-
Ethiopia: Religious Groups Making ‘Progress’ Toward Capital Punishment For Homosexuality
Evangelical groups are spreading anti-gay hate in Ethiopia causing a climate of moral panic and forcing the LGBT community to flee the country.
A death penalty against homosexuality may be introduced soon in Ethiopia, according to anti-gay organizations that ran a recent workshop on the topic.
The workshop, dealt with the social ‘evils’ and ‘disastrous’ effects of homosexuality in Ethiopia, and was led by United for Life Ethiopia, a Western Evangelical organization with local representation.
Government officials, religious leaders, leading heath professionals, charities and members of the public attended the event at the Bethel Teaching Hospital in Addis Ababa, last week.
In the workshop police alleged ‘homosexual family members and neighbors’ have sexually abused 117 boys last year.
Participants agreed that the Western gay motto ‘born this way’ is unacceptable to Ethiopia, stating that not only has homosexuality nothing to do with nature, but the ‘condition’ runs against it.
A representative, from the Ethiopian Inter-Religious Council Against Homosexuality (EICAH) organization, underlined to workshop participants that gayness is not natural and has nothing to do with human rights, but ‘a result of a result of inappropriate upbringing, identity crisis and moral decay.
‘So we have to work hard to teach our children the bible and ethics and also protect our nation from the dirty western imposed culture of homosexuality.’
Sultan Muhe, chair of Bright Children Voluntary Association (BCVA) testified that as a child he was gang-raped, an experience that ‘made him’ gay as well as a sex worker.
Muhe also stated that he was now cured (ex-gay) and now campaigns for others to be ‘healed’, stating: ‘Homosexuality should be discouraged by whatever means and the government should do whatever it takes to stop it.’
At the conclusion of the workshop, the EICAH representative stated that the council is ‘making progress’ in convincing the government to be stricter on homosexuality and introduce the death penalty to punish ‘such acts’.
The ECIAH representative added that prospects for capital punishment being legislated against gays ‘seems promising’.
-
"Praying is, of course, meant to convey piety and sincerity and concern. But the intended piety is betrayed by the public judgment – that Driscoll assumes to know, with almost complete certainty (enough certainty to tweet, at least) – the unsaved state of the President’s soul. It is betrayed by the sheer pride of such an accusation; the palpable rush of superiority and arrogance amidst the words. The piety is further betrayed by the implication, clear to anyone familiar with Pastor Mark’s inhumane position on hell – that Obama is currently an object of God’s wrath fitted for eternal fire, barring any unforeseen change before death. Most obviously, the change from liberal to conservative, Democrat to Republican. Because, after all, this is an inherently political statement about inherently political things; which means the piety is even further betrayed by the clear assertion of power. The truth, then, of the tweet becomes clear: that Pastor Mark wants his audience to think, to know, and to live according to the prideful judgment that the President is bound for hell because of his political views, and, thus, that someone else ought to be in power. This is, essentially, dehumanization. Obama is declared to be the Church’s political enemy in this well-timed Inauguration Day tweet. As such, he is to be pitied and opposed, if not scorned; after all, God probably hates him, and will likely send him to hell. And the watching world knows one thing beyond the shadow of a doubt: that this is definitely not the thing that every evangelical, Driscoll included, claims to believe in, namely, love."
-
False Messengers - the proverbial wolves in woolen suits…
Obama’s re-election, indisputably, concisely, single handedly…disproves god…or, at the very least, proves conclusively that all those insane god-pretenders who claim to speak on behalf of god…are liars, frauds, and charlatans.
This further means that everything else they proclaim as god’s views…against gays, or Pro-Choice, or evolution, or health care for all, or for the marriage of state and church, is also just their own personal bigotry, and not from “god”!
Not only did the right wing Christian conservatives go all out to hurt the average American, with their hell bent obsession to try and deny Obama a second term, claiming that god wanted them to stand for election, or take a stand against Obama…they all failed, and got their ‘god-given’ election result predictions completely wrong.
Biblically…they should all be stoned to death as false prophets!! (Note: I condone nothing in the primitive, immoral bible) (Deuteronomy 18 v 20 “But a person who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a person who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death. 21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD ?” 22 If what a person proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken.” Also: Matt 7:15 “”Watch out for false messengers of God. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves”)
Further:
“In January, televangelist Pat Robertson told 700 Club viewers that in his annual New Year’s “conversation” with God, the Almighty had revealed to him who the next president would be. Up through Election Day, Robertson harshly criticized President Obama and the Democratic Party while praising Mitt Romney. Then, Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network predicted a GOP sweep, leaving Robertson utterly confounded by Obama’s victory.”
Watch Pat’s bewilderment… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF14lBHrQaU&feature=player_embedded
Right Wing Watch does a great job keeping an eye on the stupidity and hate speech of old white Christian (mainly) men see: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/robertson-admits-blew-election-prediction
Bonus:
Benny Hinn gets it wrong time after time…
see http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fWXTyLDnqwo#!
-
How The Bible began saying life begins at conception
Evangelical anti-abortion advocacy rests on a surprisingly flimsy foundation. And exposing that fact makes establishment evangelical leaders nervous.
-
Evolution Beats Creationism in South Korea Textbook Battle
There’s been a victory for sense and science in South Korea, as the government there has rejected calls to drop references to the evolution of birds from the national school curriculum.
As previously reported on Wired.co.uk, pressure group Society for Textbook Revise had managed to persuade textbook publishers to drop sections from their books that discussed the evolution of horses and the Jurassic-era early avian-like dinosaur Archaeopteryx.
Now, however, a special panel convened by the South Korean government has recommended that the publishers ignore the creationists’ arguments — which should mean that textbooks reintroduce the old segments before the start of the next school year.
The argument of the Society for Textbook Revise — an offshoot of the Korea Association for Creation Research — rested on there being debate among evolutionary scientists over whether Archaeopteryx could fly, or glide, or merely had feathers for decoration. This disagreement was extrapolated to cast doubt on the whole evolutionary history of birds.
In response, South Korea’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology set up a panel experts to assess the campaign’s claims. They disagreed that their Archaeopteryx objection was a valid argument, and said it should remain in the textbooks. The campaign group also claimed that a section on the evolution of the horse was too simplistic, which the panel agreed with — but they have merely recommended replacing it with a more thorough explanation, or a new section on the evolution of another animal like the whale.
Creationism is a growing issue in South Korea, which has experienced a surge in evangelical Christianity over the past few decades — over 20 percent of South Koreans claim some kind of Christian faith as of 2005, and a 2009 survey found 41 percent of those asked said they didn’t think there was sufficient evidence to support evolution as a theory.
-
This is a seriously good question. How it is possible to mistranslate inerrant words?
I love this man’s books.
Thank you. Your comment inspired me to put some of them on my reading list. :)
(Source: athenostic, via darwinsminion)
-
How Christian fundamentalists plan to teach genocide to schoolchildren
Good News Clubs’ evangelism in schools is already subverting church-state separation. Now they justify murdering nonbelievers.
The Bible has thousands of passages that may serve as the basis for instruction and inspiration. Not all of them are appropriate in all circumstances.The story of Saul and the Amalekites is a case in point. It’s not a pretty story, and it is often used by people who don’t intend to do pretty things. In the book of 1 Samuel (15:3), God said to Saul:Now go, attack the Amalekites, and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.How incredibly disconcerting. There must be a way to combat the spread of this CEF/Good News Club bullshit in public schools. If anyone has an idea on how to fight this menace, I’d love to hear it.
-
- You say: I believe in a personal God.
- I hear: I have an awesome imaginary friend.
-
High ResolutionConservatives: Let’s not take the term ‘pro-life’ too seriously.
A green evangelical group won’t bow to conservative anti-abortion-rights leaders or Republicans who are pressuring them to stop casting support for new EPA pollution rules as a “pro-life” position.
The Environmental Evangelical Network (EEN) is under attack from the religious right over its campaign in favor of EPA’s new restrictions on mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants — rules the EEN calls vital to protecting the health of the unborn.
Alexei Laushkin, an EEN spokesman, said in an interview Thursday that the group won’t back off the way it frames support for the rules issued late last year.
“We believe protecting the unborn from mercury poisoning is a consistent pro-life position,” Laushkin said. “An issue that impacts the unborn – that’s where we resonate as a pro-life organization.”
According to the report, EEN is now “under attack from Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser and a suite of other prominent religious conservatives.” The problem? It seems they’re spending too much time giving a damn about babies after they’re born.
“The ‘life’ in ‘pro-life’ denotes not the quality of life, but life itself,” said Republican Rep. John Shimkus. “The term denotes opposition to a procedure that intentionally results in dead babies.”
Sick babies — who also happen to be actually and not the hypothetically alive — that’s fine. No problem. Once you’re born, you’re on your own. Get a job, slacker.
As George Carlin said about anti-choice right-wingers: “If you’re pre-born, you’re fine. If you’re pre-school, you’re fucked.” — Ryking
(via diadoumenos)
-
High ResolutionYOUR GOD IS MY GOD- What Mitt Romney Could Say to Win the Republican Nomination
By Sam Harris
Governor Mitt Romney has yet to persuade the religious conservatives in his party that he is fit to be President of the United States. However, he could probably appease the Republican base and secure his party’s nomination if he made the following remarks prior to the South Carolina Primary: My fellow Republicans,
I would like to address your lingering concerns about my candidacy. Some of you have expressed doubts about my commitment to a variety of social causes—and some have even questioned my religious faith. Tonight, I will speak from the heart about the values that unite us.
First, on the subject of gay rights, let me make my position perfectly clear: I am as sickened by homosexuality as any man or woman in this country. It is true that I wrote a letter in 1994 where I said that “we must make equality for gays and lesbians a mainstream concern,” and for this I have been mocked and pilloried, especially by Evangelicals. But ask yourselves, what did I mean by “equality”? I meant that all men and women must be given an equal chance to live a righteous life. Yes, I once reached out to the Log Cabin Republicans—the gays in our party. Many people don’t know that there are gay Republicans, but it is true. Anyway, in a letter to this strange group, I pledged to do more for gay rights than Senator Edward Kennedy ever would.
Well, Senator Kennedy is now deceased—so I don’t have to do much to best him and keep my promise. But, more to the point, ask yourselves, what did I mean by “rights”? I meant that every man and woman has a right to discover the love of Jesus Christ and win life eternal. What else could I have meant? Seriously. What could be more important than eternal life? Jesus thought we all had a right to it. And I agree with him. And I think we should amend our Constitution to safeguard this right for everyone by protecting the sanctity of marriage.
I don’t have to tell you what is at stake. If gays are allowed to marry, it will debase the institution for the rest of us and perhaps loosen its bonds. Liberals scoff at this. They wonder how my feelings for my wife Ann could be diminished by the knowledge that a gay couple somewhere just got married. What an odd question.
On abortion—some say I have changed my views. It is true that I once described myself as “pro-choice.” But again, ask yourselves, what did I mean? I meant that every woman should be free to make the right choice. What is the right choice? To have as many children as God bestows. I once visited the great nation of Nigeria and a met woman who was blessed to have had 24 children—fully two-thirds of which survived beyond the age of five. The power of God is beyond our understanding. And this woman’s faith was a sight to behold.
Finally, I would like to address the scandalous assertion, once leveled by the Texas Pastor, Robert Jeffress, that my church—the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—is “a cult.” In fairness, he almost got that right—the LDS Church is a culture. A culture of faith and goodness and reverence for God Almighty. Scientology is a cult—this so-called religion was just made up out of whole cloth by the science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. But the teachings of my Church derive directly from the prophetic experience of its founder, Joseph Smith Jr., who by the aid of sacred seer stones, the Urim and Thummim, was able to decipher the final revelations of God which were written in reformed Egyptian upon a set golden plates revealed to him by the angel Moroni. Many of you are probably unfamiliar with this history—and some of you may even doubt its truth.
I am now speaking to the base of our party, to the 60 percent who believe that God created this fine universe, and humanity in its present form, at some point in the last 10,000 years. Let me make one thing absolutely clear to you: I believe what you believe. Your God is my God. I believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah and the Son of God, crucified for our sins, and resurrected for our salvation. And I believe that He will return to earth to judge the living and the dead. But my Church offers a further revelation: We believe that when Jesus Christ returns to earth, He will return, not to Jerusalem, or to Baghdad, but to this great nation—and His first stop will be Jackson County, Missouri. The LDS Church teaches that the Garden of Eden itself was in Missouri! Friends, it is a marvelous vision. Some Christians profess not to like this teaching. But I ask you, where would you rather the Garden of Eden be, in the great state of Missouri or in some hellhole in the Middle East?
In conclusion, I want to assure you all, lest there be any doubt, that I share your vision for this country and for the future of our world. Some say that we should focus on things like energy security, wealth inequality, epidemic disease, global climate change, nuclear proliferation, genocide, and other complex problems for which scientific knowledge, rational discussion, and secular politics are the best remedy. But you and I know that the problem we face is deeper and simpler and far more challenging. Since time immemorial humanity has been misled by Satan, the Father of Lies.
I trust we understand one another better now. And I hope you know how honored I will be to represent our party in the coming Presidential election. God bless this great land, the United States of America.
-
High Resolution‘Evangelicals Flocking Toward Newt Gingrich’ (To read the story, click image or here; For a related video, click here http://christiannightmares.tumblr.com/post/13051767352/newt-gingrich-to-occupy-wall-street-go-get-a-job)
Vote for me or the secular jihadists will getcha! Is it any wonder why they would flock to him?
-
There are people in this country who belong to fundamentalist Christian religious groups and who believe that they have the right (and perhaps the duty) to run your life.
Special Delivery: Fourteen Writers Remind Jim Wallis That The Religious Right Is A Real Problem
By Rob Boston
Some folks would like to pretend that these people don’t exist, or that they are a fringe group that can be easily dismissed. Some evangelicals are embarrassed by the antics of politically active, extreme fundamentalists, but instead of standing up to them, they’ve decided instead to criticize those of us who write about the Religious Right.
…People like Fred Clarkson, Rachel Tabachnick, Adele Stan, myself and others write about this. We believe people ought to know what’s going on. None of us believes that the United States is on the verge of becoming a Christian fundamentalist theocracy out of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, but we realize that what could happen (and indeed is happening) is bad enough: Your gay neighbors lose their rights. A girl who has been raped finds it difficult to get a legal abortion. Your tax money is plowed into religious schools that teach things you find offensive. A giant cross is erected in a public park. Your kid gets a lousy science education in public school…
[FULL STORY] -
“You can’t win a GOP Primary
without the backing of the 25% of Americans who believe in a literal 6 day creation, think that Gay people choose to be Gay, and believe everyone except them will go to Hell when they die, because they didn’t ask Jesus to accept them.”
~ Frank Schaeffer
Minor nit: The precise number is 27%.
-
NPR - Evangelicals Question The Existence Of Adam And Eve
This debate over a historical Adam and Eve is not just another heady squabble. It’s ripping apart the evangelical intelligentsia.
Polls by Gallup and the Pew Research Center find that four out of 10 Americans believe this account. It’s a central tenet for much of conservative Christianity, from evangelicals to confessional churches such as the Christian Reformed Church.
But now some conservative scholars are saying publicly that they can no longer believe the Genesis account.
Does this mean creationists can knock it off now?
-
"Fundamentalists have no interest in history, culture or social or linguistic differences. They are a remarkably uncurious, self-satisfied group. Anything outside their own narrow bourgeois life, petty concerns and physical comforts bores them. They are provincials. They do not investigate or seek to understand the endemic flaws in human nature. The only thing that matters is the coming salvation of humanity, or at least that segment of humanity they deem worthy of salvation. They peddle a route to assured collective deliverance. And they sanction violence and the physical extermination of other human beings to get there."
Divine Irony
is a rich archive of religious delusions, scientific truths and political implications.
"Tell people there’s an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure."
-George Carlin
“If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed”.
-Albert Einstein
