Louie Giglio and the Religious Right Smokescreen

Louie Giglio is the pastor that was originally tabbed to give the benediction at Obama's inauguration  but has recently withdrawn amid the surfacing of a controversial 1990s sermon in which he called homosexuality a sin (read: practically blew Leviticus).  There has been some back and forth in conservative circles over whether Giglio himself withdrew, or whether the White House forced him out with some sort of "withdraw and save face or we're kicking you out," ultimatum.

Three Year Old Things I Just Learned About - The Manhattan Declaration

The 'too long, did not read' version of the Manhattan Declaration is that it is a manifesto of sorts, penned and signed by the most radical of radical Christians where they vow to uphold the true meaning of God's word as they have so perfectly figured it out in their heads.  This, more or less, means hating gays and abortion, because Jesus talked at length about both of those things.  It's a rather amazing combination of revisionist Christian history and overt bigotry, so much so that I figured I'd ridicule it with little point or purpose here.

The Anti-Gay Lobby; What is it Really About?

Something Alvin McEwen of Holy Bullies wrote today struck me and I want to expand on the idea.  McEwen points out that of all the things in comic books that go against Christian teachings, violence, torture, murder, religious groups like One Million Moms (Note: does not actually contain one million moms) have chosen tot ake issue with a couple characters who have recently been revealed to be gay.

Grow Up Tebow

Earlier this week this story about Tim Tebow started making the rounds on the internet.  The 'too long, did not read' version is that whoever is in charge of Tim Tebow's public image has been threatening those that post photos that do not fit in with that manufactured persona.  If you're not following, that means any photos with scantily clad women.  Seriously.

Is Transphobia Sometimes Guilty Appeasement?

I want to preface this by saying that I'm jumping into the realm of suppositions, a dangerous path, but one I want to explore.  Thus none of the following is any sort of universal truth, merely the impressions I get in observing different reactions to transgendered individuals.

Is the Internet Killing Religion?

I was reading an article earlier today about Gay-Straight Alliances in the southern United States.  One of the things one of the interviewees said caught my attention: "my generation is the first that grew up with the internet -- the ability to gain any piece of information from any source at any times. This gives us an advantage to see what the world thinks, not just what our parents or communities think."  It seems evident that the internet, at least in part, is helping spread tolerance for LGBT individuals.  I also wonder if a similar point can be made about religion.

Retro Post: No Offense to Christians...

Really this isn't about any one thing in particular, rather about how Christians tend to cherry pick the bible based on their own biases and prejudices.  For lack of a better way of putting it, the Bible is a big old book with a lot of stuff in it that is stupid, outdated, makes no sense, or some wonderful combination of the three.  And Christians are okay with only following bits and pieces selected by a complex process of...???

Displays of Religion

In case you missed it, (and since I'm assuming you don't track hate-mongers and bigots for the sake of tracking them you probably did) Bryan Fischer posted this article about "religious liberty."  Evidently a Rhode Island public high school had a prayer banner (picture after the jump) hanging on one of the walls, a gift from its first class of students.  This did not sit well with an atheist junior who lobbied to have the banner removed.  (She was successful.)  Mr. Fischer took umbrage with that decision calling the girl a "little atheist bully" among many, many other things.

Retro Post: The Best Editorial Regarding Gay Marriage Ever

From the Syracuse Post-Standard:

Jesus's Message Relevant in Marriage Law Debate


To the Editor:
I understand the fear that many christians have about gay marriage.  To some, this is about obeying god's law.  But I would challenge them to ask themselves whether they really know god's will in this case.


My understanding of the christian message is that Jesus was a revolutionary figure who came to challenge others to accept those considered "outcast" in his day and age by religious and political authorities.  His message of radical love and inclusion is just as relevant today as it was when he was alive.


I am reminded of the moving passage in "Huckleberry Finn" where Huck decides that he would rather go to hell than abandon his friendship with the fugitive slave Jim.  Mark Twain, the author, in my opinion, expressed a much more christian message than that of his contemporaries, though he himself may have been an atheist.  Many of his christian contemporaries used the bible to justify slavery.


If our fear of hell is greater than our fear of lack of charity, then we are missing the spirit of the christian message.  As a straight black man, I am honored to stand with my gay friends as an ally, as I see them to be just as beautiful reflections of god as anyone else.  New York State did the right thing.


-Aly Wane
Syracuse

A Question for Anti-Gay Religious that I've Always Had

Clearly you've decided that certain bible passages are not applicable to yourself or daily life, among them Leviticus 19:19 which bans the use of cloth woven from two materials, Leviticus 11:1-12 which bans the consumption of unclean animals (i.e pigs or rabbits), and Exodus 22:20, one of the many passages that endorses slavery, but have chosen to uphold your interpretation of passages like Leviticus 18:22 which condemn homosexuality.

With this kind of baseless cherry picking, doesn't that make your beliefs and actions, not the word and will of God, but the word and will of you?  So really, you're not possessing any moral convictions, you're an idol worshipping bigot, enamored, not with anything holy, but with your own prejudices.

Retro Post: More to Story Involving Intolerance...Shocker

Note: This story is old, but I'm reposting it anyways to illustrate the kind of lies the oppressors will tell to make themselves look like the oppressed.

A few months ago it emerged that a student was supposedly suspended just for saying that homosexuality runs counter to his Christian upbringings.  My initial reaction to the story was, and I quote "he probably called someone a fucking faggot."

Pro-LGBT is not Anti-Christianity

Inevitably one of the arguments that will be made against our community is that we're hell bent on bringing down the Christian institution.  Oh...if only...

I'm not anti-religion at all.  I do think that certain religious institutions have grown far too large whether it be in their institutional power itself or in their manipulation of the masses, but I am fine with various belief systems existing.  I myself am not an atheist either (an apathetic Wiccan/Pagan if you must ask), but I can sympathize with that side as well.

It's relatively easy, I think, to reconcile Christianity with LGBT rights.  You know all those bible passages that you already ignore, like the stupid ones in Leviticus about not being able to wear bowl cuts or synthetic fabrics?  (Or that relatively important one etched in a rock about lying.)  Yeah...add all the anti-gay ones to the list.  Boom.  Done.