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05/22/2011
NY's chief anti-equality lobby: Homosexuality is 'perverted & twisted,' will lead to 'destruction of your immortal soul'
Today in churches cross the state of New York, congregants of who knows how many houses of worship are opening up their paper bulletins. In doing so, these inquisitive churchgoers might learn that Janie Sue is finally marrying that old holdout Bobby Joe, with a lovely ceremony scheduled for August. Or they might be reminded that, if planning to attend tonight's church social, they are to bring a covered dish large enough to serve 25-30 hungry people (disposable dishes preferable). And of course in most of these bulletins there will be the usual rundown of hymns and devotionals, the likes of which will hopefully provide each of the faithful followers with some sense of comfort in this shared world that we call Earth. You know: The usual church bulletin this and that.
Oh, but wait, I almost forgot: Many of New York's faithful will also be greeted with these following pieces o' anti-gay "charm":
CHURCH BULLETIN INSERT for NY
[SOURCE]
Yup, that's correct -- The above are bulletin inserts that the New Yorker's Family Research Foundation, working in tandem with their national overseers at the Family Research Council, have offered up to willing takers. So once again, in yet another state, we have churches. Lobbying. On the Sabbath. Via an interconnected bulletin system, coordinated by a D.C. special interest group (FRC). All in order to oppose *CIVIL* marriage equality, must we remind you?
Oh, but wait -- there's more! NYRF is also providing so-called "Sermon Starters" to churches, wherein they encourage NY pastors to deny that homosexuality is genetic, instead constituting a "choice" that will lead to the "destruction of your immortal soul":
[SOURCE]
The "Sermon Starter" also goes full-out condemnatory (and dated) against LGBT-inclusive entertainment:
[SOURCE]
All with an overarching theme that says gays will inevitably bring about the destruction of New York/ America/ the world:
And guess what? They've even put the darn thing into a Powerpoint file, for those more business-minded pastors who happen to work well with overhead projectors:
[SOURCE]
Isn't that just so handy?!
Yes, kiddos: *THIS* is our opposition group in New York state. The group that gets tons of press from mainstream outlets. The group that's currently touring around the state in a bus, putting on the "it's just about marriage" mask for an unsuspecting, civilly-minded public. The group that aggressively lobbies in Albany against both marriage and civil unions. The group that egregiously deletes comments from married New Yorkers who try to talk civil rights sense to their lies. The group that the local media presents as just a mere voice of dissent, with the all out war against gay people's sexual orientations somehow positioned as an equal counterpoint to the pro-equality, constitutionally-focused crowd's own civil-rights-based arguments.
For the love of church/state separation: When are the complacent among us going to wake up and defend their country against these faith overreaches?!
***
*REMINDER: This is the same group whose leader, Rev. Jason McGuire, has likened marriage equality to child abuse, blamed this whole fight on Satan, and claimed that he's in this to save people like Sen. Tom Duane and Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell (both gay) from "an eternity in Hell":
Here he is likening same-sex marriage to child abuse before going on a wholly Biblically-based tangent for why he opposes *CIVIL* marriage equality for a career:
"When a child grows up under an abusive father,
it is very difficult for the child to grow up to understand
a loving heavenly father. My fear is that what
happens culturally, with the issue of same-sex marriage, is...
a generation from now we look back
and it will be that much more difficult for a
generation of young people that have grown up
to look back and recognize the relationship between
Christ and the church."
SOURCE:
2011.03.27 Rev. Jason McGuire, CEO
[Big Flats Wesleyan Church of Elmira, NY]
And here he is blaming this whole conversation on Satan himself:
"Your ultimate enemy is a spiritual enemy -- Satan.
That's where this lie is coming from"
SOURCE:
2011.03.27 Rev. Jason McGuire, CEO
[Big Flats Wesleyan Church of Elmira, NY]
And ultimately: admitting the ultimate goal of "saving" lawmakers from an eternity in hell:
"When we're talking about a Senator Duane
or an Assemblyman O'Donnell who's sponsoring same-sex marriage,
we're not only talking about a legislator
that is taking a position against God's word,
but a legislator who, if they die without Jesus Christ,
dies without a home in Heaven and an eternity in Hell"
[SOURCE: FLN News, 4/16/09]
SOURCE:
2011.03.27 Rev. Jason McGuire, CEO
[Big Flats Wesleyan Church of Elmira, NY]