Commentary Tidbits

Governing: Is Abstinence-Only Sex Ed on the Rise? 

Tell Me Why the World is Weird: All of the LOLs for this Sermon on "Marrying Young"

Political Research Associates: Dominionism Rising: A Theocratic Movement Hiding in Plain Sight

Alternet: Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson Is the Star of Bizarre New Extreme Right-Wing Movie Featuring Horrific ISIS Murders 

CNN: Three arguments against covert Christian 'spycraft'

Washington Post: Trump’s pitch to Mormons falls flat

Friendly Atheist: Christian Bigot Who Wants Gay People Cured Condemns Christian Bigot Who Wants Gay People Dead

Chicago Reader: Illinois pastors don’t deserve exemption from conversion therapy ban

The Advocate: National Intervention Needed to End Conversion Therapy

The Advocate: Understanding Anita Bryant, the Woman Who Declared War on Gays

Commentary Tidbits

The Good Men Project: Men, the Religious Right, and God’s Self-Appointed Sex Police: Privileged Cruelty

The Nation: Why Dutch Far-Right Extremist Geert Wilders Has Come to Cleveland to Cheer On Donald Trump

Esquire: This Isn't Funny Anymore. American Democracy Is at Stake.

Women's eNews: Misogyny Runs Rampant at Republican National Convention

Vice: Trump's America Includes Gay Conversion Therapy 

Right Wing Watch: Phil Robertson: If Donald Trump Loses, I'll Go Into Hiding

Huffington Post: The Christian-Political Machine Is Undermining Democracy

Media Matters for America: Inside The RNC Conspiracy Theorist Rally That Explains The Trump Campaign

Media Matters for America: White Nationalists Love Trump’s Convention: "GOP Is Becoming The De Facto White Party"

Commentary Tidbits

Tell Me Why The World Is Weird: "God has one perfect guy for you!" Yeah, that's not biblical.

Samantha Field: The Smell Test: 5 Signs of a Toxic Church

Christianity Today: Missionary Donn Ketcham Abused 18 Children. Here’s Why He Wasn’t Stopped.

Salt Lake Tribune: How outdated Mormon teachings may be aiding and abetting ‘rape culture’

CNN: Why my parents tried to cure me of being gay

Kansas City Star: Stop using God in politics to discriminate against others

The Guardian: The evangelical soccer team: no fouls, no diving, no gay players

Slate: Ken Ham Really Doesn’t Understand Science

Huffington Post: Here’s Phil Robertson’s ‘Radical Idea’ About Trans Bathroom Rights

Religion Dispatches: The United Methodist Church to LGBTQ: You’re “Sacred,” But Not Welcome

News Tidbits

The Advocate: Congress Members Urge FTC to Stop 'Ex-Gay' Therapy

The Guardian: Liberty Counsel: The law firm whose mission is to defend 'God's authority' 

The Guardian: Catholic bishops not obliged to report clerical child abuse, Vatican says

Womens eNews: California’s New Law Spotlights Crisis Pregnancy Centers

NPR: Professor Who Said Christians, Muslims Share A God Is Leaving Christian College

Pink News: Charity head Franklin Graham demands US-wide ‘referendum’ on scrapping same-sex marriage

Pennlive: Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson says U.S. 'a dangerous place' ahead of Harrisburg visit

News Tidbits

Edge Media Network: 'Gay Conversion' Therapists Find Safe Haven in Israel 

Buzzfeed: New York Governor Announces Steps To Ban LGBT Conversion Therapy

Huffington Post: New York Bans Insurance Coverage Of LGBT 'Conversion Therapy' 

DNA Info: Homophobic Pastor's Harlem Church Up for Public Auction Over Unpaid Debts

CNN: At Ted Cruz event, Phil Robertson calls gay marriage 'evil' 

Georgia Voice: 'Pastor Protection Act’ passes in Georgia House

Pink News: God told me to only marry straight couples, Texas judge claims

Seattle Times: Former Mars Hill pastor to start new church in Phoenix

The Guardian: Northern Ireland 'gay cake' couple: 'We don't hate anyone. It's done out of love for God'

The Advocate: Italy: Gays Compared to Nazis at Massive Homophobic Rome Rally

News Tidbits

Pink News: Baltimore mayor refuses to award ‘Key to City’ to pastor who compared gays to drug addicts

Salt Lake Tribune: Mormon gay policy is ‘will of the Lord’ through his prophet, senior apostle says

WISH TV 8: Indiana pastors deliver petitions to lawmakers opposing LGBT rights

Indianapolis Star: In LGBT rights debate, Pence urges lawmakers to guard religious freedom

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Bill lets businesses refuse services to gay couples in Georgia

Washington Post: Virginia House Republican files religious freedom bill

Washington Post: Virginia lawmaker reintroduces bill to ban conversion therapy

NPR: Ted Cruz Gains Endorsement Of Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson 

CBS Philadelphia: President of Conservative Women’s Group Calls Hillary Clinton a Hypocrite

The Age: Calls to investigate 'ex-gay' movement in Australia

"Light Wins" Recycles Old, Tired Homophobic Arguments

Religious Right activist Janet Porter, president of Faith2Action, released an anti-LGBTQ documentary earlier this year. Light Wins: How to Overcome the Criminalization of Christianity is a confused, convoluted piece of homophobic propaganda, featuring Religious Right figures such as Mike Huckabee, David Barton, and Peter LaBarbera. The film argues that LGBTQ equality is a threat to Christianity, freedom, and children, and must be resisted by people of faith.

Right Wing Watch has posted several excerpts from Light Wins on YouTube, revealing how much homophobic rhetoric is contained in the film. In Light Wins, Porter and her fellow commentators depict gays as diseased, predatory, and fundamentally opposed to American Christian values.






In one excerpt of the film, Religious Right author David Barton applauded a Bible passage in which "sodomites" were forced into exile. He seems to be referring to 1 Kings 22:45-46, in which King Jehoshaphat "rid the land of the rest of the male shrine prostitutes".

BARTON: Very interesting thing we're told in the Book of Kings. When they had a revival, it says that they chased the sodomites out of the land. That is, they addressed the homosexual issue. They confronted it head-on. If you think we can have a revival and not address the issue of homosexuality and marriage, then you're denying the authority of the scriptures, and you're denying what history tells us across all the great revivals America's had in its own history.

1 Kings 22:45-46 refers to a king stamping out pagan worship. By likening the gay community to pagans, was Barton suggesting that LGBTQ persons are opponents of the Christian faith? Was he suggesting that LGBTQ people should be driven out of the U.S. like Jehoshaphat drove out the shrine prostitutes? I found the implications of Barton's statement disturbing. 

Light Wins depicts sexual diversity as a vector for deadly disease. The film likens "homosexual behavior" to a "lethal product" that has killed hundreds of thousands of people. Gays, quite literally, are a plague in the eyes of the filmmakers.

No, idiots. Disease transmission makes people sick, not being gay. People of all orientations can contract disease through unprotected sex, not just gay people, I thought.






In another segment of the film, Porter condemns same-sex marriage as a threat to children alongside Thomas Peters of the National Organization for Marriage and AFTAH's Peter LaBarbera. Porter claims that church-state separation in public schools created a "void" that wicked LGBTQ rights activists quickly filled. The implication, it seems, is that LGBTQ people are predators waiting to corrupt children, a dangerous myth that homophobes have used to demonize LGBTQ persons for years.

PORTER: Our children are the picture of innocence. They are by nature trusting, impressionable, and vulnerable. Prayer, God, and his commandments were kicked out of the classroom because they might influence children not to lie, steal, and kill. But ushered into that void was a dark agenda that robs children of their innocence and puts their life at risk ... In states like Massachusetts that redefined marriage back in 2004, we now know that with the redefinition of marriage comes a state invitation to indoctrinate your child.

PETERS: If you change the public law about what marriage is, then you change what the public education system does when it talks about it.

LABARBERA: It leads to children being taught dangerous sexual practices in the guise of equality.

NARRATOR: We've abandoned, we have left people who may have homosexual tendencies to adults to step in and so-called groom them, perhaps with their purposes down the line.

In a third segment, Porter depicts LGBTQ rights advances as a threat to American freedoms, framing LGBTQ equality and First Amendment rights as mutually exclusive.

PORTER: This is where the battle is the hottest, and right now, our freedoms are on fire. The attack against the freedom of speech, the freedom of conscience, and the freedom of religion has come to Main Street, to the business you own and the place where you work.

A few moments later, the film shows a map of the United States on fire, with Porter warning viewers that business owners will suffer due to LGBTQ equality. Mike Huckabee used Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson (who made homophobic and racist statements in a 2013 GQ interview and who defended child marriage in a 2009 speech) as an example of a Christian man persecuted by pro-LGBTQ "political correctness".

PORTER: When the government mandates public endorsement of sin, it's not just the bakers and photographers who suffer. It's the printers, the fire chiefs, adoption agencies, bed and breakfasts, facility owners, counselors, broadcasters, students, teachers, and groups like Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, the Knights of Columbus, and the Salvation Army. And now under attack is anyone who ever ran for public office, and anyone who ever will.

HUCKABEE: Phil Robertson from the famous and successful show Duck Dynasty made some comments that, well, they might have been a little on the edge in terms of the manner in which he said them, but they were consistent again with Christian beliefs of people all over America and the world. A&E, the network that had made a lot of money off the Robertson family, initially decided to yank them off the air, but the outcry was such, they finally had to reverse that decision. In both of these cases, it was a matter of people who were politically correct somehow wanting to tell Christians to just shut up and go away. Jesus told his disciples that they weren't supposed to shut up and go away, and he told them right here at Caesarea Philippi, so I couldn't think of any better place to say it than here.

Light Wins also endorses conversion therapy and the so-called "ex-gay" movement. The implication, it seems, is that LGBTQ people are not entitled to equal rights if they can simply transform into straight people.

The film's website features contact information for so-called "ex-gay" organizations so as to provide "help for those with unwanted same-sex attractions". In the film, Porter criticizes state bans on conversion therapy for minors, depicting conversion therapy as a legitimate counseling practice for those who want to transcend "same-sex attractions". She conveniently fails to mention that medical expects have condemned conversion therapy as dubious and potentially harmful, and that the practice is not supported by research.

PORTER: In The Criminalization of Christianity, I warned that counseling people out of homosexuality would be made illegal, and now, licensed counselors in California and New Jersey are forbidden from giving hope to minors who do not want same-sex attractions. If they do anything other than encourage homosexual behavior, they will lose their license to counsel, even if they are a pastor, so for those who want help leaving homosexuality, that door is closed.

If the Right Wing Watch excerpts are anything to go by, Porter's film merely rehashes old, tired myths about the LGBTQ community. The film's attempts to demonize LGBTQ people fall flat in 2015, when most people know that gays are not diseased, predatory vermin. Porter's defense of conversion therapy is unconvincing at a time when ex-gay ministries are closing their doors and losing court battles. The film's assumption that LGBTQ people are enemies over there ignores the reality that LGBTQ people can be found among our friends, colleagues, and loved ones. The Religious Right is losing the culture wars, and propaganda films like Light Wins remind us why.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Salon: This anti-gay movie is true evil: What are Rand Paul and Mike Huckabee doing in the vile “documentary” Light Wins?

Unicorn Booty: All The Lies (And Republican Presidential Candidates) In the Despicable Anti-Gay Doc ‘Light Wins’

Raw Story: Mike Huckabee and a passel of pastors star in hilariously over-dramatic trailer for anti-gay film

Commentary Tidbits

Against the Greater Light: The True Message of God's Not Dead

Pandagon: Phil Robertson’s version of “morality” is ugly and immoral (Trigger warning)

Huffington Post: A Christian Oligarchy to Call Our Own

Mother Jones: Indiana Just Made It Easier to Discriminate Against Gay People—And Just About Anyone Else

Alternet: Why a Gay Man Like Me Is Going to Make It Hard for Indiana Shopkeepers to Exercise Their 'Religious Liberty'

Warren Throckmorton: George Barna, Please Meet the Barna Group

Right Wing Watch: Klingenschmitt Apologizes: 'Everything I Did About That Report Was Wrong'

Capitalism, Anti-Environmentalism, and Disease at 2015 CPAC

The 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) took place on February 26-28 in National Harbor, Maryland. Organized by the American Conservative Union and sponsored by high-profile conservative groups, CPAC is an annual gathering of right-wing political figures and commentators, where inflammatory rhetoric is common. Scheduled speakers at this year's CPAC included Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Laura Ingraham, Jeb Bush, and Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association.

Other commentators have already discussed 2015 CPAC's trite rhetoric, sexism, uncomfortable "humor", and ties to controversial groups such as ProEnglish. For your reading pleasure, I'd like to share some lesser known quotes from CPAC's keynote speeches and workshops.





Robert Doar, Morgridge Fellow on Poverty Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, spoke at a workshop entitled "How Capitalism Empowers the Poor". Doar argued for the merits of a strong economy, which would increase the number of jobs available to low-income Americans, as well as work requirements for assistance programs. While Doar acknowledged that conservatives "need to make peace with the social safety net", he looked askance at the "welfare system" at the 5:00 mark.

"We need to acknowledge that there are going to be some people who can't work, or elderly or disabled, and there we need to have some avenue of support, and we need to acknowledge that. We also need to convey to people that we care about these issues and we care about the extent to which the economy is not producing jobs or opportunities and the extent to which whatever supports we have in place don't work effectively. If we write off those issues, if we act like that's not our game, that's somebody else's game, but there's also a policy objective, because when we give up that terrain and we give the impression it's not something we care about, then the terrain is won by the other side. Polices get put in place that reward dependency, and reward assistance and don't reward work or families and instead set people back ... They become enslaved. They become captured by the welfare system of the United States which rewards dependency."

In another workshop entitled "Climate: What Tom Steyer Won't Tell You", panel speakers condemned environmental policies and the work of environmental activist Tom Steyer. At the 9:52 mark, Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX, 17th District) insisted that the liberal "climate agenda" would undermine U.S. energy production.

"In order to have a great American future, we've got to have energy security. This administration has done everything it can to stop or thwart American energy production. Now the private sector's been able to overcome those headwinds, but it's getting tougher and tougher. At the same time, they're trying to stop domestic energy production. They're spending billions on failed green energy programs like Solyndra. We've seen that. There's a lot that Tom Steyer won't tell you about the Obama-Steyer climate objective, or the climate agenda that many liberals have. Here are the six inconvenient truths about that agenda that I think you need to know. It kills U.S. jobs, it costs trillions of dollars, it's based on junk science, it's based on fantasy technology, and it uses manipulated cost-benefit data, and last, it doesn't even pass the smell test."

Myron Ebell, director of Competitive Enterprise Institute's Center for Energy and Environment, spoke ill of global climate initiatives at the 18:58 mark, accusing them of stifling economic growth.

"I want to start in 1992. That's when President Bush flew to Rio for the Earth Summit and signed the U. N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. That was when the leaders of almost every country in the world decided to put a noose around the global economy ... The next step after 1992 was during the Clinton administration when Bill Clinton and Al Gore cooked up what became the Kyoto Protocol. Now, you will recall that the U.S. Senate never ratified the Kyoto Protocol, but if you want to thank President George W. Bush for that, that's okay, but in fact, he did virtually nothing to stop the tightening of the noose. So we go next to President Obama who is part of this agenda ... It's how you take control of the U.S. economy through environmental regulations over energy use. If you control what kind of energy people can use and how much, you control the economy."

At a workshop entitled "Would the Pilgrims Still be Welcome Here?", panel speakers lamented the alleged war on (fundamentalist Christian) religious freedom. "The greatest threat facing the future of our country is the loss of religious freedom," claimed Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. At the 10:35 mark, Perkins likened anti-gay discrimination and denial of birth control coverage by businesses to the struggle of the Pilgrims.

"The president has repeatedly said that we have the freedom of worship. That is a truncated view of the freedom of religion. The Pilgrims came to this country after they had gone to Holland. They were driven out of their country because of a corrupt church and a corrupt state, and they wanted to not just have freedom of worship, to choose to go to a church on Sunday and spend an hour or two on an appointed day of the week. They came here to live their life according to their faith, and there's a big difference, and that's what's at risk in the Hobby Lobby case ... Small businesses, photographers, wedding cake makers, florists who are losing their businesses because they refuse to leave their faith at home."

At the 15:40 mark, panel moderator Cal Thomas voiced his contempt for "government schools", appalled that they teach children evolution.

"I have a certain prejudice about the government schools. I think that for conservatives and Christians or people of faith, of any faith, to put your child in a school where they teach them that they evolved from slime and their nearest relative is down at the zoo and that's why they like bananas on their cereal is working against the faith and values that you believe in. Better to put them in a private school where your faith and values are reinforced instead of a government school, and especially universities where they have teachers trained to do away with it."

Finally, one speaker at CPAC was even more bizarre and offensive than the usual fare. The 2015 winner of the Andrew Breibart Defender of the First Amendment Award was Phil Robertson, the infamous patriarch of Duck Dynasty. After sauntering on stage in camouflage clothing with his wife in tow, Robertson sighed that "all of us ought to be able to speak freely where we didn't have to be awarded." At the 24:51 mark, Robertson defended capitalism against its detractors, arguing that capitalists who benefit from capitalism never condemn it (!?).

"I am a God-loving, Bible-believing, gun-toting capitalist! [Audience cheers] Always remember, when you hear a guy or a gal ad infinitum attack the results of capitalism, which is capital, and you have a steady attack on those people who receive the capital ... when you hear someone badmouthing them ad infinitum, you can be sure of one thing. He's not a capitalist! I've never heard a capitalist badmouth the result of capitalism, have you? Not one."

At the 35:40 mark, Robertson began a bizarre rant against sexually transmitted disease, using it to promote married monogamy.

"One hundred and ten million Americans now have a sexually transmitted illness. One hundred and ten million! ... I don't want you, America, to get sick. I don't want you to become ill. I don't want you to come down with a debilitating disease. I don't want you to die early. You're disease-free and she's disease free, you marry, you keep your sex right there, you won't get sick from a sexually transmitted disease! Come on!

There is a penalty to be paid for what the beatniks, and who morphed into the hippies [did]. You say, what do you call the hundred and ten million people who have sexually transmitted illnesses? It's the revenge of the hippies! Sex, drugs, and rock and roll have come back to haunt us in a bad way ... You want a godly, Biblical, medically safe option? One man, one woman, married for life."

2015 CPAC serves as a reminder that America's far right still nurses a persecution complex, sneers at environmentalism, and ignores the excesses of capitalism. Unfortunately, the worldview of the far right does not equip its followers to confront the social and environmental realities in front of their faces.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

SPLC Hatewatch: Extremist Highlights from CPAC 2015

The Advocate: Decoding CPAC Celebrities' Mixed Messages on LGBT Issues

Raw Story: Republicans still fighting the ‘War on Women’ at CPAC — here’s why

News Tidbits

USA Today: 'Roe v. Wade' turns 42; thousands march in opposition

The Guardian: Thousands gather in 'March for Life' as activists seek to halt abortion 'through prayer'

Washington Post: Atlanta fire chief files discrimination complaint after losing his job over a religious book

Religion News Service: Baptist college president Ergun Caner resigns, citing son’s suicide

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Robertson family, business of Duck Dynasty fame to become focus of international traveling science exhibition

Gay Star News: ‘Ex-gay’ movement pioneer turned critic John Evans has died aged 80

Pink News: Catholics and Evangelicals join forces to ‘fight’ same-sex marriage

News Tidbits

Washington Post: Vatican rep: 2015 ‘ideal time’ for pope New York visit 

Al Jazeera America: US bishops may tighten restrictions on Catholic hospital mergers

The Advocate: Mississippi 'All God's Children' Pro-Equality Campaign Draws Ire of Baptist Leaders

Christianity Today: Jerry B. Jenkins Suddenly Shuts Down Christian Writers Guild

Lancaster Online: Warwick cancels school-day abstinence presentations

Religion News Service: Kenya’s Catholic bishops: Tetanus vaccine is birth control in disguise

San Diego Gay & Lesbian News: U.N. panel raises concern about "ex-gay" therapy in U.S.

Huffington Post: BET Editor Clay Cane Slams Black Church For Conversion Therapy: ‘Being Gay Is Not A Sin'

New York Times: Latin America Is Losing Its Catholic Identity

New York Times: The Duck Dynasty Family Plans a Musical in Las Vegas

Huffington Post: The Duggars Allegedly Remove Photos Of Same-Sex Couples Kissing From Their Facebook

Religious Right Persecution Complex on Display at I Stand Sunday

Houston's Ordinance No. 2014-530, the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), prohibits employment, housing, and services discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, among other categories. Anti-LGBTQ activists blasted the ordinance, smearing HERO as an alleged threat to religious liberty.

According to Religion News Service, Houston Mayor Annise Parker was a strong supporter of the HERO ordinance. This October, opponents of HERO sued Mayor Parker, seeking an injunction to suspect the ordinance and place a repeal on the November ballot, reports Lone Star Q. After the suit launched Houston city attorneys issues subpoenas to five pastors seeking all speeches and sermons related to HERO, LGBTQ issues, or Mayor Parker. Mayor Parker later withdrew the subpoenas, reports Religion News Service.

The Religious Right used the withdrawn subpoenas and the HERO ordinance as a rallying cry, culminating in an event devoted to blasting LGBTQ equality and lamenting the supposed persecution of Christians. I Stand Sunday took place on November 2nd, 2014 at Grace Church in Houston, TX. The gathering was sponsored by Family Research Council, Alliance Defending Freedom, American Family Radio, and other Religious Right groups. I watched a video recording of the event and found it brimming with the Religious Right's usual persecution rhetoric and unease with LGBTQ equality.

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins opened the event by praising the subpoenaed Houston pastors. "If the pastors would not stand, we have no one to stand with. Thank you, pastors, for standing for God's truth," Perkins said at the start of the event. "I believe this is a night, Nov 2nd 2014, that we will remember until the Lord returns," he told the audience.

After Rick Santorum spoke in a pre-recorded plug for his new film One Generation Away, seven Houston pastors at the center of the subpoena controversy spoke on stage. Pastor after pastor depicted the withdrawn subpoenas as a heinous attack on religious freedom and freedom of speech. First, Steve Riggle, pastor of Grace Community Church, described the subpoena controversy as the means by which the HERO ordinance became a national "firestorm" at the 34:40 mark.

"This is what happens when we stand together, right here. We've been in this battle regarding this ordinance now for many months, but when the mayor decided to send subpoenas to all of us, it seemed like it was the match that was the ignition needed to raise a firestorm all over the nation."

Hernan Castaño, pastor of Iglesia Rios De Aceite, cited his heritage while condemning the subpoenas at the 37:16 mark.

"As a Hispanic American, as a pastor of this city, as the son of parents that came from South America with a dream to live in the nation of the free and the nation of the brave, I stand here today with you, as you stand with me, to continue living that dream. The dream that every vote counts, the dream that no signature will be ignored, the dream that every voice will be heard. I stand here today with you that I may speak, preach, and teach on the issues that deal with society, the issues that the Bible speaks about, and be not afraid to be condemned, to be subpoenaed, or to be intimidated by attacks."

Magda Hermida, founder of Magda Hermida Ministries, likened the subpoenas to oppression in communist Cuba at the 39:26 mark.

"My husband and I left Castro's communist Cuba to seek freedom in the United States, and thank God, we found it here, and we have been blessed by it for almost fifty years. We used to live in Cuba through a police state in which  our possessions, our speech, our faith were monitored closely by the government, with the fear of punishment if we said something or did something those in power didn't like. We never thought we would see the happening that is now in this country, here in Houston, in our beloved America, but it is here, and it is now. This mayor wants to use her power to see the sermons of our pastors and use them against us. The police state this creates, it is saying that my husband and I are [inaudible] in Cuba."

As if the Cuba hyperbole wasn't outlandish enough, a video presentation used a Nazi Germany hyperbole to convince listeners that American religious liberty was under threat. In a short video entitled "I Stand Sunday: Learn from History", Mike Huckabee and Eric Metaxas discussed Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his resistance to Nazism. As images of Nazi Germany flashes across the screen, Metaxas compared Nazism's threat to the church to the alleged threat that "big government" poses to religious freedom today. At the 1:09:19 mark, he had this to say.

"[Bonhoeffer] knows that its possible to wake up the German church, and he does everything he can, but they don't wake up. Bonhoeffer saw that they had lost. The church was unwilling to take a stand, and at some point, the battle was over. In Germany in the thirties, you had the different sides, different parts of the church unwilling to link arms in a sense, and in retrospect, you think, 'oh my goodness, imagine not linking arms against Adolf Hitler'. Here you have such a clear enemy of the church. Now, many of them were ignorant. They did not understand what an enemy he was of the church, but Bonhoeffer was trying to wake them up and say that, 'listen, we are all united in this. We all need to link arms and fight as one and hold this line or Germany and the German church will die'. Here's a picture of religious liberty under siege, and Bonhoeffer, for whatever reason, sort of like a prophet, was the only one to really see this with clarity ... The parallel today is simply that you have a government estate which is getting larger and larger and more and more powerful and is beginning to push against the church. There's a window of opportunity where we can fight. If we don't wake up and fight before then, we won't be able to fight. That's just what happened in Germany, and that's the urgency we have in America now."

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee painted an ominous picture of alleged religious freedom and Christian passivity. At the 1:14:16 mark, Huckabee warned Christians that they already have a stake in abortion and alleged threats to religious freedom.

"When the government comes to your pastor and says cough up all of the sermons, sermon notes, and the correspondence that the pastor has had with his own parishioners, you are already involved. When they come to your church and begin to approve or disapprove what is said from your pulpit, my dear friend, you are involved. When 55 million babies in this nation have been murdered in their mothers' womb since 1973 that would have been a workforce, a prayer force, you already are involved."

Huckabee urged the audience to vote, arguing that voting was part of their Christian duty at the 1:15:01.

"We cannot blame the people who don't love God. We'd better look inwardly and say it's because we've told our people that they can effectively be wonderful Christians, just going to church and reading their Bibles and praying, and voting wasn't that important. Now we're beginning to reap what we have sown, and it is time we plant some new seeds of citizenship in the ground of the United States of America, and become involved, be the salt and be the light."

Huckabee then asked audience members to hold up their smartphones with photos of any loved one whom they would die for. "If you would die for the image on that screen, could you not at least vote so that they would not live in an America where they would be told they could not pray and preach and worship and believe as their conscience would tell them to do?" Huckabee asked, and the audience burst into applause.

The gathering not only depicted religious liberty as under attack, but mocked LGBTQ rights. For example, Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom,  painted LGBTQ equality as an affront to religious liberty, insisting at the 1:37:58 mark that "these subpoenas, though, are one front in a rapidly developing conflict, and the philosophy underlying this conflict is that sexual liberty trumps everything, including religious liberty." He called the Houston subpoenas "an unprecedented attack on religious liberty".
Phil Robertson, star of Duck Dynasty, implied that the HERO amendment would lead to men in women's restrooms by making a transphobic joke that he would never enter the ladies room. At the 1:45:24, he said this.

"For all you ladies in Texas, trust me when I tell you this. When you're seated in your restroom, putting on your Mabeline, when I need to take a leak, I'm not going there."

As a side note, Robertson lamented the absence of Christianity in America's political discourse at the 1:46:45 mark.

"The reason the political pundits argue ad hominem, ad infinitum -- the reason no one ever changes their mind on television, night after night after night after night --they call each other left, right, liberal, right-wing, left-wing -- but there's never any gospel there, ever. No talk about sin. No talk about repentance. None. No talk about Jesus the son of God, nothing! And we wonder why we wound up like we are."

David and Jason Benham, sons of anti-abortion activist Flip Benham, were also on hand at I Stand Sunday. The Benham brothers talked about the HGTV show they lost due to David's homophobic rhetoric, as well as the "firestorm" that erupted over Phil Robertson's interview with GQ Magazine. (As discussed in a prior post, Phil Robertson made homophobic comments in a 2013 interview with GQ Magazine's Drew Magary.) The Benham brothers grieved that they did not stand up for Robertson out of fear of losing their HGTV show, which they lost anyway. The fact that Robertson made troubling comments about gays, African Americans, and non-Christians did not seem to perturb the two men.

At the 2:04:39 mark, David Benham made a vague statement about resisting the "prevailing worldview" that is seeping into churches. Given the context of his speech, I can't help but wonder if the "worldview" he was referring to was acceptance of LGBTQ people.

"We have lost the meaning of resistance, Godly resistance, in our churches today. We have replaced it with relevance. When a prevailing worldview comes to the church, it is up to us to restate, reaffirm and reapply Biblical truth. It is not up to us to simply reconcile the scripture to the prevailing worldview so that we might be more relevant."

The more of I Stand Sunday I watched, the more I realized that the gathering wasn't really about subpoenas, but about reinforcing Religious Right ideology before the November 4th elections. Speakers told listeners that they were on the side of God, that challenges to their beliefs constituted "persecution", and that LGBTQ advances were a threat to their rights. Hyperbolic rhetoric comparing the U.S. to communist Cuba and Nazi Germany created a siege mentality, instilling listeners with a sense of moral urgency. Listeners were urged to vote for the sake of their future. The problem is, none of this rhetoric was grounded in reality.

No one is taking Christians' freedom of religion away. No one is silencing or oppressing Christian religious leaders. No one is hurling Christians out of the public square. Advances in LGBTQ rights are about equality and fairness, not stifling religious freedom. The rhetoric of I Stand Sunday, no matter how passionate, doesn't change these facts.




To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Think Progress: Thousands Rally Against LGBT Rights In Houston

GLAAD: LGBT advocates tell the truth about Houston's Equal Rights Ordinance on #IStandSunday

Right Wing Watch: Eric Metaxas Is Not At All Being 'Hyperbolic' When He Warns That America Is At Risk Of Turning Into Nazi Germany

News Tidbits

The Courier-Journal: Noah's Ark park tax incentives in limbo over hiring

The Guardian: Hillsong founder defends not referring sex abuse allegations to police

Christian Today: Mass exodus of Mars Hill pastors who criticised Mark Driscoll's leadership

Pew Research Center: Vatican synod on family highlights discord between church teachings and U.S. Catholics’ views

Associated Press: Top Vatican cardinal wants streamlined annulments

Washington Post: Legion of Christ’s US women’s college to close

New York Times: Gay Marriage Opponents Set to Continue Court Battle

The Advocate: Huckabee Ready to Leave GOP Over Marriage Equality

Raw Story: Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson: You can’t get STDs from ‘Biblically correct sex'

Entertainment Voices at the 2014 Values Voters Summit

The annual Values Voters Summit, hosted by the Family Research Council and other Religious Right organizations, is a treasure trove of right-wing quotes. The 2014 summit featured not only politicians and Religious Right activists, but entertainers as well. For your reading pleasure, I've put together a sampling of quotes from Jim Bob Duggar, Alan Robertson, and the Benham brothers, who spoke on the evening of September 26th.

First, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar of TLC's 19 Kids and Counting appeared on stage with most of their large family, including Josh Duggar of the FRC. After the family sang "It's Through the Blood", Jim Bob and Michelle talked at length about their faith. Jim Bob told the audience that he and his wife sought to "raise up warriors" for God.

"Our goal as a family is really to raise up warriors for the Lord. We don't want our kids just to be Christians that go to church on Sunday, but we want Christ to be in every aspect of their life, and we want to see each one of them impact this world for Christ."

Jim Bob encouraged listeners to expose children to Christian political campaigns, adding that he and his family have supported anti-abortion causes.

"We encourage you to get behind Christian candidates. It will teach your children all about the aspects of running for office, and then make trips to your state capital. We've been up several times, helping with legislation for the Heartbeat Bill and for several other pro-life measures. Matter of fact, we're going to Tennessee on Monday to do a press conference about Amendment 1 to allow the representatives and senators in Tennessee to be able to vote on pro-life legislation."

Later, Alan Robertson of A&E's Duck Dynasty spoke at length about his family's reality show, dogs, and beards. More than once, he referred to his "sensitive" brother Jeb as "the sister we never had", and I wondered how that comment went over with female listeners. Amidst folksy stories about Duck Dynasty, Robertson inserted commentary about Christianity, the merits of "small government", and his disdain for "hand-outs".

Robertson claimed that God was behind the success of Duck Dynasty, despite attempts by Satan to sabotage the family's efforts.

"Are you going to say this guy is really going to not only be successful and become wealthy and become very well-known, but can also be a leader in a nation to restore a culture? Would that happen? You'd say, 'Well there's no way that would happen', unless the Almighty God might be behind it. And that's exactly what's happened with our family. Now Dad has a book that just came out, and it's called unPHILtered, and it is unfiltered for sure. In that book, he talks a lot about what God has done to not only shape him but also to help him be able to shape a message for a people at a time when we need it more than any other time .. The Evil One tried at the beginning to derail that message, but he's not more powerful than the one that we serve, and therefore he's not going to derail us from what we know is right."

Robertson called for "a return to godliness, a return to how our country was founded", lamenting that modern Americans have allegedly lost touch with godliness. He argued that the Founding Fathers recognized the importance of God and the Bible, apparently unaware that several of America's founders were deists and that many championed separation of church and state.

"We've got generations of people in our nation that really don't understand godliness at any level. They don't know. And so they're only reacting the way that's natural and the way that's been shown [to] them after generations of being away from what our country was founded on ... When our founders began this nation, they knew the importance of the Bible and they knew the importance of God in people's lives. They realized that as this country grew, without having self-restraint, there would be no way that this country could be governed."

Perhaps the most outrageous part of Robertson's speech was when he compared his father, Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, to the Biblical prophets.

"A lot of people ask me about my Dad, and they say, "Well, who is he like?" and I always compare him to those old time prophets. There's no doubt about it. Those men that were raised up every millennium. Elijah was one of those; John the Baptist was one of those."

I don't see too many similarities. John the Baptist was an ascetic who was imprisoned and executed by a tyrant, according to legend, while Phil Robertson is a reality TV star who makes neanderthal comments and puts his face on beard-shaped lollipops. Furthermore, when I look back on spiritual thinkers who have shaped the modern era, people such as the Dalai Lama, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and Simone Weil come to mind, not the Duck Dynasty patriarch.





Finally, perhaps the most arrogant voices of the evening were Jason and David Benham, sons of anti-abortion activist Flip Benham. David Benham's anti-gay comments costs the brothers a reality show on HGTV and made them darlings of the Religious Right.

David Benham began their speech with a sound bite to demonstrate their right-wing credentials.

"We are dangerous men. We shop at Hobby Lobby. We eat at Chick-fil-A. We watch Duck Dynasty, and we graduated from Liberty University."

Jason Benham spoke of the Flip It Forward debacle in bombastic terms, comparing himself and his brother to Jesus suffering on the cross.

"It is a fun thing to follow Jesus until you find out where he's going, because he's going to a cross and he's asking you to come follow him. And we got that experience in real life when we got fired in front of a watching world. Jesus Christ gave us a picture of what that looked like."

Sure, Jason. Because losing a lucrative television show due to homophobic remarks is just like being tortured and crucified. The arrogance behind his comment stunned me.

David described the days leading up to their show's demise, showing disdain for the LGBTQ movement and insisting that he and his brother would not submit to the gay "agenda".

"Our executive shot me a text on my cell phone. He said, 'Can you guys hop on a quick phone call?' So we jumped on a call, and he said that there is someone who has contacted us [who] is not really happy about you and your brother being on our network named GLAAD. Gay and Lesbians Anti--whatever, defamation, something. I don't know. It was irrelevant to us, still irrelevant to us today ... We ended the conversation that day with saying, 'We will not bow to an agenda. We won't do it'."

David continued, warning his audience that a "radical agenda" allegedly wants to silence America.

"There is a radical agenda that has come in our nation ... The weapon of choice for the agenda in the Middle East is a sword, but the weapon of choice for the agenda in America is silence. They demand silence. It's one thing to believe in Jesus, it's another to be vocal about Jesus and his standards and his word."

Sadly, it seems that the Benham brothers have learned nothing from their recent controversy, and will not be reexamining their attitudes any time soon.

Stay tuned! More quotes from the 2014 Values Voters Summit are on their way!

Commentary Tidbits

Sketches by Boze: We Need to Talk About Charisma

The Daily Beast: The Religious Right's 'Nice Guy' Who Threw His Wife Under the Bus

RH Reality Check: Why Conservative Christians Fear the Affirmation of Transgender Identity

Salon: How Christian fundamentalist homeschooling damages children

Think Progress: Duck Dynasty Patriarch: Sexual Diseases Are God’s ‘Penalty’ For Homosexuality

News Tidbits

Pew Research Center: Religious divides persist heading into fall campaign 

Washington Post: U.S. evangelicals headed for showdown over gender roles

Religion News Service: Vatican’s doctrinal chief renews criticism of US nuns, says he’s no misogynist

Talking Points Memo: Indicted Ex-Gov. Bob McDonnell Gets A Teaching Gig At Liberty University

ABC 13: Pastor wants 'demonic' books removed from public library 

Seattle Pi: Mars Hill Church’s attendance and giving down ‘significantly’

USA Today: Gay teacher says pregnancy cost her Catholic school job

Pink News: Duck Dynasty star: I’m only as homophobic as Jesus

Washington Blade: Mississippi church responds to rape allegations

Raw Story: Tennessee pastor vows not to ‘repent’ for homophobia: God says gays ‘must be put to death’

Gay Star News: Uganda’s anti-gay bill is back from the dead

Irish Times: Bishop objects to LGBT centre grant on ‘moral grounds’

Two Religious Right Figures Weigh in on ISIS

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS) is a radical Sunni militant group that had seized control of parts of Iraq and Syria, declaring its territory to be an Islamic caliphate. The world has reacted with outrage as news of ISIS atrocities has come to light, including persecution of minorities, violence against civilians, forced conversions, and sexual violence. Unfortunately, some Religious Right figures have used the ISIS crisis as an opportunity to express disturbing views.

First, Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty had made controversial comments about the ISIS' onslaught. During the September 2nd edition of Hannity, Sean Hannity interviewed Phil Robertson, and their conversation quickly focused on ISIS violence. (Why Hannity invited a reality TV star on his show to discuss global politics is beyond me.) Robertson separated humankind into two groups: the "children of God" and the servants of Satan.

"Worldwide, planetwide, Biblically speaking, two groups of people: the children of God, and the whole world is under the control of the evil one. That's first John 5:19. Ephesians 2 said look, the evil one works in those who are disobedient. Galatians 3 [says] they are prisoners of sin. 2 Timothy 2, the Bible says that they've been taken captive by Satan to do his will." 

Robertson quoted Proverbs 8:36, arguing that Middle Eastern strife is perpetrated by those who hate the Biblical God. The complex roots of such conflicts were ignored in favor of a narrative that depicted Middle Eastern people as blinding slaughtering each other.

"Listen to this on this ISIS thing, 'All who hate me love death'. So you scratch you head and you say, well why is it that when we're not even over there in the Middle East, why do they continue to slaughter each other when we're not even on the premises? They can't blame us. We left Iraq. You say, what happened in Egypt, in Syria, Libya? They just slaughter each other. You say, what? 'All who hate me love death.'"

Robertson insisted that ending ISIS' reign of terror would involve converting ISIS members to Christianity or killing them.

"In this case, you either have to convert them, which I think would be next to impossible. I'm not giving up on them, but I'm just saying either convert them or kill them. One or the other ... I'd much rather have a Bible study with all of them and show them the error of their ways and point them to Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of having your sins removed and being raised from the dead. I would rather preach the gospel of Jesus to them. However, if it's a gunfight and a gunfight alone, if that's what their looking for, me personally, I am prepared for either one."

Sean Hannity's website now features a poll in which readers can vote on whether ISIS militants should be converted or killed.

Robertson's comments reflect a simplistic worldview in which Christianity is equated with virtue, non-Christian religions are associated with chaos, and a convert-or-die policy is imagined as the ideal response to armed opponents. (Ironically, ISIS implements this policy with abandon.) The fact that not all Middle Eastern Muslims are bloodthirsty, and that the ISIS crisis will require sophisticated solutions, escapes Robertson.

Second, Gary Cass penned a troubling commentary piece on ISIS and Islam for Charisma News. In a September 5th piece entitled "Why I Am Absolutely Islamaphobic", Cass lumped all Muslims together with ISIS militants, depicting Muslims as violent and fanatical. Cass conflated the Islamic supreme being with Satan, ignoring passages in the Quran that identify Allah as the god of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

"ISIS is doing to American journalists what every true follower of Muhammad wants to do to you and yours—subjugate or murder you. They believe they have been given a mandate by Allah (Satan) to dominate the world."

Cass explored three possible courses of action for dealing with global Islam: conversion of Muslims to Christianity, deportation, and violence in "self-defense". He encouraged readers to arm themselves and prepare for the disintegration of civil society following a terror attack.

"The only thing that is biblical and that 1,400 years of history has shown to work is overwhelming Christian just war and overwhelming self defense. Christian Generals Charles Martel in 732 and Jon Sobieski in 1672 defeated Islamic Turks and their attempts to take the West. Who will God raise up to save us this time? Will God even intervene or turn us over to the Muslims for turning against Him?

Either way, we must be prepared for the increase of terror at home and abroad. This is not irrational, but the loving thing we must do for our children and neighbors. First trust in God, then obtain a gun(s), learn to shoot, teach your kids the Christian doctrines of just war and self defense, create small cells of family and friends that you can rely on if some thing catastrophic happens and civil society suddenly melts down."

Cass' rant lumps all Muslims together with extremists, depicting them as a savage horde bent on destruction at home and abroad. He ignores the fact that Muslims are an extremely diverse religious group, that most Muslims are NOT militants, and that Muslims have been among ISIS' victims. To boot, Cass ignores the many Muslims who have condemned ISIS' and ostracized the extremist group, because acknowledging those voices would undermine his narrative. His vision is chilling and dangerous, especially at a time when religious tensions are high.

Islamic extremism is very real, and we must take seriously the threat it poses. The ISIS problem will require a strong, concerted response from global leaders. Having said that, there is no reason to demonize all Muslims on account of one militant group. Bigotry will not make us safer, and it will not help us respond effectively to the ISIS crisis.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Slaktivist: Charisma News goes full-on Hutu radio

Washington Post: Here’s how ‘Duck Dynasty’s’ Phil Robertson would fight the Islamic State: ‘Convert them or kill them’

Think Progress: The Terrible Theology Phil Robertson Would Use To Combat ISIS

Crooks and Liars: Phil Robertson, Fox News' New Expert On Islam, Jihad And Strategy

Commentary Tidbits

Slaktivist: ‘God is Done with You’: Pensacola Christian College and Sexual Violence

Politico: The Cookiecott

Rachel Held Evans: Patriarchy and Abusive Churches

The Christian Chronicle: Inside the 'Duck Dynasty' church

Right Wing Watch: Scott Lively Blames Gays For Ukraine Crisis, Lauds Russia As Human Rights Leader Of The World

The Atlantic: Can Megachurches Deal With Mega Money in a Christian Way?

Huffington Post: Bigotry for Me, But Not for Thee: The Religious Right and Its Selective Use of Anti-Discrimination Law

Yahoo: Duggar Girls Reveal the Creepiest Part of Growing Up With 19 Kids and Counting

Jewish Daily Forward: Christian Conservative Blames 'All Problems' on Jews

The Advocate: NOM Can’t Shut Me Down

Radio Praha: Anti-gay law mandates mob violence, says maker of God Loves Uganda

Child Marriage and Christian Fundamentalists

Until a few weeks ago, I assumed that the practice of child marriage was confined to impoverished and rigidly patriarchal corners of the globe. While the occasional American cult such as the FLDS might compel adolescents to marry, I doubted that the practice was prevalent outside of fringe groups. Not only was I wrong about the prevalence of child marriage in the U.S., but I was oblivious to the attitudes of some Religious Right figures about the practice.

First, some background. UNICEF defines child marriage as marriage before the age of 18, a practice that disproportionately burdens girls around the globe. Child marriage is both a product of poverty and a contributing factor to continued poverty, as girls who marry early often find their educations truncated, thereby reducing their economic opportunities. Girls who marry before age 18 tend to have lower educational achievement, lower literacy, and more negative reproductive health outcomes. Pregnancy and childbirth can have devastating impacts on an underage girl's body, increasing her risk of maternal death, premature delivery, eclampsia, and postpartum hemorrhage. Adolescent girls who marry before age 18 are more likely to experience physical or sexual violence from their husbands. Indeed, compelling an adolescent girl into marriage and sex can itself be understood as a form of sexual violence. In short, child marriage is an affront to children's rights, one that human rights activists are striving to stamp out around the world.

Over the past few months, the ex-fundamentalist blogosphere has shed light on some American Religious Right figures' attitudes toward child marriage. Love, Joy, Feminism and Homeschoolers Anonymous discussed one homeschooled teenage girl who was married off to an older man. At Bridging the Gap, Kierstyn King wrote about her parents' pressure on her to marry while still a teenager.

Phil Robertson, star of the A&E reality show Duck Dynasty, courted controversy due to his comments about non-Christians, gays, and African Americans in an interview with GQ. Equally shocking were his comments about child marriage several years before. According to Raw Story, at a 2009 Sportsmen's Ministry talk, Robertson told the audience, "You got to marry these girls when they are about 15 or 16, they’ll pick your ducks. You need to check with mom and dad about that of course.” He warned men against waiting until their brides are adults, claiming that "you wait until they get to be 20 years old, the only picking that’s going to take place is your pocket.”

Finally, Homeschoolers Anonymous posted commentary on the January 8th edition of Generations with Vision entitled "Sexting and Christian Modesty", in which Kevin Swanson and Dave Bruehner made unsettling comments about child marriage. Swanson and Bruehner fumed over the alleged hypersexuality and independence of women and girls in our "post-Christian, feminist society", which has supposedly contributed to the breakdown of the family. The two men devoted several minutes to blasting feminism, Wendy Davis, the Girl Scouts, Planned Parenthood abortion, and sexting. While caricaturing society as a depraved Sodom and Gomorrah, Swanson and Bruehner championed a Christian Patriarchy interpretation of women's Biblical role, citing Titus 2 and 1 Timothy 2.

At the 18:35 mark, Swanson and Bruehner reflected on the controversy involving Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson's comments about marrying teenage girls. Bruehner spoke of underage marriage as preventing "a whole life of fornication" for girls, while Swanson claimed that the practice is not intrinsically immoral.

SWANSON: Remember that one concern people had over Duck Dynasty? When the guy came out and said the girls, 15 or 16 years of age, she’s able to get married, they got all mad. Because boy, you get a girl married at 15 or 16 years of age, that’s a sin!

BRUEHNER: Well it is, because she doesn’t have a whole life of fornication ahead of her anymore.

SWANSON: Yeah.

BRUEHNER: I mean, there’s a whole junior high, soon to be a high school. There’s the staff, there’s the janitors, ... there’s the police department, there are so many sexual opportunities for a young woman that are cut off if she actually commits to one guy and tries to live a pure life.

SWANSON: Yeah! Yeah! So see, again, the liberals are really excited about getting the kids doing as much fornication as possible, but the rest of us are saying, “Hey, what about God’s law? What about God’s law?” By the way, nothing in God’s law that would prohibit a young girl who’s ready to get married, at 15 or 16 years of age. Now it takes some wisdom, it takes some wisdom, but nothing in God’s law that forbids. It’s not like immoral. There’s nothing in God’s law [that says] it’s immoral for a 15 or 16 year old to get married.

Swanson added that his grandmother married at age 15 to escape poverty, baffled that modern society would dismiss the practice as a sin. The idea that this was an act of desperation by a girl living in poverty escaped him.

"My grandmother was married at 15. I think it was 15. My grandmother on my father’s side was married at 15. It was during the Great Depression. Her father had died and her mother was trying to provide for the 5 kids or whatever. So you know it just made sense. She was 15 years old, she was ready to get married. So that kind of thing has happened, friends. But a sin! A sin in a modern world!"

Swanson and Bruehner's opinions about child marriage must be understood as an outgrowth of their Christian Patriarchy ideology. In a belief system that values girls only as chaste daughters, fertile housewives, and submissive subordinates to men, little importance is placed on girls' educational and economic opportunities. The result is that underage marriage is seen as less harmful and even positive, since it curtains a girl's independence and introduces her early to submissive, fecund wifehood. Kevin Swanson outlines his approach to girls, women, and marriage at the 9:24 mark.

"If you're going to give your daughters a godly raising, or a good raising,  you've got to define character properly. When I was interviewed by the mainstream media on this issue of the Girl Scouts, the guy asked me, "Well, what kind of values would you promote? What exactly is it that you're interested in? I said, a Biblical value. I'm interested in establishing a Biblical value for raising daughters, not just the feminist values, but the Biblical values. He says, "What are those?" I say, Titus 2 and 1 Timothy 2 talks about how women ought to be meek and quiet, and they ought to learn in silence, and they ought to be modest in dress and saved in childbearing, and she fears God."

Swanson and Bruehner also stress that women should be submissive wives at the 13:27 mark, where they also caricature and denigrate "selfish pig little boy" men who marry late.

SWANSON: Friends, if you're interested in the kind of character traits that God requires, and if you're interested in rebuilding the nuclear family, functional nuclear family with husband and wife where the wife is trained to respect her husband--

BRUEHNER: Calling him lord!

SWANSON: --submit herself to her husband, and the husband is trained to give himself up self-sacrificially for his wife, he's not the selfish pig little boy that's doing porn in the basement and learns how to be self-centered with his masturbation when he's 18 or 19 years of age, and then he lives a self-centered lifestyle until he's 29 years of age, then he finally gets married, and then he gets divorced at 36. Okay, that's the other worldview."

I think Kierstyn King hit the nail on the head when she wrote, "I wonder if some of the logic of Swanson, Maranatha’s dad and husband, and Creepy Duck Guy wasn’t part of the logic my parents had too: female independence is bad, marry them off young so they can do what god commanded women to do – be fruitful and multiply."

Child marriage fails to offend fundamentalists such as Swanson, Bruehner, and Robertson because they see female worth primarily in terms of sexual purity and submissive wifehood. Underage marriage locks a girl into that role before she can conceivably exercise independence or sexual autonomy. The problem is, a girl is more than her chastity or her future wife role. The idea that girls should strive to be more -- that girls deserve more -- never occurs to them. While most Christians would rightly reject the idea of marrying off underage girls, the fact that some fundamentalists entertain the idea is troubling.

Fundamentalist homeschooling and the Christian Patriarchy Movement already put girls and women at a disadvantage, making it difficult for them to find independence, articulate their goals and needs, receive a quality education, secure employment outside the home, and make educated sexual and reproductive choices. Underage marriage would only exacerbate this ugly state of affairs, curtailing girl's options even earlier.

I can't say this enough. Child marriage is an affront to children's rights. No one should be forced or pressured to marry, and certainly not before one is old enough to give meaningful consent. No girl should be compelled to marry young and suffer truncated educational opportunities, abuse, early pregnancy, or reproductive health problems. We need to closely watch the Religious Right, especially the Christian Patriarchy Movement, to see how their attitudes toward marriage are taking shape. We cannot allow underage marriage to become an accepted practice in these communities. In short, we must work to prevent underage marriage through anti-poverty efforts, educational opportunities, empowerment of girls and women, and scrutiny of fundamentalists who advocate it.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

The Wartburg Watch: Kevin Swanson and a Homeschool Conference: Weird Views on Early Marriage, Homosexuals and Virtue

Homeschoolers Anonymous: On Child Marriage: Kevin Swanson and Dave Bruehner Defend Phil Robertson

Commentary Tidbits

Typical Pastor's Kid: Someone Like Me

Liter 8: Reviewing Kevin Swanson’s Apostate: The Men Who Destroyed the Christian West

Good As You: Duck Dynasty Takeaway: Stop Letting Anti-Gay Far-Right Set Up False Stakes, False 'Victims'

Warren Throckmorton: What Does The International Healing Foundation Do?