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I want to arrest a preacher today! But only after I give legal cover to as many pedophiles as I can! These patently absurd arguements are being provided by the religious right as to why GAY people should not be given Hate-Crime protections. It is tantamount to saying: “I will lose my religious freedoms, if I am not free to hate!”
I mean this would really piss me off if it wasn’t such stupid crap! No, stike that. It pisses me off BECAUSE it is such stupid crap!
Read more here.
1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
iggydonnelly
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
A story my parents tell: After my first Sunday school experience as a pre-schooler when asked what I learned, I replied: “God is love. Sit down. Sit down. Sit down.”
It’s almost funny those who want to trash the bill fail to understand it. Every point of contention they bring up, the bill strictly prohibits. Yet they can’t, don’t or refuse to understand that. These people could not, in any way, be happy unless they’re ranting a wailing against something. I imagine Tiahrt, Roberts, and the rest of the right-wing gang here in Kansas, are falling in line with morons who want this bill trashed.
I can only assume the Religious Rights objection is solely based on not giving a inch on the subject.
Even though it is not truly about being Gay in the sense that it does not give a right as much as includes a dimension to the motivation.
There is no difference between attacking or even killing another for the money in their pocket or because they are gay. The end result is the same and is a crime of violence.
Jim Crow rises again? Only this time “he’s” about LGBT.
I enjoyed reading the comments after the article, even more than the article itself. The paranoid Christian community blatantly showed their true colors. It’s not that they don’t agree with the original hate crimes (gender, race, etc.), only that ‘sexual preference’ not be included. Bigotry in action to the nth degree.
A Baptist Church near Asheville, N.C., is hosting a “Halloween book burning” to purge the area of “Satan’s” works, which include all non-King James versions of the Bible, popular books by many religious authors and even country music.
The website for the Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Canton, N.C., says there are “scriptural bases” for the book burning. The site quotes Acts 19:18-20: “And many that believed, came and confessed and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts, brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.”
Church leaders deem Good News for Modern Man, the Evidence Bible, the New International Version Bible, the Green Bible and the Message Bible, as well as at least seven other versions of the Bible as “Satan’s Bibles,” according to the website. Attendees will also set fire to “Satan’s popular books” such as the work of “heretics” including the Pope, Mother Teresa, Billy Graham and Rick Warren.
So they’re going to burn “Going Rogue” as well? And here I thought it didn’t come out until November. My bad.
Frightened people do frightening things.
Asheville is famous for its artisan district and has become quite the tourist area. It wouldn’t benefit the people of this Baptist church to PO the owners of businesses in that area. No income, no money for the church.
When I went with my friend to a Fundamental Easter retreat, I the only Bible I had was a Gideon Bible.
As soon as it was found out, it was taken from me and I never got it back. They should it was not a Christian Bible.
My mother is a conservative Republican and regular Limbaugh listener. We recently had a conversation wherein she tried to convince me that Christians are an oppressed minority. When we talked about the politicization of the evangelical movement and how they are trying to take over the government so they can tell me what to do, say and believe, she said that she did not believe that was such a bad thing. Then I had to explain to her that it would not be such a good idea for her to throw in her lot with the militant evangelicals.
She is a Catholic, you see, and was unaware that most evangelicals see Catholics as kin to satan worshippers. What is worse for her, she converted to Catholicism. Surely that would mean extra marks against her in the book of Christiness?
There is historical precedent to warn anyone who thinks they would like to see a religious authoritarian rule in this country. After the religious zealots take control, they then set about to make sure that everyone is on the same page. First they deal with the pagans and other heathens. Then they start sorting out their own folks to make sure they are all up to snuff. You never know if you’ll make the cut until the time comes…
Frank Schaeffer is an outspoken critic of the politicized Christian evangelical right. He sees the “End Times” movement as anti-Semitic. He fears that a right-wing terrorist might assassinate the President of the United States.
None of these talking points would be novel on the left, but Schaeffer is hardly a bleeding heart liberal. His father, Dr. Francis Schaeffer, is considered to be the godfather of the modern religious right movement. Schaeffer himself took up the family mission and became a prominent speaker and writer, promoting many of the sentiments that have given rise to the politically active, extremely well organized and zealous movement of today. He left the religious right in the 1980s, and was a Republican until 2000.
In an interview with Raw Story, Schaeffer — who has a new book coming out this month called Patience with God: Faith for People Who Don’t Like Religion (or Atheism) — discussed his concerns about the radicalization of the Christian right and the increasingly violent rhetoric he foresees turning into actual violence.
http://rawstory.com/2009/10/former-right-wing-leader-warns-of-religious-right-violence-anyone-can-be-killed/
“He sees the ‘End Times’ movement as anti-Semitic.”
I am not a Revelations scholar by any stretch, but isn’t there writing there which is interpreted by some that during the “End Times” there will a large scale conversion of Jews to Christianity? Is that the basis for this man’s interpretation of the movement being anti-Semitic?
My oldest and I were discussing something similar the other day. Christians seem to forget that Christ was a Jew.
My take on the above? Part of what you said, iggy, about the conversion. But I’ve always felt that Christians seem to be in competition with Jews. If God said Jews are the chosen people, then where does that leave Christians? Second best? I can’t think that sets well with many of them, setting up a need to best them in some way, leading to anti-Semitic? Could that be it?
The end of Bill Maher’s Religulous is about how some Christians are trying to make the End Times come about. The atomic bomb faction is in there, as well as the unstable Middle East. I didn’t find his view very far from the truth.
While I believe there will come a time when what we know as earth will be gone–more than likely caused by us–I don’t buy into the End Times stuff. But people have sure made lots of money over it!
I read the whole linked article and interview. He has many reasons to not like the politicized right. I would suggest reading it – it is long though.
That and those who do not covert will be killed by the Christians.
With today’s passing of a Senate health-care overhaul bill dampening right-wing morale, Republican activists are keeping up their spirits in hard times by focusing on the problems within their own party. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was ready to give a rallying speech to supporters in Greenville, South Carolina yesterday; instead, the senator faced heckling from a contingent of far-right protesters who believe he is too moderate for his own good.
http://rawstory.com/2009/10/graham-faces-wrath-of-right-wing-activists/
Seems the right wingers are so screwed up, their turning on their own kind. Talk about cannibalism in the face of adversity.
I never have understood the logic that some use, if they get what they want. Driving the Republicans from the party. Just how many do they think will be left in the party? That is kind of like the business owners in that small town in Oklahoma I lived in. They fought to keep people out of the town who did not own a business!
All I know is that in all things spiritual I consult the himself
http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/
opps should be the man himself
In reference to the book burning at the Asheville, NC Baptist Church.
We are talking about North Carolina and these people (the natives) are different. I remember from by Fundamental Baptist College days it was the kids from North Carolina that actually believed the Bible referred to black people as the beasts in the field.
So, anyone who actually believes that crap – will believe that burning books is okay.
Why does it seem to always be a Baptist church involved in this nonsense?
Lila,
Because Hitler burned the books on relativity by Jewish physicists, and persecuted Jewish scientists, his efforts to build a nuclear weapon were set back so far the program never really got off the ground.
While I am generally in favor of keeping information flowing freely, whatever the medium, burning books in the right circumstances does serve the function of keeping knowlege away from those who would misuse it.
Seems to me that anyone who opposes adding hate-crime status to gay-bashing is either a gay-basher himself or has children or friends who are. Why else would it be of concern?
Religious freedom? Unless your church preaches assault and battery and lynch-mob murders of those your church dislikes, why should you have a problem here?
I’ve already spent more time than I wish sitting in hospital waiting rooms wondering if a close friend was going to live or not. If a law such as this makes some macho yahoo think twice before taking a tire-iron to one of my friends whose sexual orientation upsets his notion of the way the world ought to be, then the effort to get it passed will have been well worth it!
Hi Jed! Thanks for stopping by. We all hope to see you more often!
Some very insightful insights.
Thanks to all for sharing.
I don’t have a lot of “up close and personal” contact with the religious right (praise the Lord on that one!), so the perspective is welcome.
One interesting connection: how both the religious right and the far-right of the GOP want to purge heretics.
And twisting that passage of Acts to justify book-burning is simple asinine.
Consider the source, when it comes to the twisting of the passage.