family Policy Institute. In an August 22nd essay at the FPI website, Naidoo ranted against abortion, LGBTQs, and "radical feminist activists," whom he blamed for a "culture of death" in South Africa. He hinted that this so-called culture of death was at the root of "callousness" toward human life in the "national psyche" that gave rise to the Marikana tragedy. Naidoo's bombastic column reminds us that American Religious Right voices are not the only ones who blame catastrophes on groups they dislike (see here, here, and here).
I did a little research on Naidoo and FPI, and I found that not only do his positions bear a remarkable resemblance to those of his American counterparts, but that he also networks with global Religious Right leaders.
First, Naidoo uses rhetoric that bears a remarkable resemblance to American Religious Right language. According to its website, FPI "promotes the Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society." It claims to represent the allegedly shared valies of South African Christians in government and media. Like its Religious Right counterparts in the U.S., FPI sees heterosexual marriage and the family as the "foundation of civilization" and the cornerstone of moral virtue. Its rhetoric about "upholding marriage" between a man and a woman, defending the "sanctity of human life", safeguarding "religious liberty," and battling "judicial activism" sound very similar to the rhetoric of the American Religious Right.
FPI makes no attempt to hide its homophobia. In the "Issues" section of its website, FPI condemns homosexuality as a sin and a "depraved agenda." It quotes Ephesians 6:12 -- “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers ..." -- arguing that homosexuality is a spiritual pathology. Despite FPI's insistence that Christians must "love the homosexual but hate the sin," Pink News quotes Naidoo as telling a Nigeria newspaper, "I hate gays. It runs against God’s wishes." To boot, Naidoo and FPI have a history of anti-LGBTQ activism. Mamba Online reports that in 2010, Naidoo initiated a campaign against Cape Town's support of gay tourism.
Naidoo is also a staunch anti-abortion activist. The FPI website laments the "abortion holocaust," condemning South Africa's Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act. FPI bluntly denies that women have a choice whether or not to terminate pregnancies.
Like other right-wing voices on the African continent, FPI attributes at least some "immorality" to foreign influences. In a 2011 essay entitled "Stop the Flood of Filth from Foreign Sewers!", Errol Naidoo lambasted "foreign based immorality" such as a Beechies ad campaign, which he condemned as celebrating drinking and casual sex. He also condemned other foreign products such Playboy and GQ magazines.
Naidoo still speaks at his old church, His People Church in Tokai, where he promotes messages about godly government. In a January 15th talk* on governance, Naidoo told listeners that they must respect the government and obey laws that do not conflict with God's laws. For instance, believers must pay taxes and respect traffic laws. However, Naidoo asserted that "when the authorities tell you to sin against God, you can disobey."
Naidoo celebrated the Christian church as the pillar of truth in society, claiming that the church is responsible for bringing governments under Christ's authority. At the 11:30 mark, he claimed that nations lacking a Christian foundation are doomed to weaken.
Naidoo's global networking did not end with the Values Voters Summit. In a June 7th commentary, Naidoo describes his visit to the Sixth World Congress of Families, a conference that draws prominent Religious Right figures from around the globe (see here and here). Naidoo writes of his conversations with Sharon Slater of Family Watch International and Benjamin Bull of the Alliance Defense Fund. He even states that he spoke with Bull about the possibility of creating a South African chapter of Alliance Defense Fund.
Naidoo's homophobia, anti-abortion stance, and theocratic rhetoric are not only troubling for South Africans, but all too familiar for Americans. Errol Naidoo and the Family Policy Institute promote many of the same messages endorsed by the American Religious Right. And, they network with their American cousins, thereby helping Religious Right ideas circulate to global audiences. Religious Right watchdogs, take note.
For additional commentary, visit the following links.
Sour Grapes: So Who Is Erroll Naidoo?
Synapses: Errol Naidoo: High priest of hysteria
O-blog-dee-o-blog-da: South African pastor blames mine massacre on gays
* To download Naidoo's sermon on governance, click here.
I did a little research on Naidoo and FPI, and I found that not only do his positions bear a remarkable resemblance to those of his American counterparts, but that he also networks with global Religious Right leaders.
First, Naidoo uses rhetoric that bears a remarkable resemblance to American Religious Right language. According to its website, FPI "promotes the Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society." It claims to represent the allegedly shared valies of South African Christians in government and media. Like its Religious Right counterparts in the U.S., FPI sees heterosexual marriage and the family as the "foundation of civilization" and the cornerstone of moral virtue. Its rhetoric about "upholding marriage" between a man and a woman, defending the "sanctity of human life", safeguarding "religious liberty," and battling "judicial activism" sound very similar to the rhetoric of the American Religious Right.
FPI makes no attempt to hide its homophobia. In the "Issues" section of its website, FPI condemns homosexuality as a sin and a "depraved agenda." It quotes Ephesians 6:12 -- “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers ..." -- arguing that homosexuality is a spiritual pathology. Despite FPI's insistence that Christians must "love the homosexual but hate the sin," Pink News quotes Naidoo as telling a Nigeria newspaper, "I hate gays. It runs against God’s wishes." To boot, Naidoo and FPI have a history of anti-LGBTQ activism. Mamba Online reports that in 2010, Naidoo initiated a campaign against Cape Town's support of gay tourism.
Naidoo is also a staunch anti-abortion activist. The FPI website laments the "abortion holocaust," condemning South Africa's Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act. FPI bluntly denies that women have a choice whether or not to terminate pregnancies.
"Before a life is conceived in a woman’s womb she has a choice – whether to have a baby or not. But once the baby is conceived, she no longer has a choice – she has a baby."His disdain for women's self-determination was apparent in a Joy Magazine commentary entitled "Shattering the Mould: The Misconceptions of Women's Liberation." Naidoo's column calls the women's movement a "failed social experiment", claiming that it has done nothing to decrease women's sexual exploitation. (One wonders if Naidoo actually bothered to research the many feminist activists and organizations combating prostitution and sex trafficking.) The column conflates 1960s feminism and the sexual revolution, blaming them for everything from family disintegration to unwed mothers on welfare to rising STD rates. Sound familiar?
Like other right-wing voices on the African continent, FPI attributes at least some "immorality" to foreign influences. In a 2011 essay entitled "Stop the Flood of Filth from Foreign Sewers!", Errol Naidoo lambasted "foreign based immorality" such as a Beechies ad campaign, which he condemned as celebrating drinking and casual sex. He also condemned other foreign products such Playboy and GQ magazines.
Naidoo still speaks at his old church, His People Church in Tokai, where he promotes messages about godly government. In a January 15th talk* on governance, Naidoo told listeners that they must respect the government and obey laws that do not conflict with God's laws. For instance, believers must pay taxes and respect traffic laws. However, Naidoo asserted that "when the authorities tell you to sin against God, you can disobey."
Naidoo celebrated the Christian church as the pillar of truth in society, claiming that the church is responsible for bringing governments under Christ's authority. At the 11:30 mark, he claimed that nations lacking a Christian foundation are doomed to weaken.
"The church teaches mankind the law of God. Its role is to uphold God's word and bring all institutions of earthly government under Christ's sovereign rule ... The church is the pillar of a nation and it's also the ground. It lays the foundation of truth on which these godly institutions can stand, like family and marriage and civil government. You need a strong foundation of God's law for any nation to have a strong and firm foundation. If they don't have a strong and firm foundation of God's truth and God's word, that nation is in trouble. That nation begins to weaken. That nation begins to break down."At the 16:20 mark, he rejected the idea that South Africa is a secular country, insisting that Christians strive toward godly government.
"Any thought, any policy, any idea, any suggestion in this nation that is not in line with God's word and his sovereign will for his nation--any one that speaks that, our responsibility is to pull it down, is to abolish it. Every lie that goes out there, the church of Jesus Christ is responsible because we are the trustees of the truth of God. So when somebody goes out there and says, 'Well, you know, we don't have to have laws that obey God's word. We're not a Christian country. We're a secular country, and we can decide what laws are right for us and what's not right for us. And we can say that when women get pregnant or young girls get pregnant, they can kill the baby whenever they want to. They can just walk into a clinic and the taxpayer must pay for that abortion, that's our law, and that works for us.' You see, That's a lie from the devil, and that lie and that idea is there to destroy humanity ... There's only two kinds of government. It's either of God or it's of the devil."As I've noted before, Religious Right groups around the globe do network, and Naidoo is no exception. In a 2007 interview with Joy Magazine, Naidoo says that he was inspired to create FPI while attending the 2006 Values Voters Summit. The Values Voters Summit is an annual conference in Washington D.C. hosted by Family Research Council. Naidoo claims that God spoke to him about creating a South African organization that would give the Christian community there a voice in the public square.
Naidoo's global networking did not end with the Values Voters Summit. In a June 7th commentary, Naidoo describes his visit to the Sixth World Congress of Families, a conference that draws prominent Religious Right figures from around the globe (see here and here). Naidoo writes of his conversations with Sharon Slater of Family Watch International and Benjamin Bull of the Alliance Defense Fund. He even states that he spoke with Bull about the possibility of creating a South African chapter of Alliance Defense Fund.
Naidoo's homophobia, anti-abortion stance, and theocratic rhetoric are not only troubling for South Africans, but all too familiar for Americans. Errol Naidoo and the Family Policy Institute promote many of the same messages endorsed by the American Religious Right. And, they network with their American cousins, thereby helping Religious Right ideas circulate to global audiences. Religious Right watchdogs, take note.
For additional commentary, visit the following links.
Sour Grapes: So Who Is Erroll Naidoo?
Synapses: Errol Naidoo: High priest of hysteria
O-blog-dee-o-blog-da: South African pastor blames mine massacre on gays
* To download Naidoo's sermon on governance, click here.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
World Congress of Families VI Held in Madrid, Spain
The World Congress of Families hosted its annual summit from May 25-27 in Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1997, the World Congress of Families project hosts regular global symposiums on "pro-family" issues, namely demographic winter, homosexuality, and abortion. As discussed in a prior post, WCF summits offer an opportunity for Religious Right figures to network with counterparts across the globe. Among the WCF's partners are American Religious Right groups such as the American Family Association, AFTAH, the Alliance Defense Fund, Concerned Women for America, Family Research Council, and Focus on the Family.
Life News reported on the conference, adding that the event took place at a time of "perilously" low fertility in Europe. This low fertility and population decline is allegedly contributing to Europe's economic woes, the article claimed. Life News quotes WCF managing director Larry Jacobs dismissing overpopulation. "[T]he demographic challenge of the 21st century won’t be overpopulation but declining and aging populations. Long-term economic growth and population growth go hand-in-hand," he said.
The Madrid Declaration, a statement of the conference's values, enshrines family as the core unit of society and defines marriage as a lifelong union between a man and a woman. The Madrid Declaration laments supposed "assaults" on the family such as "statism, atomistic individualism, and sexual revolution." Furthermore, it decries policies that have allegedly "confused sexual identities," fostered depopulation," and encouraged promiscuity. The document affirms that men and women are allegedly "different in function," and that the calling of boys is to be husbands and fathers, while the calling of girls is to be wives and mothers. (Apparently singles, asexuals, LGBTs, and childfree people do not fit into this paradigm.) Furthermore, it emphasizes that the supposed "complementarity" of men and women, allegedly exhibited in psychological and biological differences, is a "source of strength." In short, the document promotes a heteronormative view of the family as a reproductive unit, emphasizes alleged differences between the sexes, and endorses conservative sexual mores.
Schedule to speak at the 2012 World Congress of Families VI were Religious Right figures such as anti-abortion activist Alveda King, anti-gay activist Peter LaBarbera, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary president Paige Patterson.
The conference schedule devoted a plenary session to the alleged threat of demographic winter, with talks with titles such as "Demographic Winter as a Threat to World Peace" and "Large Families and the Way Out of Demographic Winter." Other talks suggested that the family as under attack, such as a session entitled "Natural Family and the Revolution Against the Family." Alveda King delivered an anti-abortion talk entitled "Culture of Live vs. Culture of Death: The Greatest Civil Rights Issue of Today." Workshops such as "Authentic Women and Rediscovering Homemaking" featured conservative speakers such as Baptist author Dorothy Patterson and Susan Roylance of the Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society.
Not surprisingly, the conference contained anti-gay content, as suggested by a plenary session entitled "The Homosexual Lobby." The session features not only Alliance Defense Fund president Alan Sears and ADF attorney Benjamin Bull, but a controversial "ex-gay" therapist named Richard Cohen. Cohen, the author of Coming Out Straight, delivers a workshop entitled "Solutions to Homosexual Behavior."
The WCF summit demonstrates how multiple right wing issues are interconnected, such as anti-LGBT activism, anti-abortion activism, and alleged demographic winter. In this worldview, homosexuality, abortion, and demograhic changes are seen as threats to family and society. To boot, the WCF summit is a reminder that the Religious Right is not just an American problem, but a global network of activists.
To read the conference schedule, click here.
To read additional commentary, visit the following links.
NOM Exposed: Come for ‘Solutions to Homosexual Behavior’, stick around for NOM’s president
Right Wing Watch: Peter LaBarbera Pledges to Forever Fight the 'Hydra-Headed Monster of the Homosexual/Transsexual Lobby'
Truth Wins Out: Travel Advisory: Porno Pete Does Spain!
Life News reported on the conference, adding that the event took place at a time of "perilously" low fertility in Europe. This low fertility and population decline is allegedly contributing to Europe's economic woes, the article claimed. Life News quotes WCF managing director Larry Jacobs dismissing overpopulation. "[T]he demographic challenge of the 21st century won’t be overpopulation but declining and aging populations. Long-term economic growth and population growth go hand-in-hand," he said.
The Madrid Declaration, a statement of the conference's values, enshrines family as the core unit of society and defines marriage as a lifelong union between a man and a woman. The Madrid Declaration laments supposed "assaults" on the family such as "statism, atomistic individualism, and sexual revolution." Furthermore, it decries policies that have allegedly "confused sexual identities," fostered depopulation," and encouraged promiscuity. The document affirms that men and women are allegedly "different in function," and that the calling of boys is to be husbands and fathers, while the calling of girls is to be wives and mothers. (Apparently singles, asexuals, LGBTs, and childfree people do not fit into this paradigm.) Furthermore, it emphasizes that the supposed "complementarity" of men and women, allegedly exhibited in psychological and biological differences, is a "source of strength." In short, the document promotes a heteronormative view of the family as a reproductive unit, emphasizes alleged differences between the sexes, and endorses conservative sexual mores.
Schedule to speak at the 2012 World Congress of Families VI were Religious Right figures such as anti-abortion activist Alveda King, anti-gay activist Peter LaBarbera, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary president Paige Patterson.
The conference schedule devoted a plenary session to the alleged threat of demographic winter, with talks with titles such as "Demographic Winter as a Threat to World Peace" and "Large Families and the Way Out of Demographic Winter." Other talks suggested that the family as under attack, such as a session entitled "Natural Family and the Revolution Against the Family." Alveda King delivered an anti-abortion talk entitled "Culture of Live vs. Culture of Death: The Greatest Civil Rights Issue of Today." Workshops such as "Authentic Women and Rediscovering Homemaking" featured conservative speakers such as Baptist author Dorothy Patterson and Susan Roylance of the Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society.
Not surprisingly, the conference contained anti-gay content, as suggested by a plenary session entitled "The Homosexual Lobby." The session features not only Alliance Defense Fund president Alan Sears and ADF attorney Benjamin Bull, but a controversial "ex-gay" therapist named Richard Cohen. Cohen, the author of Coming Out Straight, delivers a workshop entitled "Solutions to Homosexual Behavior."
The WCF summit demonstrates how multiple right wing issues are interconnected, such as anti-LGBT activism, anti-abortion activism, and alleged demographic winter. In this worldview, homosexuality, abortion, and demograhic changes are seen as threats to family and society. To boot, the WCF summit is a reminder that the Religious Right is not just an American problem, but a global network of activists.
To read the conference schedule, click here.
To read additional commentary, visit the following links.
NOM Exposed: Come for ‘Solutions to Homosexual Behavior’, stick around for NOM’s president
Right Wing Watch: Peter LaBarbera Pledges to Forever Fight the 'Hydra-Headed Monster of the Homosexual/Transsexual Lobby'
Truth Wins Out: Travel Advisory: Porno Pete Does Spain!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
True Tolerance Talk at 2012 CPAC
To read about the Occupy movement and 2012 CPAC, click here. To read about race and language at CPAC, click here.
The 2012 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) took place on February 9-11 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C. The annual gathering is sponsored by the American Conservative Union and features high-profile conservative lawmakers and political commentators. I observed 2011 CPAC last year (see here and here), but unfortunately could not attend this year. For more information on CPAC, click here.
LGBT issues were one of the topics on the CPAC agenda, specifically in a February 10th workshop entitled "In the Name of Tolerance: Countering Sexual Identity Politics in Schools." The workshop began with a presentation by Candi Cushman of Focus on the Family's True Tolerance project, followed by talks from a mother and Austin Nimocks, Senior Legal Counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. Candi Cushman is listed as an problematic anti-LGBT commentator by GLAAD's Commentator Accountability Project, along with homophobic voices such as Scott Lively, Maggie Gallagher, and Bryan Fischer.
Bullying in schools has received much-needed attention in recent years, and our national conversation about bullying is long overdue. Several high-profile LGBT youth suicides have drawn attention to homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools. The White House has hosted conferences on bullying prevention and anti-LGBT bullying, suggesting that our leaders are taking the issue seriously. Unfortunately, some Religious Right groups view homophobic and transphobic bullying in a different light.
As Candi Cushman began her talk, she showed an image on-screen from the TrueTolerance.org website, which read, "Concerned about homosexual advocacy in your child's school? You've come to the right place. TrueTolerance.org helps you respond in a loving and fact-based way." She claimed that her organization has been contacted by parents who have complained of the "pressure cooker" situation in public schools and the alleged disregard for parental rights.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
ADF Promotes "Pulpit Freedom Sunday"
Sunday, October 2nd was Pulpit Freedom Sunday, an initiative sponsored by the Alliance Defense Fund to encourage religious leaders to speak about political candidates and elections from the pulpit (see blog[dot]speakupmovement[dot]org/church/churches-and-politics/pastors-gearing-up-for-pulpit-freedom-sunday-oct-2-2011/). Pulpit Freedom Sunday is part of the ADF's larger Pulpit Initiative, started in 2008 as an effort to have the Johnson Amendment declared unconstitutional.
The Pulpit Initiative opposes the 1954 Johnson amendment which prohibits 501(c)(3) organizations from participating or intervening in political campaigns for public office. Church contributions to political campaigns, as well as public statements on behalf of a church made for or against candidates, are considered violations of the Internal Revenue Code and can result in loss of tax-exempt status. (See here for more details.)
The Pulpit Initiative website condemns the Johnson amendment as an "unjust and unconstitutional law" that allegedly silences churches. It insists that its efforts are not intended to turn churches into "political machines", but to "restore" the rights of religious leaders to speak publicly about matters pertaining to Scripture, including politics. According to its FAQ page, ADF plans to legally represent churches or pastors under investigation by the IRS for "preaching biblical Truth" in support of or in opposition to candidates (see adfwebadmin[dot]com/userfiles/file/Pulpit%20Freedom%20Initiative%20FAQ%20v6.pdf)
The initiative had enjoyed the support of Religious Right leaders since its inception, and this year is no different. Right-wing Christian religious leaders such as Jim Garlow, Ruben Diaz, and Bishop Harry Jackson have provided content for the website in favor of the initiative. Glenn Beck and his guests spoke positively of the initiative on the September 27th edition of GBTV (see www[dot]glennbeck[dot]com/2011/09/27/what-is-the-johnson-amendment/). In another conversation with Jim Garlow and Richard Land, Glenn Beck also spoke supportively of the initiative.
The Pulpit Initiative is troubling because of its implications for church-state separation. Despite the ADF's claims, I fear that overturning the Johnson amendment could easily lead to churches becoming "political machines," given the authority that some churches command over their congregants. To boot, clergy speaking for or against candidates run the risk of intimidating some of their congregants, as Warren Throckmorton warns.
Agreeding to refrain from supporting or opposing political candidates is the trade-off for churchs' tax-exempt status. This is not about curtailing clergymembers' freedom of speech, since members of the clergy are free to speak publicly about social issues and countless other topics. Rather, this is about separation of church and state.
To learn more about Pulpit Freedom Sunday and the Pulpit Initiative, visit speakupmovement[dot]org
For additional news and commentary, visit the following links.
Iowa Independent: Clergy warned about 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday'
Wall of Separation: Pulpit Perversion Sunday: The Religious Right's Partisan Scheme to Politicize Churches
Right Wing Watch: Beck Endorses "Pulpit Initiative" Effort to Challenge IRS
Los Angeles Times: Preachers, Choose Your Words Wisely
Warren Throckmorton at Crosswalk: Pulpit Freedom Sunday: Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should
The Pulpit Initiative opposes the 1954 Johnson amendment which prohibits 501(c)(3) organizations from participating or intervening in political campaigns for public office. Church contributions to political campaigns, as well as public statements on behalf of a church made for or against candidates, are considered violations of the Internal Revenue Code and can result in loss of tax-exempt status. (See here for more details.)
The Pulpit Initiative website condemns the Johnson amendment as an "unjust and unconstitutional law" that allegedly silences churches. It insists that its efforts are not intended to turn churches into "political machines", but to "restore" the rights of religious leaders to speak publicly about matters pertaining to Scripture, including politics. According to its FAQ page, ADF plans to legally represent churches or pastors under investigation by the IRS for "preaching biblical Truth" in support of or in opposition to candidates (see adfwebadmin[dot]com/userfiles/file/Pulpit%20Freedom%20Initiative%20FAQ%20v6.pdf)
The initiative had enjoyed the support of Religious Right leaders since its inception, and this year is no different. Right-wing Christian religious leaders such as Jim Garlow, Ruben Diaz, and Bishop Harry Jackson have provided content for the website in favor of the initiative. Glenn Beck and his guests spoke positively of the initiative on the September 27th edition of GBTV (see www[dot]glennbeck[dot]com/2011/09/27/what-is-the-johnson-amendment/). In another conversation with Jim Garlow and Richard Land, Glenn Beck also spoke supportively of the initiative.
The Pulpit Initiative is troubling because of its implications for church-state separation. Despite the ADF's claims, I fear that overturning the Johnson amendment could easily lead to churches becoming "political machines," given the authority that some churches command over their congregants. To boot, clergy speaking for or against candidates run the risk of intimidating some of their congregants, as Warren Throckmorton warns.
Agreeding to refrain from supporting or opposing political candidates is the trade-off for churchs' tax-exempt status. This is not about curtailing clergymembers' freedom of speech, since members of the clergy are free to speak publicly about social issues and countless other topics. Rather, this is about separation of church and state.
To learn more about Pulpit Freedom Sunday and the Pulpit Initiative, visit speakupmovement[dot]org
For additional news and commentary, visit the following links.
Iowa Independent: Clergy warned about 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday'
Wall of Separation: Pulpit Perversion Sunday: The Religious Right's Partisan Scheme to Politicize Churches
Right Wing Watch: Beck Endorses "Pulpit Initiative" Effort to Challenge IRS
Los Angeles Times: Preachers, Choose Your Words Wisely
Warren Throckmorton at Crosswalk: Pulpit Freedom Sunday: Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should
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