Commentary Tidbits

Damned Interesting: 4 times The Gospel Coalition outdid itself for bigotry

Against the Greater Light: The C Word

Shakesville: Behold Your Roosting Chickens

Washington Post: The Breitbart alt-right just took over the GOP

The New Civil Rights Movement: Founder of Two of America's Most Damaging and Dangerous Anti-Gay Groups Endorses Trump

The Atlantic: Donald Trump Isn't Relying on Faith Alone

News Tidbits

Religion News Service: 5 faith facts on Mike Pence: A ‘born-again, evangelical Catholic’

LGBTQ Nation: Gay Men’s Choruses fight hate by serenading Focus on the Family

NPR: Anti-Abortion Groups Take New Aim With Diverse Strategies

The Advocate: 'Enemies of Equality' Report Draws Liberty Counsel's Ire 

The Guardian: Prayer and pain: why gay conversion therapy is still legal despite dangers

The Guardian: Doctors urged to advise patients about risks of abstinence-centric sex education

Gay Star News: IDAHOT 2017 will take on anti-gay ‘fear-mongering’ around ‘family values’

Reuters: Contempt ruling upheld against Kentucky clerk against gay marriage

Politico: Republicans building stronger anti-abortion plank in platform

Associated Press: Iowa: Church seeks to prevent transgender bathroom law enforcement

USA Today: Westboro Baptist Church recruits Jigglypuff, a Pokémon, against LGBT community on Pokémon Go

News Tidbits

The Guardian: US Catholic church has spent millions fighting clergy sex abuse accountability

Des Moines Register: In Spencer, suicide attempt raises questions about faith-based treatment

Edge Media Network: 'Ex-Gay' Therapist Praises Tennessee's 'Turn Away the Gays' Counseling Law 

NPR: As U.S. Attitudes Change, Some Evangelicals Dig In; Others Adapt

Pink News: George Bush ‘flattered’ by award from anti-LGBT hate group 

NPR: State Religious Freedom Laws Surface In Opposition To Same-Sex Marriage

USA Today: Planned Parenthood shooting suspect found incompetent to stand trial

CBS Denver: Focus On The Family Weighs In On Transgender Bathroom Access

North Carolina's Transphobic Bathroom Bill, Part I

Last month, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed House Bill 2 into law, according to the New York Times. The new law requires people to use bathrooms of the sex listed on their birth certificates, effectively preventing transgender people from using bathrooms that match their gender identity. The law also excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from a list of categories protected from housing and public accommodations discrimination.

The bill was met with public condemnation, petitions, ongoing protests, and legislative resistance. North Carolina's attorney general, Roy Cooper, called HB2 a "national embarrassment" and refused to defend the law, according to ABC 11. North Carolina's Democratic lawmakers seek to repeal House Bill 2 through a bill submitted earlier today, according to ABC 11.

The economic impact of House Bill 2 will no doubt be immense and negative. Businesses have slammed House Bill 2 as discriminatory and/or abandoned business endeavors in North Carolina to show their disapproval. Musicians, studios, and sports leaders have refused to perform in North Carolina or warned that they will take events elsewhere until the legislation is lifted. House Bill 2 won't make North Carolina safer, but it will make the state poor and boring.

House Bill 2 as well as similar bills proposed in South Carolina, Minnesota, Tennessee, Illinois, and Kansas have triggered outrage from the LGBTQ community and its allies, who argue that such "bathroom bills" are a form of transphobic discrimination. Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of North Carolina and Equality North Carolina have filed a lawsuit challenging the legislation.

Some voices from the Religious Right are defending bathroom bills as a means of protecting women and children from supposedly predatory transgender people. Over and over, their rhetoric reinforces the same ugly stereotypes of transgender people as predators, deviants, and men-in-drag. According to ABC News, presidential candidate Ted Cruz claimed that without bathroom bills, "you're opening the door for predators." The Washington Blade reports that Cruz recently released a video ad warning that "a grown man pretending to be a woman" in women's restrooms would jeopardize the safety of women and girls.





More transphobic language in praise of bathroom bills comes from the Family Research Council. In an April 12th press release, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins scoffed at opponents of North Carolina's House Bill 2. "The Left’s response to Governor McCrory’s executive order shows it has no interest in a ‘live and let live’ policy, and could care less about the commonsense privacy concerns of parents and families throughout North Carolina, even when it comes to the question of letting grown men use women’s bathrooms and locker rooms," he wrote.

In an April 15th commentary piece at the Blaze, Mario Diaz, legal counsel for Concerned Women for America, insisted that bathroom bills were not discriminatory. "Any reasonable person can see that there is nothing discriminatory about asking men to use the men’s room and women to use the lady’s room," he wrote. "A policy that allows men to decide what facilities to use based on how they feel in their minds opens the door for easy abuse by vicious predators," he claimed, demonizing transgender people as sexual deviants.

North Carolina Family Policy Council (an affiliate of Focus on the Family's CitizenLink, according to Political Research Associates) disparaged critics of HB2 as people who want to "impose a radical social policy of unbridled sexual license" in an April 19th blog post.

"Opponents of House Bill 2 are mad that the Charlotte City Council was rebuked for its overreach of legal authority. They are mad that HB 2 preempts their efforts to open public bathrooms and showers to individuals of either sex. And they are mad that House Bill 2 curtailed their efforts to impose a radical social policy of unbridled sexual license on our state. The hateful rhetoric is simply a temper tantrum gone mad. Unfortunately, the media is propagating the smear campaign, and many levelheaded citizens have been confused and misled by it."

House Bill 2 and other bathroom bills were likely intended to instill fear of transgender persons in ordinary citizens, and thereby unite right-wing voters against a common enemy. However, people are increasingly rejecting the ugly stereotypes about transgender people that drive these fears, as it becomes clear that transgender persons are not deviant monsters. Right-wing lawmakers and activists did not expect a backlash of this magnitude, and will have intense fights ahead of them as businesses, entertainers, advocates, and level-headed citizens challenge their bathroom bills.

To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Mother Jones: We Tracked Down the Lawyers Behind the Recent Wave of Anti-Trans Bathroom Bills

Political Research Associates: The Christian Right's Favorite New Target: North Carolina Isn't Alone

Think Progress: The Newest Opponents Of North Carolina’s Anti-Transgender Law: Faith Groups

Commentary Tidbits

Valerie Tarico: Evangelical Christianity’s Brand Is Used Up

Squalto Rant: An Open Letter to my Republican Friends

Temple of the Future: Trump IS Evangelical Christianity

Benjamin L. Corey: Focus on the Family Exec Shuns Gay Daughter; She Breaks Her Silence

Religion News Service: God files for divorce from Republican Party

Is the Religious Right Being Disingenuous About the Planned Parenthood Rampage?

America is still reeling from the November 27th mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs. Emerging details about the shooting suspect, Robert Dear, paint a picture of a violent, maladjusted man. The shooting comes at a time when Planned Parenthood is being besieged by right-wing lawmakers and anti-abortion activists, to the frustration of reproductive rights advocates.

Anti-abortion voices from the Religious Right were quick to condemn the rampage. For example, Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, called the mass shooting "evil" in a November 28th statement.

"Our prayers and concern are with the victims today of the Colorado Springs shooting, people who did not deserve such violence. We are heartbroken for the families grieving the loss of their loved ones, especially during this time that is supposed to be one of national Thanksgiving and family celebration. We categorically condemn this violence. While we don’t know all the details of this horrific event, we know that it was an evil act, one condemned by pro-life Americans nationwide."

In an e-mail to LifeNews, National Right to Life insisted that it opposes the use of violence to combat "the violence of abortion".

"National Right to Life, which represents 50 state affiliates and more than 3,000 local chapters, unequivocally condemns  unlawful activities and acts of violence regardless of motivation.  The pro-life movement works to protect the right to life and increase respect for human life.  The unlawful use of violence is directly contrary to that goal.”

The National Right to Life Committee has always been involved in peaceful, legal activities to protect human lives threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia.  We always have and will continue to oppose any form of violence to fight the violence of abortion.  NRLC has had a policy of forbidding violence or illegal activity by its staff, directors, officers, affiliated state organizations, and chapters.  NRLC’s sole purpose is to protect innocent human life.

NRLC will continue to work through educational and legislative activities to ensure the right to life for unborn children, people with disabilities and the elderly.  NRLC will continue to work for peaceful solutions to aid mothers and their unborn children. These solutions involve helping women and their children and do not involve violence against anyone."

Operation Rescue president Troy Newman condemned the use of violence against abortion providers, insisting that it advocates for the use of "peaceful channels" in its activism. (::groans::)

"Operation Rescue unequivocally deplores and denounces all violence at abortion clinics and has a long history of working through peaceful channels to advocate on behalf of women and their babies. We express deep concern for everyone involved and are praying for the safety of those at the Planned Parenthood office and for law enforcement personnel. We pray this tragic situation can be quickly resolved without further injury to anyone..."

Other, more broadly focused Religious Right organizations condemned the Planned Parenthood rampage as well. Focus on the Family president Jim Daly called the shooting "tragic and deplorable" in a November 27th statement.

"Today’s violence at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood facility, just miles from our ministry headquarters, is tragic and deplorable. It is to be condemned.

“Our hearts break for the families of the three individuals killed, a University of Colorado police officer and two civilians. As a community, we share in their sorrow and in their grief.

“I ask that you please join me in praying for all victims and law enforcement personnel affected by this tragedy."

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins condemned the shooting as "deplorable" in a November 27th statement, urging anti-abortion activists to resist abortion through peaceful means.

"While the investigation into the shooting at the Planned Parenthood center continues, regardless of what the motive is determined to be, we strongly condemn this violence.  As the target of domestic terrorism inspired by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the staff of the Family Research Council empathize with all the victims of this violence.  All of us at the Family Research Council join with the pro-life movement in praying for the injured officers and victims of these deplorable acts.

Only through peaceful means –not violence— can we truly become a nation that once again values all human life, born and unborn ..." 

In a November 27th media statement, Concerned Women for America CEO Penny Nance insisted that the gunman was not "pro-life" and rejected "vigilante violence" as an anti-abortion strategy.

"There is nothing remotely ‘pro-life’ about vigilante violence against another human being. We do not yet know the motive of the shooter in Colorado Springs, but we are glad he is in custody.

We at Concerned Women for America condemn this heinous behavior and are grieving with those impacted. As a pro-life organization, we are against the taking of any innocent life no matter their age. Our prayers are with the police and others in Colorado."

The Religious Right can play the "no true Scotsman" game all it wants, but the fact remains that its corrosive anti-abortion rhetoric shapes the attitudes of extremists. For years, anti-abortion figures have likened abortion to human sacrifice and the Holocaust, accused abortion providers of serving Satan, harassed clinic staff, and taken part in smear campaigns. By demonizing abortion and reproductive health care providers, anti-abortion activists depict their opponents as both dangerous and fundamentally evil, driving men like the Colorado Springs shooter to take extreme action.

While anti-abortion rhetoric did not cause the Planned Parenthood shooting, it did create a toxic atmosphere in which anti-abortion violence was more likely. As much as the Religious Right recoils from the Colorado Springs rampage, it cannot ignore the role of its language in  fomenting anti-abortion extremism.

In future posts, I'll explore how some political candidates and right-wing commentators have used the Colorado Springs tragedy to mock abortion providers, minimizing the horror of the attack. To read additional commentary, visit the following links.


Friendly Atheist: Conservatives Must Acknowledge How Dangerous Their Anti-Abortion Rhetoric Really Is

Love, Joy, Feminism: No True Christian: Robert Dear and Christian Terrorism

The Guardian:  Violent anti-choice rhetoric must end, or anti-abortion violence never will

After Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Marriage Equality, Homophobes Fume

On June 26th, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality, to the delight of LGBTQ Americans and their allies. Contrary to Religious Right predictions, the U.S. has not descended into anarchy, but rather erupted in joy over this victory for equality. America became a little more civilized on Friday, and Religious Right figures are livid. For your reading pleasure, here are a few angry reactions to the Obergefell v. Hodges decision.

First, Focus on the Family president Jim Daly called the ruling "a disappointing decision that imposes same-sex marriage on all 50 states" in a June 26th statement. Daly accused the Supreme Court of ignoring the "democratic process" by disregarding the opinions of homophobes. In keeping with the Religious Right's persecution narrative, he also claimed that the decision would result in unfair treatment for anti-gay business owners and religious organizations.

"Although this result was predicted by many observers, the action of the Court is nonetheless startling in its rejection of a societal understanding of marriage that goes back to the dawn of civilization. It tramples on the democratic process by overturning the will of more than 60 percent of Americans who voted on the issue and creates a new federal constitutional right in an area where our founding document is silent.

“We are also concerned that this decision will fan the flames of government hostility against individuals, businesses and religious organizations whose convictions prevent them from officiating at, participating in, or celebrating such unions. We’ve already watched this hostility operate against wedding vendors, military chaplains, and others, and anticipate that today’s decision will open the door to an unwelcome escalation of this problem."

Without a hint of irony, Daly urged readers to show "loving kindness" to supporters of LGBTQ equality, oblivious to the fact that homophobia is not loving.

Concerned Women for America CEO Penny Nance also accused the Supreme Court of ignoring homophobic Americans. Like Daly, she imagined marriage as a static, unchanging union instead of an ever-evolving institution. Nance warned that the "negative impact of this illegitimate decision will sound before the Court for years to come."

"It is a sad day in America when nine unelected justices think themselves so powerful that they dare overturn the votes of millions of Americans who went to the voting booth to preserve marriage as it has been understood throughout history, the union between one man and one woman.

[...]

The Court solves nothing with this ill-advised ruling, but only intensifies the culture wars, as it did in Roe, by cutting short a healthy debate about the definition of marriage, family, and sexuality that our country is having.  All Americans should stand against such overreach, whatever their views on marriage."

In a June 26th statement, Liberty Counsel rejects the idea that same-sex couples have a legitimate right to marry, calling the majority decision "misguided".

"A bare 5-4 majority of the Supreme Court today purports to invent a "fundamental right" for same-sex individuals to "marry" and attempts to forcefully impose this new-found right on the entire nation.

The decision drew sharp dissents from the other four justices. Chief Justice John Roberts correctly observes that the Court’s activist opinion hijacks the democratic process and is not based in the rule of law: "[D]o not Celebrate the Constitution. It had nothing to do with it," warns Roberts. Justice Scalia rightly calls the Court’s decision a "threat to American democracy." The "pretentious" and "egotistic" decision, notes Scalia, "robs the People of the most important liberty they asserted in the Declaration of Independence and won in the Revolution of 1776: the freedom to govern themselves."

The misguided majority of the Court did manage to get one thing right. They reaffirmed the right of the People to disagree with the Court’s ruling: "I]t must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advo­cate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine pre­cepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned."

In a press statement posted on the front page of the Family Research Council website, FRC president Tony Perkins also claimed that the Supreme Court's decision ignored the will of anti-gay Americans and disregarded the static "history" of marriage.

"Five justices on the Supreme Court have overturned the votes of 50 million Americans and demanded that the American people walk away from millennia of history and the reality of human nature.

In reaching a decision so lacking in foundation in the text of the Constitution, in our history, and in our traditions, the Court has done serious damage to its own legitimacy.

 No court can overturn natural law.  Nature and Nature’s God, hailed by the signers of our Declaration of Independence as the very source of law, cannot be usurped by the edict of a court, even the United States Supreme Court.

[...]

With this ruling, the Supreme Court has set our government on a collision course with America’s cherished religious freedoms, explicitly guaranteed in the First Amendment of the Constitution."

National Organization for Marriage president Brian Brown rejected the Supreme Court ruling as "illegitimate", blasting the majority decision as "judicial activism".

"Though expected, today's decision is completely illegitimate. We reject it and so will the American people. It represents nothing but judicial activism, legislating from the bench, with a bare majority of the Justices on the Supreme Court exercising raw political power to impose their own preferences on marriage when they have no constitutional authority to do so. It is a lawless ruling that contravenes the decisions of over 50 million voters and their elected representatives. It is a decision that is reminiscent of other illegitimate Court rulings such as Dred Scott and Roe v Wade and will further plunge the Supreme Court into public disrepute.

Make no mistake about it: The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and countless millions of Americans do not accept this ruling. Instead, we will work at every turn to reverse it.

The US Supreme Court does not have the authority to redefine something it did not create. Marriage was created long before the United States and our constitution came into existence. Our constitution says nothing about marriage. The majority who issued today's ruling have simply made it up out of thin air with no constitutional authority."

It's like they're all using the same talking points, I thought.

The right-wing talking points quickly became repetitive. Religious Right leaders repeatedly insisted that the majority of American voters reject marriage equality, a highly dubious claim if one looks at polling data. Even if this dubious claim were true, the U.S. operates under rule of the majority, not tyranny of the majority. Voters are not entitled to deny basic rights to other citizens. The Supreme Court decision protects the basic rights of LGBTQ citizens, which are self-evident even if some Americans do not acknowledge them.

Furthermore, Religious Right leaders repeated the claim that marriage is a static, unchanging institution written onto human nature itself. This ignores the fact that marriage has evolved over millennium and has not always been limited to opposite-sex unions. I would like to remind those who defend "Biblical marriage" that the Bible has very different ideas of what constitutes legitimate marriage than they do! Civilized people no longer see marriage as a transfer of property, a means of cementing political alliances, or the right of conquering warriors to seize female captives. If the definition of marriage can evolve in these areas, why can't it evolve to include same-sex couples?

The Religious Right's cries of "judicial activism" are laughable. Right-wing observers throw around terms like "judicial activism", "overreach", and "legislating from the bench" whenever judges reach a decision that makes them uncomfortable.

The world is changing in ways that baffle and anger the Religious Right. The principles that serve as givens in their lives are being questioned by the rest of society, and in many quarters they're being replaced by new, enlightened values. Society will move on without them if they refuse to reflect on their assumptions. Will they cling to the bigotry of the past, or adapt?


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Media Matters: Right-Wing Media Respond To Nationwide Marriage Equality: "We Should Weep For Our Country"

Right Wing Watch: Todd Starnes Warns Pastors Who Refuse To Perform Gay Marriages To 'Prepare For Hate Crime Charges' 

The Advocate: Franklin Graham Says, 'I Believe God Could Bring Judgment Upon America'

Commentary Tidbits

Falls Church News-Press: The Conservative Movement Needs A Few Good Shrinks

Newsweek: The Duggar PR Crisis Is Being Handled by Huckabee's Political Adviser

Raw Story: The Duggars: The real ‘bad guys’ are the people who blew our conspiracy of silence about our pervy son

Right Wing Watch: Family Research Council: Anti-LGBT Conservatives Are The New Civil Rights Leaders

The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser: The Homophobia of Focus on the Family, Samaritan’s Purse, and Franklin Graham

Religion Dispatches: Caitlyn Jenner, Gender Identity, and Christians Behaving Badly (Again)

The Atlantic: The Real Christian Debate on Transgender Identity

Faithfully LGBT: Why Christian summer camps should stop rejecting LGBT counselors, campers

Commentary Tidbits

The Advocate: How The Nonreligious 'Nones' Are Driving LGBT Equality in the U.S.

Think Progress: Focus On The Family: How (Not) To Talk To Your Kids About Transgender Issues

Faithfully LGBT: Franklin Graham calls on Christians to blacklist LGBT-friendly companies

Warren Throckmorton: David Barton’s Unreal Appearance on Family Research Council’s Washington Watch

Mic: This Ex-Gay Survivor Had an Amazing Courtroom Message for LGBT Teens

Christian Today: Why the Duggars serve as a warning against fundamentalist Christianity

No Longer Quivering: Who Are The Duggars Really Protecting?

Elizabeth Esther: Why Jill & Jessa Duggar were not "speaking for themselves" in their interview with Megyn Kelly

Buzzfeed: How Evangelical Churches Protect Abusers Like Josh Duggar

Commentary Tidbits

Cracked: 5 Insane Realities At My Fundamentalist Christian College

Stuff Fundies Like: 10 Signs You’re Still A Fundamentalist (Even If You’ve Left the IFB) 

Political Research Associates: Promoting Anti-LGBTQ Bullying in Schools: Focus on the Family’s “Day of Dialogue” 

The Age: The fight continues against male-sanctioned female submission

Media Matters for America: Hate Group Will Bring Fox News, GOP Hopefuls On A Trip To Israel 

The Independent: I tried to 'pray the gay away', and ended up in a hospital bed

The Atlantic: How Christians Turned Against Gay Conversion Therapy

Human Rights Campaign: HRC Hosts Educational “Conversion Therapy” Panel in Minnesota

Equality Matters: How An Extreme Anti-LGBT Legal Powerhouse Is Working To Enact "Religious Freedom" Laws

Liberal America: 28 Reasons I’m Done Talking To Most Of My Conservative Friends And Family Members

News Tidbits

Al Jazeera America: Southern Baptists grapple with racist history

Seattle Pi: Mark Driscoll Ministries arrives in time for Easter 

Texas Observer: House Votes to Defund HIV Prevention to Pay for Abstinence Education

9 News: Rep. Klingenschmitt gets support, no more 9NEWS interviews

KOAA 5: Focus on the Family speaks out in support of Religious Freedom Restoration Acts

The Daily Signal: Christian Groups Call for Boycott of Company That Opposes Indiana’s Religious Freedom Law

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana legislator will introduce bill to enhance 'religious freedom'

New York Times: Bills on ‘Religious Freedom’ Upset Capitols in Arkansas and Indiana

 NPR: What The 2016 Hopefuls Are Saying About Indiana's 'Religious Freedom' Law

Gay Star News: Australia: Christian group asks for right to discriminate against same-sex parents

Washington Post: Robert H. Schuller, ‘Hour of Power’ televangelist, dies at 88

"Fifty Shades of Grey" and Religious Right Hypocrisy

The release of the Fifty Shade of Grey film, based on the erotic novel by E.L. James, has generated controversy and protests over the film's BDSM content and its depiction of an unhealthy relationship. Twitter hashtag campaigns such as #50ShadesIsAbuse and #50dollarsNot50Shades urge movie-goers to donate money to domestic violence shelters instead of seeing the film. Anti-violence activists have called for a boycott of the film, arguing that Fifty Shades of Grey glorifies domestic violence.  For example, Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlewaite argues that eroticized violence such as that depicted in Fifty Shades of Grey is symptomatic of a larger social pathology.

"Eroticized violence in fiction, whether in films or novels, is treacherous because it promotes the idea that women desire to be treated violently. Violence against women then becomes part of the very construction of the nature of love and desire in societies, orchestrating the eroticizing of bodily pain itself and deadening the impulses to compassion and empathy."

I'm pleased that the film is encouraging public discussion about domestic violence. We need to call out the entertainment industry when it sugar-coats unhealthy relationships. We need to ask the hard questions about BDSM. We need to ask ourselves how societal forces shape our sexuality, and what healthy, consensual sexuality looks like.

However, conservative religious leaders have condemned the film as well, using its release as an opportunity to speak out against gender-based violence. Given the Religious Right's poor track record on violence against women, I found these commentary pieces highly ironic.

First, in a February 9th press release, the American Family Association accused the film of glamorizing abuse. AFA president Tim Wildmon observed that the main character's relationship features many red flags for abuse. (Hat tip to Progressive Secular Humanist.)

"...the film glorifies abusive relationships and glamorizes abusive tendencies such as stalking, bondage sex, intimidation and isolation. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control’s standards of emotional abuse and sexual violence include nearly every one of the interactions between the two main characters. Both movie theaters and moviegoers can stand up to this kind of disgusting content that’s touted as ‘entertainment’ and choose not to show or pay to see the film."

Lisa Anderson, Director of Young Adults for Focus on the Family, slammed the film for denigrating women. "Enough with the exploitation, enough with the degradation of women, I mean here we are in outcry in all other times to say women should be honored and respected and treated as equals," she told KOAA 5.

Catholic leaders have warned against watching the film as well. In a February 10th Facebook post, Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurr called the film "a direct assault on Christian marriage". (Hat tip to the Cincinnati Enquirer.)

"The movie, Fifty Shades of Grey, is scheduled to debut in theaters across America on February 13, 2015. The story line is presented as a romance; however, the underlying theme is that bondage, dominance, and sadomasochism are normal and pleasurable. In the story line, a young Miss Steele is urged to sign a contract becoming a sex slave and agreeing to an abusive and degrading relationship. This movie is in direct contrast to the Christian message of God’s design for self-giving and self-sacrificing love, marriage and sexual intimacy. The movie is a direct assault on Christian marriage and on the moral and spiritual strength of God’s people. We need to inform our people about the destructive message of this movie and to highlight the beauty of God’s design for loving relationships between a husband and wife in the bond of marriage."

In a February 4th statement, Buffalo Bishop Richard J. Malone, chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, did not mince words. Malone called the film "a graphic portrayal of a young woman agreeing to be abused and degraded in a sexual relationship." The film serves as an opportunity to remind believers about the Catholic Church's teachings on sexuality, he wrote. (Hat tip to Religion News Service.)

"This is an opportunity for us to remind the faithful of the beauty of the Church’s teaching on the gift of sexual intimacy in marriage, the great dignity of women, and the moral reprehensibility of all domestic violence and sexual exploitation."

I want to take these condemnations of violence against women seriously, but I can't. I've seen too many examples of Religious Right apathy and callousness toward victims to believe that they're changing their tune now.

Where was the Religious Right's outrage when its most prominent members were attacking the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)?

Where was the Religious Right's outrage when proponents of complementarianism repeatedly covered their rear ends during high-profile domestic abuse scandals, instead of asking hard questions about the relationship between sexist gender roles and violence against women?

Where was the Religious Right's outrage when churches and commentators demonstrated insensitive attitudes toward domestic violence victims?

Where was the Religious Right's outrage when several Christian Patriarchy proponents were accused of mistreating women and girls?

Where was the Religious Right's outrage when one of its most celebrated academic institutions was accused of failing rape victims?

Where was the Religious Right's outrage when its members, especially anti-abortion activists, made grossly insensitive statements about sexual assault, time and time again?

If the Religious Right truly cared about violence against women, it would jettison its misogynist attitudes, treat victims with respect, and support policies that aid victims. It would promote a vision of equality and justice. Until the Religious Right takes those steps, I cannot take its current statements seriously. Condemning one film isn't enough.



To read additional commentary, visit the following links. Trigger warning!

Melinda Tankard Reist: Sadistic abuse is not romantic

Huffington Post: What We Learn From Beauty and the Beast, Twilight, and Fifty Shades of Grey

Medium: Fifty Shades of Grey Unmasked

Salon: “50 Shades” of coercive sex: The movie is even worse than the book

Commentary Tidbits

The Junto: Godly Heritage and Plantation Chic: The Case of Vision Forum

Gawker: Village Idiot Kirk Cameron Wants Women to Know Their Place in the Home 

Alternet: Welcome to the Big Business of Christian Purity 

Religion Dispatches: Feeding the Hungry vs. Antigay Activism: A Double Standard for Religious Freedom?

Human Rights Campaign: 10 Things You Should Know About Focus On The Family

Spiritual Sounding Board: Fear within the Homeschool Movement Interferes with Sex Abuse Victims Getting Adequate Help and Justice for Perpetrators

Mother Jones: This Anti-Gay-Marriage Group Is Really Excited That It Just Helped Elect Pro-Gay-Marriage Candidates

The Advocate: Why Won't U.S. Catholic Bishops Listen to Gay Laypeople?

Raw Story: Kirk Cameron: Don’t drink the pagan ‘Kool-Aid’ about Christmas, historians ‘don’t know this stuff’

Slate: Russia Gets Religion: Is Vladimir Putin trying to build a new Orthodox empire?

News Tidbits

Baptist Press: Marriage, homosexuality focus of conference

Religion News Service: Evangelical leader Russell Moore denounces ex-gay therapy

Associated Press: Southern Baptists tell pastors: Hold line on gays

ABC News: Murder Charge Dropped in Prayer Group Death

Kansas City Star: Exorcism preceded confession in 2012 death involving International House of Prayer, defense says

On Top Magazine: Tim Cook's Sexuality Is 'Irrelevant,' Says Tony Perkins As He Threatens To Boycott Apple 

Religion News Service: Mark Driscoll resigns from Mars Hill Church 

The Guardian: Mars Hill church to disband following resignation of lead pastor 

NBC K5: First pastor fired at Mars Hill foresaw fallout

Christian Post: Christian Rocker, 10-Year Mars Hill Member Says Mark Driscoll Resignation Is 'Good News'

E! Online: Duggars Support Pro-Life Political Candidates With "Faith, Family, Freedom" Bus Tour

Deseret News: Group meeting in Salt Lake to plan 2015 World Congress of Families

The Guardian: As Ebola epidemic tightens grip, west Africa turns to religion for succour

Sioux City Journal: Church officials struggle to assist those with mental illness

Windy City Times: Focus on the Family's Glenn Stanton talks bigotry, marriage

Huffington Post: Ron Baity, Baptist Preacher, Claims God Will Send Something Worse Than Ebola As Punishment For Gay Marriage

NECN: Scott Lively on His Biblical-Based Massachusetts Governor's Campaign


 

Spirit Day and Bring Your Bible to School Day

October 16th was Spirit Day, an annual event sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to support LGBTQ youth and condemn bullying. Political leaders, celebrities, news providers, and landmarks were decked out in purple last Thursday as a show of solidarity with LGBTQ young people.

Not surprisingly, Focus on the Family sponsored Bring Your Bible to School Day  on October 16th as well. The Focus on the Family website describes the day as a Day of Dialogue event, bringing to mind the organization's past resistance to LGBTQ youth initiatives. The Day of Dialogue website features conversation cards, banners, and posters that students can download, as well as suggestions for sharing scripture with their schoolmates.

The Bring Your Bible to School Day website describes the event in terms of alleged religious persecution and religious freedom.

"Did you know that students have recently been ordered to stop reading their Bibles during free time at school? Here at Focus on the Family, we believe the Bible is a powerful message of hope and love for humanity—something to be celebrated, not banned. We also believe in the cherished religious freedoms our Founding Fathers fought to protect.

Do you share our desire to reverse this trend and equip the next generation to boldly exercise their religious freedoms—and be unashamed of their biblical beliefs? Then you'll love Focus on the Family's new event for students: Bring Your Bible to School Day on October 16! Students all across the country can stand up and celebrate their religious freedoms together."

Actually, federal regulations do permit students to read holy texts during non-instructional time, as Valerie Strauss points out in a recent Washington Post column, so I'm not sure why Focus on the Family feels that religious freedom is under threat.

Why did Focus on the Family feel the need to host Bring Your Bible to School Day on the same date as Spirit Day? Was this an attempt by anti-gay fundamentalists to compete with an LGBTQ youth initiative? If the positive response to Spirit Day is any indication, Bring Your Bible to School Day hardly drew attention away from its competitor. Our society is growing more enlightened, and Focus on the Family should take note.


To read additional news and commentary, visit the following links.

The New Civil Rights Movement: Anti-Gay Groups Turn Spirit Day Into 'Bring Your Bible To School Day'

The Advocate: The 'Biblical' Response to Spirit Day You Didn't Hear About

Huffington Post: Focus On The Family Sponsors 'Bring Your Bible To School Day', Encourages Students To Talk About Their Faith

News Tidbits

CBS 6: Video captures Christian boarding school life coaches, program director assaulting boy 

Reuters: Scholars Concerned Hobby Lobby Executive's Bible Museum Will Feature Only Protestant Interpretations

Reuters: Leading Vatican cardinal says Catholic Church will never bless gay marriage 

Huffington Post: Cardinal Raymond Burke Takes Break From Vatican Synod To Say Ugly Things About Gay Relationships

NBC News: Evangelicals Warn 2016 Candidates: Don't Support Gay Marriage

The Advocate: NOM Praises Huckabee for Threat to Leave GOP Over Marriage Equality

Al Arabiya News: Witchcraft-related child abuse on the rise in Britain, police say

AsiaOne: Author cited in Focus on the Family Singapore pamphlet responds to controversy 

The Guardian: Children abused amid climate of fear at Australian pentecostal school, commission hears

The Star Press: Fields of Faith draws thousands to Fieldhouse   (Hat tip to Lady Atheist)

News Tidbits

The Australian: ‘It’s your fault,’ Hillsong founder told victim of child sexual abuse

New England Public Radio: Against All Odds, Self-Funded Independents Hope For Massachusetts ‘Miracle’

Raw Story: North Carolina pastors on Jimmy Carter’s 90th birthday: He could ‘go to hell’ for making Jesus a gay-loving ‘hippy’

Religion News Service: Topeka goes from ‘God Hates F**s’ to ‘God Loves Gays’

Los Angeles Times: Gay marriage poses a dilemma for many Republican candidates

International Business Times: Mormons Accept SCOTUS Same-Sex Marriage Decision While Catholic Church, GOP Groups May Continue To Fight

Yahoo News: Singapore: Focus on the Family relationships workshop to conclude by end-2014

Commentary Tidbits

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Family Research Council engages in self-destructive bravado on eve of Values Voter Summit 

Human Rights Campaign: 10 Things You Might Not Have Known About the Anti-LGBT Family Research Council  

Washington Post: Introspection time for evangelicals

Indian Country Today Media Network: Rewriting History ... For the Better, This Time

Warren Throckmorton: Mark Driscoll: I Made The Mistake Of Trying To Be Under the Authority Of My Elders

Friendly Atheist: A Look Inside Focus on the Family’s New Guide for Oblivious Christian Parents Teaching Their Kids About Homosexuality

The 2014 Day of Silence: Whose Side Are You On?

Today is the 2014 Day of Silence, an annual event sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) meant to protest anti-LGBTQ bullying. Students across the nation are silent for the day to raise awareness of the silencing impact of homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools.

Homophobic and transphobic bullying is an ugly reality for many LGBTQ youth. Research shows that LGBTQ youth report disproportionate rates of bullying, sexual harassment, and harsh school discipline. Lowered quality of life and negative psychological outcomes, such as depression and suicidal thoughts, are the all-too-common results.

LGBTQ youth deserve better than this. All students deserve safe, respectful school environments in which they can learn.




The Day of Silence is a thorn in the side of the Religious Right, many of whom refuse to take anti-LGBTQ bullying seriously. For example, several Religious Right groups have endorsed the Day of Silence Walkout, an event created in resistance to the Day of Silence. Also, Focus on the Family sponsors a rival event called the Day of Dialogue, which encourages students to talk about "the truth about God’s deep love for us and what the Bible really says about His redemptive design for marriage and sexuality". On the surface, the Day of Dialogue discourages bullying, but its true purpose is to enshrine binary gender and heterosexual marriage as the only legitimate expressions of gender identity and sexuality.

Anti-LGBTQ figures continue to ignore the facts, but the reality is that LGBTQ youth face an uphill battle, and we have an obligation to support them. Here's to ending homophobic and transphobia in schools and in society as a whole.

Commentary Tidbits

Overturning Tables: Changing the Homeschool Narrative: Child Advocacy in Richmond

The Cosmic Cathedral: Babel, Pentecost, and the House of Prayer: My Time at IHOP-KC

The Atlantic: The Facebook of Mormon

Towleroad: Christian Rapper Bizzle Records Anti-Gay Version of Macklemore's 'Same Love'

Religion News Service: The church’s role in, and against, homophobia across Africa

Toronto Star: Gays in Africa face rise in state-sponsored homophobia

RH Reality Check: Anti-Choicers Drop the ‘Life’ Pretense, Increasingly Admit They’re Angry About Sex

Slate: What happens when public schools become churches on Sundays?

New York Times: The Polish Church’s Gender Problem

Think Progress: Focus On The Family: Nondiscrimination Protections Discriminate Against Christians