Catholic Bishops Back NOM’s Anti-Gay Hate March

I for one have long believed that the National Organization for Marriage ("NOM") is a front for the Roman Catholic Church.  Hence NOM's strenuous efforts to keep the names of its donor secret, particularly the two or three large donors who have basically funded NOM's anti-LGBT jihad.  It is , therefore, no surprise that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is trying to drum up support for NOM's hate march on June 25th.  Here are highlights from Joe Jervis:

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a statement urging Catholics to attend NOM’s anti-LGBT hate march this weekend. They write:

On June 25, 2016, the day before the one year anniversary of the erroneous and unjust Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, a rally and March for Marriage will be held in Washington, D.C. The event is meant to highlight the importance of the unique meaning of marriage to society and the importance of mothers and fathers for children.

Participants will be gathering at the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol building around 11:30 a.m. for the program, and the march to the Supreme Court will begin at 1:00 p.m. Please consider joining the March for Marriage 2016 to witness to the continued importance of authentic marriage!

When you look at the NOM website about the march, it is focused on (i) overturning the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell which it describes as  "illegitimate and anti-constitutional," (ii) the continued denigration of transgender individuals and support for so-called bathroom bills, (iii) and supporting "freedom, which NOM defines as  special rights for Christofacists who want a license to discriminate against and abuse those who do not subscribe to NOM's hate inspired Bronze Age beliefs.  

The net take away is that the bishops want to keep anti-LGBT animus alive and well and to inspire further horrors against the LGBT community. 

Mormon Church Files Deliberately Deceptive Brief with 10th Circuit

Here in Virginia there has been a great deal of spittle flecked outrage alleging that Attorney General Mark Herring breached his ethical duties by withdrawing Virginia's defense of the Christofascist backed Marshall-Newman Amendment.  Herring's critics would have him file false and deceptive arguments in Bostic v. Rainey and Harris v. Rainey rather than cease defending what is nothing less than religious based bigotry.  And the ethical duty of candor and honesty to the Court?  The Christofascists and their Republican political whores would throw that duty right out the window.  Now, the Mormon Church and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have demonstrated this willingness to lie in an effort to justify religious based discrimination by filing deceptive briefs with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in the cases that struck down same sex marriage bans in Utah and Oklahoma.  The Washington Blade looks at this deliberately deceptive filings which, in theory should expose the attorneys involved with sanctions and disciplinary action.  Here are story excerpts:

The Mormon Church joined other major Christian groups on Monday in filing a legal brief supporting bans on same-sex marriage in Utah and Oklahoma, although they rely on a study that authors say shouldn’t be used as evidence against same-sex marriage.

The 53-page document urges the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold bans on same-sex marriage on the argument that children are better off when raised by opposite-sex parents.

To bolster this argument, the brief on page 24 relies on a 2002 study from the D.C.-based non-profit Child Trends, titled “Marriage from a Child’s Perspective: How Does Family Structure Affect Children and What Can We Do About It?” The study makes no explicit reference to same-sex marriage.

But anti-gay groups have cited this study before in separate briefs filed before the Supreme Court last year in favor of California’s Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act — much to the objection of its authors who say their research says nothing about same-sex marriage.  Frank Walter, a spokesperson for Child Trends, reiterated that objection Tuesday in an email to the Washington Blade.

“Child Trends has been diligent in noting that it is inaccurate to make conclusions about the well-being of children being raised in same-sex households based on our study on heterosexual households,” Walter said.
The study was also cited in the legal brief that the state of Utah filed last week before the Tenth Circuit in favor of its ban on same-sex marriage.

In addition to the LDS Church, other groups listed on the filing are the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; National Association of Evangelicals; the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention; and Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

Lies, deliberate deception and palpable hate and animus are the new hallmarks of conservative Christianity and official Mormon Church positions.  As I keep stating, NO ONE lies more than the self-anointed "godly folk." 

Archbishop of Dublin Says Homophobia "Insults God"

One of the few bright lights in Ireland's Catholic Church sex scandal has been Archbishop Diarmuid Martin who consistently spoke out and called for accountability among members of the Irish Church hierarchy.  Now, Martin is rocking the hierarchy's boat again by stating that homophobia is an "insult to God" and taking to task those who do not show love towards gays.  Martin obviously needs to get this message across to members of the U.S. Conference of  Catholic Bishops which continues to press an anti-gay jihad in dioceses all across America.  The Irish Independent looks at Martin's comments.  Here are story excerpts:

HOMOPHOBIA is "insulting to God", Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has warned. 

In the wake of the so-called 'Pantigate' controversy over homophobia comments made on RTE and a defamation settlement, Dr Martin said: "God never created anybody that he doesn't love."

Speaking to the Irish Independent, the senior cleric said this meant that "anybody who doesn't show love towards gay and lesbian people is insulting God. They are not just homophobic if they do that – they are actually Godophobic because God loves every one of those people".

Referring to the revelations made last week by TD Jerry Buttimer, that he was beaten, spat at, mocked and harassed because he was gay, Dr Martin expressed concern saying: "Certainly the sort of actions that we heard of this week of people being spat at because they were gay or ridiculed . . . that is not a Christian attitude. We have to have the courage to stand up and say that."

He added: "We all belong to one another and there is no way we can build up a society in which people are excluded or insulted.

"We have to learn a new way in Ireland to live with our differences and for all of us to live with respect for one another."

Concerns have been raised that debate could be stifled ahead of the upcoming referendum on gay marriage, after the national broadcaster paid compensation and apologised to officials from the Catholic advocacy group The Iona Institute over comments on homophobia made on 'The Saturday Night Show' by gay rights activist Rory O'Neill, who performs under the drag name Miss Panti Bliss.

Dr Martin said that at times in society today there was a "harshness and an arrogance and a relentless sense of vindictiveness, both in deeds such as in violence, but also in speech and in public debate".

 It goes without saying that Martin's message would not be popular with the bishops of Richmond and Arlington here in Virginia nor with the hate merchants at The Family Foundation.