Don't feel too proud that we're a bit more liberal here, some of the backers of this hideous legislation are Americans; politicians who identify Christianity with conquest and total domination of society. You may have heard of them as "The Family" and this secretive, powerful and wealthy group isn't confining its efforts to make life miserable to the United States.
If author Jeff Sharlett is correct, the Christian Right group that's been in the news recently is giving financial support to this Hitleresque policy, if indeed, they didn't actually draft it.
"[The] legislator that introduced the bill, a guy named David Bahati, is a member of The Family," he said. "He appears to be a core member of The Family. He works, he organizes their Ugandan National Prayer Breakfast and oversees a African sort of student leadership program designed to create future leaders for Africa, into which The Family has poured millions of dollars working through a very convoluted chain of linkages passing the money over to Uganda"said Sharlett to Terry Gross at NPR. Is it any wonder to you that I cringe when I hear the word Christian? Is it any wonder that I snicker at the idea that Islam is the biggest danger to peace and justice and liberty?
Teh Gay are a threat to our way of life because if they're free to love each other, it makes my marriage less sacred. I'm not sure how that follows, but John Ensign says it's true and Dr. Laura says I shouldn't judge him for what he does, but rather for what he says.
ReplyDeleteTime to call The Family what they really are ... insurgents. Expose who they are and target them at the polls.
ReplyDeleteIt's scary to know that members of the US Congress actually belong to a cult. Republicans mostly, but also some Democrats. Is it just me, or does it seem like there are a lot of crazies in Congress?
ReplyDeleteIt appears Rick Warren, pastor the Saddleback Church, is also connected to this story:
ReplyDelete“Warren's on the defensive again, this time for his affiliation with Martin Ssempa, a Ugandan pastor who has endorsed proposed legislation in Uganda that makes certain homosexual acts punishable by life in prison or even, in some cases, death. Ssempa has made appearances at Saddleback … ”
Yes, there are, but make no mistake, these crazies are taking over Christianity the way they're taking over our secular Republic.
ReplyDeleteRick Warren, the "pastor" who delivered a speech at Obama's inauguration told Newsweek he supports this abomination. He calls his "church" Saddleback of course since his dream is to put a saddle on all our backs so he can ride us like animals.
You know, I'm always told that all Muslims are terrorist sympathizers since so few speak up against the horrors of their own fundamentalism, but so far Jesus must be pretty damned disappointed in the billions who stole his name and pissed on his teachings and made the world the miserable corrupt and evil place it continues to be. Where is their voice? Could it be they're too busy with their rituals and proclamations -- too busy playing victim while trying to victimize others -- too busy trying to get that get out of hell free card to give a shit about a slaughter of the innocents?
You're damned right.
Now Capt, please don't don't paint us all with such a broad brush.
ReplyDeleteI'm not gonna defend idiotic theology, but there are plenty of us "other" folk who come down a little to the Jim Wallis side of the ledger.
I'm not sure what you're saying or where you stand. Who is "us all?"
ReplyDeleteAnyone participating in the extermination of people for their beliefs deserves worse than I can give them. I don't think that's overly broad and I don't think you can be a little bit on the side of evil.
One can be seen as participating by failing to oppose and of course those sending money and support to those who do this sort of thing don't deserve to survive, but if you support just a little killing or a little persecution then you're not "other folk" at all, are you?
Let's burn only some of the witches and heretics -- let's gas only some of the Jews -- that's not what you're saying, is it? because your religious freedom stops dead where it starts taking away someone else's.
I always read my bloglist before I do a post so as not to repeat a friend, but this time I forgot cuz the story was so fascinating! I posted this story 5 minutes ago and am sick to my stomach about these so-called "christian" Americans. Evil bastards to put it mildly!
ReplyDeleteLets see, on Progressive Eruptions we have a post by Infidel about NOT grouping individuals...
ReplyDeleteDave Miller is a GREAT human being, a true Christian, and a fine upstanding liberal...
They do exist and they share the same disgust that you do Captian...
Captain, I know Dave and can vouch for him. As TAO describes: "Dave Miller is a GREAT human being, a true Christian, and a fine upstanding liberal..." All true. Lets not stereotype all persons of faith and lump them into the same category as The Family. That would be unjust.
ReplyDeleteThere are Christian Democrats out here, even in Alabama. The Democrats now have the "big tent" that way.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, the crazies are taking over, that's not an accusation of general insanity, but of course what constitutes a good or true Christian has been the basis for about 2000 years of bloody warfare. It depends on whom you ask. People have killed each other over minor points of ritual. People died over the question of whether a wedding ring was authorized by God.
ReplyDeleteWhat if I were to tell you I'm a "true" Klansman because I haven't actually harmed anyone even though I hate them black people and Catholics and so I'm not responsible for what those night riders have been doing? Do you buy that?
It's one thing to say you think sex between certain consenting adults is a "sin" and it's another to say that the concept of sin has validity in a secular society. The "Homosexual agenda" doesn't involve burning people at the stake or dragging them behind trucks or beating them to death, but for many very influential people and their followers, the Christian agenda in the US is involved with doing just that -- imposing church doctrines, taboos and medieval punishments on all of us. If you don't think that's right, then say something about it in public. Tell them murder isn't Christian, don't wash your hands and look the other way -- you have a responsibility beyond excusing yourself, since verbally condemning homosexuals, Jews, humanists, infidels and heretics cannot be separated from the actions that it inspires.
It's one thing to say "I'm a good Christian" and leave it at that but another to stand up and shout down these people, maybe even to take a personal risk, but as with any religion, people who identify with the ideas being misused; with the undefinable and amorphous category of "Christian" are reluctant to say anything or do anything that casts doubt on the overall goodness of the enterprise and some prefer to tell you how nice they are and how truly Christian and thus not responsible for what others do. You can't build a life and a church around telling others what to do while exempting other self-styled Christians.
Where is the roar of opposition to Billy Graham, Jerry Fallwell, Oral Roberts and the whole gang? Where are the people in the streets carrying signs or are they all too busy complaining about the War on Christmas and persecution by atheists?
If your beliefs center around other people's "sins" and preventing them from "sinning" you have to take some responsibility for dealing with people who take your ideas to the extreme. It's like disassociating yourself from Beck and Limbaugh while quietly telling yourself they do have a point and it's the Liberals ruining America and the Christians being persecuted.
It's impossible to tell exactly what Jesus taught or thought or would do, but as a rule of thumb if it involves killing people, especially for private consensual behavior, whoever preaches that stuff wouldn't likely get along with him. My reading is that there's a strong "mind your own damned business" element as concerns moral condemnations that has been buried under political ambition, murder, torture, genocide and persecution of all kinds of people for all kinds of heresy since year one. Still you'll hear far more from Christians of all sorts about how damnedly terrible humanists and atheists and agnostics are and how "sinful" -- and how gays go to hell and murderers go to heaven if they say the magic words.
Forgive me for smiling at anyone who says that hasn't been what churches and preachers have been teaching and practicing and calling themselves good Christians for doing it.
I’ve been following the Uganda story, too – it’s deeply unsettling, and if the connections alleged in the news be true, any “Christians” who support such evil, in my view, are the spiritual kindred of yesterday’s worst imperialists: might they be trying to export the violent enforcement/exploitation tactics they can’t practice directly in the home country to the so-called “Dark Continent,” where life is still fragile and so often considered cheap? The advantage would be that over there, those they brutalize and condemn in the name of their ideals might not be able to stop them. And the glory of it all? Well, that hardly anyone here would pay attention to the dreadful proceedings. “The horror, the horror!” I say with due irony….
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, “Commerce, Christianity, Civilization” to the fore.
Sarah Palin's Pastor Muthee would fit right in to that scenario - persecuting witches in Kenya because he can get away with it there and he'd go to jail for it here, even in Alaska where they're thrilled to hear about it. I won't comment further on the crime of opposing condoms in Africa for Christian reasons, but it does look like Africa is a private hunting preserve. They're running out of elephants and rhinos and cheetas, but there are plenty of sick and hungry and helpless humans and it's a lot safer to hunt them from a pulpit or a blog or a radio show.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure, but I suspect there might be some cynicism abroad when we present ourselves as the moral leaders of the world -- of course I could be wrong.