Rachel Maddow on Freedom 2015 Conference

The November 9th edition of The Rachel Maddow Show covered the Freedom 2015 conference. Maddow called out Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, and Mike Huckabee for appearing at the event alongside homophobe Kevin Swanson.

Freedom 2015: Cruz, Jindal, and Huckabee Woo the Religious Right

Shaking hands with a pastor who advocates putting gays to death ought to harm one's presidential chances, right? pic.twitter.com/u3tEfHee9I

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) November 6, 2015

To read an introduction to Freedom 2015, click here. To read about Kevin Swanson at Freedom 2015, click here. To read about Geoffrey Botkin's talk, click here and here.

Freedom 2015: The National Religious Liberties Conference took place on November 6-7 in Des Moines, Iowa. Three Republican presidential candidates -- Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee -- spoke at the event alongside controversial radio host Kevin Swanson. Freedom 2015 offered the candidates an opportunity to woo Religious Right voters with talk of "religious liberty" and "judicial tyranny".

The three candidates seemed unfazed by the event's homophobic, sexist, and Christian reconstructionist speakers. To boot, the organizer's history of vicious anti-gay remarks failed to serve as a red flag for the candidates, despite a petition from People for the American Way urging the candidates to denounce Swanson's bigotry. In the wake of Swanson's deranged rants, I wonder if the three candidates regret attending the event.





In the days leading up to the event, Cruz was evasive about his ties to Kevin Swanson. At the 14:53 mark of this video, CNN's Jake Tapper asks Cruz about Swanson during an interview on The Lead with Jake Tapper, but Cruz changed the subject.

TAPPER: You are speaking at a conference this weekend, the National Religious Liberty Conference in Des Moines. It's organized by a guy named Kevin Swanson. You've been very outspoken about what you deem liberal intolerance of Christians, but Kevin Swanson has said some very inflammatory things about gays and lesbians. He believes Christians should hold up signs at gay weddings, holding up the Leviticus verse instructing the faithful to put gays to death because what they do is an abomination. I don't hold you responsible for what other people say, but given your concern about liberal intolerance, are you not in some ways endorsing conservative intolerance?

CRUZ: Listen, I don't know what this gentleman has said and what he hasn't said. I know that when it comes to religious liberty, this is a passion of mine that has been a passion of mine for decades, and that I have been fighting for religious liberty for everyone ... In the last six and a half years under the Obama administration, we have seen an assault on religious liberty from the federal government.

I'm surprised that Cruz knew nothing about Swanson's homophobia. Why wouldn't a political candidate do his research before a major public appearance? What presidential campaign fails to vet events and allies?





When Cruz appeared on-stage with Swanson at Freedom 2015, he insisted that a U.S. president must be religious. In an excerpt of his speech captured by Right Wing Watch, he had this to say.

SWANSON: How important [is it] for the resident of the United States to fear God, and what does that mean to you?

CRUZ: Any president who doesn't begin every day on his knees isn't fit to be commander in chief of this country.

Bobby Jindal spouted right-wing talking points at the summit as well. In this Right Wing Watch video, Jindal waxed poetic about religious freedom, pitted religious freedom against LGBTQ equality, and warned listeners that the IRS would be targeting Christians.

Look, the IRS could be coming after churches and pastors next. We can't simply say, 'Well, it doesn't impact me, 'cause I'm not a baker, I'm not a caterer, I'm not a musician.' They're coming after those of us that want to live our lives according to our Christian faith. 

It shouldn't take a governor's executive order to protect our First Amendment rights. The Founding Fathers put this in the Constitution on purpose. They understood that America did not create religious liberty. Religious liberty created the United States of America. There's no freedom of association or freedom of speech without religious liberty, so when the left tries to take God out of the public square, we need to remind them [that] the Founding Fathers ... got something profoundly right. Government is not what makes America great. Government doesn't create our rights. The Founding Fathers were creating a limited government to secure but not create our God-given rights ... No earthly court can change the definition of marriage. No federal government, no ACLU should be able to take away our religious liberty rights. We were given those by God Almighty.

Finally, Mike Huckabee refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. In an excerpt of his talk captured by Right Wing Watch, Huckabee admitted that if elected president, he would not acknowledge the Supreme Court's decision as law.

SWANSON: As Christians, we are concerned about two important Supreme Court rulings: Roe v. Wade in 1973, and then this year, Obergefell. How in the world can we reverse these horrific rulings at the Supreme Court of the United States? What can the president do about it?

HUCKABEE: Well the first thing the president ought to do is exactly what he should do, and that's uphold the Constitution. The courts can't make law, and if the president surrenders the entire executive branch power to the judicial, he has surrendered to the doctrine of judicial supremacy, which leads us to what Jefferson, Madison, Jackson, and Lincoln all called judicial tyranny. So here's what the president should do, and if I were president, this is what I would do. On the same-sex marriage decision, I would simply say it is not law. It is not law because the people's elected representatives have not made it law, and there is nothing in the Constitution that gives the Supreme Court the power to make a law. They are the Supreme Court. They are not the supreme branch or the supreme being. They can't make law!

These are some of the GOP candidates who want to be president of the United States: a senator who conflates religiosity with presidential competence, a governor who feeds the Religious Right's persecution complex, and a former governor who would ignore Supreme Court decisions he disliked. These three candidates do not understand what real religious liberty entails and do not represent Americans outside the fundamentalist Christian bubble. Voters, take note.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Warren Throckmorton: Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, and Mike Huckabee and the Alternative Reality Conference

Religion Dispatches: “Ready to Be Arrested?”: GOP Prez Candidates Show Up For Freedom 2015

The Daily Beast: Jesus Freaks Huddle For The Gaypocalypse

Freedom 2015: Kevin Swanson Comes Unglued

Kevin Swanson is a very expressive speaker: pic.twitter.com/ZgiuukhXmh

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) November 6, 2015

To read an introduction to Freedom 2015, click here. To read about Cruz, Jindal, and Huckabee at Freedom 2015, click here. To read about Geoffrey Botkin's talk, click here and here.

The Freedom 2015 conference took place on November 6-7 in Des Moines, Iowa, drawing over 1,600 attendees, according to WHO 13 TV. Sponsored by Kevin Swanson's Generations with Vision, Samaritan Ministries, Heritage Defense, and other Religious Right groups, Freedom 2015 included appearances by Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, and Bobby Jindal. The conference focused on supposed assaults on Christian "religious liberty", with special emphasis on the LGBTQ rights movement as an alleged threat.

Right Wing Watch and Brian Tashman were kind enough to live-tweet the event, which featured Botkin books, homophobic pamphlets, an array of Religious Right speakers, and a schedule full of workshops on alleged "religious persecution".

Progressives took notice of Freedom 2015's right-wing themes and dubious speakers. The summit came under fire by People for the American Way, who posted a petition urging Cruz, Huckabee, and Jindal to condemn Kevin Swanson's vicious homophobia. One Iowa, an LGBTQ rights organization, hosted a counter-event on November 7th, entitled "America’s First Freedom 2015: A Civil Conversation", a forum to discuss "religious liberty as envisioned by our founders" and counteract "self-serving versions that encourage and sanctify discrimination". (Hat tip to the Des Moines Register.)

I will discuss the speeches of Cruz, Huckabee, and Jindal in a future post, but first, I'd like to share some Freedom 2015 quotes from Kevin Swanson. With Kevin Swanson at the helm, Freedom 2015 quickly devolved into a circus. Swanson paced back and force on stage, screaming about hell and repentance as if on the verge of tears. Swanson's rants not only dripped with homophobia but also included bizarre comments about cow manure, pus-filled sores, children's movies, and country music. By appearing on stage with Swanson and failing to condemn his extremism, Cruz, Huckabee, and Jindal have torpedoed whatever slim chance they might have had of being viable presidential candidates.





For example, in a Freedom 2015 excerpt captured by Right Wing Watch, Swanson claimed that he would sit in cow manure outside a church if one of his children entered a same-sex marriage, then warned the audience not to carve happy faces into infected sores (!?).

"I was thinking, you know, there are parents -- and this is not a funny thing -- there are families whose -- and we are talking Christian families, pastors' families, elders' families in good godly churches. Their sons are rebelling, hanging out with homosexuals and getting married, and the parents are invited. What would you do if that was the case? Here's what I would do. Sackcloth and ashes at the entrance to the church, and I'd sit in cow manure, and I'd spread it all over my body. That's what I would do. And I'm not kidding. I'm not laughing. I'm grieving, I'M MOURNING! I'M POINTING OUT THE PROBLEM! It's not a gay time! These are the people with the sores, the gaping sores, the sores that are pussy and gross, and people are coming in and carving happy faces on the sores. That's not a nice thing to do! DON'T YOU DARE CARVE HAPPY FACES ON OPEN, PUSSY SORES! Don't you ever do that!"

In another Right Wing Watch clip, Swanson raged against abortion for allegedly killing billions of human beings. He saved his hottest rage for the Harry Potter franchise, How to Train Your Dragon, and Kacey Musgraves' "Follow Your Arrow" because they allegedly normalize homosexuality. Unfortunately, this was not the first time Swanson had made ridiculous comments about arts and culture.

"Friends, we are on the very cusp of judgment, as I see it, and we need to call America to repent. As you say, repentance from what? Repentance from defying the Almighty. Repentance of abortion, repentance of the hundreds of millions of dead bodies. I don't know how many children have been aborted by way of abortifacients, by way of the surgical abortion since the 1960s, but I do believe that Margaret Sanger is responsible for more deaths in the world than any single person who has ever lived, and I'm talking about billions of little babies thanks to the technology she developed in the 1960s.

Friends, it's us! The problem is us! We call the nation to repentance today. Repent America! ... America, repent of Harry Potter! America, repent of How to Train Your Dragon! America, repent that Dumbledore emerged as a homosexual mentor for Harry Potter, that Hiccup's mentor in How to Train Your Dragon emerged as a homosexual himself in order that history might repeat itself one more time, in order that little six and seven, eight year-olds might stumble, in order that tens of millions of parents, it would be better for them that a millstone be hanged around their neck and they'd be drowned at the bottom of the sea, in order that there would be so many people stumbling so many children in public schools, in movie theaters, in homes, in which children are raised to be stumbled by the Dumbledores and the mentors of Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon!

My friends, AMERICA NEEDS TO REPENT! AMERICA NEEDS TO REPENT of her culture! America needs to repent. Country music stations need to repent of playing the song "Follow Your Arrow" ... THESE RADIO STATIONS NEED TO REPENT OR THEY WILL BE DAMNED BY THE ALMIGHTY, BY GOD HIMSELF!"

In a particularly offensive excerpt captured by Right Wing Watch, Swanson argued that the Bible commands death for the "sin" of homosexuality. It was not the first time Swanson has made such a statement.

"There are instances in which both the Old Testament and the New Testament speak to the matter with unbelievable clarity, and friends--and this is the highest level, the very highest level of clarity, where the word of God has spoken. Both Old Testament and New Testament. Ought not to be any debate whatsoever about it, and you know what that sin is. It's the sin of homosexuality. Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, 1 Timothy I think it's chapter 4, and of course Leviticus 18 and Leviticus 20. The word of God speaks there, both, and in fact, [in] Romans 1, Paul affirms that this particular sin is worthy of death, in Romans 1. So, granted, there are varying levels of clarity/relevance relating to ethics, but still, the Old Testament and New Testament I believe both speak with authority, and we ought to receive it."

With regards to whether the U.S. should execute LGBTQ persons, Swanson was evasive. In one Right Wing Watch clip, he argued that mass repentance for sexual "sins" (homosexuality, adultery, divorce, and porn consumption) was of far greater urgency.

"Yes, Leviticus 20:13 calls for the death penalty for homosexuals. Yes, [in] Romans 1:32, the apostle Paul does say that homosexuals are worthy of death. HIS WORDS, NOT MINE! AND I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST! And I am not ashamed of the truth of the word of God, and I AM WILLING TO GO TO JAIL for standing on the truth on the word of God! And I know I've taken the counsel. Many have told me this weekend, 'You be careful. You choose your words carefully. We have presidentials coming down to this conference this weekend.' I understand that, but I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE TRUTH OF THE WORD OF GOD, and I'm willing to go to jail for it.

Then they ask me, 'Yes, but do you advocate for our civil leaders to do this today?' And my answer is no. But why? Here's why. Because that's not such a big deal. We are not to fear those who can kill the body. Yea, Jesus says fear rather the one who can cast body and soul in hell forever.

The discussion concerning the capital punishment of homosexuals is nothing, is not all that important when contrasted with hellfire forever. You say why wouldn't you call for it? I say it's because we need some time for homosexuals to repent. That's why ...

There is not much difference between adultery and homosexuality as conveyed by the word of God. There's not much difference between adultery and divorcees who themselves have committed adultery by illegitimate divorce or remarriage. There is hardly any difference. They need TIME TO REPENT, DO YOU UNDERSTAND? AMERICA NEEDS TIME TO REPENT! YOU SAY, WHY DON'T YOU CALL FOR IT? AMERICA NEEDS TIME TO REPENT of their homosexuality, their adultery, and their porn addictions, and I'm speaking of 80% of young men who, according to Barna research last year, have confessed to a porn addiction, to at least weekly or monthly involvement in pornography, an addiction that, my friends, constitutes such a porneia that as I see it, they are not qualified to even marry.

America's steeped in a destructive form of sexuality, and friends, THEY'RE BOUND FOR HELL! DO YOU UNDERSTAND? It's not so much an issue of the death penalty; it's an issue of God's judgment that's hanging upon this nation today."

Swanson's howling, his palpable fear and rage, his paranoia about being incarcerated, and his ongoing obsession with sexual "sins" all made me squirm. This was not a pundit making outlandish statements just to score political points; this was a man seized with terror, loathing, and morbid obsessions. Something is very, very wrong with this man, I thought as I watched him scream.

Swanson's statements bring the madness of the Religious Right into sharper focus. Screaming aside, his dismay at the state of the world echoes the Religious Right's dismay at 21st century life. People who cling to patriarchy, heteronormativity, and Christian hegemony now find themselves disoriented as women, LGBTQ people, and religious minorities assert their rights. Their disorientation gives way to anger and fear as they find themselves unable or unwilling to adapt to the new world.

And so Swanson and his ilk lash out. They lash out at women who exercise their reproductive rights. They lash out at LGBTQ people, demonizing them as worthy of death. They lash out at church-state separation, wailing about "religious persecution" as they persecute others. As their hegemony weakens, their rhetoric becomes more fevered and outrageous.

Swanson's rants at Freedom 2015 magnified what we've know about the Religious Right for years: they're angry, they're hateful, and they're disconnected from reality. We must counteract the Religious Right's efforts, especially in the political realm, for that reason.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Towleroad: ‘Kill the Gays’ Pastor Says ‘We Are Messed Up’, Proves It with Epic Meltdown

Jezebel: Spitting and Sweating, Anti-Gay Pastor Kevin Swanson Welcomes Huckabee and Jindal to Weird, Weird Conference

The New Civil Rights Movement: Christian Pastor Says Gays 'Worthy Of Death' At Conference With 3 GOP Presidential Candidates

The Frisky: What If Bernie And Hillary Spoke At An Event With People Who Wanted To Kill Christians?

GOP Candidates to Speak at Right-Wing "Religious Liberty" Conference

Freedom2015 Trailer from Kevin Swanson on Vimeo.



To read about Kevin Swanson at Freedom 2015, click here. To read about Cruz, Jindal, and Huckabee at Freedom 2015, click here. To read about Geoffrey Botkin's talk, click here and here.

Freedom 2015: The National Religious Liberties Conference will take place in Des Moines, Iowa on November 6-7. The conference, sponsored by Kevin Swanson's Generations with Vision show and other Religious Right groups, will be a two-day summit on alleged threats to Christians' religious freedom in the U.S.

The conference website overflows with bombastic rhetoric about the supposed threats of religious persecution. Predictably, it conflates victories for LGBTQ rights with subjugation of Christians, as if LGBTQ equality and religious liberty were diametrically opposed. It argues that the 2016 presidential election will be vital for the struggle for "religious freedom". 

The 2016 elections will be definitive. For Christians, religious liberties will be the issue.

• The Supreme Court of the United States recently legalized homosexual marriage in all 50 states in the Obergefell V. Hodges decision. Are you ready to face persecution for opposing the homosexual agenda?

• The Supreme Court let stand the New York City ban on religious meetings in public buildings in March, 2015. Are churches ready for eviction?

• The Supreme Court let stand the lower court ruling against the New Mexico photographer who refused a “gay” wedding in April, 2014.

• Religious freedom bills in Indiana and Kentucky went down in flames in April, 2015.

American Christians are concerned. According to Pew Research, the minority group fearing persecution more than any others: evangelical protestants, a group representing some 35 million Americans. They are concerned about their jobs in a politically-correct work environment, their businesses, their churches, their marriage licenses, their parental freedoms.

International persecution against Christians has reached epidemic levels. They are the most persecuted religious group in the world, and Christians need to know how to respond.

The website strives to instill fear in attendees, warning them that a wicked state will persecute believers and snatch their children away. The fact that none of this is actually happening doesn't seem to faze them.

Americans, get ready for the gathering storm!

These are serious questions ... are you read for this?

Are you ready ... to lose your children to the state?

Is your pastor ready to go to jail for refusing to officiate a same sex marriage?

Will your church be shut down?

Will Christians be forced to break the law?

Right Wing Watch reports that Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, and Bobby Jindal will speak at the summit. The three candidates seem to have no problem with speaking at an event organized by Kevin Swanson, a Christian Patriarchy adherent with a long, outrageous history of misogynist and homophobic statements.

Other conference speakers include Religious Right voices such as Kevin Swanson, Geoff Botkin, Bill Jack, Rafael Cruz, Jan Mickelson, Bob Vander Plaats, Aaron and Melissa Klein, and Richard and Betty Odgaard. Many of the event's speakers have histories of homophobic comments and, in the case of the Kleins and Odgaards, anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

If the conference's schedule is any indication, Freedom 2015 will depict fundamentalist Christians as a persecuted community. Attendees can enjoy lunch with the Benham Brothers, praised by the website for "standing for the sake of faith in Christ ... no matter what the cost!" The workshop offerings are exactly what you'd expect.

• Freedom: Why Christians Should Engage the Battle for Liberty


• Child Protective Services: One of the Greatest Threats to Your Religious Freedom


• Why Christians Must Defend Marriage in Family, Church, and State


• Targeted: Men & Women Persecuted for the Christian Faith


• Crushing Leviathan: Biblical Principles to Break Free of the Modern Inquisition


• Securing Religious Liberty Starts at the State Capitols


• The Decline of Freedom: From the Bill of Rights to the Ten Planks of Communism, America's Domestic Enemies and Where They Came From

I eagerly wait to hear how Cruz, Huckabee, and Jindal will appeal to Religious Right voters at Freedom 2015. If their speeches enchant Christian fundamentalists, they will no doubt alienate moderate voters and make the three candidates even less viable.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

The New Civil Rights Movement: Guess Which GOP Presidential Candidates Will Join Pastor Who Thinks Gays Deserve Death?

Gawker: Three GOP Candidates Join Pastor Who Thinks Frozen Turns Kids Gay

The Frisky: GOP Presidential Contenders To Party With “Kill The Gays” Pastor

News Tidbits

Pew Research Center: What’s a sin? Catholics don’t always agree with their church

Columbus Dispatch: Gay-marriage debate facing Pope Francis at Philadelphia event

Buzzfeed: LGBT Catholics Alarmed With Pope’s Remarks About “Unjust Discrimination”

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Jindal: Boehner resignation isn't enough; 'It's time to fire everybody'

Reuters: Evangelicals’ event to hear Trump and Carson — no Jeb Bush

CNN: Conservatives boo Trump after Rubio 'clown' insult

Associated Press: Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Blames Governor for Legal Woes

Topeka Capital-Journal: Ken Ham's book looks at millennials and the church

New York Times: Refugee Crisis in Syria Raises Fears in South Carolina   (Hat tip to Infidel753) 

Religious Right Reacts to Kim Davis' Incarceration

Kim Davis was recently taken into custody after refusing to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples in her capacity as Rowan County (Kentucky) clerk. Predictably, the Religious Right is enraged, depicting Davis as a martyr for religious freedom. The fact that Davis' religious beliefs do not absolve her of the responsibility to perform her job escapes them.

First, in an August 13th statement, Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver defended Davis while sneering at the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. In Staver's eyes, Davis' job responsibilities were changed by "five lawyers" who exceeded their authority. "Kim Davis did not sign up as a clerk to issue same-sex marriage licenses," he wrote. "Her job duty was changed by five lawyers without any constitutional authority. At a minimum, her religious convictions should be accommodated."

"Judge Bunning’s decision equated Kim’s free exercise of religion to going to church. This is absurd! Christianity is not a robe you take off when you leave a sanctuary ... The First Amendment guarantees Kim and every American the free exercise of religion, even when they are working for the government."

With no hint of irony, Concerned Women for America president Penny Nance decried the supposed "lawlessness" of the Supreme Court for putting Kim Davis in jail.

"We support Kim Davis’ right to act according to her conscience and face the consequences.  Her predicament is the direct result of the lawlessness promoted by the Supreme Court of the United States itself with its unconstitutional Obergefell decision. It’s flippant, and frankly insulting, treatment of religious liberty and Obergefell is a disgrace to that great institution.

Same-sex ‘marriage’ supporters are chastising Mrs. Davis now, but they were the same group of people that applauded with glee when public officials forced the granting of marriage certificates to same-sex couples in direct violation to their state constitutions, before the Supreme Court’s decision.  They are not concerned about the law or the constitution but simply want to promote their activism through it.

We believe the law should provide reasonable accommodation to any person who does not want to participate in a same-sex ‘marriage’ union because of their deeply held religious beliefs, as has been done in other areas throughout our history."

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins released a statement warning readers that religious liberty is in "grave danger". Perkins ignores the fact that Americans can still practice their religion freely in favor of a tiresome persecution narrative.

"Today we are witnessing what the four dissenting Supreme Court Justices warned of in the Obergefell decision: religious liberty in America is in grave danger.

While five justices on the Supreme Court created this dilemma, it is incumbent upon Congress, and in this case legislatures, to ensure orthodox religious beliefs are accommodated. Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear could solve this court-created conflict by immediately calling for a special legislative session and establishing statutory accommodations for clerks like Kim Davis.

Ultimately, this is about more than same-sex marriage licenses in Kentucky. It is about the ability of Christians and other religious people to serve in positions of public trust. If this is not resolved in a manner that accommodates the orthodox religious beliefs of Clerk Davis, this will, in effect, establish a reverse religious test barring those who hold biblical views of marriage from positions of public service. Such a religious test by proclamation or practice is wrong.

Now a court is jailing someone over this because the governor failed to act. How hard is it to change a simple form to remove her name from it? Isn't that worth doing to keep someone out of jail because of what they believe? Governor Beshear must call for a special session of the legislature and grant an accommodation to Kim Davis."

Even political leaders chimed in. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal defended Davis in an interview with the Huffington Post, accusing the government of discrimination. The fact that Davis violated the law by discriminating against same-sex couples did not seem to perturb him.

"I don't think anyone should have to choose between following their conscience and religious beliefs and giving up their job and facing financial sanctions. I think it's wrong to force Christian individuals or business owners. We are seeing government today discriminate against whether it's clerks, florists, musicians or others. I think that's wrong. I think you should be able to keep your job and follow your conscience..."

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has loudly supported Davis. The Associated Press reports that Huckabee plans to visit Davis in jail next week and arrange a rally in support of her cause. In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, he called Davis' incarceration "the first example of the criminalization of a Christian for believing the traditional definition of marriage". Huckabee complained that Davis was "not accommodated for her faith, but was jailed without bail". In another interview with MSNBC, Huckabee blasted the Obergefell v. Hodges decision that triggered the controversy, criticizing the ruling as an affront to God.

"I believe that it's time for us to have a real clear understanding of what should be something that we learned in ninth grade civics, that the Supreme Court is not the supreme branch. It's the Supreme Court, and it certainly is not the supreme being. It cannot overrule the laws of nature and nature's God."

However, not all conservative leaders have defended Davis' actions. Huffington Post and Washington Blade report that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and presidential candidate Carly Fiorina weighed in on the controversy during an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt. Graham admitted that Davis should "comply with the law or resign" in keeping with the rule of law, and Fiorina said that any further defiance of the courts "is not appropriate". Fiorina explained that as an elected county clerk, Davis is expected to act as a arm of the government, and if she is unwilling to do so, she must consider another job.

"...this woman now needs to make a decision of conscience — is she prepared to continue to work for the government, be paid for by the government in which case she needs to execute the government’s will, or does she feel so strongly about this that she wants to sever her employment with the government and go seek employment elsewhere where her religious liberties will be paramount over her duties as a government employee?"

Graham and Fiorina notwithstanding, many right-wing figures are having difficulty understanding that Christian faith does not trump the law. Kim Davis' religious beliefs did not entitle her to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite what the Religious Right believes. Religious liberty is not under threat; Davis is not being persecuted for her faith; and America has not descended into lawlessness. Davis simply refused to do her job.

News Tidbits

CNN: SCOTUS: Kentucky clerk must issue same-sex marriage licenses

NPR: Planned Parenthood Fights Back 

Wall Street Journal: Donald Trump Plans Meeting With Evangelicals

The Guardian: Hillary Clinton likens GOP candidates to terrorists for 'extreme' views on women 

Gay Star News: Cruz, Santorum, Jindal and Carson sign pledge to repeal gay marriage

Washington Blade: Walker latest GOP candidate to make ‘religious freedom’ pledge

The Advocate: Josh Duggar's Hypocrisy Is No 'Excuse to Live in Sin,' Scolds Tony Perkins

Associated Press: Ahead of pope's visit to US, some friction over LGBT issues

Philadelphia Gay News: Conversion-therapy backers among World Meeting participants 

Entertainment Tonight: Josh Duggar's Family Speaks Out: 'I Hope He Gets Broken in Rehab'

News Tidbits

Windy City Times: McCarter introduces 'religious freedom' bill in Illinois

Huffington Post: Virginia Wesleyan College Demands Rape Victim's Entire Sexual History 

LGBT Weekly: Benham brothers call marriage equality ‘The worst thing that could have ever happened to our nation’

Edge Media Network: Catholics Wrestle With Teachings as Gay Employees Dismissed

Associated Press: Church drops Boy Scouts after over gay leadership decision

Politico: Cash-strapped Rick Santorum campaign reshuffles staff

LGBTQ Nation: If elected, Gov. Jindal will sign order protecting Christians from LGBTs

News Tidbits

New York Times: Conservative Lawmakers and Faith Groups Seek Exemptions After Same-Sex Ruling

Washington Post: An exclusive look at the draft schedule for Pope Francis’s U.S. trip this fall

The Advocate: Texas Pastor Now Says He Didn't Mean He'd Really Set Himself Aflame

Religion News Service: 5 faith facts about Bobby Jindal: an ‘evangelical Catholic’

News Tidbits

Associated Press: Jury finds promise of 'gay conversion' therapy was a fraud

Reuters: Gays can't use U.S. Catholic family meet to attack Church, bishop says

Washington Blade: Catholic bishops reaffirm opposition to same-sex marriage

Religion News Service: Rome summit looks to improve church’s handling of child sexual abuse

Edge Media Network: California Judge Agrees to Dismiss Kill-Gays Ballot Measure

Minneapolis Star Tribune: Noah's ark takes shape in Kentucky pasture; project remains afloat after hitting rough water

Salt Lake Tribune: Human Rights Campaign to sponsor counter-conference in Utah to celebrate ‘Inclusive Families’

Raw Story: Mike Huckabee calls for less dialog on race and more ‘conversions’ for Jesus: God already ‘solved’ racism

The Guardian: Bobby Jindal: Republican who brought creationism into schools to join election

Commentary Tidbits

Huffington Post: 6 Of The Most Ridiculous Stunts Pastors Have Pulled To Get People To Church

LGBTQ Nation: Anti-gay bill rejection gives Jindal a campaign opportunity 

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests: Huckabee defends sex offender; SNAP responds

Washington Post: Republicans’ Josh Duggar problem

Diary of an Autodidact: How Fundamentalism's Teachings on Sexuality Create Predatory Behavior

Friendly Atheist: Ray Comfort: Josh Duggar Wasn’t Really a Christian When He Molested Those Girls 

Mary DeMuth: Dear Mike Huckabee

Commentary Tidbits

Out from Under the Umbrella: Atheist Outrage: Checking Your Christian Privilege

Freedom from Religion Foundation: Nothing fails like a National Prayer Breakfast

Sarah Over the Moon: 16 Things That Happened When I Went to The Creation Museum

The Guardian: 'It's never the science itself': Why the right questions climate and vaccines

Washington Post: Jindal: ‘The Medieval Christian threat is under control, Mr. President.’

Huffington Post: "Wage War To Restore a Christian America", Urged Pastor Behind Reince Priebus' RNC Israel Trip

Right Wing Watch: Mike Huckabee: Gay Marriage 'Lies' Reminiscent Of Nazi Germany

Religious Right Agenda on Display at the Response Louisiana

As discussed in prior posts, the Response Louisiana took place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on January 24th. Progressive observers criticized one of the rally's key sponsors, the American Family Association, for its history of homophobia and hate group status. Other New Apostolic Reformation participants, such as Jim Garlow and Cindy Jacobs, drew fire from observers due to their own histories of bizarre and homophobic comments.

The Response Louisiana was marketed as a setting in which worshipers would God to intervene in America's struggles. In reality, the rally promoted dominionist messages, encouraging worshipers to see politics and culture as objects of Christian conquest.

GOD TV posted a video segment from the Response Louisiana, which provided almost two and a half hours of footage from Gov. Bobby Jindal's prayer gathering. On the surface, the rally was unremarkable. The Response Louisiana featured all the banalities of other New Apostolic Reformation gatherings, such as ecstatic prayer set to droning, hypnotic worship music. Bobby Jindal discussed his conversion to Christianity as a young man, preachers sought to reconcile the younger and older generations, and pro-Israel speakers encouraged attendees to pray for Israel.

Beneath the surface, however, were political messages that put the rally's agenda on full display. Right Wing Watch highlighted several of these messages, delivered by Religious Right speakers at the event. First, Jim Garlow, senior pastor of Skyline Church in San Diego, California, took delight in the high numbers of lawmakers "who understand biblical truth"

"I was talking with a U.S. senator, freshman senator two days ago. I said, 'How many in the new Senate really know Christ as savior?' I won't give you his answer except to say it encouraged me very much. You look at our House of Representatives. We have more freshmen members of the House of Representatives who understand biblical truth than we have had for decades, and in state legislatures across America, something is happening even in the halls of our legislatures and our Congress. From 1800 to 1870, there were worship services in the U.S. capitol building, but they haven't happened for 144 years until last July. Weekly worship services [are] now held again in the U.S. capitol building called the Jefferson Gathering."

Gene Mills, president of Louisiana Family Forum, used his speech at the Response Louisiana to promote Seven Mountains theology. Seven Mountains theology implores Christians to take control of the "seven mountains" of culture: family, government, business, education, media, religion, and arts and entertainment. "How many of you know these belong to God?", Mills asked the audience, reminding them that these seven spheres are "under enemy occupation" by infernal forces.

"It's not coincidental that these seven spheres of influence are under enemy occupation right now. It's not coincidental that you are here today to reclaim territory that rightfully belongs to God, right now.

It's not coincidental that we have declared war against the principalities and the enemies of the cross, and by the way, those enemies are not flesh and blood. They're powers and spiritual wickedness in heavenly places, and they're pulled down by the force that operates in you through Christ and his spirit.

It's not coincidental that you're here to give a response for a nation that has neglected these boundaries, abandoned these territories, and to ask God to help us to rediscover the ancient landmarks again."

For its organizers and attendees, the Response Louisiana was about addressing America's problems by spreading the influence of fundamentalist Christianity. With no concrete solutions to offer, some speakers at the Response Louisiana assured listeners that more fundamentalist Christianity in politics and culture would remedy America's ills. Sadly, while this would give the Religious Right greater power, it would solve nothing.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

The Daily Beast: Bobby Jindal Wants to Fistfight Your God

Friendly Atheist: Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Rally Will Bring Together Despicable Christian Leaders to Accomplish Nothing

News Tidbits

Edge Media Network: Possible GOP Candidates Pitch Ideas at Conservative Forum

Raw Story: ‘Our god wins’: Bobby Jindal tells atheists his hate group prayer rally is ‘a time-honored tradition’ 

New York Times: As Vatican Revisits Divorce, Many Catholics Long for Acceptance

Pew Research Center: House Catholics are trending Republican

The Detroit News: West Michigan towns riled by atheist's crusade

The Lynchburg News & Advance: Transgender community rallies against conversion therapy

The Telegraph: Vicar tries to stop Rev Libby Lane being consecrated as Church of England's first female bishop

Commentary Tidbits

Explorations in Egalitarianism: John Piper, Rape, Seduction, and Sin-Leveling

The Root: I Spent MLK Day With Presidential Hopeful Ben Carson. Here’s What I Learned

Right Wing Watch: Bobby Jindal's Prayer Warriors Fret About Protests, Declare 'No-Go Zone For Demons'

Dianna E. Anderson: Christ Under the Gun: Owen Strachan Is Wrong About American Sniper

Wall of Separation: Ark Encounter Gave Kentucky Officials Inflated Attendance Projections

No Longer Quivering: March For Life Day & the Duggar’s Growing Political Activism: This Is Why They Are Dangerous for Our Country 

Salon: Religious right’s pope problem: Why Rick Santorum & co. are so desperately confused

Gov. Bobby Jindal Hosts Prayer Gathering

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal recently hosted a prayer gathering at the governor's house, in anticipation of the upcoming Response Louisiana rally. (Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.)

News Tidbits

Merry Christmas! For your listening pleasure, here's "Christmas in the Ashram" by Small Potatoes. Om Noel!


The Telegraph: Creation Museum founder Ken Ham: Christmas Town 'is God’s work against the devil’

The Baton Rouge Advocate: American Family Association defends Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's prayer rally at LSU

On Top Magazine: Anti-Gay Rights Activist Calls 'Ex-Gay' Therapy Bans 'An Assault Against God Almighty'

San Diego Gay & Lesbian News: Two homophobes found not guilty of mischief at college campus

The Advocate: Virginia LGBT Community Responds to 'Ex-Gay' Billboard: 'We Are All Born to Love'

Gay Star News: Duck Dynasty's Willie Robertson 'trying to figure out' if being gay is a choice

Raw Story: Indiana church that fired gay choir director closing after attendance withers away

Edge Media Network: Tony Perkins: Gay Rights Will Destroy US Economy

Edge Media Network: Two US. Pastors Share 'Golden Enema' Award in Russia

Commentary Tidbits

Merry Christmas! Enjoy Patton Oswalt's hilarious deconstruction of the "Christmas Shoes" by Christian group NewSong. (Slightly NSFW.)


Warren Throckmorton: Mark Driscoll Launches New Official Website

Washington Post: Why white evangelicals rule the midterms 

Jezebel: Major Anti-Abortion Groups Funded by Crusty Male Billionaire

Human Rights Campaign: 10 Things You Should Know About the Liberty Counsel

Alternet: Do Right-Wing Christians Want People to be Destitute?

Exploring Mormonism: How a coffee shop is like an airline 

Religion Dispatches: 6 Overlooked Takeaways From a Reviewer of Controversial Texas Textbooks

Gay Star News: 10 Christians who proved to be real Christians by supporting gay rights

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: The video Bobby Jindal probably doesn't want you to see before his prayer rally

News Tidbits

New Orleans Times-Picayune: What the Christian group holding Bobby Jindal's prayer rally has said about homosexuality, Eric Garner, and more 

NBC WAVE 3: Ark Park billboards pop up after state pulls plug on tax incentives

The Advocate: Report Debunks Right-Wing Claims of Military Persecution of Christians

The Daily Beast: Beaten By His Church for Being Gay

Pew Research Center: U.S. nuns face shrinking numbers and tensions with the Vatican

New York Times: Vatican Report Cites Achievements and Challenges of U.S. Nuns

Associated Press: 2nd victim added to pope's sex abuse commission

New York Times: Can’t Have Your Cake, Gays Are Told, and a Rights Battle Rises

Washington Post: Some conservatives urging right not to serve gays on religious grounds

The Response Louisiana Comes Under Fire

As discussed in a prior post, the Response Louisiana will take place in Baton Rouge in January 24th. The gathering will take place at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on the Louisiana State University campus, a decision that has drawn fire from opponents of the rally.

A project called Organizing Against Hate Groups is speaking out against the figures hosting and attending the Response Louisiana, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune. According to their Facebook page, Organizing Against Hate Groups will hold a demonstration outside of the Peter Maravich Assembly Center on January 24th, followed by workshops on social justice and grassroots organizing.

The project counts several regional LGBTQ and women's rights groups among its sponsors, including Feminists in Action, Qroma, the Louisiana LGBTQ Business List, and NOW Shreveport. A statement by Organizing Against Hate Groups criticized Jindal for breaking bread with homophobes and anti-choice activists.

"On January 24th. Governor Jindal plans to take his first steps in running for the presidency by hosting a prayer rally on the LSU main campus in Baton Rouge.

Unfortunately, he has again chosen to ally himself with the radical Christian right, and by this I mean the right-wing of Christians. The people who want to re-criminalize homosexuality and applaud the actions of the Ugandan government which is trying to make homosexuality punishable by death. These are the same people who blame natural disasters on unwed mothers, abortion, and marriage equality.

These are the same people who are fanatical about abortion laws but think that helping poor people when they need help is destroying our country. These are the same people claiming persecution in the US yet support countries like Uganda attempting to make homosexuality punishable by death.

We are protesting this event not because it is a Christian event, we are protesting because this is our campus, and we do not accept their message of hate and exclusion.

We are also hosting break out sessions to help train people on how to be better community organizers in their areas of interest ranging from effective use of social media to engaging in civil disobedience, and more.

These individuals claim to be part of a moral majority, but we know that there is no morality in their words. There is no morality in hate.

LSU has a saying “Love Purple, Live Gold.”

It is our responsibility to Live Gold by taking a stand and saying no more, so come join us on January 24th at 9am."

Louisiana State University Students are also petitioning LSU's administrators, urging them not to host the Response Louisiana on campus. A Change.org petition entitled "Ban the American Family Association from rallying on campus at LSU" condemns the American Family Association, one of the sponsors of the rally, as an anti-gay hate group. Inflammatory statements by AFA representatives run contrary to LSU's code of conduct, the petition argues.

"In LSU's own code of conduct it outlines a "commitment to community" that expects that students will:

"hold myself and others to the highest standards of...personal, and social integrity"

"practice justice, equality, and compassion in human relations"

"respect the dignity of all persons and accept individual differences"

If students are held to these standards of basic decency, why do the same rules not apply to visitors to LSU's campus? As a member of the LSU student community, it saddens and offends me that our administration would welcome to campus a recognized hate group whose vile rhetoric targets gay and transgendered people, Muslims, immigrants, and other marginalized groups. Such action undermines the safe, tolerant, respectful atmosphere that LSU seeks to provide for its diverse community. Please help me in petitioning the administration to reconsider letting an unabashedly bigoted group rally on our campus. LSU is better than that."

Another Change.org petition reminds LSU administrators of its commitment to equality, alarmed that "the university has agreed to allow Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to host an on-campus, politically-motivated prayer rally in January which distributes materials blaming recent tornadoes and hurricanes on LGBT people." The petition also urges LSU not to host the Response Louisiana, an event that would fly in the face of LSU's non-discrimination policies.

Not everyone in Louisiana is excited about the Response Louisiana's upcoming "revolution of righteousness". As rally organizers champion a right-wing vision for America, opponents continue to remind them that their vision is flawed.