Commentary Tidbits

Rachel Held Evans: On Changing the Culture that Enabled Mark Driscoll: 6 Ways Forward 

The Daily Beast: Meet the Young, Evangelical, Pro-Gay Movement

Love, Joy, Feminism: Do They Care about Women, or Simply Bashing Religion?

Friendly Atheist: Ex-Gay Evangelical Suggests We Treat Our Gay Friends Like They Have Cancer

Slate: Escaping the Extreme Christian Fundamentalism of "Quiverfull"

Media Matters: Pundits Recycle Doomsday DADT Rhetoric To Defend Military's Transgender Service Ban 

GLAAD: Questions we'd like reporters to ask at the Values Voter Summit

Right Wing Watch: The GOP's Hate Summit: A Who's Who Of The 2014 Values Voter Summit

Right Wing Watch: Pat Robertson: Violence In Bible Different From Quran Because God Commanded It

The Religious Right's Callous Response to Robin Williams' Suicide

Earlier this month, 63 year-old actor Robin Williams hung himself in his California home, according to CNN. Williams had struggled with depression and addiction before his death. His passing has prompted public conversations about mental illness, addiction, and suicide, which may help increase awareness and reduce stigma for those who struggle from mental health issues. Unfortunately, some figures from the Religious Right are using William's suicide to promote hateful agendas.

First, in an August 18th blog post at the Family Research Council website, Peter Sprigg used Williams' suicide as an opportunity to defend conversion therapy. Since Williams and others continued to struggle with addiction and depression after rehab, Sprigg asked liberals "why aren’t you trying to outlaw rehab?"

"Critics of reorientation therapy make two charges — that it is ineffective, and that it is harmful. But they support these charges only by holding such therapies to a standard of “effectiveness” and “safety” that is impossible for any mental health treatment to meet ... There is actually no scientific evidence that reorientation therapy is more harmful than helpful. There are, however, anecdotal accounts of people who claim they found it harmful, or who had negative experiences after such therapy, such as depression or even suicide. However, mere chronological correlation is not scientific proof of causation — any more than Robin Williams’ suicide was “caused” by his recent return to rehab."

Actually, there is evidence that conversion therapy is harmful. In a study of 202 consumers of sexual orientation conversion efforts, many respondents associated conversion therapy with harmful after-effects. In 2009, the American Psychological Association Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation concluded that sexual orientation change efforts "are unlikely to be successful and involve some risk of harm". We can safely conclude that conversion therapy is pseudoscience at best, and potentially harmful, anti-gay quackery at worst. More to the point, however, is that Sprigg used a man's suicide to take swipes at critics of the ex-gay movement, which was tasteless and callous.

Next, in an August 12th post at Priests for Life, Kevin Burke claimed that Williams' depression and addiction struggles were rooted in "post abortion trauma" stemming from a girlfriend's abortion decades ago.

"Years of using drugs and alcohol to cope with abortion loss and other emotional pain and life stress takes a toll on the emotions and nervous system of addicts. The failure to recognize the role of abortion loss can be a significant factor in one’s addictive behavior and shuts the door on reconciliation and recovery from the abortion wound."

Reducing Williams' mental health issues to anti-abortion arguments are not only simplistic, but insensitive. Writing for RH Reality Check, Amanda Marcotte argues that such thinking frames depression as a "punishment" for sin, which has devastating consequences for those who struggle with depression.

"Despite all the lip-smacking poses of concern, the fact of the matter is the anti-choice movement is wielding depression like a threat, treating depression like it’s a punishment for your “sins.” Because they can’t get the “abortion means you’re going to hell” argument past basic First Amendment concerns, they just replace the word “hell” with “depression” and presto blammo! Their religious agenda looks secular enough to pass legal scrutiny.

The problem with this, of course, is positioning depression as a punishment for one’s supposed sins just encourages people with mental illness to blame themselves for their problems, even though mental illness is usually caused by a series of complex factors that are rarely up to the person suffering. Considering that one of the major symptoms of depression is a feeling of hopelessness—which can, in some cases, lead to suicide attempts—it is beyond irresponsible to encourage people who already feel bad about themselves to feel even worse. That’s not “pro-life.” That shows such an indifference to life that it’s bordering on depraved. People suffering from depression sure as hell don’t need to be told that they have to go over their past with a fine toothed comb looking for something they did “wrong” to “deserve” this. Believe you and me, many of them are already trapped in a cycle of self-doubt and shame that usually owes more to their illness than their actual actions. People who are depressed need support and therapy, not accusations."

It gets worse. World Net Daily posted a commentary piece from Joe Schimmel at Good Fight, which claims that demons played a role in Williams' suicide. According to Schimmel, Williams "opened himself up to transformative demonic powers that aided him on stage", pointing to his scandalous stand-up comedy routines and struggles with depression and addiction as supposed evidence of demonic influence. (Hat tip to Right Wing Watch).

"Most people are blind to this diabolical pattern of celebrities giving themselves over to satanic power for fame and fortune, only to be exploited, used and abused, and then spit out after Satan is done with them ... Robin Williams, like Morrison, Winters, Ledger and so many others who resort to drugs or alcohol in their attempt to quell the demonic voices that torment them, fail to realize – until it’s too late – that such drugs only draw one deeper into Satan’s insidious web."

Finally, Pat Robertson blamed Williams' suicide on devotion to the "idols" of fame and money, implying that Williams' suicide was because of insufficient piety. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Robertson has made insensitive comments about mental illness on The 700 Club show. (Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.)

"What is your god? Is it money? ... Is it fame? ... You see these very popular people in the media who commit suicide like Robin Williams recently, and you say, 'What is the deal with him? What happened?' You find people who are at the top of the game in music and they're strung out on drugs. What happened? What was their god? You see, the gods of the heathen are idols, and everything that you seek in life can ruin you unless that something and somebody is God himself. He can fill your every need. He won't disappoint you, and you won’t want to commit suicide after you have come to him."

Robertson relies on the old, tired chestnuts that Christian piety solves all problems and that mental illness springs from insufficient piety. He ignores the fact that both the devout and non-devout can suffer from mental illness, and that faith is not a cure-all for disease.

The Religious Right's ongoing insensitivity surrounding mental health issues astounds me. Where is their respect for people who struggle with mental illness and suicidal thoughts? Where is their sensitivity for those who have lost loved ones to suicide? Why do they refuse to acknowledge that mental illness can afflict anyone, regardless of their faith, career path, or political stance?

At times, I wonder of the Religious Right's insensitivity surrounding mental illness is an attempt to assuage their fear and confusion. Mental illness and suicide can be bewildering, not only for the sufferer but for those around them. It can be difficult to acknowledge that mental illness is not orderly or predictable, that its pain can be too intense for words, and that it can strike anyone. For Religious Right figures, it might be easier to blame the sufferer, or distract themselves with irrelevant arguments about abortion or conversation therapy, than to wrestle with difficult questions about illness and suicide.

Williams' suicide is an opportunity to have constructive conversations about mental illness and addiction. It is a call to everyone to educate themselves about mental health issues, and to offer support to those who struggle. It is NOT appropriate to blame suicide victims, spout superstitious nonsense, accuse people with mental illness of insufficient piety, to take cheap shots at reproductive rights or the LGBTQ community. Robin Williams and others who have taken their own lives deserve more respect than that.



If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please reach out for help. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Media Matters: Conservative Site Uses Robin Williams' Death To Sell DVDs About Celebrities Using "Demonic Powers"

TWO Care: FRC’s Peter Sprigg Callously Uses Robin Williams’ Suicide To Promote ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapy

Politicus USA: Religious Right: Robin Williams Died When Demons Exacted Their Price for His Success 

Danthropology: Pro-life group blames abortion on Robin Williams suicide

AmericaBlog: Lead GOP hate group ties Robin William’s suicide to “ex-gay” therapy

Commentary Tidbits: Ham-on-Nye Edition

On Tuesday, February 4th, Answers in Genesis and Creation Museum founder Ken Ham went head to head with science educator Bill Nye in a debate about creationism and science. For your reading pleasure, below are links to several commentary pieces on the debate.


Pew Research Center: Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham: Are evolution and religion at odds?

A Voice from the Foothills: The Pretzel God

Slate: Science vs. Fiction: Ken Ham and Bill Nye debate evolution at the Creation Museum

Tom Foreman at CNN: What I learned moderating the creation/evolution debate

Associated Press: Bill Nye: Bible doesn’t tell Earth’s true history

Salon: Inside Ken Ham’s mind: Why the creationist couldn’t sustain a scientific discussion

Right Wing Watch: Even Pat Robertson Thinks Young Earth Creationism Is A 'Joke'

Mother Jones: Why Bill Nye Won the Creationism Debate Last Night

News Tidbits

Reuters: U.S. bishops to select leaders as Pope urges new focus

Philadelphia Inquirer: Toomey amendment would exempt more faith groups from ENDA

Lebanon Daily News: Vigil held for embattled Lebanon County pastor

The Telegraph: Charles Darwin to receive apology from the Church of England for rejecting evolution

Des Moines Register: Palin compares federal debt to slavery at Iowa dinner

Raw Story: How many Americans actually believe the earth is only 6,000 years old?

Pink News: Televangelist Pat Robertson voted Stonewall’s Bigot of the Year Award 2013

Huffington Post: Christian Group Seoul USA Air-Drops Bibles Over North Korea With Giant Balloons

Commentary Tidbits

Huffington Post: Pentagon Leaders Met with Collaborator of Preacher who Proposed 'Military Takeover' of the Government

Mother Jones: Anti-Gay Football Analyst to Address DC Conservative Summit

Speaking When the World Sleeps: The impossible standards of Christian beauty expectations

Heresy in the Heartland: Hobby Lobby: Deep Pockets

Phony Christians: Hobby Lobby's David Green

Right Wing Watch: Robertson: If You Tithe You Won't Have Health Or Financial Problems

Ms. Magazine: Late-Abortion Doctors Carry on “After Tiller”: A Talk with the Filmmakers

Alternet: Texas Fundamentalists Pushing Public Schools to Teach That Garden of Eden Is Science

Commentary Tidbits

The Guardian: Mission Congo: how Pat Robertson raised millions on the back of a non-existent aid project

Political Research Associates: The Next Generation of Anti-Choice: Lila Rose

Stuff Fundies Like: Smashing Televisions

The Free Believers Network: Feelings Returning

Heresy in the Heartland: The Political Reach of Gothard

Mother Jones: Oh Magog! Why End-Times Buffs Are Freaking Out About Syria

Salon: 10 weirdest right-wing Christian conspiracy theories

RH Reality Check: Religious Nonprofits Continue to Refile Challenges to Contraception Mandate

Commentary Tidbits

Truthout: The Spiritual and Political Warfare of the New Religious Right

CNN: The Top 10: Facebook 'vomit' button for gays and other Pat Robertson quotes

Slaktivist: Charisma magazine’s spirit of hate and lies

Salon: US law enforcement blatantly ignores right-wing extremists

Mother Jones: Foiled in the United States, Anti-Gay Evangelicals Spread Hate in Africa

Friendly Atheist: Christian Pastor: ‘I Believe That the Government Should Use the Death Penalty’ on Homosexuals

The Advocate: But What About the Children?!

Think Progress: Focus On The Family Cheers Ongoing Ex-Gay Therapy Efforts

Truth Wins Out: Transcript: Greg Quinlan Unplugged and Unhinged

Right Wing Watch: Ex-Gay Pride Month to Push for Congressional Resolution, Organizing Music Video Contest

President Obama Speaks at Planned Parenthood Conference, to Chagrin of the Anti-Abortion Movement

In late April, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America held its 2013 National Conference in Washington D.C. On April 26th, President Barack Obama spoke at the conference, the first sitting U.S. president to do so. (For a transcript of President Obama's speech, click here.)

The president's speech praised Planned Parenthood for the vital health services it provides to women, condemning politicians who seek to cut Planned Parenthood's funding.

"Somewhere there’s a woman who just received a new lease on life because of a screening that you provided that helped catch her cancer in time.  Somewhere there’s a woman who’s breathing easier today because of the support and counseling she got at her local Planned Parenthood health clinic.  Somewhere there’s a young woman starting a career who, because of you, is able to decide for herself when she wants to start a family.

One in five women in this country has turned to Planned Parenthood for health care.  One in five. And for many, Planned Parenthood is their primary source of health care  -- not just for contraceptive care, but for lifesaving preventive care, like cancer screenings and health counseling.

So when politicians try to turned Planned Parenthood into a punching bag, they’re not just talking about you; they’re talking about the millions of women who you serve.  And when they talk about cutting off your funding, let’s be clear:  They’re talking about telling many of those women, you’re on your own.  They’re talking about shutting those women out at a time when they may need it most -- shutting off communities that need more health care options for women, not less."

President Obama criticized a recent North Dakota law restricting abortion rights, calling it "absurd" and "wrong". He expressed outrage over right-wing laws and policies restricting reproductive freedom, reminding listeners that no politician or insurer has the right to make health care decisions for any woman.

"Forty years after the Supreme Court affirmed a woman’s constitutional right to privacy, including the right to choose, we shouldn’t have to remind people that when it comes to a woman’s health, no politician should get to decide what’s best for you.  No insurer should get to decide what kind of care that you get.  The only person who should get to make decisions about your health is you."

The president's appearance at a Planned Parenthood event, combined with his enthusiastic speech in defense of reproductive rights, earned him hostility from anti-abortion figures. Several Religious Right voices lambasted President Obama, ridiculously trying to associate Hitler (!) and the Kermit Gosnell case with Planned Parenthood and the president.

First, in a May 2nd column at the Christian Post, Ken Hutcherson accused the president of blessing the "slaughter of our unborn" and "atrocities against women" in his Planned Parenthood speech.

"Last Friday, April 26th, President Obama became the first sitting president to speak at the National Planned Parenthood Conference. Not only did he speak at this event, but he invoked God's blessing upon them! No president in our history has had the arrogance to openly endorse the slaughter of our unborn, and atrocities against women. Would the American people have ever endorsed the likes of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Emperor Hirohito, or other mass-murderers as this President has done?"

Hutcherson looked askance at the president for not mentioning Kermit Gosnell, then proceeded to describe Gosnell's crimes in graphic detail. The fact that Gosnell performed unsafe, illegal procedures (in contrast to the safe, legal abortions performed by Planned Parenthood) and was not employed by Planned Parenthood seems to have escaped Hutcherson.

Similarly, in a May 2nd commentary at Charisma News, Elizabeth Sanchez used loaded language to criticize the president's pro-choice stance. Insisting that President Obama "effectively stat[ed] he does not believe all human beings are people," Sanchez spoke of the president, Planned Parenthood, and Kermit Gosnell in the same breath. Also, she dubiously claimed that Planned Parenthood condones killing surviving babies.

"Obama did not mention the ongoing trial of Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortionist who has been charged with murder and is accused of severing the spinal cords of second- and third-trimester babies born alive at his abortion clinic.

Obama vigorously opposed Illinois’ Born Alive Infant Protection Act as an Illinois senator in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Likewise, Planned Parenthood recently stated that if a baby is born alive after surviving an abortion, the decision of whether or not to kill the newborn “should be left up to the woman, her family and the physician,” seemingly blessing Gosnell's post-birth violent killings."

On the April 25th edition of the 700 Club, Pat Robertson discussed the president's approaching speech by launching into a tirade about eugenics. He accused Margaret Sanger of being a eugenicist, claimed that Adolph Hitler copied her, and suggested that Planned Parenthood sought a black "poster boy" to further its cause. (Hat tip to Raw Story.)

"They said, what we’ve got to do in order to get the black people in America to have abortions, we have to have some noted black leader who will come out for Planned Parenthood and we’ll give him the Margaret Sanger Award. And, therefore, he will be our poster boy, in a sense showing the black people they should have abortions."

Finally, in an April 26th blog post, Students for Life blasted President Obama for speaking at the Planned Parenthood event. Students for Life used predictable anti-abortion rhetoric, referring to terminated pregnancies as "pre-born children" and accusing Planned Parenthood of seeking financial gain.

"With 8,000 Federally Qualified Health Centers meeting the real health care needs for women, that do not have to sell abortion in order to remain in business, the question has to be asked don’t women deserve better than Planned Parenthood?   With Obama’s closing remarks of, “God bless you, and God bless Planned Parenthood,” another question is raised. Can God bless an organization that ends the life of 915 pre-born children every day in the United States?  “As long as you keep doing what you are doing, you will have a President who will keep fighting for you,” said Obama.  Make no mistake. He is fighting to see abortion on demand and not in defense of these 915 innocent children killed every day for the financial gain of Planned Parenthood."

The thought of a standing U.S. president praising Planned Parenthood has enraged the Religious Right. To their disappointment and anger, the current administration does not share their hostility toward reproductive rights. For Planned Parenthood, and for all the women and men they serve, it's a sign of progress.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Media Matters: Right Wing Media Figures Outrages Obama Used the Term "Women's Health" in Front of Women's Health Group

Mediaite: Megyn Kelly Guests Slam Obama for Giving Speech to Planned Parenthood in Wake of Gosnell Trial

Slate: Nope, Abortion Is Not Planned Parenthood's "Central Purpose"

Wise Words After the Boston Marathon Attack

On Monday, April 15th, two explosions went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, resulting in fatalities and scores of injuries. The explosions came from two rudimentary bombs likely constructed from kitchen pressure cookers and metal debris, reports the Los Angeles Times. Authorities are seeking a man seen on video for questioning, although no arrests have been made at this time, reports CNN.

My thoughts are with those hurt by the explosions, many of whom sustained devastating injuries. My thoughts are with Boston, which will need strength and healing in the wake of this tragedy. Finally, I hope that authorities can quickly track down those responsible and hold them accountable before the law.

The progressive blogosphere has been busy documenting the far right's response to the tragedy, and I have included links to some of the more absurd or shocking responses below. This time, instead of cataloging Religious Right responses as I usually do, I'd prefer to highlight some wise words in the wake of the attack.

Whenever a terrorist attack occurs, speculations fly and whole groups are scapegoated, often before all the facts are available. As the far right speculates and simmers, calmer voices are urging Americans to remain mindful and wait for facts to emerge. Political Research Associates, a watchdog group that monitors the far right, released a statement with wise words. In an April 16th statement entitled "Resisting the Marathon of Fear",  PRA executive director Tarso Luis Ramon reminded readers that now is the time for "mourning and affirming our common humanity – in part, by challenging efforts to manipulate anger and suffering for cynical purposes." Ramos encouraged readers to approach the incident with level heads.

"Resist the rush to judgment. Responsibility for this horrible act has yet to be established. Early press accounts are often inaccurate. We are reminded of the immediate aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, when “terrorism experts” were quick to suggest that foreign, Arab terrorists were likely behind the bombing. Of course, a U.S. citizen, Timothy McVeigh, was found to be responsible.

Challenge efforts to blame or demonize groups of people. The Tea Party Nation homepage declares, “It is a pretty safe bet right now that this attack was carried out by an Islamist.” Fox News contributor Erik Rush blames Muslims for the Boston Marathon bombings via his Twitter account. When challenged, he doubled down on his accusation: “Yes they’re evil. Let’s kill them all.” Such demonization is no less dangerous for being predictable. We caution against blaming any group of people based on their faith, nationality, or ideology.

Beware attempts to expand police powers. Violent public attacks are often followed by appeals to cede our liberties to achieve greater security. Calls to enhance government surveillance of domestic groups with “extremist” ideas were widespread, strident, and bipartisan following the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, leading to passage of draconian national security laws. That mid-’90s legislation provided the basis for some of the most notorious domestic abuses of the George W. Bush administration in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Panic rarely yields sound policy. (http://www.publiceye.org/liberty/Repression-and-ideology-13.html)"

When acts of violence and cruelty take place, we must not forget the good people who help victims. Amidst the sorrow surrounding the bombing, comedian and actor Patton Oswalt has uplifting words. (Hat tip to Infidel753).

"But here's what I DO know. If [the perpetrator is] one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out. (Thanks FAKE Gallery founder and owner Paul Kozlowski for pointing this out to me). This is a giant planet and we're lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness.

But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, "The good outnumber you, and we always will."

In the wake of the Boston bombing, we must remain vigilant, but also compassionate, reasonable, and level-headed.


For additional commentary on the far right and the Boston bombing, visit the following links.

Bartholomew's Notes on Religion: Cindy Jacobs Claims God Warned Her about Boston Attack

Religion Dispatches: Who Bombed the Boston Marathon?

Right Wing Watch: Beck: Muslims Responsible for Boston Bombing Because American Terrorists Always Target the Government

Media Matters: Pat Robertson On Boston Bombing: "Don't Talk To Me About 'Religion Of Peace,' No Way"

Infidel753: The Boston murders and the Nutty right

Pat Robertson on the Sikh Temple Shooting

On August 5th, a gunman opened fire on worshippers at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, leaving multiple people dead and wounded. The shooter, identified as 40 year-old army veteran Wade Michael Page, reportedly turned the gun on himself. News reports state that Page was a racist skinhead who performed in a white supremacist band and often spoke of "racial holy war."

In the wake of yet another violent tragedy, many Americans have responded with empathy and grief. Others still are asking the hard questions about the role of guns, religious intolerance, and white supremacism in this tragedy. Now is a time for sensitivity and collective reflection, as we ponder how to prevent future mass violence.

Sadly, I don't think Pat Robertson got the memo.

On the August 6th edition of The 700 Club, Robertson was his usual insensitive self as he discussed the Wisconsin shooting. At the 3:17 mark, Robertson speculated about the role of Satan and atheism (!) in such violence, despite no evidence of Satanism or atheism as Page's motivations.

"What is it? Is it Satanic? Is it some spiritual thing? People who are atheists? They hate God. They hate the expression of God, and they are angry with the world, angry with themselves, angry with society, and they take it out on innocent people who are worshipping God. And whether it's a Sikh temple or a Baptist church or a Catholic church or a Muslim mosque, whatever it is, I just abhor this kind of violence. It is the kind of thing we should do something about, but what do you do? What do you do? Well, you talk about the love of God and hope that it has some impact."

(Hat tip to Right Wing Watch. See www[dot]cbn[dot]com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/archive/club/700club080612_ws)

Commentary Tidbits

Think Progress: Conservative Groups Accuse Dan Savage Of ‘Bullying’ After He Highlights Their Hypocrisy

Wall of Separation: Presidential Opt-Out: Obama Skips Dobsons’ Religious Right Prayer Rally

Right Wing Watch: Engle Tells Robertson that Prayer Defeated the 'Homosexual Agenda' in California

Salon: Joel Osteen Worships Himself

Pat Robertson on "Satanic" Homosexuality

After all this time blogging on the Religious Right, I've encountered several instances of New Apostolic Reformation figures blaming demons for everything from indigenous religions to abortion to drug cartel violence. However, I wasn't prepared to hear such demon-rhetoric from Pat Robertson.

Right Wing Watch drew attention to Robertson's statements during the March 26th edition of The 700 Club. The last segment of the episode featured the story of Shawn Derritt and his "battle with homosexuality." After being sexually intimate with men in his youth, Shawn married a woman, believing that his "sin" was under control. Several years after they married, Derritt had affairs with other men, and when he confessed his infidelity to his wife, she was devastated. "Repentance and deliverance from his homosexual lifestyle" came from his devotion to God, the segment claimed. To watch the episode, visit www[dot]cbn[dot]com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/archive/club/700Club032612_WS&t=k&search=700clubepisodes

At the 54:22 mark, Pat Robertson speculated that demonic position could have been to blame for Derritt's affairs.

"The world today says, 'Okay Shawn, so you are gay. You want to go out and have affairs with men. That's cool. You have an absolute right to do that. Why not? So you're married. Well, that's too bad. So you're wife doesn't like it. Well, tough.' That's not the right attitude. The attitude is that this is sin. It's wrong, and Shawn realized it was wrong but he couldn't control it. But somehow, what an amazing wife he had ... How forgiving, how understanding. But that type of conduct is wrong, and it's time in society we say certain things are wrong. However you look at it, the man is married and has a child, and he's out having multiple affairs with men. He's picking them up on the street. So he's obsessed, he had a compulsion. I would think it is somehow related to demonic possession. I don't know what was driving him. The lust of the flesh, whatever you call it, but he needs to be set free. And he came to Jesus, and Jesus did what he does. He set him free."

In my opinion, the story is not so much a testament to divine healing as it is a warning about so-called "ex-gay" efforts. When people are pressured by their communities or belief systems to repress their sexual feelings, problems erupt. My heart goes out to Derritt, who has clearly been discouraged from accepting his natural feelings, and for his wife who has endured so much heartache.

To boot, Robertson's comments about demonic possession were NOT helpful. In Robertson's eyes, Derritt's affairs weren't a sign of repressed, unprocessed sexual feelings, but a result of demons. Instead of looking at Derritt's situation from a realistic angle, Robertson attributed his affairs to something supernatural. Could this be taken a step further? Could this lead people to brand homosexuality and bisexuality as results of possession? Absolutely, and that is why such demon-rhetoric is dangerous.

Right Wing Watch drew attention to more of Robertson's comments on the March 27th edition of The 700 Club. After a segment on the controversy surrounding Kirk Cameron's homophobic statements, Robertson said that homosexuality and abortion were Satan's attacks on society.
To watch the episode, visit www[dot]cbn[dot]com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/archive/club/700Club032712_WS&t=k&search=700clubepisodes

At the 12:08 mark of the episode, he had this to say.

"Isn't it amazing, though, that the media focuses on the fringe ... Apparently there is a little bit of area where we are totally violating God's commandments. Homosexuality is one of them, abortion is the other one, and I mean,  total violation of God's commandments. And this is the area that the media is focusing on, because they know this is the wedge that's being driven into our faith-based society ... This is where the devil is pointing in. It's an attack on marriage, and an attack on procreation ... You don't procreate if you're a homosexual. You can't have children. It's biologically impossible. The same thing, if you're abortion babies, you're taking life away. That's the attack of Satan against the society we live in."

Breathtaking. When a long-silenced group demands equal rights, or when women exert autonomy over their bodies, Pat Robertson sees "the attack of Satan."

As I've argued before, this kind of rhetoric is never constructive. By claiming that LGBT people (OR pro-choice voices, OR non-Christians) are under the influence of demons and Satan, people like Robertson preclude any meaningful engagement with those groups. It not only shrouds their humanity, but it makes it impossible to approach their claims in a meaningful manner. Pat Robertson and his ilk need to stop using religion to justify homophobia.


For additional commentary, visit the following links.

Rainbow Times: Creep of the Week: Pat Robertson for heterosexuality with demonic possession

Huffington Post: Pat Robertson On Homosexuality: It's Related To A Type Of "Demonic Possession"

Godissatan: Pat Robertson Blames Homosexuality on Demonic Possession

Commentary Tidbits

Gullible's Travels: On the Side of Religious Liberty

SPLC Intelligence Report: The Ministries: Key ‘Ex-Gay’ Groups

News One: Rush Limbaugh Defended Joseph Kony And Lord’s Resistance Army

Talk to Action: Guatemala's Former Leader Charged with Genocide. Pat Robertson Enabled It.

Dispatches from the Culture Wars: Harold Camping: Still Delusional

Pharyngula: The Child Catchers

Love, Joy, Feminism: Kirk Cameron supports female slavery

Washington Post: Feminism’s final frontier? Religion.

Aljazeera: The real meaning behind Rick Santorum's anti-college speech

The Independent: The God-given dignity to which the Cardinal is blind

Right-Wing Voices Defend Rush Limbaugh

Sandra Fluke's testimony before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee met with vicious attacks from talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh devoted several days of his program to ridiculing Fluke, calling her a "slut," a "prostitute," and accusing her of promiscuity. Limbaugh has since apologized (sort of), but his offensive comments launched a mass exodus of advertisers from his show. Several right-wing voices continue to defend his attacks on Fluke, including Bryan Fischer and Sarah Palin.

Right Wing Watch has documented Bryan Fischer's defense of Limbaugh, peppered with hateful comments about Fluke. During a recent show, Fischer indulged in brutal slut-shaming of Fluke.

"Rush of course used the S-word, and my point here is from a dictionary standpoint, he was right. That's just the description of a promiscuous woman. She's admitting to God and the United States Congress and the United States of America that's exactly what she is."

Later, Fischer accused Fluke of promiscuity, like Limbaugh.

"The real scandal is that this woman could, without any trace of shame, without any trace of embarrassment, could give open testimony before the entire United States of America about how much promiscuous sex she and her classmates are having. Now a generation ago, even in America, that would have been a  humiliating admission, but now, in the twisted world we live in, it's become a badge of honor for her."

In another excerpt from his show posted by Ring Wing Watch, Fischer again claimed that Fluke admitted to being promiscuous in her testimony before the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee.

"To think that you have a leftist like the president of the United States saying that the parents of a woman who goes on national TV, admits that she's sleeping with so many guys she can't keep track, doing it three times a day, running out of money, driving me to the poor house, and to think ... he's saying the parents ought to be proud of that!"

Bryan, did you even bother to listen to Fluke's testimony? She said nothing of the sort. Fischer seemingly ignored Fluke's actual testimony, preferring to take Limbaugh's venom as truth. Hilariously, Fischer claimed that the right respects and honors women during the same monologue!

"The worst misogyny in our culture, the hatred of women, the absolutely inexcusable, reprehensive, vulgar language that's being used about women, is almost exclusively on the left, and this is in part, ladies and gentlemen, because on the right, conservatives believe in respecting and honoring women. The left does not ... I'm struck by the parallels between liberalism and hard-core Islam. Liberal have the same view of conservative women that Muslims do of all women."

I don't think my irony meter was designed for such high levels of hypocrisy. Sadly, there's more.

In an interview with CNN, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin claimed that criticism of Limbaugh was "hypocrisy." (Hat tip to Freak Out Nation.)

"I think the definition of hypocrisy is for Rush Limbaugh to have been called out, forced to apologize, and retract what it is that he said in exercising his first amendment rights, and never is that--the same applied to the leftist radicals who say such horrible things about the handicapped, about women, about the defenseless."

On the March 7th edition of The 700 Club, Pat Robertson said that Limbaugh "got a little bit over the top" but nevertheless echoed Limbaugh's attacks. (Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.)

"There was a woman, the law student at Georgetown University who appeared before a congressional committee, and she said that students needed $3,000 a year for contraception and that they couldn’t afford it, and as I understand, the Catholic school was supposed to pay for it. Now Catholics say that fornication, if you will, sex outside of marriage is a sin, and yet this woman is saying ‘I’m going to be committing sin, but I want you to pay for my sin.’ Now am I overstating that? I mean, Rush Limbaugh got a little bit over the top on that thing but is that what it amounted to?"

According to Talking Points Memo, the right-wing Media Research Center launched a website called "I Stand with Rush" to show support for Limbaugh. However, when I tried to pull up the website, I received an "Error 404 Not Found" screen.

In a March 6th column at the Wall Street Journal, Cathy Ruse, Senior Fellow for Legal Studies at the Family Research Council, wrote that she would not defend Limbaugh's language but "I understand his larger point." She lambasted Fluke's activist as "simply a demand that a Catholic institution pay for drugs that make it possible for her to have sex without getting pregnant." She advised Fluke to give up a few cups of coffee at Starbucks each month to pay for contraceptives.

Fox 2 Now reports that the speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, Rep. Steve Tilley (R-106th District), will induct Limbaugh into the Missouri capital's Hall of Famous Missourians. Planned Parenthood of Missouri director Paula Gianino called the move a "slap in the face to women."

Not all of Limbaugh's defenders herald from the right. Think Progress reports that in a March 6th tweet, Real Time with Bill Maher host Bill Maher wrote that liberals look bad for not accepting Rush Limbaugh's apology, and that he disapproved of "intimidation by sponsor pullout." Think Progress also notes that Maher has his own history of misogynist comments.

It disappoints me that these voices have defended a childish misogynist, ridiculed a woman who advocated for reproductive justice, and coarsened our public discourse. For all their talk of respecting women and embracing family values, several right-wing voices have showed their true colors by defending Limbaugh's slut-shaming.


For additional commentary, visit the following links

The Daily Beast: Rush Limbaugh Scandal Proves Contagious for Talk-Radio Advertisers

Los Angeles Times: Rush Limbaugh: Loss of ads amounts to 'a couple of french fries'

Daily Mail: SNL Makes Fun of Sponsors Fleeing Rush Limbaugh's Show over "Slut" Comments

Commentary Tidbits

Repeal Creationism: 75 Nobel laureate scientists call for repeal of Louisiana Science Education Act

Truth-Out: The Scorched-Earth Politics of America's Four Fundamentalisms

Right Wing Watch: Is Kirk Cameron Really the Victim of 'Totalitarian' and 'Pagan' Gays?

Washington Post: Romney, Santorum and archaic ideas on fertility

The Atlantic: Boy Scouts Are From Mars, Girl Scouts Are From Venus

Los Angeles Times: Say what? Pat Robertson wants relaxed marijuana laws, more prayer

Yahoo News: The Mormons' Black Priesthood Ban: No Apology, Explanation

The 700 Club Interviews Kamal Saleem

My first introduction to Christian speaker Kamal Saleem was through videos of TheCall Detroit this November, where Saleem claimed to be a former Muslim terrorists who now embraced Christ and Israel. To my surprise, I discovered that Saleem has been featured several times on The 700 Club, painting Islam in ominous colors. Saleem's anti-Islam message, it seems, was in circulation long before TheCall Detroit.

On November 25th, The 700 Club rebroadcast a segment on Kamal Saleem from a May 13th, 2011 show, available at www[dot]cbn[dot]com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/archive/club/700Club112511_WS&search=Saleem&p=1&parent=0&subnav=false. In the interview, Saleem spoke of his upbringing in Lebanon, claiming that his parents raised him to be a martyr for the cause of jihad. At the 18:18 mark, he quoted his mother as follows.

"From my childhood, my mom said 'One day you'll be a martyr, my son. You will die for the sake of Allah and you will exalt Islam.' She said, 'If you kill a Jew, my son, your hand will light up before the throne of Allah, and the host of heaven will celebrate what you have done.'"

Saleem's parent allegedly sent him to Muslim training camps beginning at age seven, where he learned to use weapons and engage in "culture jihad." At the 19:02 mark, he describes such "culture jihad" as such.

"In Islam, liberty, freedom, monarchy, all these are idols, and these must be brought down, so the liberty that you have in the United States of America, it's anti-Islam, you know, so America must be changed. So I moved to the Bible belt, specifically. The Bible belt was the strongest of the strongest. That's where the stout Christians are, and I want[ed] to take on the best of the best, because I considered myself as a sword of Islam."

According to his narrative, Saleem moved to the U.S. and targeted men in his neighborhood for recruitment into Islam. After a devastating car accident which left him with a broken neck, he was treated by Christian medical professions and nursed back to health in the home of a Christian orthopedic surgeon. Saleem was touched by the doctor's compassion, but also confused to see that Christians were good people instead of enemies.

In his confusion, Saleem prayed fervently to Allah, begging to hear Allah's voice but receiving only silence. Then, he allegedly heard a voice saying his name, calling him to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Did anyone bother to tell Saleem that Allah and the god of Abraham are the same?) The glory of the God of Abraham filled the room, and he beheld a vision of Jesus with holes in his hands and feet, he claimed. Amazed, Saleem vowed to die for Jesus, but Jesus said no, as Jesus had already died for him. 

This was not the first time The 700 Club had featured Saleem. In a 2009 face-to-face interview with Pat Robertson, Saleem discussed his alleged involvement with the PLO, encounters with Saudi financial patrons, and his autobiography, Blood of Lambs. (See www[dot]cbn[dot]com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/vod/SUS118_KamalSaleem_041409&search=Saleem&p=1&parent=0&subnav=false)

At the 2:54 mark, Saleem made the dubious claim that martyrs for Islam become "messiahs" who can intercede for their family members' entrance into paradise.

"The first reward when you--the first drop of blood, you become the savior, the messiah, almost the intercessor, and you become intercessor for seventy of your family members. These will go to heaven without judgment because the Quran teaches that everybody will have to go to hell first, pass through it, and then they will have to go through heaven."

As discussed in a previous post, Saleem's words have not gone unquestioned by observers. For instance, Haroon Moghul offered scathing criticism of Saleem's questionable statements about Islam at TheCall Detroit, while Sakil Saghir dissected Saleem's October 2011 presentation at the Midland Center for the Arts. Similarly, Chris Hedges, Doug Howard, and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation have also looked askance at some of Saleem's more colorful assertions. Whether Saleem's statements are true or not, several observers have found him less that credible.

Kamal Saleem's recurring presence on The 700 Club served a transparent purpose: to glorify Christianity and disparage Islam as a bellicose religion. As with TheCall Detroit, his presence on The 700 Club suggests a certain distaste for Islam by those who invited him, and a certain willingness to depict Muslims as "other." While terrorism and religious extremism are very real, we need credible information in order to resist them. And, we must resist them in a way that does not demonize all who follow Islam.

(Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.)

Commentary Tidbits

Groping the Elephant: Rick Santorum: Idiot And Presidential Candidate 

GLAAD: JONAH rabbi circulates anti-LGBT "Torah Declaration"

Ex-Gay Watch: Exclusive: Secret Conference Held to ‘Save Exodus International’ from Ruin

The Daily Beast: Evangelicals Flocking Toward Newt Gingrich

The Bilerico Project: Why You Shouldn't Donate to the Salvation Army Bell Ringers

Salon: Are evangelicals a national security threat?

RH Reality Check: Mike Huckabee to Premiere an Anti-Choice "Documentary"

Ms. Magazine: Should Organized Religion Have More Rights Than Women?

Media Matters: Pat Robertson: Don't Worry About Living Next To Cemeteries...Unless There Are Witches

Politicus USA: Pat Robertson Resurrects Old Fears that Peace Symbol is Broken Cross

Commentary Tidbits

Telling Secrets: Army of God

Talk to Action: Michele Bachmann Dodges Question about Dominionism from Christianity Today

Media Matters: Pat Robertson Incorrectly Claims Peace Symbol is a Broken Cross

Lady Atheist: "Ungodly Discipline" on CNN        Trigger warning
(Hat tip to Infidel753)

Yes, the Far Right is STILL Contemptuous of Occupy Wall Street

The Occupy movement is still going strong, but as I've noted before, many figures from the far right remain contemptuous. Much emphasis has been placed on claims of isolated violence or alleged depravity, with little attention given to reports of police violence.

First, in a November 8th post at the Heritage Foundation Foundry blog, Mike Brownfield claimed that the Occupy movement is now characterized by "increasing violence married with extremist affiliations" that do not represent the majority of Americans. After lambasting Occupiers for alleged incidents of violence, he added that George Soros and "Big Labor" have been supporting the demonstrators. He insisted that President Obama and other lawmakers have been inciting protesters, and urged them to tell their "followers" to stop destroying property and launching attacks.

Second, in a November 3rd commentary at the Concerned Women for America website, Brenda Zurita painted a bawdy picture of the Occupy Wall Street protesters. After writing disapprovingly of a New York City sex education curriculum for middle and high school students, she quoted from a New York Post article claiming that Occupiers were engaging in ribald behavior. The article claimed that protesters are allegedly seeking out HIV and STD testing after "getting their freak on" with strangers. She also cited a video at Gateway Pundit, in which Occupiers appear to be practicing unison chanting. At the end of the video, the chant leader makes a joke about sex with animals, for which Zurita labels the Occupiers "miscreants." 

Third, during the November 10th edition of The Sean Hannity Show, Sean Hannity demonized the Occupiers as lawless monsters. After raging against alleged media bias in coverage of the Tea Party movement versus the Occupy movement, Hannity had this to say. (Hat tip to Media Matters.)

"It's so bad now, sexual assault at Zucotti park, women have to sleep in a separate tent at this moment. You've got anarchists, rapists, thugs, drug users, drug dealers, rioters taking over the movement. President supports them. Nancy Pelosi supports them. I mean, we've got indisputable evidence [of] anti-Semitism. We've got film footage of arson fires. You know, lawlessness, recklessness, irresponsibility of the movement top to bottom, and the press is bending over backwards in an effort to portray them as understandably angry. They're being civic-minded here. It's beyond parody, and it's journalistic negligence."

Finally, Pat Robertson weighed in again about the Occupy movement with more contemptuous words. On the October 27th edition of The 700 Club, Robertson responded to a viewer's letter asking if Christians should get involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement. At the 56:58 mark, he had this to say. (Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.)

"I think this is a rebellion. I think it is atavistic. Nobody knows exactly what it is. They don’t know what they’re doing. Why are they there? Well they’re just mad. Well, is it right for a Christian just to get involved in a protest of anger? If you’re going to demonstrate, demonstrate for righteousness. Demonstrate to lift the yoke of oppression. Demonstrate to help those that are poverty stricken, but don’t just go out and mess up a park and just scream and tear up things. I mean, why should you get involved in something like that? It’s formless, it has no purpose, but it could be used for radicals that want to destroy this nation, and that’s the bad part of it."

Uh, Pat? Have you even been listening to the protesters? The Occupy movement is fundamentally about economic injustice and oppression. 

By stereotyping all Occupiers as violent, lascivious hordes, it becomes easier to disregard their message of economic justice or ignore their complaints of police brutality. Rather than wrestle with the ethical issues raised by the Occupiers regarding poverty, jobs, and taxes, some commentators find it easier to shoot the messengers.

Pat Robertson Interviews Bill Bennett; Feminist-Bashing Ensues

Former Secretary of Education and Drug Czar Bill Bennett just released his new book, The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood, a collection of essays, letters, and poems meant to encourage Bennett's vision of manhood. The Book of Man is divided into chapters about men in war, play, work, prayer, political life, and with women and children. On the October 26th edition of The 700 Club, Pat Robertson interviewed Bill Bennett about his new book, and the two had disdainful things to say about feminism and modern males.

At the beginning of The 700 Club segment, Lee Webb introduced The Book of Man at the 18:05 mark as follows.

"What truly defines a man? Generations ago, masculinity may have been easier to define. Men were men, and honor, duty, and valor were expected. But these days, the lines are often blurred, from the feminist movement of the 1960s to current gender debates, boys are left with a confusing choice."

Revealingly, when Webb spoke of the days when "men were men," military images and a scene from the film The D.I. flashed across the screen. However, when he spoke of "blurred" lines, images of feminist marches and Chaz Bono appeared on the screen. The intent, it seems, is to equate masculinity with militarism, and to conflate feminism and transgender status with confusion about masculinity.

During the interview, Robertson praised The Book of Man, and Bennett spoke proudly of content from Pericles, Churchill, Reagan, and profiles of living soldiers. Bennett's emphasis on military leaders, and the fact that an entire chapter of The Book of Man is devoted to military-themed content, again suggested that he equated masculinity with militarism.

Bennett argued that gender signals are blurred and that people no longer understand what it means to be a man. Feminism and the gains it has bestowed upon women have frightened men, who have sunk into irresponsibility, he insisted. At the 20:37 mark, Bennett had this to say.

"[Feminism has] changed the terms of discussion. It's frightened a lot of men. It encouraged women. You know, we said, Pat, we said 'you go girl,' and the girls went, and now for the first generation in history, women graduate from college with more achievement, more education, more ambition then men do, and a lot of the men are thrown back on their heels. What do the men do? Well, unfortunately, one of the answers is they play video games ... Girls, young women complain about this, boys who will not take responsibility. And I think the answer--of course, the answer's Biblical, but I point to the founders as well. They thought three things were necessary for a boy to become a man: industriousness, work, marriage, and faith. Those are the anchors, and those are the things that bring boys to manhood. What feminism did, I think, Pat, was confuse the debate to some extent by saying those expectations that we have of boys, the kinds of responsibilities that they will need to take up as men, we're not sure we need them anymore, 'cause we're not sure we need men anymore. Well, we do need men."

Bennett provided no evidence for alleged widespread irresponsibility among males, other than citing a statistic that men are playing more video games. To boot, he seems to see academic success as a zero-sum game, in which gains for women mean losses for men. Bennett exhibited even more anxiety over successful women when he later said, "Fine. All power to the women and the girls, as long as we don’t confuse roles and the differences in genders."

At the 22:42 mark, Robertson fretted that a matriarchy might erupt if men don't assume their correct role (a strange anxiety shared by Doug Phillips in a talk at the 2011 CHAP convention). In response, Bennett claimed that feminists supposedly want real men -- as he imagines real men -- for marriage and protection.

ROBERTSON: What’s this going to do to society, though, if men don’t take their places as men, and if suddenly there’s a gap and women and we have a matriarchy. What will it do ultimately to society?

BENNETT:  I think it can hurt society, maybe grievously. Interestingly the feminists are not celebrating this Pat. They want men too. They might want to rail against this and they may want to talk about , you know, stereotypes of man and male domination and so on, but women want men. They want men for that strong arm, they want men for that protection, they want men for a partner in marriage and so it’s something that has got very blurred and what I try to do in this book is remind people of things that are true. And to the boys, as you very well said, the array of things offered on TV and elsewhere is very confusing, from macho stuff to gay culture to all sorts of things. What I got here is a point of view that is time tested, based in tradition that will get boys to manhood.

Bennett's stereotypical straw man image of feminism suggested that he'd had little exposure to real-life feminism. Has Bennett ever read anything written by feminists? Or ever talked to them in real life? I thought. Also, Robertson's anxiety over a coming matriarchy again suggests a zero-sum vision of the world, in which gains for women equal losses for men, and an egalitarian society is unthinkable.

Furthermore, Bennett's comments suggested a facile understanding of women. Has he considered that lesbians might not want to marry a man, or that some women might not want to marry at all? Has he considered that some women might want a friend and partner in a husband, rather than a "strong arm"?

Bennett's vision of manhood equates stereotypical masculinity with responsibility, ignoring the fact that a man can have one without the other. To boot, his masculine ideal excluded large categories of men, which troubled me. By describing gay culture as a supposed source of gender "confusion," he assumes that gay and bisexual men cannot embody healthy masculinity. Furthermore, by enshrining heterosexual marriage as a foundational element of manhood, he excludes gay, bisexual, asexual, and single men. By listing faith as a pillar of manhood, he excludes atheist and agnostic men from his vision of ideal masculinity. (If we assume that by faith, he means conservative Judeo-Christian faith, billions of men from other religious backgrounds would be excluded too.)

Robertson and Bennett yearn for a bygone era of rigid gender roles, unable to accept that notions of gender have changed. (Compare David Barton, Kenneth Copeland, Angus Buchan, and Doug Phillips.) What Robertson and Bennett fail to understand is that gender is a flexible social construct, and as such it can take limitless forms. Simply put, Bennett's model of patriarchal, militaristic, heteronormative masculinity is unhealthy and will no longer resonate with all men. There are many ways for men to forge healthy masculinities without shoehorning themselves into some stereotypical masculine role. A man can be responsible and hard-working while also being fair, nonviolent, and egalitarian. A man can be a peace-maker, an innovator, a hero, a questioner, and countless other things. A man can be straight, gay, bisexual, or asexual. A man can pray at a church, meditate with a sangha, or sip java at a coffeehouse atheist meeting. And, he can be secure in his masculinity WITHOUT treading on women. Contrary to what Bennett thinks, well-adjusted men do NOT feel threatened by successful women.

Times have changed, Bill, and both sexes are better for it.


Hat tip to Right Wing Watch. To watch the full episode, click here.