Commentary Tidbits

Los Angeles Times: Pope Francis' woman problem

On Faith: Divorce Rates Are Dropping. But Are We Saving Marriage?

Religion Dispatches: It’s The Apocalypse, Stupid: Understanding Christian Opposition to Obamacare, Civil Rights, New Deal and More

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Family Research Council conveniently silent about anti-gay pastor, church it once defended

Buzzfeed: Emails Show “Pro-Family” Activists Feeding Contacts To Russian Nationalists

Jezebel: New Zealand Pastor Admits To Praying Gay Christian Will Commit Suicide

Huffington Post: Meet the Pastor Who Told Me He Hoped I Got Brain Cancer and Died

Washington D.C. Bans Conversion Therapy for Minors

Washington D.C. has joined New Jersey and California in banning a dubious and toxic form of "therapy" for young people. On December 2nd, the District of Columbia City Council voted unanimously to ban conversion therapy for minors, according to the Washington Blade. The Conversion Therapy for Minors Prohibition Amendment Act forbids licensed mental health care providers from seeking to change minors' sexual orientation or gender identity.

Conversion therapy, long touted by the so-called "ex-gay" movement, has come under increasing scrutiny by medical professionals. For example, a 2009 report by the American Psychological Association concluded that efforts to change people's sexual orientation are not only unlikely to be successful, but involve risks of harm as well. The Pan American Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and other health groups have criticized conversion therapy, while research has shown sexual orientation change efforts to be highly dubious. Defenders of conversion therapy such as NARTH have been accused of promoting dangerous junk science, misrepresenting other professionals' research, and fueling homophobia. The infamous George Rekers hailed from the NARTH's board, as many may recall.

LGBTQ rights organizations were pleased with the D.C. city council's decision. "No child should be subjected to this extremely harmful and discredited so-called therapy," said Human Rights Campaign legal director Sarah Warbelow in a December 2nd press release. "While the LGBT youth in our nation’s capital will soon be protected once this bill is signed into law, HRC is committed to making sure these kinds of protections are secured throughout the entire nation."

Similarly, the National Center for Lesbian Rights applauded the city council's decision. In a December 2nd press release, NCLR staff attorney Samantha Ames praised the District of Columbia for protecting minors.

"The Council has used its authority to protect our most vulnerable youth from dangerous and discredited pseudoscience that tells them who they are is wrong, and reaffirmed the consensus of every major medical and mental health organization that all children are born perfect, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity."

Predictably, the Religious Right was disappointed. Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies at the Family Research Council, accused the city council of attacking freedom of speech and religion in a recent press release.

"The DC City Council disregarded powerful testimony by therapists who debunked misconceptions about sexual reorientation therapy and by clients who had benefited from it.

This new law is an outrageous assault upon the freedom of speech of therapists, the freedom of religion of clients who seek help in living lives consistent with their faith, and the privacy of the therapist-client relationship."

Similarly, Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver blasted the legislation as an alleged affront to religious liberty in a December 4th statement.

"The unfortunate irony here is that this bill was passed in the name of ‘human rights.’ By restricting religious freedom, a fundamental human right, this bill is injurious to human rights and equality ... Liberty Counsel will continue to stand with the churches, schools, therapists, and families of Washington, D.C., in opposition to this restriction of religious freedom."

In a December 5th statement, Voice of the Voiceless president Christopher Doyle condemned the bill, claiming that sexually abused children somehow benefit from conversion therapy. He resorted to using the ugly stereotype of LGBTQ people as sexual predators, mocking LGBTQ rights advocates by referring to the recent arrest of HRC co-founder Terry Bean.

"The real torture that is occurring is a life-time of hopelessness that a sexually abused child will have to undergo after they are raped by the likes of HRC’s Terry Bean. No wonder HRC was one of the key supporters of this bill. Their headquarters are in Washington, D.C. and they need to ensure access to as many young boys as possible to keep their leadership satiated. Now we have a better idea as to what Terry Bean may have been doing for those ten hours per week that he is listed as ‘serving’ on HRC’s Board of Directors, according to their latest non-profit filing."

Chris? Accusing others of sexual predation might not be a smart move on your part. Just sayin'.

Conversion therapy bans are important tools for protecting LGBTQ youth from bigotry masquerading as "therapy". At stake is the health and well-being of young people, not religious liberty, a fact that more jurisdictions are beginning to understand.

Steve Anderson Calls for Executing Gays to End AIDS

Steve Anderson, head of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Arizona, has a long history of spouting misogynist, homophobic, and generally obnoxious vitriol from the pulpit, as Friendly Atheist has documented. (There was also this altercation between Anderson and DPS officers in 2009.) This holiday season, Anderson is in hot water over some vicious comments he made about LGBTQ and HIV positive people.

Anderson's November 30th sermon, "AIDS: The Judgment of God", is no longer available for viewing at his YouTube account, but an audio recording is still available at his church's website. In the sermon, he disparaged HIV awareness efforts and mocked HIV positive people as "homos", "reprobates", and "freaks". In one chilling segment, he even called for the execution of all gays in order to eradicate HIV.

Anderson begins the sermon by complaining about all the attention surrounding World AIDS Day, offended that even his bank had display material commemorating the day.

"I told the manager, I said, 'Look, I know you probably don't have any control over it ... locally here, I don't appreciate this. This offends me.' But the sad things is I'm probably the only person that complained about it because our society is so brainwashed, they don't even understand why I would have a problem with all this AIDS paraphernalia being put forth."

"AIDS is the judgment of God," Anderson insisted. After citing Bible verses condemning same-sex intimacy, he described HIV as a punishment that LGBTQ people have supposedly earned by offending God. Quoting Deuteronomy 28, in which God threatens to afflict disobedient humans with disgusting diseases, Anderson fumed that America was infested with sexually transmitted infections.

"Don't tell me that God won't send disease! Don't tell me that God won't send pestilence as a punishment! DON'T TELL ME THAT THE FACT THAT OUR COUNTRY TODAY IS FILLED WITH STDS ISN'T THE JUDGMENT OF GOD TODAY, BECAUSE IT IS! And you say, 'Well, that has nothing to do with it.' That's baloney! You know and I know that married, heterosexual, normal Christian people are not picking up these diseases. They're just not doing it. Unless they get a blood transfusion from one of these freaks, they're not going to get it. You get it from being promiscuous. You get it from living a life of sin."

Anderson's sermon dripped with hostility toward people with STIs and HIV, blaming them for their infections. The idea that a monogamous person could contract a disease from an unfaithful partner apparently never occurred to him. More importantly, the idea that people with infections are still human beings deserving of respect was alien to him. Disease, in Anderson's eyes, is an excuse to lash out at LGBTQ people, non-monogamous people, and anyone whose sexual lives look different from his.

Anderson refused to acknowledge innate sexual orientation, convinced that most "normal" men are not drawn to same-sex intimacy.

"The Bible is saying that these things are not convenient ... It means things that don't come naturally. They don't come naturally. These are unnatural. In fact, the Bible says they're against nature. Now look. We all have a sin nature. We all struggle in a battle with the flesh, don't we? But, are we tempted to be a sodomite? Absolutely not. Ninety-some percent of men today, this thought would never even enter their mind. Why? Because they have not been given over to vile affections, that's why. We have a sin nature. That's why we're tempted to steal, that's why we're tempted to lie, that's why if I were to drive down the road, and there was a billboard with some scantily-clad female, you know, the flesh is going to want to look at that image, and the spirit's going to have to say, hey I'll send no wicked thing before mine eyes, but the flesh is going to be tempted to sin, and there's going to have to be an effort made to subdue the flesh, to mortify the flesh, to walk in the spirit, to resist temptation, to not yield to that. But, if there was some dude in his underwear on a billboard, it's not a temptation, my friend! ... In fact, it's repulsive ... to the normal man."

He went on at length about how same-sex intimacy disgusted him and how LGBTQ people supposedly indulge in "gross" activities that go against natural human inclinations.

The most revolting segment of Anderson's sermon, and the segment that has attracted the most media attention, was Anderson's call for executing gays. Toward the end of his talk, he cited Leviticus 20:13, claiming that society could eradicate HIV by murdering gays.

"Turn to Leviticus 20:13, because I actually discovered the cure for AIDS. Now, this is the cure for AIDS, okay? And you know, everybody's talking about 'Let's have an AIDS-free world by 2020!' ... Look, we could have an AIDS-free world by Christmas ... We'd be like ninety-some percent AIDS-free by Christmas if we would follow this. Here's what the Bible says. Leviticus 20:13. 'If a man also lie with mankind as he lieth with a woman, okay, even both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.' And that, my friend, is the cure for AIDS. It was right there in the Bible all along, and they're out spending billions of dollars and research and testing. It's curable, right there, because if you executed the homos like God recommends, you wouldn't have all this AIDS running rampant."

This naked hate speech sickened me. In Anderson's eyes, LGBTQ and HIV positive people are expendable vermin who deserve death for their supposed transgressions. When someone calls for the death of an entire class of people, even in jest, he must be condemned by people of conscience. Hate crimes against LGBTQ and HIV positive people are all too real, and they are fueled by attitudes such as this.

One wonders why Anderson harbors so much hatred toward the LGBTQ and HIV positive communities. What kind of hatred blinds Anderson to their fundamental humanity? What kind of broken moral compass leads him to disregard their dignity and lives? What kind of toxic faith leads him to fixate on hateful passages in scripture while ignoring other passages celebrating compassion? What kind of inner turmoil causes a man to obsess over the sexual practices of consenting adults?

Fortunately, one nonprofit is using Anderson's hate speech toward a good cause. A humanitarian aid organization called Planting Peace just launched a Christmas fundraising drive, in which they promise to give Anderson a lump of coal for every donation (minimum $10) to their organization. (Hat tip to Huffington Post.)

"Pastor Steven Anderson of Tempe's Faithful Word Baptist Church has called for the execution of gays by stating in a recent sermon that "we can have an AIDS-free world by Christmas" if gays are executed. In response to his ridiculous and unbelievably offensive statement, Planting Peace invites you to make a donation that will go toward helping people with HIV/AIDS. It's clear to us that Pastor Anderson falls on the "naughty list" this year, so in addition, for every donation we receive Planting Peace will send a lump of coal to Pastor Anderson in a festive package tied with a bow that will be delivered on Christmas Eve."

Something tells me that Steve Anderson will get a lot of coal from Santa this Christmas.

News Tidbits

MLive: Anti-gay activist Scott Lively's crimes-against-humanity case to proceed after federal court denies his petition to dismiss lawsuit

LGBTQ Nation: Challenge to New Jersey ban on conversion therapy appealed to U.S. Supreme Court

Washington Blade: Anti-LGBT advocates from U.S. to speak at Jamaica conference 

Salon: Judge allows libel lawsuit against Glenn Beck to proceed 

Los Angeles Times: Quo Vadis challenges the mission of South Korean churches

Daily Monitor: Put padlocks on your private parts to avoid AIDS, Ugandan President Museveni tells youth

Commentary Tidbits

Inside Philanthropy: How the Koch Network Funnels Anonymous Millions to Fight Feminism

Buzzfeed: A History Of The 19 Kids And Counting Stars’ Anti-LGBT And Anti-Abortion Comments 

Raw Story: These disturbing Christian ‘educational’ cartoons may shock you

Right Wing Watch: Scott Lively: Homosexuality Is Worse Than Murder

Betty Bowers Snarks at the South

We've all got states we love and hate, and so does Betty Bowers!

News Tidbits

Politico: The coming wave of anti-abortion laws 

Fox 13: Restore Our Humanity director calls out “international anti-gay industry”

Pink News: Minnesota newspaper runs anti-transgender ad from listed hate group 

The Advocate: Second Transphobic Ad Hits Press as Minnesota Debates Student Athlete Policy

New Vision: Ugandan Pastor Martin Ssempa asks UCC to regulate use of smartphones

Gay Star News: Uganda parliament speaker: Gay groups infiltrate schools through donated computers 

Commentary Tidbits

Think Progress: Anti-Choice Activists In Alabama Equate Abortion Clinics With Sex Offenders

Homeschoolers Anonymous: 6 Things You Should Know About Voddie Baucham

HARO: How We Marginalize Abuse Survivors: The Spirit of Ham

Spiritual Sounding Board: Is There Support for Husbands Whose Wives are in Seminary at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary?

The Nation: Anti-Gay, Anti-Choice Children’s AIDS Fund Still Raking In Taxpayer Money

Human Rights Watch: Zero Tolerance: Why Catholics must condemn anti-gay violence

More Religious Right Figures Respond to Ferguson

As discussed in a prior post, the grand jury decision not to indict Officer Darren Wilson after the shooting death of Michael Brown has generated outrage and debate across the country. Several Religious Right figures have weighed in on the grand jury decision, and I'd like to highlight a few of their responses.

First, Cindy Jacobs, a New Apostolic Reformation preacher with a history of bizarre and racially awkward comments, posted a surprisingly sensitive commentary piece after the grand jury decision. In a November 26th post at the Generals International website, Cindy Jacobs claimed that members of the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders had several "dreams and visions" of riots in American cities, suggesting that they had supernatural premonitions of the Ferguson riots. Amidst her strange claims, however, was sympathy for all parties involved in the Brown case and a call for racial justice. "We are Americans and one nation under God, indivisible!" she wrote. "Every single American matters."

"As I reflect in prayer on the situation, my heart goes out to all the families involved in this tragedy. If I were the parents of Michael Brown, I would be in shock that my child left home one morning and was dead that same day. The grief from both the trauma and loss can only be borne through God's supernatural help.

For the police officer who is now receiving death threats, I can only wonder how he is concerned for his pregnant wife and unborn child. The recent statistics that I looked up said that so far this year, 105 officers have lost their lives in the line of duty. (1) In the midst of the pain of Ferguson, we need to be grateful for our first-responders and pray for them--particularly for their safety.

I believe that we need to cry out to The Lord to heal the pain of racial injustice in our nation. Evidentially, there is a lot that still remains! Racism needs to be rooted out wherever it exists, in whatever community it wants to rear its ugly, hate-filled head."

Alveda King, an anti-abortion activist and niece of the late Martin Luther King Jr., encouraged a peaceful response following the grand jury decision. In a column posted at the Priests for Life website, Alveda King condemned the Ferguson riots, calling for peace as the best way to honor Michael Brown's memory.

"America, we are truly better than this. Michael’s memory deserves better than this. Michael stole cigarettes. This was a crime. Yet, we have elected at least two presidents who admitted to smoking illegal marijuana in their youth. A crime is a crime. How do we know how Michael’s life may have turned out? Tragically we will never know.

America, we are at a crossed road. Will we settle for burned out cities or will we pray for an arising of hope?

Michael Brown’s parents are calling for peace and justice. We can best honor Michael by agreeing with his parents."

I was disappointed, however, that Alveda King lumped racial tension and violence together with abortion and "sexual immorality".

"Not only are we still grappling with racial strife; what Uncle [Martin Luther King Jr.] aptly described as “man’s inhumanity to man” has escalated in Century 21 to mirror “the days of Noah;” with abortion, sexual immorality, unholy war, greed, violence, much assault on God’s people running rampant."

Bishop Harry Jackson, founder of the High Impact Leadership Coalition and pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, MD, noted the relationship between racism and Ferguson. In an interview with the Daily Signal, Harry Jackson discussed racism in America, describing the response in Ferguson in terms of black frustration.

"I think what I'm seeing here is a lot of black frustration. Certainly last night is not just a response to a verdict. In my opinion, it is a response to a lifetime of anxiety, problems, and frustrations."

Other Religious Right figures responded to the grand jury decision and the ensuing riots with much harsher language. During the November 26th edition of The 700 Club, Pat Robertson demanded that those who are upset with the grand jury decision "just cool it", arguing that the Michael Brown case was not about social justice. (Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.)

"African Americans in this society for decades have been subject to discrimination. There's no question about it. And there has been police brutality in various cities. There's no question about that. But right now, we live in what amounts to a pretty much even-tempered type of society. Police are very careful in dealing with people. They're trained to be careful with minorities. The abuses of the past [are] pretty much a thing of the past.

But this young man in Ferguson ... He went into a convenience store and picked up some cigars, didn't pay for them, walked out. There's a  video of him talking to the clerk and ignoring him and busting out right past him with this stolen property ... When this police officer tried to apprehend him, he charged the police officer, charged into his car and began beating on him.

Now, what kind of thing is that? He resists arrest, he attacks a police officer, he robs a store. That doesn't make him a hero! That doesn't make him a martyr! ... It's certainly no excuse to burn a town apart, to overturn police cars, bring in the Al Sharptons of the world and other racial agitators to have them ... talk about social justice. This isn't a case dealing with social justice."

News Tidbits

The Daily Beast: The Godfather of Right-Wing Radio

The Advocate: Right-Wing Group Targets Trans-Friendly Federal Nominee

Raw Story: Duggar family gives thanks for fetal personhood laws and GOP midterm wins

Reuters: Uganda plans to pass new version of anti-gay law by Christmas, says lawmaker