Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Shooting at the Family Research Council - ALL violence (physical and spiritual) must be condemned

By now, you have probably heard what happened today at the headquarters of the Family Research Council.

Earlier today, a 28-year-old man came in pretending to be an intern. On his person, he had two guns. The security guard fought him and kept him from fully using these guns, at the expense of getting wounded.

According to reports, the young man committed this act because he disagreed with the Family Research Council's anti-gay stance.

First of all, let me say that I totally condemn what this young man did. Violence is never the answer. The security guard, who is in stable condition, is also in my prayers. He is a hero for what he did. Finally, I am glad that the situation did not get worse.

However, let me also say that while I condemn physical violence, I also condemn spiritual violence.

And in that respect, something must be said about the Family Research Council.

For years, many have said that stances and the language used by organizations like the Family Research Council against the gay community to defend these stances had the danger of empowering violent anti-gay behavior from those on the fringes of the right.

Now comes this new dynamic. It can also empower violent behavior from the fringes of the other side too.

The Family Research Council will have people to believe that it is an organization which simply stands up for family and morality. But we all know not to be true.

Somehow, consistently comparing gays to pedophiles or terrorists, claiming that gays in the military will molest their fellow officers, expressing a desire to deport gays or put them in jail, distorting studies to demonize gays, and all around falsely branding members of the gay community as the "dreaded other" which must be kept away from doesn't strike me as standing up for morality and truth.

Yet, these are the things which the Family Research Council has done. And it is also why the Southern Poverty Law Center called them an anti-gay hate group.

Of course now in the conservative circles, there seems to be a call for SPLC to rescind this designation.

I have to ask why.

Will the Family Research Council do some soul searching after what happened today? Will it publicly apologize for all the lies it has told on the gay community? Will leaders of the organization realize that their tone does more to inflame hatred from all sides rather than spread respect and understanding? Will they realize that maybe they should stop using junk science or distorting legitimate science against the gay community?

I doubt it. And it is for that reason that while I will freely pray for the organization after this awful incident, I will not give the Family Research Council  the satisfaction of me forgetting all of the things it has said and done to unfairly demonize me and my brothers and sisters in the name of its God.

As far as I am concerned, the Family Research Council is still a hate group. And that won't change in my mind unless the organization changes.



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'Lesbian Mother sues religious right, Cheerios arsonists dies' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Minister Found Guilty of Aiding Miller-Jenkins Kidnapping - A tiny bit of closure for Janet Jenkins because of the kidnapping of her daughter, Isabel. Of course a larger degree of closure would be for Jenkins to be reunited with her child. Let's pray that this happens.  

Lesbian Mom Of Kidnapped Daughter Files Organized Crime Suit Against Multiple Christian Organizations - And in the meantime, stick it to those SOBs who caused you so many problems, Ms. Jenkins. They had no right. The Liberty Counsel is one of these groups and check out what Matt Barber tweets. Matt, my dear, you are NOT being persecuted in the name of God.

 Fiery protester outside General Mills dies days later on family errand - THIS is a shock. The Cheerios arsonist has died. My prayers are with his family as he meets the Lord face to face.

 David Barton: Warren Throckmorton's moral compass like that of an adulterous congressman - David Barton - "I lied like a rug but since Warren Throckmorton likes them homosexuals, HE is the one without a moral compass." Okay. 

 Paul Ryan Refuses To Address Questions On Employment Nondiscrimination - It's YOUR move, Log Cabin Republicans. 


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NOM turns to chicken instead of facing the truth about its lies

Maggie Gallagher of NOM
Far be it from me to brand the National Organization for Marriage as an organization willing to exploit every perceived advantage to make a new dig against marriage equality (oh who am I kidding), but there is something bizarre about certain items on its blog:

Announcing Chick-fil-A Wednesdays!

Austin Ruse on Why Chick-fil-A is Important for the Pro-Marriage Revolution

Video: Gay Liberation Network Taunts Priest Praying Rosary Outside Chick-fil-A Inbox

Baptist Press: Chick-fil-A May Influence Gay Marriage Votes This Fall

Video: Chicago Chick-fil-A Kiss-In Protesters "Chalk" & Harass Homeless Person

Jerry Newcombe on Chick-fil-A and Orwellian Times

It's been over a week since the "Chick-Fil-A Chronicles," yet NOM seems to continue harping on the situation as if somehow it is seminal moment in American - nay - world history.

Meanwhile, that group of African-American pastors (the Coalition of African-American Pastors) it secretly underwrites (in a plan to sabotage Obama's African-American support) is catching HELL over the lie that it is non-partisan and how its president (William Owens) may have lied about his civil rights leader pedigree.

Also, the anti-gay parenting study it helped to promote continues to catch hell because of bias and new revelations that continues to call its author's credibility into question.

If I was involved with NOM, I would stick to the chicken, too.

It definitely beats facing the truth.



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