Christofascists: Only Christian Males Are Eligible For Public Office

As the GOP presidential nomination circus descends into crazy land, the Christofascists are coming forward to underscore just how insane and anti-democracy oriented the GOP base has become.   The misnamed Christian Anti-Defamation Commission - which wants a license for "Christians" to discriminate against others who do not subscribe to their misogynous beliefs -  is now pontificating that only Christians are eligible to hold public office and that uppity women should be barred from public office.  Right Wing Watch  has details.  Here are highlights:

Gary Cass of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission released a new video today aimed at helping his fellow right-wing Christians understand "the biblical qualifications for political office," by which he meant that all of our elected leaders must be Christians ... and men.

"What should be look for in our elected officials?" Cass asked, rhetorically. "The first qualification is they must be a Christian ... What a candidate professes about God is absolutely critical, it will profoundly shape his leadership. Genuine reverence for the Lord is the foundation of knowledge ... so we need a leader who is alive spiritually and who will lead in the fear of God."  And those leaders, Cass explained, must be men.

"The biblical biological requirement for office is you must be male," he stated. "Civil leadership should be conceived of as an extension of the family and God's created order. God established man as the head of the woman and the woman as his helpmate ... In society, the same roles apply as is ordained in the family and in the church."

"The ministry of justice that God has given to the state is generally a man's job," Cass continued. "Yet, there are exceptions in the Bible where God has raised up women like Deborah to judge and even deliver Israel. But it's considered an indictment when there's no strong, godly men to lead and protect their families and society." 

What can I say?  These people have based their world and political views on the writings of anonymous authors/herders from more than 2000 years ago, who knew NOTHING of modern knowledge, science, and sexuality.   A Harry Potter story or a Lord of the Rings story has as much substance to back it up as do the Old Testament writings.

Vatican Exorcist Says Yoga and Harry Potter are Satanic

When not busy covering up the sexual abuse of children and youth, the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy continues to focus on total batshitery - like finding "satanic" elements in all number of things. The bitter old men in dresses have it backwards, of course - it is they themselves and their feudal style rule of the Church that are satanic. A case in point in the lunacy that passes for serious discussion comes from Father Gabriele Amorth, a former exorcist for the Vatican, says yoga and Harry Potter are tools of the devil. Yoga's big sin is that it might lead to Hindu-like thoughts on spirituality. Amorth also claims that the Harry Potter books convince children to believe in black magic - Amorth's own stock in trade. It's amazing that children can separate fictional stories and fantasy from reality but the nasty old men in Rome cannot. Here are highlights from the Daily News on this insanity:

The Vatican’s former chief exorcist says yoga and Harry Potter are tools of the devil. “Practicing yoga is Satanic, it leads to evil just like reading Harry Potter,” Father Gabriele Amorth said this week.

Those seemingly “innocuous” Potter books convince kids to believe in black magic, he said. “In Harry Potter the Devil acts in a crafty and covert manner, under the guise of extraordinary powers, magic spells and curses,” said Amorth.

As for yoga, it leads to Hinduism and “all eastern religions are based on a false belief in reincarnation,” the 86-year-old priest said.

Amorth made the hellraising remarks at a film festival in the Italian city of Umbria, where he was invited to introduce a movie about exorcism called “The Rite,”

“Satan is always hidden and what he most wants is for us not to believe in his existence,” he said. “He studies every one of us and our tendencies towards good and evil, and then he offers temptations.”

Science can’t explain evil, added Amorth, who claims to have performed 50,000 exorcisms before retiring in 2000. He is both founder and honorary president for life of the International Association of Exorcists.

While the Jesuit’s remarks might strike many as the ravings of a man possessed, Pope Benedict once warned of “subtle seductions” in the Potter books that “dissolve Christianity in the soul.” The Pope has also warned that yoga “can degenerate into a cult of the body.”

I ask again, why does anyone listen to much less treat these nutcases with difference?

Another Reason to Avoid Donating to The Salvation Army

People are sometimes aghast when they hear me advocate not donating a single penny to the Salvation Army ("SA") and need to be educated on the intense homophobia of that organization's leadership and policies. In truth, the SA is an extremist religious organization as further demonstrated by the news that it throws away donated toys it doesn't like. Two specifically targeted groups of toys are those that pertain to Harry Potter and Twilight. It seems the godly Christians at SA cannot differentiate between simple childhood fun and fantasy and and serious demonic ritual. This obsession says far more about the mental instability of the SA leadership than it does about anything else. One would think the SA would show some respect for toys donated after being purchased with someone's hard earned money, but such is not the case. Rather than give the supposedly objectionable toys to a not nutcase charity, the SA sends the donations to the garbage and landfill - a destination more appropriate for the SA itself. Bob Felton at Civil Commotion aptly describe the situation this way:
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Bottom line: Some well-intended fool wastes his money on gifts destined to never even be opened, the kids go without — but some pole-up-his-butt soldier for Jesus gets to celebrate his own stringent virtue.
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Personally, I see the increasing insanity of the Christian Taliban as a clear and present danger to a rational, future embracing society. Here are highlights from the Edmontson Sun:
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The Salvation Army says it refuses to distribute Harry Potter and Twilight toys collected for needy children because they're incompatible with the charity's Christian beliefs.
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The policy has alarmed a Calgarian who volunteered to sift through a southeast warehouse full of unused, donated items and was alarmed when he was told by Salvation Army officials that the two kinds of toys are "disposed of" and not given to other charities.
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"I was told to withhold a six-inch Harry Potter figure, but when I picked up a plastic M-16, I was told, 'That's for the 10-year-olds,'" he said. "I was shocked...war-themed toys and toys from TV shows and movies with far more violence than Harry Potter and these were considered appropriate toys?" The Sally Ann refuses to distribute the Twilight and Harry Potter toys because of their wizardry, vampire and werewolf content, said Capt. Pam Goodyear.
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The world will be a better place when ignorant and bigoted organizations like the SA wither away and die. There's more than enough hate and bigotry in the world without it being further propagated by religious extremists like the SA.

Harry Potter Star Daniel Radcliffe Blasts Parents Who Oppose Gay Sex Ed

Daniel Radcliffe, who just recently gave a major donation to the Trevor Project, has taken another step in support of LGBT youth by blasting homophobic Christo-fascists who oppose education about homosexual sex in the classroom. Like it or not LGBT youth do exist and they have every right to competent and fact based sex education just like every other student (although I suspect that these same people oppose sex ed period unless it's abstinence only - an approach that has been documented NOT to work). We truly need more stars speaking out and putting their money where their mouths are when it comes to challenging the hate and intolerance disseminated daily by "family values" professional Christians. Frankly, I believe that nothing would make some of these homophobes happier than to see all LGBT individuals sicken with HIV and die. Here are some highlights on Radcliffe's statements:

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20-year-old Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has, in an interview with a homosexual magazine, expressed anger and intolerance for parents who oppose education about homosexual sex in the classroom. "Then there's all this stuff at the moment, which is hateful, about people being up in arms about the idea of gay sex education in schools. Hello!?! Actually for the one or two gay kids in the class, it's f***ing vital! It really makes me angry," he said in an interview with Attitude.

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The magazine quotes Radcliffe continuing his tirade against pro-family parents saying: "I just loathe homophobia. It's just disgusting and animal and stupid and it's just thick people who can't get their heads around it and are just scared." He concluded the point assuring his interviewer, "I'm not just saying that because I'm being interviewed for Attitude. I'd be using a lot stronger language if this wasn't on tape."

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Radcliffe returned to the theme when asked about Potter author Rowlings' admission that she intended one of the characters in the novels and film to be homosexual. "The idea that there can't be a gay character in a kid's film," he said. "It's the same thing, this terrible fear of exposing anybody below the age of consent to anything vaguely gay … it's ridiculous. I just brushed those questions aside. I'd never normally do that but some things I won't waste my time with."

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Kudos to Daniel for calling it like it is.