Wingnuts Hyperventilate Over DADT Vote

From monitoring various "pro-family" and "Christian" organizations for more than a decade, one common theme with these groups is that the truth has nothing to do with the deliberately false and denigrating information they disseminate. Be it non-Christians, immigrants - or the favorite target of all, gays - there truly is no limit to the lies and viciousness of these self-congratulatory bigots. Standing amongst the most homophobic of these blowhards is Robert Knight who has bounced from one Christianist organization to another, generally holding some title that helps maintain his faux expert image. Indeed, from my personal interactions and exchanges with Knight, I will not be the least surprised when he gets exposed as the next George "Rentboy" Rekers. No one is THAT hysterical about TEH GAYS unless they've got some truly serious issues going on in terms of their own sexuality. Needless to say, the recent DADT repeal vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee has Knight in hysteria overdrive. Here are some highlights from Knight's rant at OneNewsNow:
*
Barney Frank and his friends are rolling their tanks through Congress while everyone is talking about something else. As we reel from one crisis to the next, homosexual activists and their allies are muscling through their agenda, with nary a peep from the nation's conservative talking heads.
*
This week, their target is the military. Soon, it will be passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would criminalize traditional morality in every workplace with 15 or more employees. After that, they will try to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act. Finally, they aim to pass an "anti-bullying" law that will threaten schools with losing federal funds if they refuse to force kids to read Heather Has Two Mommies and Gloria Goes to Gay Pride. The agenda is breathtakingly ambitious, and would be unimaginable to previous generations.
*
These radical laws would be a watershed moment for socialists, who are at war with family and religion as impediments to a growing state. The pansexual Left senses triumph now for two reasons:
*
First, the Obama-manufactured crisis-a-day has people terrified about where the economy is headed. The sheer magnitude of government takeovers and spending is dominating the Tea Party movement, and in fact, everybody.
*
Second, homosexual activists and their media enablers have "jammed" the public debate. Hollywood, educators and the media continually deny the truth about homosexuality – that while all people are made in God's image and are entitled to basic human rights – homosexuality is not in-born, is changeable, and is dangerous to the health and well being of individuals, families and communities. The militant advancement of gay activism poses the greatest threat to the freedoms of religion, assembly and speech within our borders.
*
The gravity of allowing open homosexuality in the military cannot be overstated. It has the potential of destroying the all-volunteer force by discouraging recruitment and retention and shattering unit morale. Chaplains would find themselves muzzled on basic questions of morality and many would leave the services. Recruits would undergo pro-homosexual "sensitivity" training. The already troubling problem of sexual misconduct would increase.
*
From misreporting junk science about non-existent "gay genes," to bashing people who believe that some behavior is simply wrong and unhealthy, the media are a fully owned subsidiary of the gay activist movement.
*
Note how Knight projects the Christianist agenda onto the LGBT community. If any group using "junk science" and is a threat to the freedoms of religion, assembly and speech it's Knight and his fellow Bible beating brethren. My advice to Knight - which I have shared with him before: rent and escort, have some hot gay sex that you want so badly, and get over it.

Voice of Christian Youth America Dumps Janet Porter

What a week!! Janet Folger Porter has literally made a career out of demonizing gays and pushing a Christo-fascist agenda aimed at meddling in the sexual affairs and religious beliefs of other citizens. Here's a brief chronological run down: For nine years she was the Legislative Director of Ohio Right to Life (1988-1997). From there, she served as the National Director for the Center for Reclaiming America (1997-2002), founded by rabidly anti-gay Coral Ridge Ministries' founder, the late D. James Kennedy. At Coral Ridge, Folger/Porter helped devise the use of gay-bashing and the threat of the "gay agenda" as a Christianist fund raising tool. From Coral Ridge, she started her own entity, Faith2Action, another organization seeking to destroy religious freedom for other citizens not subscribing to her particularly ego centric religious beliefs, to continue living off of fear instilled in the gullible. During this process, she has been peddling a daily radio program on Christian networks and individual stations. She also has been writing a weekly column for World Net Daily, a/k/a WingNutDaily.
*
Along this journey, Folger/Porter has become more and more delusional and hostile to other religious faiths and belief traditions. Now, she's apparently too crazy even for Voice of Christian Youth America ("VCY"). As Right Wing Watch is reporting, VCY has dumped Folger/Porter's show. It seems her increasingly unrestrained dominionist theology was just too much. Here are highlights from Right Wing Watch:
*
Janet Porter of Faith 2 Action had become increasingly involved in "dominion" theology, the idea that Christians are called to take complete control over every aspect of human life in order to bring about the return of Christ.
*
There is something called "7 Mountains" theology that sets out seven specific aspects of the national culture that Christians are supposed to retake and this "7 Mountains" theology was at the very center of Porter's May Day prayer rally at the Lincoln Memorial over that weekend. Organizers had been preparing for as many as 8,0000 to attend but no more than a few hundred actually showed up, leading speakers to plead with those in attendance to make sizable donations to help defray the $70,000 cost of putting on the event.
*
I was listening to VCY America, which carries Porter's daily radio program, in order to hear how she would spin this epic failure ... but instead of hearing Porter's program begin at 2:00 pm as scheduled, I heard instead a statement from VCY America's Vic Eliason announcing that they would no longer be carrying or supporting her program due to her increasing involvement with dominion theology . . . Elisaon explains that they had repeatedly warned Porter about her dominionism to no avail, thus forcing them to sever their ties with her and her program.
*
One can only hope that more of the Christianist extremists will become so unhinged that they are deemed non-credible even by conservative Christian outlets like VCY.

Hundreds Leave James Kennedy's Uber-Christian Anti-Gay Mega Church

For many years Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and its Coral Ridge Ministries were a pillar of the reactionary far right element of the Christian Right. From advocating the sexual orientation was a choice and marketing the books and videos of discredited ex-gay fraud Michael Johnston, Coral Ridges and "Dr." D. James Kennedy were always in the forefront of gay bashing, disseminating fraudulent information, and pushing for a hate based far right Christian agenda. Like Focus on the Family's James Dobson, Kennedy was in my view a demagogue who encouraged a cult of his own personality and who made a living and garnered power by peddling an unloving, hate based version of the gospel message. It is interesting that in the wake of Kennedy's death, his kingdom at Coral Ridge seems on the verge of disintegrating - something that would be a net gain for the world. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post:
*

MIAMI -- Hundreds of congregants have left a pioneering megachurch in Florida to form their own congregation because they were unhappy with leadership at the church that's seen as a bedrock of the religious right.

*
The action by the unhappy members at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church was the culmination of a feud between loyalists to an evangelical luminary, the Rev. D. James Kennedy, and his replacement as pastor, the Rev. Tullian Tchividjian, a grandson of the Rev. Billy Graham.

*

[T]he move is a dramatic split. Kennedy's daughter, Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy, joined many longtime Coral Ridge members, including church elders, the organist, choir director and hundreds of choir members, in deserting the congregation they helped build.

*
Former Coral Ridge elder Jim Filosa joined the new church. He and his wife were disciplined by Coral Ridge for taking part in a campaign to remove Tchividjian. "A year from today, if you call me, you're going to say to me, 'It was an interesting place at one time, but it's now up for sale,'" he said of his former church.

*

Under the leadership of Kennedy, who died in 2007, the church was a forerunner to modern evangelical megachurches, a fiercely conservative voice on social issues including homosexuality and abortion, and a powerful political voice. Tchividjian, 37, took over earlier this year. While he has shown no sign of theological differences with Kennedy, he has rejected politics as the most important force for change, and his sermons have not focused on divisive issues.

*

Personally, I believe that a total collapse of Coral Ridge would be a positive thing. It's ironic that the principal criticism of Kennedy's replacement is that he doesn't disseminate enough hate and fails to try to merge religion and government as was the case with Kennedy who worked to stoke the "Christian nation" myth.

Change at Coral Ridge?

Lost in all the coverage of the inauguration today is a story in the Miami Herald about a leadership change at Fort Lauderdale's Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church which has been a driving force in the anti-gay agenda. Coral Ridge was founded by D. James Kennedy, a homo-hater of the first order and a founder of the "Moral Majority" that lighted the fires of the culture wars and set the stage for the Kool-Aid drinking crowd to begin the take over of the GOP. Coral Ridge under Kennedy was also among the most dishonest "Christian" organizations in terms of disseminating anti-gay lies and promoting the "choice myth." Kennedy continued selling books and videos recounting Michael Johnston's false "cure" claims literally up to the very day that the Southern Voice broke the story about Johnston's conduct in Tidewater Virginia - even though it was know among the the leaders of the anti-gay crowd that Johnston had had a "moral fall." When Kennedy died in 2007, my thoughts were ones of good riddance and that the world was now a better place. Now a grandson of Billy Graham has been selected as the new leader and he has stated that he intended to take Coral Ridge out of politics and the culture wars. One can only hope that such is in fact the case. Here are some story highlights:

*

When D. James Kennedy, the influential pastor who pushed conservative politics from the pulpit of Fort Lauderdale's Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, died in 2007, members lost the fiery leadership of the man who built it from a congregation of a few dozen to more than 10,000 with internationally viewed television and radio programs.

*

Now, successor William Graham Tullian Tchividjian, 36, grandson of evangelist Billy Graham and head of Margate's relatively small New City Church, is ready to take Coral Ridge in a new direction. . . . he is expected to modernize the thinking of the church over which Kennedy presided for more than five decades and take it back to the basics of teaching the Bible instead of reigniting the culture wars.

*
Energetic and easygoing, he will be a stark contrast to the often stiff and formal Kennedy, people familiar with the church say. Kennedy, a notable member of the Moral Majority before its dissolution, rallied against same-sex marriage and evolutionary theory and sought to ``reclaim America for Christ.''

*

''The impression out there of Coral Ridge is that they are a church that is stuck in the past and unwilling to change,'' said Tchividjian, a father of three who lives in Coconut Creek. ``This move on their part corrects that assumption.'' . . . 'He is not going to be interested in addressing cultural issues ideologically,' Wood said. ``His interest isn't getting up there and waving the American flag.''

*
That may reflect a larger shift as the vanguard of the traditional religious right passes the torch to a new generation for whom the old lines of the culture wars are not as impenetrable as they used to be, say scholars of religion and politics. Many theologically conservative Christians voted for Barack Obama, whose inauguration invocation will be given Tuesday by controversial pastor Rick Warren of California's Saddleback Church, a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage.

*
''Polling data has shown that a lot of Americans are not comfortable with politics in the pulpit,'' said Rob Boston of the Washington, D.C.-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State. ``It could be the beginning of a time when people start to look to churches for more traditional reasons, such as fellowship, spirituality and a connection to God.''

Christianist Lies About ENDA

I subscribe to Right Wing Watch, which is put out by People For the American Way and highlights some of the worse hate speaech and most disingenuous lies that the Christianists put out. The most recent e-mail alert included information on the comments by a panel of wingnut haters at Coral Ridge Ministries (which has major failing when it comes to honesty) that included Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel, Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defense Fund and Gary DeMar of American Vision. Anyone of these indivuals is dishomest by themselves. Collectively, they are even worse as in this instance where they are once again whining that Christians are being persecuted by the mean "militant gay activists." In the process here's what these Kool-Aid drinkers say about ENDA:

*

Mat Staver: In every totalitarian regime in world history, one of the first things it always sought to do was to suppress Christianity. That's what happened in the former Soviet Union.

*

Tony Perkins: You will see that multiplied immensely if the congress is successful in passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and the Hate Crimes legislation. I mean, it'll be discrimination on steroids - as they come after churches who refuse to hire homosexuals in their church office, in their schools, in their day-cares, or Christian business. And what it gives the radical homosexuals, those who are pushing this agenda, not all the homosexuals are out there trying to shove this down peoples throats.

*

he ACLU and the homosexual activists, who are into coercing unwilling people to do things, and to silence them, and all of that. There is an authoritarianism to that, that they are in total denial about, and they masquerade it, and then say that we're the fascists, and I just find that very offensive, and totally inaccurate.

*

There is one small problem, however with these rantings which are intended to stir up "mom and pop" employers and church goers: ENDA has exemptions for churches and buinesses with less than 15 employees. Thus, once again these self-agrandizing Christians are LYING. In fact, here's the language from the legislation pending in Congress:

*

(4) EMPLOYER- The term `employer' means--(A) a person engaged in an industry affecting commerce (as defined in section (701)(h) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e(h)) who has 15 or more employees

*

SEC. 6. EXEMPTION FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS. This Act shall not apply to a religious organization.

*

Unfortunately, this kind of knowing, deliberate lying is the norm rather than the exception for these individuals and their respective organizations. As I have asked many times in the past, why do these frauds think they are exempt from the Commandment against bearing false witness and lying? Worse yet, why doesn't the mainstream media have the balls to expose them for the liars that they are?

Televangelist Rev. D. James Kennedy dies

First Jerry Falwell, now James Kennedy. Two of the leading Christianist homophobes dying within not many of weeks is an interesting coincidence. That leaves Pat Robertson and James Dobson as perhaps the remaining top tier gay haters, although Tony Perkins, Rev. Wildmon and others are striving hard to keep peddling the hate Falwell and Kennedy helped to first package. Here is a portion of the Miami Herald's coverage (http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/226256.html):

The Rev. D. James Kennedy, the controversial televangelist who built Fort Lauderdale's Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church into a politically powerful house of prayer on a foundation of Biblical fundamentalism, died Wednesday morning.

With a steeple tall enough to require aircraft warning lights -- 30 stories -- and a world-class, 6,500-pipe organ, the church is the nucleus of a $37 million evangelical empire that includes Westminster Academy, Knox Seminary and Evangelism Explosion International, an outreach program. Kennedy's Coral Ridge Hour television broadcasts reportedly reached three million viewers in 200 countries. With equal fervor, he preached the Gospel, promoted Bible study, family values and the power of prayer, and decried secular humanism, homosexuality, abortion, global warming and the public schools.

Kennedy campaigned tirelessly to tear down the constitutional wall separating church and state. In 2005, Rolling Stone called him ``the godfather of the Dominionists [and] the most influential evangelical you've never heard of. A former Arthur Murray dance instructor, he launched his Florida ministry in 1959, when most evangelicals still followed Billy Graham's gospel of nonpartisan soul-saving.

''Kennedy [preached] that it was time to save America -- not soul by soul but election by election ... [George W.] Bush sought his blessing before running for president ...'' the Rolling Stone piece said.

Kennedy once preached that he and his followers' ''job'' was to ``reclaim America for Christ, whatever the cost. As the vice regents of God, we are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government, our literature and arts, our sports arenas, our entertainment media, our news media, our scientific endeavors -- in short, over every aspect and institution of human society.''

Fort Lauderdale gay-rights activist Wayne Besen calls him something else: 'a source of great pain for gays and lesbians, distorting our lives on a national level. The whole `ex-gay' movement we see nationally was jump-started by Coral Ridge Ministries ... Kennedy popularized this idea that has caused a lot of suffering for gay people,'' that homosexuality could be ``prayed away.'' He was ''far to the right of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell,'' Besen said.

I suspect Kennedy and Falwell will be roommates in Hell for all the hate they generated and all the pain they cause so many.

Dr. D. James Kennedy, the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church Steps Down

Dr. D. James Kennedy and his Coral Ridge Ministries, based out of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, has been a fervent gay hater and disseminator of anti-gay untruths for years. I'd be lying if I said I was sad to see him go. Hopefully, with his retirement some of the poison he has peddled will dissipate. I know back in 2003 when Michael Johnston's ex-gay career was about to implode, Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministries continued marketing Johnston's books and videos literally up to the day the Southern Voice story broke, even though a number of the Christianist leaders were aware of what was coming. I guess Kennedy wanted to get every last dollar possible before the bottom fell out on Johnston. Here are some portions of the Sun-Sentinel (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-0826kennedy,0,1047835.story) story:

Dr. D. James Kennedy, the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, has retired, his daughter announced from the pulpit of the Fort Lauderdale Church Sunday. He was pastor for 48 years.The announcement capped off months of speculation spun by his absence from the pulpit since December after suffering a brief heart failure."I formally announce the retirement of Dr. D. James Kennedy as senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church," Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy announced to reactions of quiet gasps among the 1,700 listeners.

Here's a sampling of books peddled by Kennedy's ministry:

Mommy, Why Are They Holding Hands? Deborah Priboda In the nation's first Bible-based children's book focused on preventing homosexuality, a young girl is faced with the reality of homosexual sin after seeing two men holding hands at the mall.

The Condition of Male Homosexuality Joseph Nicolosi "There is no such thing as a homosexual." That is not exactly something you would expect to hear from an expert, but guess what? That was an expert!

What's Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage? Dr. D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe The issue of same-sex marriage could destroy the social fabric of this nation.

"Hate Crimes Laws: Censoring The Church And Silencing Christians Coral Ridge Ministries Hate crime laws now threaten free speech and religious liberty nationwide and threaten those who speak out against homosexuality.

FastFacts: Homosexuality Coral Ridge Ministries Truths you need to know about the homosexual agenda in America: how it will effect you, your children, and the future of America.

Military Necessity And Homosexuality Colonel Ronald D. Ray, USMCR An informative and powerful book about why homosexuals should not serve in the military and also how the gay liberation movement is continuing to grow in America.

In my view, Kennedy will have a place in Hell with Jerry Falwell since his "ministry" has been based on division and hatred towards others.