Susan Jacoby has a piece in the Washigton Post that takes a good look at the homophobia and backward medical thinking that has been exported to Africa by both American Christianists and the Vatican. She also looks at the deafening silence of Obama's BFF, Rick Warren in regard to proposals to execute gays in Uganda. In sum, it makes a stunning record of religion as evil. I do try to not be resoundingly anti-religion, but it is difficult at times not to be. Sadly, the rational and "good Christians" if you will are all too silent too much of the time and allow the principal message of Christianity to be one of hate and exclusion. Indeed, as Frank Schaeffer said in his blog post that I quoted yesterday, it seems the field is most often yielded to the modern day Pharisees who the media lacks the guts to expose for the nasty individuals they are in reality. Here are some highlights:*
The bill was introduced in the Uganda legislature in October after a visit by U.S. Christian conservatives who promote therapy to “convert” gays to heterosexuality. Since then, many more liberal Catholic, evangelical, and other Protestant leaders have denounced the bill—including Jim Wallis of Sojourners and Ronald Siders, president of Evangelicals for Social Action. Pastor Rick Warren, however—yes, the Rick Warren who spoke at President Obama’s inauguration—declined to comment when offered the opportunity by Newsweek’s Lisa Miller and NBC’s David Gregory on “Meet the Press.” . . . What can and should be done, by political leaders as well as private groups, to marginalize so-called religious figures who stay silent on such matters?
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The Uganda legislation is important not only because of its particular harshness and moral lunacy (imagine equating living with HIV and same-sex rape!) but because the spread of AIDS in Africa is one of the most serious public health threats in the world. Other countries, such as Nigeria and Rwanda, are also considering new anti-gay laws. There is a particular irony in Rwanda’s consideration of such a law, given that Rwanda is one of the countries whose own women have been victims of mass rape by soldiers and whose soldiers have participated in mass rapes in Congo. How about a law promoting life imprisonment for all men, heterosexual or homosexual, committing rape against either women or men?
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It should be said that the role played by the Vatican and Protestant Christian conservatives in light of the AIDS crisis in Africa has been destructive, in that the religious conservatives’ attacks on condom use—and moral condemnation of homosexuality itself—have provided reinforcement for the most retrograde African attitudes toward gays. Scott Lively, a California-based evangelical preacher and author of the charmingly titled book “The Pink Swastika,” told The Huffington Post that the Ugandan bill went too far but added, “I agree with the general goal.”
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One can only hope that President Obama will have the sense never to invite Rick Warren to appear at any government function again.
The bill was introduced in the Uganda legislature in October after a visit by U.S. Christian conservatives who promote therapy to “convert” gays to heterosexuality. Since then, many more liberal Catholic, evangelical, and other Protestant leaders have denounced the bill—including Jim Wallis of Sojourners and Ronald Siders, president of Evangelicals for Social Action. Pastor Rick Warren, however—yes, the Rick Warren who spoke at President Obama’s inauguration—declined to comment when offered the opportunity by Newsweek’s Lisa Miller and NBC’s David Gregory on “Meet the Press.” . . . What can and should be done, by political leaders as well as private groups, to marginalize so-called religious figures who stay silent on such matters?
*
The Uganda legislation is important not only because of its particular harshness and moral lunacy (imagine equating living with HIV and same-sex rape!) but because the spread of AIDS in Africa is one of the most serious public health threats in the world. Other countries, such as Nigeria and Rwanda, are also considering new anti-gay laws. There is a particular irony in Rwanda’s consideration of such a law, given that Rwanda is one of the countries whose own women have been victims of mass rape by soldiers and whose soldiers have participated in mass rapes in Congo. How about a law promoting life imprisonment for all men, heterosexual or homosexual, committing rape against either women or men?
*
It should be said that the role played by the Vatican and Protestant Christian conservatives in light of the AIDS crisis in Africa has been destructive, in that the religious conservatives’ attacks on condom use—and moral condemnation of homosexuality itself—have provided reinforcement for the most retrograde African attitudes toward gays. Scott Lively, a California-based evangelical preacher and author of the charmingly titled book “The Pink Swastika,” told The Huffington Post that the Ugandan bill went too far but added, “I agree with the general goal.”
*
One can only hope that President Obama will have the sense never to invite Rick Warren to appear at any government function again.
*
One can also hope that the spineless MSM will cease giving Warren opportunities to pontificate. Warren is a bloated, pompous, hateful ass who needs to be shunned by the media and Obama.
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