The Homophobic Right in America - Political Forum

Proud_Dem · 01-11-2007, 05:14 PM

The Homophobic Right In America

Homophobia is still considered an acceptable prejudice in many parts of this country. Our kids use terms like "***" and "homo" to put down people they dislike or consider odd or weird. Winking jokes about being gay are still regular elements of mainstream television and movies. Homophobia is a "family values" prejudice.

In an era when most people would not consider making a racial slur, and ethnic bigotry is all but banished from the media, why are anti-gay comments and stereotypes still thriving?

Evangelical and conservative Christians can be counted on to exhibit outrage and dismay over just about any attempts to treat gays like equal citizens. I'm talking about something much more basic: whether or not gays should be protected from discrimination when it comes to things like hiring, firing, housing, and financial transactions. Gays pay taxes and are God's children also!

Here’s quote from a conservative Christian writer/author Hal Lindsey;

“There were homosexuals in the Corinthian Church just as there were fornicators, adulterers, thieves, drunkards, etc. All of these were forgiven and justified before God when they received the gift of pardon purchased for them by Jesus Christ. But just as the thief, the adulterer, the fornicator and the drunkard were required to change their behavior, so the homosexual had to change his lifestyle.”

Evangelical Christians feel the need to view homosexuality as a type of behavior in order to accept the existence of an ex-gay movement of people who have indeed overcome homosexuality. Homosexuality is not a choice and cannot be simply “converted” to heterosexuality through a 12-step program. This practice would produce sexual hypocrites at best. Evangelicals believe their savior died on a cross, so why are they so ready to crucify others different from themselves? Shouldn’t they be more concerned about helping the poor, the homeless, and afflicted? That was Jesus’ message to the world and his followers. Seldom do we witness a reenactment of the “Parable of the Good Samaritan”, but yet the Religious Right keeps the message of homosexual prejudice alive. Also, I have never heard of nor seen an Orthodox Jew, Buddhist, or Hari Krishna protesting against gays.

Here’s a few more quotes from America’s religious leaders and advocates of hatred:

* Michael Johnston, head of Kerusso Ministries (an "ex-gay" conversion center): "You know, really, when you think about it -- let me just be blunt here -- when an individual 'comes out' and proclaims their homosexuality, really, what they are doing is standing up and saying, 'I'm a sexual deviant, and I'm proud of it.' " - Oct 16, 96 - Family Research Council

* It is [a sin]....You should try to show them a way to deal with that problem, just like alcohol...or sex addiction...or kleptomaniacs." - Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott, Associated Press, June 15, 1998.

* “many of those people involved in Adolf Hitler were Satanists, many of them were homosexuals, the two things seem to go together, it is a pathology it is a sickness." - Pat Robertson on TV

It’s attitudes like this that keep the fires of homophobia and hatred of gays alive. My question is…if homosexuality is such an awful sin, then why is not mentioned in The Ten Commandments?

FRYandBENDER · 01-11-2007, 05:58 PM

Well, people who don't have anything better to do but sit outside and hold up signs that say God hates ***s are retarded and I could understand you having a problem with people acting like that. I'm half way on your side on this and half way not. I agree that Jesus would accept a gay person and love them anyways, but I got news for ya, the "best" person on earth right now is a far cry from Jesus. People are going to think what they want. And basically we are dealing with are passages in the bible where some say "love everyone no matter what" and others say "being gay is a sin, and your going to hell if your gay." I happen to feel that the christian belief belongs to christians, so telling them that they are wrong about gays, and quoting their scripture to try to prove your point, when they can quote scripture saying specifically that, according to their book, they are right is not the best route to take.

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“There were homosexuals in the Corinthian Church just as there were fornicators, adulterers, thieves, drunkards, etc. All of these were forgiven and justified before God when they received the gift of pardon purchased for them by Jesus Christ. But just as the thief, the adulterer, the fornicator and the drunkard were required to change their behavior, so the homosexual had to change his lifestyle.”

This guy has a point. According to their book this is the way it is.

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Evangelical Christians feel the need to view homosexuality as a type of behavior in order to accept the existence of an ex-gay movement of people who have indeed overcome homosexuality. Homosexuality is not a choice and cannot be simply “converted” to heterosexuality through a 12-step program.

Feel the need to view? Why can't they just view? By putting in that little "feel the need to" you have effectively shown us your derision for the idea that homosexuality is a behavior. What is so wrong with someone feeling that way? Like I said before, people who act like assholes to gays need to go choke themselves, but if someone believes that being gay is sick or weird or stupid I don't see why you should "feel the need" to give them grief. I think you should criticize their actions and not their thoughts.

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I'm talking about something much more basic: whether or not gays should be protected from discrimination when it comes to things like hiring, firing, housing, and financial transactions.

What state/country do you live in? I'm not going to say it never happens, but it's 2007 for God's sake. If your not a hetero white male, and someone does something like this to you then you can sue their ass off. People a) don't like to have their money fucked with and b) don't want to seem "un-hip" or "un-progressive" in the eyes of their collegues. I just don't see how can be so many cases where either the person actually gives a shit if someone is gay or they are so confident they can descriminate without getting sued that they would not hire, fire, not lease, or not loan to someone just because they are gay.

Basically, the way I see it, you guys should take less focus on trying to "re-educate" the crazy christian right to think that homosexuality is normal. As well I think the crazy christian right should quit trying to convince people that homosexuality is wrong. Put down your signs, leave eachother alone, and live your lives.

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Homosexuality is not a choice and cannot be simply “converted” to heterosexuality through a 12-step program.

Lesbians can be converted to heterosexuality through a 12 inch program.

Sorry, I had to, to lighten the mood at least.

Ygorl · 01-11-2007, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Proud Dem

Here’s quote from a conservative Christian writer/author Hal Lindsey;

“There were homosexuals in the Corinthian Church just as there were fornicators, adulterers, thieves, drunkards, etc. All
of these were forgiven and justified before God when they received the gift of pardon purchased for them by Jesus Christ. But just as the thief, the adulterer, the fornicator and the drunkard were required to change their behavior, so the homosexual had to change his lifestyle.”

Evangelical Christians feel the need to view homosexuality as a type of behavior in order to accept the existence of an ex-gay movement of people who have indeed overcome homosexuality. Homosexuality is not a choice and cannot be simply “converted” to heterosexuality through a 12-step program. This practice would produce sexual hypocrites at best. Evangelicals believe their savior died on a cross, so why are they so ready to crucify others different from themselves? Shouldn’t they be more concerned about helping the poor, the homeless, and afflicted? That was Jesus’ message to the world and his followers. Seldom do we witness a reenactment of the “Parable of the Good Samaritan”, but yet the Religious Right keeps the message of homosexual prejudice alive. Also, I have never heard of nor seen an Orthodox Jew, Buddhist, or Hari Krishna protesting against gays.

So many supposed "homosexuals" decide to "go straight" how CAN we say that homosexuality is an immutable characteristic ? Many "straight" people have experimented with homosexual BEHAVIOUR.

We can't have it both ways. If it were an immutable characteristic why do so many decide they're tired of it and want away from it ? Because it's a BEHAVIOUR ?

What's wrong with same-sex marriage ?

D. James Kennedy & Jerry Newcombe
Crossway Books 2004

Pg. 30

The Guttmacher Report came out recently. Now Guttmacher, the head of Planned Parenthood, was no friend of evangelical Christians by any stretch of the imagination. But his study showed that 1.1 percent of American men were either homosexual or bisexual - a far cry from Kinseys 10 %. [ "Death of a myth," NARTH Bulletin, Vol. 1, no. 3, July 1993,3. See also "1 % in study say they're homosexual," Ft. Lauderdale : Sun-Sentinel, Apr. 15, 1993 ]

pg 31

Another study showed that 2 % of American men claimed that at one time in their life they had been involved in the homosexual lifestyle but no longer were [ "Death of a myth," NARTH Bulletin, July 1993, 1 ] Did you put those together ? Did you get the impact of that ? What those two statistics say is that there are far more ex-homosexuals in America than there are active homosexuals. So much for the lie that you can't change. More change than DON'T.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Proud Dem

It’s attitudes like this that keep the fires of homophobia and hatred of gays alive. My question is…if homosexuality is such an awful sin, then why is not mentioned in The Ten Commandments?

We could ask that question about almost ANYTHING. Why isn't it mentioned in the ten commandments that you shouldn't hump goats ? Why isn't it mentioned in the ten commandments that you shouldn't eat feces and drink urine ? Why isn't it mentioned in the ten commandments that you shouldn't dive into swimming pools with no water in them ?

Proud_Dem · 01-11-2007, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thane

So many supposed "homosexuals" decide to "go straight" how CAN we say that homosexuality is an immutable characteristic ? Many "straight" people have experimented with homosexual BEHAVIOUR.

We can't have it both ways. If it were an immutable characteristic why do so many decide they're tired of it and want away from it ? Because it's a BEHAVIOUR ?

What's wrong with same-sex marriage ?

D. James Kennedy & Jerry Newcombe
Crossway Books 2004

Pg. 30

The Guttmacher Report came out recently. Now Guttmacher, the head of Planned Parenthood, was no friend of evangelical Christians by any stretch of the imagination. But his study showed that 1.1 percent of American men were either homosexual or bisexual - a far cry from Kinseys 10 %. [ "Death of a myth," NARTH Bulletin, Vol. 1, no. 3, July 1993,3. See also "1 % in study say they're homosexual," Ft. Lauderdale : Sun-Sentinel, Apr. 15, 1993 ]

pg 31

Another study showed that 2 % of American men claimed that at one time in their life they had been involved in the homosexual lifestyle but no longer were [ "Death of a myth," NARTH Bulletin, July 1993, 1 ] Did you put those together ? Did you get the impact of that ? What those two statistics say is that there are far more ex-homosexuals in America than there are active homosexuals. So much for the lie that you can't change. More change than DON'T.

We could ask that question about almost ANYTHING. Why isn't it mentioned in the ten commandments that you shouldn't hump goats ? Why isn't it mentioned in the ten commandments that you shouldn't eat feces and drink urine ? Why isn't it mentioned in the ten commandments that you shouldn't dive into swimming pools with no water in them ?

James Kennedy carries no weight with me! He's a theocratic Hitler.

from Wikipedia:
Kennedy is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America, having transferred his membership there in the late 1970s from the Presbyterian Church in the United States. He is considered a conservative evangelical minister who is often involved in political activities within the Christian right; TheocracyWatch identifies Kennedy as one of the leaders of the Dominionism movement. [1] He has written and coauthored several political works such as What if America Were a Christian Nation Again? and The Rewriting of America's History, arguing that the United States was founded as a Christian nation.

and...
Kennedy was a co-signer of the "Land letter" sent to President Bush in October 2002 which outlined a "just war" rationale for the military invasion of Iraq.[4]

and...
the neo-creationist documentary produced by the Coral Ridge Ministries "Darwin's Deadly Legacy,"[7] which attempts to link the theory of evolution to Hitler:

My point is: Hitler killed gays. Kennedy would also...if he could get by with it.

Troianii · 01-12-2007, 04:11 PM

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