News Tidbits

The Advocate: Hate Messages for Prop. 8 Plaintiffs

The Advocate: Pastor: Ricky Martin Will Drag Us to Hell

CNN: Timeline of Florida's Quran-Burning Pastor

CNN: Tax Credits for Religious School Scholarships Ruled Constitutional

Washington Post: Anti-abortion rights groups rent space near controversial abortion provider 

American Independent: Group administers Indiana federally-funded marriage program while leading push for anti-gay marriage amendment

Commentary Tidbits

The Wild Hunt: Huckabee's Troubling Barton Fandom

Good As You: Apple's Well-Stocked iGospel

Salon: Before Bachmann: The 5 Craziest GOP Candidates of the Modern Era

Salon: Why the Christian Right Is Backing a Brutal Despot

Mother Jones: The Religious Right's Anti-Union Crusade

Ms. Magazine: My Church Is Against Battered Women’s Shelters?!

Religion Dispatches: Ken Ham Uninvited for Mocking Fellow Speaker's Version of Creationism

How to Have Sex in Texas: Texas to Require "Traditional Values Centers" at State-Funded Universities

Right Wing Watch: Focus on the Family Slams Day of Silence as a "Media Opportunity"

On Saturday, Demonstrators Protest the Social Transformation Conference

As this blog reported earlier (see here and here), several New Apostolic Reformation figures were scheduled to speak at the Social Transformation Conference at Harvard University on April 1-2. Controversy erupted over past statements from several speakers -- including Lance Wallnau, Os Hillman, and Pat Francis -- demonizing homosexuality, Islam, and witchcraft. Additionally, several speakers embrace Seven Mountains theology, which urges Christians to take dominion over major spheres of society.

Harvard administration has at least acknowledged criticism of the Social Transformation Conference, which was reportedly organized and facilitated by students. In an online statement, the Harvard Extension Student Association stressed that it does not endorse the views of any student group, adding that students and student clubs are welcome to engage in an open and free exchange of ideas.  According to a March 31st article in the Harvard Crimson, the Harvard Extension Service and Leadership Society said that the speakers assured them they have not and would not make hateful statements. In a March 31st commentary at Truth Wins Out, however, Wayne Besen condemned such words as disingenuous.

This is outrageous and totally unacceptable. It is the equivalent of hosting David Duke on campus, but prohibiting him from talking about race. If these anti-everything bigots are going to stand on the soap box, they ought to have the courage to express their radical views — and Harvard should encourage them to do so. If they believe they are superior and have designs on taking over the world by expelling lists of “demonic” people — they ought to express this viewpoint without reservation.

It is infinitely more harmful to have these theocratic “Seven Mountains Movement” presenters sanitize their militancy and madness for public consumption. Sweeping the rougher edges under the carpet will allow these speakers to make the disingenuous claim that are not as extreme as opponents said they were.  And rest assured, there will be gullible students and faculty on the left who attend this event and also conclude that this group is not a dangerous threat to liberty and freedom.

Truth Wins Out and Join the Impact Massachusetts hosted a protest at the Social Transformation Conference on Saturday, April 2nd. According to Truth Wins Out, approximately fifty demonstrators protested at Harvard, holding signs criticizing homophobia and calling for love. Wayne Besen, Ann Coleman of Join the Impact, Sue Hyde of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and Rev. Kapya Kaoma of Zambia spoke at the demonstration, lambasting the speakers' homophobia and support for theocracy.

News Tidbits

I will be traveling for the next few days, so posting at Republic of Gilead will resume next week.



CBS News: "Ten Commandments Judge" Roy Moore to run for president

CNN: Gingrich fears "atheist country ... dominated by radical Islamists"

Beliefnet: Bishops Push Back on Allowing Gay Couples in Housing

Edge Boston: Is Religious Right Conceding on Gay Rights Issues?

Pennlive: Rick Santorum: Social Security fund would be OK if there were fewer abortions

Iowa Independent: Controversial videographer to headline Iowa anti-abortion event

Texas Independent: State-funded pregnancy center conflates religious, educational material

NECN: 'Abstinence only' sex ed in North Dakota schools approved

Commentary Tidbits

WITF Smart Talk: The Myth of American Religious Freedom

Talk to Action: What the Left Behind Series Really Means

Arkansas Times: Ronnie Floyd and the Gay Menace

Alternet: Christian Intruders: New Law Will Force Women to Listen to Religious Lectures Before Getting an Abortion

Religion Dispatches: Crisis Pregnancy Centers and Obama's Faith-Based Initiative

RH Reality Check: Leslee Unruh: The Queen of Ab-Only and CPCs Now Leads Anti-Choice Efforts in South Dakota

Protest Against Social Transformation Conference this Saturday

The upcoming Social Transformation Conference at Harvard University has drawn controversy, given that several scheduled presenters have made anti-gay and anti-Islamic statements in the past. To boot, this new expose video by Bruce Wilson of Talk to Action claims that two speakers -- Os Hillman and Pat Francis -- have ties to Julius Oyet, an anti-gay Ugandan religious leader who says he helped write Uganda's draconian anti-gay bill.




In response, Truth Wins Out plans to run a full-page ad in the Harvard Crimson to raise awareness of the speakers' extreme ideas. Truth Wins Out and Join the Impact Massachusetts are also co-sponsoring a protest against the Social Transformation Conference this Saturday, April 2nd at noon at Harvard University's Northwest Science Building (52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA). Visit their respective websites for additional updates as the date approaches.

Reflections on Fukushima and Three Mile Island



Protest sign at this year's TMI vigil

 Today marks the 32nd anniversary of the Three Mile Island disaster in Middletown, PA. On this date in 1979, a partial nuclear core meltdown occurred in TMI's Unit 2 reactor, resulting in the greatest nuclear plant disaster in U.S. history.

Early this morning, I attended a vigil near the Three Mile Island facility sponsored by No Nukes PA, Three Mile Island Alert, and Academics for a Nuclear Free Future (ANUFF). Vigil attendees mourned the TMI disaster, called for an end to nuclear power, and expressed solidarity with the people of Japan amidst the nuclear crisis in Fukushima. Demonstrators held candles and anti-nuclear signs, while votive candles, flowers, and origami cranes sat on the ground at our feet. At 3:53 a.m. (the approximate time when the crisis began on March 28th, 1979), vigil attendees held a moment of silence. A video of local news coverage is below. (Click here if you're having trouble viewing the video.)



Others around the world are marking the TMI disaster alongside Fukushima crisis as well. South Korean environmental activists also staged a rally today to mark the 32nd anniversary of the TMI disaster. Speaking events comparing TMI and Fukushima are scheduled for tonight as well.

What motivates these anti-nuclear is the belief that societies can learn from past mistakes and prevent future nuclear catastrophes. In other words, a belief in human responsibility lies at the core of these efforts. People would not speak out against the potential dangers of nuclear power unless they believed that society could move away from nuclear power and toward safer, renewable sources of energy. Good decisions by leaders, energy industry professionals, and citizens can prevent future disasters and cultivate a safer world.

Thus, it disappoints me when some fundamentalists blame Japan's catastrophes on God's wrath over alleged impious behavior, divine withdrawal of protection, or associate them with demonic influences (as this YouTube video does, assuming it is not a Poe). When we blame problems on supernatural causes, we erase our own responsibility to prevent those problems through concrete measures. The Fukushima crisis will not be solved through superstition, but through the dedication, sacrifice, and ingenuity of everyone working on the crisis. Future nuclear crises will not be prevented through superstition, but through practical human efforts.

On the 32nd anniversary of TMI, as the crisis in Fukushima rages, let's honor those who are working diligently to bring the disaster under control. Let's also honor those who are striving for a safer future beyond nuclear power.

Talk to Action's Expose on the Social Transformation Conference

Bruce Wilson at Talk to Action recently penned a hard-hitting commentary on the Social Transformation Conference scheduled for April 1-2 at Harvard University. The conference is being billed as a discussion on the role of faith communities in social change, but a quick look at the conference speakers suggests a more fundamentalist tone to the event. Several of the speakers -- including Pat Francis, Lance Wallnau, and Os Tillman -- herald from the New Apostolic Reformation movement and embrace troubling ideas about the LGBT community and non-Christian religions (namely Islam and "witchcraft").

News Tidbits

The Advocate: Huckabee: Fight Gay Marriage, Even if it Costs You Your Job

American Independent: Group asks high-profile conservatives to answer for Bryan Fischer's anti-Muslim comments

CNN: "Good Against Evil" in Iowa

Christian Post: Most Evangelicals Blame Disasters on End Times, Poll Finds

Northwestern University News Center: Religious Young Adults Become Obese By Middle Age

Commentary Tidbits

Talking Points Memo: "Creationist Theme Park" Group Prez Accused of "Ungodly" Remarks

Daily Kos: “Rediscovering God in America” Conference told Jesus hates Minimum Wage & Estate Tax

365 Gay: Gay Marriage and Abortion Aren't the Problem

DNA: Evangelical Christianity: Devils in High Places

Salon: I Preached Against Homosexuality, but I Was Wrong

Right Wing Watch: Bryan Fischer Interviews Newt Gingrich

RH Reality Check: Every Sperm Is Your Brother