Thursday, September 1, 2011
JMG Quote Of The Day - Gary DeMar
Evangelist Gary DeMar explains how the gay death penalty will work once Christians achieve dominion over the United States and install a theocratic government: "Obviously, certain sins often may escape detection. Homosexuals who practice behind closed doors are out-of-bounds for the courts, of course, unless others witness their criminal behavior. Such behavior may not be dealt with by courts in history, but will be dealt with by God, either in history (e.g., AIDS) or eternity. The law that requires the death penalty for homosexual acts effectually drives the perversion of homosexuality underground, back to the closet, to the dark realm of shameful activity."RELATED: Check out Warren Throckmorton's just-posted list of quotes from other dominionists on the subject of the gay death penalty. He concludes: "No wonder many social conservatives are out in force trying to deny that these movements have any consequence or have any influence on Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann."
Via JMG: The Rise Of American Nazism
Florida's Pastor Mike Stahl wants to create a "national registry of known atheists." That way, good Christians can scan the list for neighbors, boycott their Satanic businesses, and otherwise harass them. Hmm, where have we heard this idea before? Now , many (especially the atheists ) , may ask “Why do this , what’s the purpose ?” Duhhh , Mr. Atheist , for the same purpose many States put the names and photos of convicted sex offenders and other ex-felons on the I-Net – to INFORM the public ! I mean , in the City of Miramar , Florida , where I live , the population is approx. 109,000 . My family and I would sure like to know how many of those 109,000 are ADMITTED atheists ! Perhaps we may actually know some . In which case we could begin to witness to them and warn them of the dangers of atheism . Or perhaps they are radical atheists , whose hearts are as hard as Pharaoh’s , in that case , if they are business owners , we would encourage all our Christian friends , as well as the various churches and their congregations NOT to patronize them as we would only be “feeding” Satan .Blogger PZ Myers notes that a campaign urging atheists to be more public about their identity already exists. Myers concludes:
I’m out. Pastor Mike can get to work compiling his own damn list, and he can put me right at the top of it. Would he also like me to get a tattoo, or maybe wear an armband with a big red A on it? We’re not ashamed, but many of us are rightly afraid of the cretinous thugs who follow Pastor Mike’s Jesus.(Tipped by JMG reader Brett)
Via JMG: Scott Lively: Gays Will Use Prop 8 Tapes To Intimidate Christian Witnesses
Scott Lively, the infamous gay death penalty advocate and spokesman for God's Gentle Love, says homo-terrorists will wreak revenge upon Christian witnesses should the Prop 8 trial tapes be released. "We have seen all across the country that the gay activist movement attempts to intimidate anyone who stands up for family values, and this just seems to be another example," decides Dr. Scott Lively of DefendtheFamily.com. "There's really no good reason for this [video footage] to be released, and I would hope that the decision would go against the release." Judge Ware has not made a ruling on the issue, but he is expected to provide a written decision at a later date. So far, he has said that "the integrity of the judicial process is affected" when one judge promises a videotape will be used only for limited purposes and a second judge decides to make the video public. "We have seen, unfortunately, a lot of intimidation of the judiciary by gay activists as well, so it will be interesting to see whether this judge stands up to the pressure or stands true to his original decision," Dr. Lively concludes.Lively's ministry is one of the few listed as a certified hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Via JMG: Tony Perkins & The KKK (Con't)
"We believe the United States is a European country and that Americans are part of the European people. We believe that the United States derives from and is an integral part of European civilization and the European people and that the American people and government should remain European in their composition and character. We therefore oppose the massive immigration of non-European and non-Western peoples into the United States that threatens to transform our nation into a non-European majority in our lifetime. [snip] "We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people through so-called “affirmative action” and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races." - From the Statement of Principles of the Council of Conservative Citizens, the white supremacist group before whom Tony Perkins has spoken twice.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Scholars at Risk (SAR) calls for letters on behalf of Mr. Ramin Zibaei of Iran
Action Alert
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Via JMG: FLORIDA: Students Of "Cesspool" Teacher Share His Homophobic Comments
After being suspended for posting anti-gay comments on his Facebook page, last week Florida teacher Jerry Buell was reinstated when the KKK threatened to picket the local school board in his defense. The defiant Buell said that he did not intend to change his teaching philosophy, which includes speaking "as if Lake County had hired Jesus Christ himself." Today Equality Florida shares some examples of Buell's in-class comments as reported by former students.
TAKE ACTION: Send an email to the Lake County School Board and demand that they expand anti-bullying and non-discrimination policies to include LGBT students.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: The source for the KKK aspect of this story, Orlando's WFTV-ABC, has edited their original story to remove this claim. No explanation has yet been provided for this change.
reposted from Joe
Brian Blaise, an honors student who graduated in 2003, described the day Mr. Buell offered his disturbing take on the issue of gays serving in the military: "I looked up when he said he supported gays in the military, stunned by the answer. He immediately followed that comment with the statement that we should then put them on the front lines, and pull back," Blaise said. Another of his students recounted Mr. Buell invoking the quote "A pig in a tuxedo is still a pig" to declare his disdain for recognizing gay relationships.Got that? "Jesus Christ himself" is telling public school students that setting up gay soldiers to be murdered would be a hilarious thing to do. Christian Love.™
TAKE ACTION: Send an email to the Lake County School Board and demand that they expand anti-bullying and non-discrimination policies to include LGBT students.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: The source for the KKK aspect of this story, Orlando's WFTV-ABC, has edited their original story to remove this claim. No explanation has yet been provided for this change.
Via JMG: The Return Of Ratty Hairpiece Woman
Focus On The Family's Ratty Hairpiece Woman (Candi Cushman) goes on and on about the "indoctrination" of students by groups such as GLSEN. Let those kids grow up to be the violent Christian bullies that God meant them to be!
Labels: bullying, Focus On The Family, Gay Straight Alliance, GLSEN, hate groups, LGBT youth, religion
reposted from Joe
Via JMG: Possibly Good News On Prop 8
Via Zack Ford at Think Progress:
Goodwin Liu’s nomination to the Ninth Circuit Court may have been derailed by Senate Republicans, but his nomination to California’s Supreme Court is right on track. The Commission on Judicial Appointments will consider Liu’s appointment Wednesday, but the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominations has already given him its highest rating: “exceptionally well-qualified.” It’s expected that, if confirmed, Liu — who has previously spoken out for marriage equality — will be seated in time for next week’s hearing on proponents’ standing in the Prop 8 case.
Via JMG: Tony Perkins & The KKK
I've blogged many times about Tony Perkins' ties to the KKK. Today Equality California picks up on Perkins' racist past in a clip about his attempt to undo California's LGBT education bill. Watch this!
Labels: bigotry, Equality California, Family Reseach Council, hate groups, racism, religion, Tony Perkins
reposted from Joe
Via JMG: Quote Of The Day - Erwin Chemerinsky
"I continue to believe that the [Supreme] Court will rule, five-to-four, in an opinion authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, that laws prohibiting marriage equality violate the United States Constitution. Kennedy wrote the Court’s opinions in Romer v. Evans (1996) and Lawrence v. Texas (2003), and I think that he will see his longest-lasting legacy from over a quarter of a century on the Court being in the area of eliminating discrimination against gays and lesbians. I believe that his opinion will emphasize, as he did in Romer and Lawrence, the absence of any legitimate interest for prohibiting marriage by same-sex couples. As in Lawrence, and other opinions, he will point to the trend across the world." - Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Irvine's law school.Tuesday, August 30, 2011
More on GLBT and Uganda from the Baha'i World Centre
THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT
Bahá’í World Centre • P.O. Box 155 • 31001 Haifa, Israel
Tel: 972 (4) 835 8358 • Fax: 972 (4) 835 8280 • Email: secretariat@bwc.org
27 July 2008
Transmitted by email: name address withheld
Dear Bahá’í Friend,
Your email letter dated 12 May 2008 has been received by the Universal House of Justice, and we have been asked to convey to you the following response.
You state in your letter that you have learned that you and your sister, Miss , are being investigated at the Bahá’í World Centre as a result of your signing and forwarding a petition titled “Speak Up Against Bahá’í Discrimination Against Homosexuals”.
You may rest assured, however, that no such investigation is being conducted.
With regard to the above-mentioned petition, you may wish to consider the following.
According to the Bahá’í Teachings, marriage is a union between a man and a woman and sexual relations are only permissible between a couple who are married to each other. These teachings are set forth in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and in the authoritative statements of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi and are not susceptible to change by the House of Justice. However, the Bahá’í community does not seek to impose its values on others. Furthermore, to regard those with a homosexual orientation with prejudice and disdain would be entirely against the spirit of the Faith.
With respect to the incident in Uganda to which you refer, the Bahá’í representative to the interfaith association was unwittingly drawn into this controversy. Some reports have incorrectly characterized the Bahá’í involvement in the matter. The National Spiritual Assembly of Uganda is taking steps to ensure that such issues are handled appropriately in the future.
The House of Justice appreciates your desire to clarify your feelings on this matter and
assures you of its prayers in the Holy Shrines that the Blessed Beauty may guide and sustain you.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
Department of the Secretariat
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Via JMG: GOProud: This Is Not A Culture War
Even though four of the leading GOP presidential candidates have signed a hateful Christianist pledge to destroy the civil rights of LGBT Americans, even though the Tea Party has successfully dismantled abortion rights in several states, and even though the Republican Party has waged a brutal campaign against immigrants and the poor, GOProud says liberals are falsely promoting the idea that we're in a "culture war."
The only people talking about the “culture wars” are on the left and the reason is simple: they can not defend the abysmal record of the Obama administration when it comes to the bread and butter issues most Americans care about. Contrary to what the left, and their enablers in the main stream media, would have you believe, there is no new culture war brewing on the right. The Republican candidates for President haven’t been crisscrossing the country banging the drum of abortion, gay marriage, creationism, etc. Quite the contrary, even the most conservative candidates – such as Herman Cain and Michele Bachmann – have repeatedly said these are NOT the issues they are running on.GOProud apparently doesn't listen to the stump speeches of their fellow teabaggers, who do nothing but "bang the drum of abortion, gay marriage, and creationism." According to GOProud's Chris Barron, "The 2010 elections were laser-focused on the size of government and fiscal issues." Yes, yes, Herr Barron. Keep loading up those cattle cars.
Via AmericablogGay: NYT: Release the Prop. 8 videotapes
The New York Times editorial page wants the Prop. 8 videotapes released. We do, too:
On Monday, a lawyer representing the victorious plaintiffs will be urging a federal district judge in San Francisco, James Ware, to grant a motion to make public the videotape of the 12-day trial. In the interest of fostering confidence in the judicial system, the motion should be granted. Proposition 8’s supporters insisted that the broadcast ban was needed to protect their two witnesses — experts who testified in open court and whose identities were well known. Their arguments are even less persuasive now.
The trial was over more than a year ago, and the 13-volume trial transcript is public and available on the Internet. Legally, there is a presumption of access to judicial records, a point made in a brief filed by a media coalition, including The New York Times Company.
The demand to keep the videotapes secret is as flimsy as the arguments for denying gay people the fundamental right to marry. The proposition’s backers will not be hurt in any way if the footage is released. The American public, on the other hand, stands to lose something very valuable if it is denied the chance to see and hear what happened in a critically important case on marriage equality.
The proponents of Prop. 8 have no legitimate arguments against marriage. They know that. We know that. They just don't want the rest of the country to see how pathetic their case is.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Via JMG: Rick Perry Signs NOM's Hate Pledge
Rick Perry has joined Frothy Mix, Crazy Eyes, and Magic Underpants in signing NOM's five-part vow to crush the civil rights of LGBT Americans if elected president. "Kudos to Gov. Rick Perry for making it clear: he's a marriage champion!" cheered Brian Brown, president of NOM, in a statement. "The purpose of NOM's Marriage Pledge is to move from vague values statements to concrete actions to protect marriage." The NOM presidential to-do list includes amending the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage, nominating judges who say the Constitution doesn't guarantee marriage equality, and putting gay marriage up to a vote in the District of Columbia, where local lawmakers made it legal. Perry and the others also promise to fight for the Defense of Marriage Act in court — something President Obama isn't doing. By adding his name to the NOM pledge, Perry has also committed to create a "presidential commission on religious liberty" that would "investigate" Americans who oppose bans on gay marriage for supposed harassment of such measures' supporters.
GLBT's and the Baha'i Faith - Gays need not apply, you are not welcome here... a polygamist yes, tho!
5 March 1999
Dear Baha’i Friend,
Your email messages of 20 October 1998 and 16 February 1999 have been received at the Baha’i World center. In your message of 20 October, you cite two quotations written on behalf of the Guardian giving guidance on how newly enrolled believers whose previous moral behavior did not accord with the Teachings should be gradually nurtured into bringing their conduct into conformity with the faith’s high standards. You ask whether the same principle applies in two separate cases, polygamists becoming Baha’is , and homosexual couples wherein one or both individuals accept the Faith.
Your understanding is correct that should a polygamist become a Baha’i, he would not be required to divorce or separate from any of his spouses; however, he would not be able to enter into a new marriage while still being married to another spouse.
With regard to the second case, in general, when a person who wishes to join the Faith is known to have a problem such as drinking, homosexuality, drug abuse, adultery, etc., he or she should be told in a patient and loving way of the Baha’i teachings on these matters. In particular, if persons involved in homosexual relationships express an interest in the faith, they should not be instructed by Baha’i institutions to separate si that they may enroll in the Baha’i community, for this action by any institution may conflict with civil law. The Baha’i position should be patiently explained to such persons, who should also be given to understand that although in their hearts they may accept baha’u’llah, they cannot join the Baha’i community in the current condition of their relationship. They will then be free to draw their own conclusions and act accordingly. Within this context, the question you pose about the possibility of the removal of administrative rights should, therefore, not arise.
With loving Baha’i greetings,
Department of the Secretariat
---
13 April 1999
Dear Baha’i Friend,
In your email dated 14 March 1999, you ask whether a homosexual who is in a committed same sex relationship, or who is involved in a same sex marriage, may be permitted to stay in such a relationship upon becoming a Baha’i. The answer, as indicated in our previous letter to you of 5 March 1999, is that such persons cannot be accepted as members of the Baha’i community while maintaining such a relationship. However, if individuals involved in a homosexual relationship have a desire to become Baha’is, they should be patiently and lovingly informed of the position of the Faith on homosexuality, but they should not be instructed by Baha’i teachers or by Baha’i institutions to separate in order to become Baha’is; rather, they should be left free to decide for themselves whether or not they wish to change their way of life and apply for Baha’i membership. In other words: armed with knowledge of the Baha’i position as explained to them, they can exercise their own judgment as to what to chose to do. This is the meaning of our previous statement that, “They will be free to draw their own conclusions and act accordingly.”
It is only proper that the response of the Baha’is to such persons should be as described here: on the one hand, the law of the Faith must be upheld; on the other, our community must be open to those who choose to abide by that law. By affirming through word and deed their determination to follow the way of Baha’u’llah, they must unhesitatingly be accorded the privileges of Baha’i membership. The same approach applies with regard to those persons who wish to join the Faith but are known to have a problem with drinking, drug abuse, adultery, etc.
We trust that this explanation clarifies the questions with which you are concerned.
With loving Baha’i greetings,
Department of the Secretariat
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