While they have not resorted to beheadings, rape and torture, American Christofascists share something in common with the monsters of ISIS. They hate others and point to selective phrases in the Bible - ISIS points to the Koran - to justify denigrating others and seeking to force others to conform to their sick, hate based form of religion. The rights of others must be subordinated to their beliefs. With the advance of LGBT civil rights, these haters are organizing to resist the equal rights and treatment of others. A piece in Christian News Wire - an outlet that values truth and veracity about as much as Fox News - looks at the efforts of pastors and "christian leaders" in Michigan to block non-discrimination laws for LGBT citizens. Here are some excerpts:
Hundreds of Michigan Pastors and Christian leaders gathered on the steps on the State Capital in Lansing, Michigan to hold a press conference in opposition to the growing movement within the Michigan Legislature to amend the State's Civil Rights Act- Elliott Larson- to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
"We, the undersigned Christian Pastors of the State of Michigan declare our opposition to adding sexual orientation, gender identity or other similar designation to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act." -- Pastor Doug Levesque, Immanuel Baptist Church, Corunna, Michigan, reading a pastor's joint statement.
The Pastors said that legislation in other states that were allegedly intended to protect homosexuals actually ended up discriminating against people of faith . . .
"The homosexual agenda is an anti-freedom movement which has led to the persecution of pastors and Christian business owners across the nation, whose freedom of speech and freedom of religion are being taken from them, under the guise of so called gay rights. There is nothing civil about that!"-- Minister Stacy Swimp, President, National Christian Leadership Council
"Those wanting special rights for sexual orientation are seeking to rewrite the traditional moral fiber of our society." -- Tim Berlin, senior pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Warren
"I don't know of another example of pastors' sermons being subpoenaed, except for in Nazi Germany and Communist Russia. I find it ironic that the first example of that happening in America is from the LGBT community." -- Pastor R.B. Ouelette, First Baptist, Bridgeport, Michigan.
The pastors asserted that the job of the Michigan Legislature is to affirm and uphold constitutionally protected freedom for everyone – including business owners – not pass laws that grant special favors, give special status or guarantee special protections for some while coercing and punishing others.
Swimp concluded, "Let there be no doubt that, if you should decide to go forward with this grave injustice, I, every born again believer I know, as well as every pastor you see here today, shall disobey your unjust law.
Yes, it's more of the Christian persecution myth and if anyone is guilty of persecuting others, it is the godly Christians and their fore-bearers who have used nonadherence to Christian belief in part to justify genocide against Native Americans. This law needs to be passed - indeed, an equivalent in every state - and the Christofascists need to be prosecuted if they put themselves above the law. These people are a menace.
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