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02/20/2009
False claims? Fear-mongering? Dodging the real issue? It must be a 'pro-fam' hate crimes discussion!
Watch between 1:17 and 6:15. Focus on the Family's Tom Minnery and Stuart Shepard are lying through their teeth AND THEY KNOW IT:
Okay, so the implication is that any criminal in the world can say that their faith leader preached against homosexuality, and that that alone can be used to punish pastors. TOTAL BULLCRAPPY! Obviously, no law enforcement official is going to investigate a pastor unless there is some sort of reason to do so. Preaching that homosexuality is against God's will? While it may be short-sighted and offensive, it's not an instigation of violence. There is no valid reason to assume that it will be seen as such, and they know this. They have just stopped listening to any facts that are inconvenient to their dogma.
Criminals are free to pin blame on whoever they want, and some of them very well might try to use their preacher's teachings as a reason why they hurt or killed a gay person. Hell, they might try to use their third grade teacher, their pet gerbil, or Santa Claus. But unless any of those people, pets, or Christian children's fairy tales have actually done something wrong, then they have no worry! If preachers are comfortable that they are encouraging love rather than violence, then they should have no fear!
Another issue: The "pro-family" stance gives a complete pass to anyone who happens to be a religious leader. This is EXTREMELY dangerous. What if there is a pastor who genuinely hates gays and wants to see them dead? What if there is a pastor who is quite literally telling his or her congregants to murder anyone who seems 'moey? What is a reverend's version of LGBT reverence involves quite literally beating them a ten Bible? It's a possibility! But to hear Focus on the Family tell it, all preachers everywhere are above the law by virtue of their chosen career path. This notions is dangerous not only to gays, but to ANYONE who might suffer at the hands of a violence-prone faith leader!
And of course like all "pro-family" people, Tom and Stuart COMPLETELY OVERLOOK THE PEOPLE WHO THIS BILL IS MEANT TO PROTECT! In the most self-absorbed of fashions, they make this all about evangelicals. They don't consider the real and demonstrable problem of anti-gay hate crimes. To them, the real problem is this "haul preachers into court" red herring (that has no basis in truth)! And Tom Minnery is quite honest about his posse having no desire to even work with congress to appease some of their fears. Their desire is to kill any and every protection, right, or benefit that helps LGBT people, without any concern about those who are quite literally being killed!
They say that what is said in the pulpit is sacrosanct -- but what about gay lives?! They say they don't want their religious teachings inhibited -- but what about the Lawrence Kings of the world who have had their lives inhibited by a bullet? They say they don't want gays to have "special rights" -- but what about the protections that already protect them on the basis of their chosen religious beliefs? And perhaps most disturbingly: They have self-appointed themselves as the team of goodness and morality -- but what about the fact that they will lie, misrepresent, and confuse their base with fear in order to achieve their desired outcome?
Christian Conservative Leaders Stay Positive [FOF CitizenLink]
Your thoughts
"Tom and Stuart COMPLETELY OVERLOOK THE PEOPLE WHO THIS BILL IS MEANT TO PROTECT!"
But that is their purpose. They know that the only way they can defeat this bill is by making it about an attack on them. Their premise is entirely baseless. And even in their own minds, they know that it is a lie. But the truth doesn't benefit their agenda.
If the lying liars can recast the issue as an attack against them (which it isn't), then they can confuse the hordes who listen to them into believing that they should oppose the bill. A bill that has no purpose other than to increase protections for the group of people that they most love to hate.
California has had LGBT inclusive hate crimes legislation for many years, and there has never been an incident where a religious leader has been harassed for teaching that homosexuality is a sin. AND THEY DO IT ALL OF THE TIME! Just think Warren. Even when the mongrel-esque disciples of the Watchmen on the Walls hate-group brutally attack those they perceive as being gay, the hateful leadership that incited the felons is untouchable.
And, if there ever were an incident in the US where a religious leader was hauled off to prison for violating hate-crimes legislation by inciting hatred ... (just let me revel in that thought for a minute - what a great world that would be - but back to reality) ... then these morons would never again need to refer to the hypothetical. They would refer to the actual cases. And, there are none.. or, perhaps, at least none that they want to be identified with.
Posted by: Dick Mills | Feb 21, 2009 1:14:44 AM
Don't the current hate crimes statutes cover crimes committed on the basis of a persons actual or perceived religion? I guess it's easy to oppose equal rights for others when your rights are already protected.
Posted by: Eric | Feb 23, 2009 12:31:48 AM
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