Gay Rights Watch » religion

Anderson Cooper: Is the Extreme Christian Right Losing? (Video)

Bryan — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:28:37 +0000

First things first. Anderson has been covering a lot more gay oriented stories than normal. Is it just me? Anyway, last night Anderson Cooper featured the Rev. Mel White of Soulforce and Tony Perkins of the ‘Family Research Council’. The went head to head and here’s what they had to say…

Gay Bishop Gene Robinson To Deliver Invocation At First Inaugural Event

Bryan — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:36:51 +0000

Gene Robinson, the Episcopal church’s first gay bishop, will deliver the invocation at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday, January 18 – the formal kickoff leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Obama.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the service, including the President-elect.

“It will be an enormous honor to offer prayers for the country and the new president, standing on the holy ground where the ‘I have a dream speech’ was delivered by Dr. King, surrounded by the inspiring and reconciling words of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,” Robinson wrote in a weekend e-mail to supporters.

Read the rest here.

Update: Tennessee Church Killer Has Great Role Models…

Bryan — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:27:39 +0000

Inside the house, officers found “Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder” by radio talk show host Michael Savage, “Let Freedom Ring” by talk show host Sean Hannity, and “The O’Reilly Factor,” by television talk show host Bill O’Reilly.

The shotgun-wielding suspect in Sunday’s mass shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church was motivated by a hatred of “the liberal movement,” and he planned to shoot until police shot him, Knoxville Police Chief Sterling P. Owen IV said this morning.

Adkisson, 58, of Powell wrote a four-page letter in which he stated his “hatred of the liberal movement,” Owen said. “Liberals in general, as well as gays.”

Surprised?

olice found right-wing political books, brass knuckles, empty shotgun shell boxes and a handgun in the Powell home of a man who said he attacked a church in order to kill liberals “who are ruining the country,” court records show.

[...]

Adkisson targeted the church, Still wrote in the document obtained by WBIR-TV, Channel 10, “because of its liberal teachings and his belief that all liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country, and that he felt that the Democrats had tied his country’s hands in the war on terror and they had ruined every institution in America with the aid of media outlets.”

Adkisson told Still that “he could not get to the leaders of the liberal movement that he would then target those that had voted them in to office.”

Adkisson told officers he left the house unlocked for them because “he expected to be killed during the assault.”

Inside the house, officers found “Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder” by radio talk show host Michael Savage, “Let Freedom Ring” by talk show host Sean Hannity, and “The O’Reilly Factor,” by television talk show host Bill O’Reilly.

The shotgun-wielding suspect in Sunday’s mass shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church was motivated by a hatred of “the liberal movement,” and he planned to shoot until police shot him, Knoxville Police Chief Sterling P. Owen IV said this morning.

Gunman Opens Fire Inside Gay Affirming Church in Tennessee

Bryan — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:12:34 +0000

A gunman walked into a Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee and open fire on full pews and “shouted hateful words” — while 25 children were performing on stage. Two church attendees were killed and seven were wounded by the 12-gauge shotgun blasts.

Via BBC
A man has opened fire in a church in Tennessee, killing two people and wounding seven others.

A group of children were performing a play in a Unitarian church in Knoxville when the gunman fired a shotgun.

There were about 200 people in the church at the time of the shooting. All the victims were adults.

Police say they have detained the gunman, who is believed to be in his 40s. He reportedly concealed his weapon in a guitar case.

No information has so far been released about his identity or his possible motive.

But some have suggested the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church was targeted because it is very liberal – allowing gay ministers and marriages.

One witness said the attacker had shouted “hateful words”.

California: Arguing for Marriage Equality on Religious Merits

Bryan — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:26:32 +0000

In an Op-Ed in the Stockton Record, a straight man, married for 56 years, argues in support for marriage equality, specifically with the challenge currently facing same-sex couples in California. The twist? He uses the Bible to back him up. My favorite line: “If gay marriage is sinful, let him who is without sin cast the first vote.”

The hot-button issue of gay marriage has taken up a lot of space in recent issues of The Record and seems to have clearly divided us once again. Fortunately, whatever our views, we are entitled to those views, and the secret police will not come knocking at our doors because of our stand.

However, in all the frenzy by those who oppose same-sex marriage and see the institution of marriage threatened, some significant details are being overlooked:

» God did not initiate the marriage ceremony or the exchanging of vows. He simply created male and female for the purpose of populating the Earth (Genesis 1: 27-28), and we have had conspicuous success in doing that.

» Man created the marriage ceremony. It has taken on many forms over the centuries and continues to evolve.

» In our culture, the marriage ceremony is neither exclusively religious nor exclusively secular. It can be either, and both are legally binding.

» Marriage is not an institution to be protected by public laws. It is a licensed contract shared by two parties only, based on mutual love and respect, with common goals such as happiness and companionship in mind. There is nothing in the contract that requires the two parties to bear children or have the ability to do so.

Many of those who have lined up to strike down the California law, which presently allows gays to marry, are quick to point out portions of the Bible to support their views, such as Leviticus 20:13. One has to wonder if these same folk religiously adhere to all the other admonitions in Leviticus and practice all the other teachings described in the Old Testament.

Unquestionably, supporting the initiative to ban gay marriages is the right of every registered adult who opposes such unions. If successful, the California Constitution will be altered to strike down the current law.

For all who so vote, life will go on, and the issue will be quickly forgotten. For those who have been denied the joy and happiness of marriage, it will be a bitter day of heartbreak.

I have been married 56 years to the one I love. Our marriage has been the most significant and rewarding event of our two lives. I have not been placed here to judge and would not deny this experience to anyone.

If gay marriage is sinful, let him who is without sin cast the first vote.

via the Stockton Record

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