Get ready to shit your pants laughing. Hey, how are these ‘actors’ going to feel in 10 years when they realize they were in such a bigoted ad? Could you imagine starring in a commercial in the 60s condemning interracial marriages? Hey, I know times are tough, but surely paying the mortgage isn’t worth that fucking stain on your character.
Paid for by this mysterious entity.
When push comes to shove, religion poisons everything. Trouble is in its DNA, in its very structure. My God is the only god. His way is the only Way. That’s why I’m not surprised that Catholic bishops in Uganda – having previously spoken out against the “kill the gays” legislation proposed last year – joined in an ecumenical council of Anglican and Orthodox bishops attempting to resurrect it.
Content in their effort to help in the murder of innocent individuals, they followed up with this ironic statement:
At the same conference, the bishops reiterated their role in politics saying, “the church has a biblical mandate to challenge policies and practices that perpetuate injustice, marginalization or inequality.”
Oh, like the injustice of being killed for having same sex attractions? Only the cognitive dissonance of religion could ever explain such a statement. I feel the blood boiling in my veins as we speak…
One of the truly tragic things about Christianity is its propensity to label behaviors it arbitrarily decides are wrong as “sins”. This has caused all kinds of misery for individuals with a sexual orientation different from the majority of us. Gay Christians are often haunted by the idea that their sexual attraction to someone of the same gender is putting their “souls” (another childish concept we can’t seem to shake off) in imminent danger. Their solution, often times, is to deny the very fiber of their being, constructing elaborate justification for living a crazy lie.
One such poor bastard is Josh Weed, a proud Mormon who runs a site called “The Weed”. He’s recently come out of the closet, and he wrote a confused letter about his decision to stay married. While at first glance the letter may seem sweet and even charming, the underlying message is a hodgepodge of confusion and terrible advice.
sex is about more than just visual attraction and lust and it is about more than just passion and infatuation. I won’t get into the boring details of the research here, but basically when sex is done right, at its deepest level it is about intimacy. It is about one human being connecting with another human being they love. It is a beautiful physical manifestation of two people being connected in a truly vulnerable, intimate manner because they love each other profoundly. It is bodies connecting and souls connecting. It is beautiful and rich and fulfilling and spiritual and amazing.
This sounds like it’s taken straight from the Tom Cruise playbook: focus on the intimacy of sex, in order to ignore the fact that you aren’t actually attracted to the person sucking you off. Hey, I agree that sex does have that element, but it’s also a dirty, raunchy affair that’s best enjoyed with someone who naturally gets your dick hard.
Many people never get to this point in their sex lives because it requires incredible communication, trust, vulnerability, and connection. And Lolly and I have had that from day one, mostly because we weren’t distracted by the powerful chemicals of infatuation and obsession that usually bring a couple together
The passion may dwindle, but you might be hard pressed to find anyone willing TO SKIP OVER THIS PART. I would venture to guess that the guy has never actually been laid by a dude before, and his dismissing this important part of a relationship goes to show how little he knows about sex.
One of the sad truths about being homosexual is that no matter what you decide for your future, you have to sacrifice something. It’s very sad, but it is true… with homosexuality, the choices seem to be a little bit more mutually exclusive. If you are Mormon and you choose to live your religion, you are sacrificing the ability to have a romantic relationship with a same-sex partner. If you choose a same-sex partner, you are sacrificing the ability to have a biological family with the one you love.
This obsession with biology infuriates me, but it’s a consequence of religion’s insistence on humans to reproduce like wild bunnies. No doubt they long ago realized that to build a following, the quickest way to accomplish this is to ensure your acolytes have a bevy of kids. They usually end up just as fucked as their parents, ensuring generation after generation of people believe in utter nonsense. To pretend as though there are no options for having a family and being gay is both disingenuous and ignorant.
This whole article smacks of a profound ignorance on the issue of homosexuality. While Weed is correct in pointing to the fundamental incompatibility between his religion and his sexuality, their compromise seems to be “give up on your desires in order to have a family”. While such self sacrifice may appear noble, in truth it merely encourages others in similar situations to continue to deny a part of themselves, for no other reason than Joseph Smith’s twisted ideas on love and marriage.
In any case, I came out of this feeling sorry for Josh. He’s clearly a sweet man, but this living a lie thing has him spouting all kinds of dangerous nonsense. No one should be forced to deny their sexual attractions, least of all for purely biological reasons. I think this guy needs a cock up his ass, stat.
The key to spreading a message is to keep it simple, stupid. The reason is simple: most minds are only interested in confirming their pre-existing belief, and if your message requires a lot of introspection or even thinking, it’s just not going to make it big. This might be one of the reasons why actually educating someone’s position is infinitely more difficult. Brains dislike the hard work of coming to conclusions on their own. They usually like someone else doing it for them.
One group that seems to have mastered the “keep it simple” unsurprisingly comes from a land of Biblically educated cretins. They effortlessly give their hoards of unthinking masses plenty of talking points that sound, at least to them, somewhat compelling. Take Caiden Cowger, a 14 year old kid who hosts his own podcast. He recently published a show claiming homosexuality was a choice (and a sinful one at that) and President Obama and Biden were “making kids gay”. It doesn’t take very long to realize this kid doesn’t really have any opinions of his own: he’s just repeating the hateful bullshit he’s been hearing all his life. But because he lives in a world where no one bothers to scrutinize what you say, he’s free to continue to spread the hateful message of the religious right. It’s easy: all you have to do is repeat verbatim all the dumb shit you hear from your local preacher, or perhaps your conservative radio host.
Caiden doesn’t need to learn about biology, or psychology to have an opinion on homosexuality. He’s free to simply take whatever hateful message he hears coming out of other “conservatives” and rebroadcast it so the rest of the world can lament the waste of another human being lost in their own bigoted world view.
(Update: Caiden now writes for “The Family Council“)
A few weeks ago, Pastor Sean Harris learned two important lessons: 1) enticing any kind of child abuse publicly is a stupid idea because, 2) the Internet forgets nothing. So, with these important life lessons now firmly in mind, he’s issued a non-apology for saying fathers should give their gay sons a “good punch” for acting like girls.
“I was telling them in strong words that were not careful. What did I learn this week? Be more careful with your words”
And with that care, I give you his apology:
You know, it’s amazing how ‘punch’ has been equated to inciting violence against gay youth. That’s not what I meant.
Yes, there is some kind of amazement in what you’ve said, Sean. Only this kind is about how anyone who condones violence against children for having same sex attraction can say something this daft and not be immediately shamed back to the Bronze Age. Sean, do you seriously think we’ll believe that you were telling your parishioners all their gay sons needed was a “go get ‘em, champ” punch in the shoulder, or are you just being careful not to be open about your violent hatred of homosexuals? The whole “hate the sin and not the sinner” shit is just another form of this veiled hate, but it can only contain this kind of venom for so long. We can smell your disgust from here, Sean, and we don’t like it.
Luckily, the Internet is here so anyone can go back and hear these very words spoken by you at any time, thanks to the magic of streaming video. Your speech will undoubtedly be one of many used in a documentary someday showing just how shamefully ignorant many of us were, back in the day when you needed to fight for basic human rights. Like the Segregationists of old, these religious crusaders will be remembered as the last obstacle in the quest for not only marriage equality, but respect and dignity. Sean Harris may not have learned any real lessons, but the rest of us certainly did.
In light of homosexuality becoming more accepted in society, there are still those individuals who have a problem with the idea two people of the same sex can love each other. Of the few institutions that still harbor an intense hatred of gays, the most respected is religion, and this has meant the fight for civil rights has been pitted against “religious freedom”. This tactic isn’t new; Southern Baptists were using the same tactic when trying to fight against African Americans being guaranteed the same rights as other citizens through government legislation.
Now the same kind of tactic is being used when talking about the rights of gay to marry, and be protected from abuse and violence. Illinois recently had an opportunity to do the right thing and chose not to do so due to fear and hatred of homosexuality:
The Illinois Senate today turned down a bill that would have encouraged anti-bullying programs in schools, after conservatives argued that such programs could be used as a front to promote homosexuality.
“There are anti-bullying programs that have an agenda, to only protect one class of individuals,”
We’ll ignore the fact gays are disproportionately bullied in schools: there was nothing about the program that singled them out. It was simply a measure meant to try and curb the growing problem of bullying. Fearing homophobic students motivated by religion might be put in a situation exposing their bigotry, the State Assembly chose instead to allow kids to live in terror rather than allow some gay kids to live their lives free of fear and persecution.
The bill could have actually passed, but because a dozen legislators chose to vote “present”‘, it failed. Like the persistence of any prejudice and social injustice, it is those who stand by the sidelines who contribute to the misery. Evil persists when good men and women do nothing, and that’s exactly what these cowards did. It should be a lesson to those of us who choose to say nothing in the face of injustice, ignorance, and bigotry. For every one of these poltroons, two brave men and women must take their place, to drown out the voices of those who oppose the rights of their fellow human beings. Although this battle may be lost, we will never let them win this war.
What better way to celebrate our epic 100th episode than by talking about Marriage Equality! In the news, Obama supports gay marriage and what that means for the rest of the world! Also, check out Carisa’s ‘geek project‘ and give your suggestions.
A few days ago, pastor Sean Harris made headlines after he encouraged his parishioners to beat their children if they displayed any “gay” behavior. Needless to say, he found the attention less than desirable, and has since attempted to retract his statement. Unfortunately, like any homophobe caught in the act, his retraction is less than sincere:
“I apologize to anyone I have unintentionally offended,” Sean Harris, pastor of Berean Baptist Church wrote in a statement on his church’s website. “I did not say anything to intentionally offend anyone in the LGBT community.
He claims his speech was intended as a joke, but judging by all the “Amens” you hear during his speech, it’s clear the audience was rather receptive to his abusive message. His non-apology also rings hollow when statements like this are made:
Harris said in the sermon that same-sex couples are free to live together. He argued Tuesday that there was “not an ounce of hate being communicated in that,” but said in the sermon that such couples live together “in the most sick and ungodly way.”
It’s the whole: “I don’t hate you: God does” argument that gets old real fast. The fact Harris despises gay couples is undeniable, and any attempt not to look like a total asshole is impossible. What I find amusing in all of this is only a few days ago, Dan Savage delivered a speech to high school journalists condemning the Bible for promoting (among other things) homophobia. A few of the students walked out, and the religious right immediately screamed religious discrimination. Savage was essentially vindicated by the Harris’ sadistic and cruel comments, which demonstrated yet again the toxic effects of religious faith. Nice work, Danny-boy.
When you stop placating people and call them out on their bullshit, you’re bound to hurt their feelings. While some of us are comfortable with the idea of letting dumb or dangerous ideas thrive under the banner of “tolerance”, there are those brave few who cannot stay silent in the face of the injustices brought on by antiquated religious belief. When Dan Savage recently spoke to students at a High School Journalism Conference, he condemned the Bible for being used to justify not only bigotry, but slavery. This prompted a few of the students to walk out in protest, and one of them yelled “that’s bull!” (obviously, this young person, like most Christians, have never read this book). Enter this man, who echoes the sentiment of so many of his fellow believers who were shocked someone would be so incensed as to dare call these guys on their shit.
How does he justify this behavior? He makes a claim leveled by many by saying “there are people using the Bible as an excuse for gay bullying, because it says in Leviticus and Romans that being gay is wrong.” This is wrong on two counts. First, there are not “many people” doing anything even remotely like “gay bullying” and there is not one single account I have heard of where someone specifically used the Bible as their justification for bullying gays.
If you bury your head in the sand deep enough, that would explain why you’re totally unaware your fellow Christians bring up the Bible as a way of justifying their homophobia on a daily fucking basis. How can you even talk to someone who is that willfully ignorant? Does he not watch TV? Has he not heard one speech by the Pope, or that moron Bradlee Dean, or the countless other preachers continually quoting Leviticus?
It is a lesson about intolerant people claiming Christians are intolerant, bullying by those who claim to help the bullied, and hypocrisy from the same people who point the finger at others claiming they are hypocrites.
The irony here is a few days ago, another beautiful young man committed suicide because of the bullying he suffered at the hands of religious homophobes. His death coincided with a recent Southern Baptist Conference decrying the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act because it included provisions for LGBT victims of domestic abuse. Dan Savage’s response to these kinds of tragedies cuts through the bullshit: the majority of perpetrators of homophobia are unmistakably religious.
In the light of criticism, Christians have declared their religious freedoms are violated by any pro-gay legislation. This sort of tactic has been used before: Southern Baptists argued during the civil rights movement that laws designed to prevent discrimination against blacks violated their religious freedom (the Bible is pro-slavery, after all). In the face of constant pressure to conform, they eventually abandoned this strategy, although there are a few remnants of it here and there (bigotry does not disappear easily).
Dan Savage, as is the case with those who hate and do not understand Christianity, is simply ignorant. My task in educating my children will be to teach them how to deal with that ignorance, intolerance and oppression, simply because they are Christians.
What most Christians fail to understand is many non-believers and critics of the religion were themselves entangled in it at one time. Survey after survey proves our understanding of religious materials is superior to believers. That’s not very surprising. The more you uncover about faith, the more you realize it’s a smoke and mirror show. Ignorance, as it turns out, is the only way to remain a believer. They have a fancy word for it: they call it faith.
Actually, the odds of the Titanic hitting that iceberg were astronomically small; as it turns out, it was a series of poor decisions by the crew that led to the disaster. Had the ship actually crashed head on into the iceberg, it would have survived the impact. Ironically, it was their attempt to navigate around it that ultimately led to the ship sinking. So, if I can use their stupid metaphor against them for a moment, I would say that like all icebergs, the majority of it is hidden underwater. And like all icebergs, there is a ton of stored energy just waiting to be released. Am I done now? Can I stop comparing gay rights to a gigantic floating block of ice? It’s fucking ridiculous!
When Dan Savage started his “It Gets Better” Campaign in September of 2010, he hoped it would let bullied teens know life improves over time, and the bullying they experience in school is only temporary. For the most part, these videos are meant to speak to young gays and lesbians in high school, where the majority of bullying takes place.
One serious exception to this rule is Brigham Young University, one of the few Universities in the country that has an honor code that specifically prohibits any gay behavior:
“Homosexual behavior is inappropriate and violates the honor code. Homosexual behavior includes not only sexual relations between members of the same sex, but all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings”
The video above was made independently by gay, lesbian and straight supporters of the school. While the video seems to suggest to gays at the school there are people around them that “love them”, the truth is the campus is still extremely unfriendly to gays. Since any student can be expelled for engaging in any homosexual behavior, it seems pretty obvious to anyone watching this video the real culprit in all this terrible hate is Mormonism itself. One cannot help but feel as though their message “it gets better” has a hollow ring to it when the very institution has such animosity towards the gay and lesbian community. It would be more accurate to say it does get better, but only if you leave the faith.
The school isn’t very happy about the video, but has decided to take no action, since it claims that:
The honor code…is “based on conduct, not on feeling, and if same-gender attraction is only stated, that is not an honor code issue.
If the message of the religion is still that homosexuality is wrong, then no, it does not get fucking better. Religion, as always, is not the answer.
When you think of the word courage, what’s the first thing to cross your mind? If you happen to be gay and a Catholic living in Connecticut, that word is about to take on a disturbing new meaning:
The Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, this month is beginning a program that ministers to gays and lesbians…The Vatican-endorsed program, called Courage…was started in 1980 by the late Terence Cardinal Cooke in Manhattan “to form a spiritual support system which would assist men and women with same-sex attractions in living chaste lives in fellowship, truth and love.”
It’s basically an organization that emotionally tortures gays and lesbians into giving up their joy of sex and intimacy because it doesn’t conform with what the Vatican wants.
“These are people in the Roman Catholic Church who need our care and love,” Deacon Robert Pallotti, director of the Office of the Diaconate, told the Hartford TV station. “In some cases, they have been rejected by society. They need to be accepted, affirmed and supported as Roman Catholics trying to remain faithful to church teachings.
Rejected by society, eh? Could that have anything to do with the fact that your organization continues to support the bigoted idea that what they are doing is inherently bad? Remaining “faithful” to Roman Catholic teachings is just a nice way of saying that they don’t want gay dudes fucking each other in the ass anymore.
Honestly, there is no one on this planet that needs the Vatican getting involved in their sex life. They’ve already proven that their sexual philosophies are diseased. While they condemn homosexuality, the Vatican has provided an unprecedented level of financial, legal and emotional support to child rapists. This alone should bar them from the conversation.
The program, ironically called “Courage”, is just another way for a bunch of creepy celibate dudes in robes to try and tell everyone else how to live. I’ll tell you what Courage is: it’s not putting up with deluded assholes who care more about their money, power and interests than they care about human suffering (remember, they actually think that suffering makes you closer to God). Courage is rejecting old dogmas in favor of scientific truth, even when everyone around you still cling to these ancient superstitions. And above all else, Courage is staying true to yourself, no matter what.
“The sexuality of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character”
What else needs to be said?
You’ve probably noticed the new tactic from bigoted religionists claiming that their rights (specifically the right to discriminate against people for their sexual orientation) are being infringed. Well, this strategy has now morphed into a baseless accusation of fascism by a right wing nutjob named Alan Craig. He’s determined that the threat of wider acceptance of same-sex marriage as a sign of fascism. The author’s clever word for this sheer nonsense is “Gaystopo”.
the hidden hegemonic ambitions of the Gaystapo have been exposed recently by their plans to annex and redefine ‘marriage’. They already have achieved equal rights through civil partnerships, so to covet the word and undermine a foundation-stone of our civilization – and nurturing place for our children – betrays other more ominous intentions. They want to change our language, manipulate our culture and thereby impose their world-view on us all. Cultural domination is their aim and fascist-type intolerance of politically-incorrect dissent is their weapon. The eradication of marriage as “the life-long union between a man and a woman” is a huge next step along their way.
It’s funny how, when this “cultural hegemony” isn’t specifically Christian, the right suddenly decides that any changes to our attitudes as a culture must inherently be tyrannical in nature. He doesn’t even comprehend the fact that his religion’s main goal is to force THEIR beliefs on others. This is why unconstitutional and grossly homophobic laws like Prop 8 and DOMA make his argument so ironic. Here is an obvious example of a right leaning ideology (the same spectrum that fascism finds itself under) that imposes its set of values on others who don’t share their limited world view. He even has the audacity to call the gay rights movement, and liberalism in general, as “liberal fascism”. The combination of these two words make about as much sense as “Christian thinker”.
When readers started complaining about the author’s use of Nazi imagery, he first tried to claim that he didn’t really believe that the two were comparable, and that he really has a “live and let live attitude”. This brings up the pertinent question: “Why the fuck did you write your article, jackass?”.
I cannot be clearer that I am not, repeat not, saying all gay people are Nazis any more than I’d say all Muslims are Islamists or all Germans were fascists. It would be self-evident nonsense….Obviously they aren’t military or violent, but they are militant, intolerant, hypocritical and vindictive…It’s their way or no way – the totalitarian mind-set.
Yeah, he’s not saying ALL of them are: just enough that their “pink jackboots” footprints can be seen on the necks of poor, hardworking Christians who just want to disapprove of their lifestyle in peace. The problem is that this complete distortion of reality ignores the constant attempts by Christians to impose THEIR values and morals on others. Christians have never really feared totalitarianism; the Catholic Church signed the Reichskonkordat with the Nazis specifically to ensure that their interests would coincide with those of Hitler’s Germany. I find it quite illuminating that when they attempt to use the state to PREVENT gays from marrying, they casually ignore the fact that they themselves have used their power to put their “Jesus jackboots” on the throats of people who simply want to devote their lives to one another, and have the same legal rights as others.
The Friendly Atheist has an interesting article written by two fans who recently attended a “Marriage Symposium” organized by the Illinois Family Institute and Patriots United (any time an organization has the words “Family” or “Patriot” in it, you know something racist/homophobic/ultra-conservative is going on). One of the pieces of literature at the event that intrigued me was the pamphlet entitled “77 Non-Religious Reasons to Support Man/Women Marriage“, (sounds more positive than “oppose civil rights, doesn’t it?). This testament to ignorance has so many gems in it, I found it difficult to choose which one was my favorite…
#18: Without man/woman marriage, there will be no institution specifically protecting the right of children to be in a relationship with both parents.
[Translation: If gays are allowed to marry, parents will mysteriously be unable to have a relationship with their kids because gay sex is gross]
#22. If the love between adults were the only important factor, we would expect stepparents to be interchangeable with biological parents. But this is not generally the case.
[Translation: Because you don’t love your step-dad hard enough, “Todd and Fred” shouldn’t be allowed to care for another human being.]
#29 Same-Sex Marriage makes an implicit statement that mothers and fathers are interchangeable, and sex is irrelevant to parenting. The burden should be on those who make this strong, non-intuitive claim.
[Did religious people just say that the burden of proof is on people making extraordinary claims? Shocking. If proof can be shown that the gender of the parents makes no difference at all – say from a study conducted by the American Psychological Association– would they be willing to accept it?]
#32 Mothers and fathers each make unique contributions to the child’s development. Father’s absence creates risks in children that mother’s absence does not create.
[Translation: Dad’s are more important than moms. After all, they’re more likely to physically and sexually abuse their kids, based primarily on factors such as feelings of self worth, unemployment and substance abuse. Does that mean poor people shouldn’t have kids?]
#33 Teenage boys without fathers are at risk for juvenile delinquency, violence, criminal activity, gang membership and incarceration.
[Hey, I know a way that this kid could have not one, but two dads, making him twice as likely not to turn out shitty! Hint: it involves some degree of butt-sex]
#41 Once same sex marriage becomes legally and socially acceptable, more women will decide to raise children together. They will view this as easier than putting forth the effort of crossing the gender divide and cooperating with a man through marriage.
[Translation: Men will become increasingly marginalized because all women will magically lose their intense desire for sexual and emotional intimacy with the opposite sex, since men are such hard work that it’s not really worth it.]
#55 The judges who imposed same sex marriage in Iowa stated “The research…suggest that the traditional notion that children need a mother and father to be raised into a healthy, well-adjusted adults is based more on stereotypes than anything else.” This is not true as a general statement
[Translation: We refuse to accept any evidence that contradicts what we already know to be true.]
#57 If enough judges say enough implausible things, people will lose respect for the law.
[Translation: If the law doesn’t work to our advantage, we’ll ignore it.]#60 By the time the activists are finished, there will be nothing left of marriage but a government registry of friendships
[Translation: if gays are allowed the same rights as everyone else, they’ll ruin it the same way they ruined Glee clubs, male cheerleading, and fashion.]
You’ll notice the document sounds like the paranoid ravings of emotionally insecure people (mostly dads) afraid of losing their place in society. It makes sense: most of these movements are populated by old, racist white people; exactly the types of folks that see their power and influence diminish in today’s society. Their fears about an uncertain future (something every generation has had to face) has found a perfect focal point in the Gay Rights Movement. And because they see themselves as crusaders working for the benefit of children, they will interpret their increasingly marginalized views as the right ones. It matters little what society itself wants: they already know the desired outcome. Now all they need to do is try and work for it. I’m happy to report that these efforts will ultimately prove futile. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself this question: “were you convinced that same-sex marriage should be opposed after reading this logical juggernaut?”
