The Christofascist Right has finally enough nerve to declare war and its chief enemy is, of course, the LGBT community.
And while one of its shining leaders has not yet signed the document, he's acting as if he did, keeping silent on the gay genocide legislation that is being proposed by the Ugandan legislature.
::::::::
This
is an act of terror and murder against an already beleaguered minority,
and Warren is an accessory to it. As a powerful figure in distributing
AIDS funding in Uganda, he cannot bring himself to oppose a law that
would condemn someone in a gay relationship to death, and imprison him
or her for touching another human being, and inciting a wave of
informing on family members and friends and acquaintances in order to
terrify a sexual minority. This alleged man of God cannot speak out on
this - except to protect his own p.r.
Several
weeks ago, the Christian Right finally unleashed its bigotry in a
statement called The Manhattan Declaration, formally defining their
role in America's culture war. Oh, it had some little "we're sorry"
moments
While fully acknowledging the imperfections and shortcomings of Christian institutions and communities in all ages [In other words, they don't intend to address the topic of pedophile priests or ministers],
we claim the heritage of those Christians who defended innocent life by
rescuing discarded babies from trash heaps in Roman cities and publicly
denouncing the Empire's sanctioning of infanticide. We remember with
reverence those believers who sacrificed their lives by remaining in
Roman cities to tend the sick and dying during the plagues [Like the onslaught of AIDS?], and who died bravely in the coliseums rather than deny their Lord.
And this gem:
We
have compassion for those so disposed [to homosexuality]; we respect
them as human beings possessing profound, inherent, and equal dignity;
Followed by an arrogant and totally disingenuous fabrication:
And
so it is out of love (not “animusâ€) and prudent concern for the common
good (not “prejudiceâ€) that we pledge to labor ceaselessly to preserve
the legal definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman
and to rebuild the marriage culture.
The entire proclamation is sprinkled liberally
with paeans to how holy and wonderful its take on religion is and how
the church has been scorned for being so holy. It conjures up images of
people walking with immense dignity into a light:
Because
we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict
that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions,
embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any
other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force
us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the
equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about
morality and immorality and marriage and the family.
Cue The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
So that you might have the full impact of the Declaration, here's the entire (and annotated) Manhattan Declaration.
Museveni's Pope?Under
the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, homosexual relations are
specifically targeted. Anyone in a position of authority who is aware
of a gay or lesbian individual has 24 hours to inform police or face
jail time. ... Those who engage in "aggravated homosexuality" --
defined as repeated homosexual relations or sexual contact with others
who are HIV/AIDS infected -- will face the death penalty.
Enter
Rick Warren, the most popular minister in America. The man who was
excoriated by MSM after he filmed a commercial supporting California's
Proposition 8 but answered that he had "many gay friends. I've been to
their homes for dinner. I know gay leaders." Rick Warren is now engaged
in a conundrum pitting his "empathy" for gays against his extensive
relationship with the African country of Uganda.
Should he
denounce the upcoming legislation as an attempt at genocide? Should he
stress morality and compassion? Or should he, by proclamation or
silence, agree that Uganda should have the most extreme punishments for
homosexuality in the world?
So far, by Warren's silence, Uganda, is winning.
In
the scheme of history, it was not so long ago that a high-ranking
clergyman decided to keep silent about a genocide: Pope Pius XII, by
his stubborn resolve to keep the Vatican's part of the agreement with
Germany (the Reichsconcordat of 1933), effectively sealed the fate of millions of people by not speaking out against the Holocaust he knew was happening.
Think Progress: From a press release issued today:
The
fundamental dignity of every person, our right to be free, and the
freedom to make moral choices are gifts endowed by God, our creator. However, it is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations.
Warren
has repeatedly emphasized that his assistance to African nations
concerning AIDS would only take place if that nation promoted
abstinence-only programs. Since those programs would need to be
sanctioned by the country's department of education (which is part of
the "political process" in countries like Uganda), Warren's statement
is totally false. "I never take sides" is an incredible lie that can be
proven quite easily. Even his "outreach" statements (like the speech to
Muslims last Easter) are one-sided since they tend to glorify his work.
Interestingly
enough, he has not as yet signed the Manhattan Declaration. As Andrew
Sullivan pointed out, he could be hesitating because it may not
"protect his own p.r."
And if nothing else, Warren's image is about p.r.
To
date, over 150,000 people have signed the Declaration. It is now time
to look at those people who signed the initial document and consider
who didn't. Below is the list of the initial signers. It's interesting that they fall into various categories:- People famous for being hand-in-hand with the Christian Right (Chuck Colson, Leith Anderson, Tony Perkins, Dinesh D'Szousa)
- People connected to organizations or institutions strongly anti-abortion and/or anti-gay (Gary Bauer, Jim Daly, James Dobson)
- And people whose institutions obviously need the publicity (Maggie Gallagher)
- Dr. Daniel Akin President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, N.C.)
- Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola Primate, Anglican Church of Nigeria (Abuja, Nigeria)
- Randy Alcorn Founder and Director, Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM) (Sandy, Ore.)
- Rt. Rev. David Anderson President and CEO, American Anglican Council (Atlanta)
- Leith Anderson President of National Association of Evangelicals (Washington, D.C.)
- Charlotte K. Ardizzone TV Show Host and Speaker, INSP Television (Charlotte, N.C.)
- Kay Arthur CEO and Co-founder, Precept Ministries International (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
- Dr. Mark L. Bailey President, Dallas Theological Seminary (Dallas)
- Most Rev. Craig W. Bates, Archbishop, International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church (Malverne, N.Y.)
- Gary Bauer President, American Values; Chairman, Campaign for Working Families
- His
Grace, The Right Reverend Bishop Basil Essey The Right Reverend Bishop
of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America (Wichita, Kan.)
- Joel Belz Founder, World Magazine (Asheville, N.C.)
- Rev. Michael L. Beresford Managing Director of Church Relations, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (Charlotte, N.C.)
- Ken Boa President, Reflections Ministries (Atlanta)
- Joseph Bottum Editor of First Things (New York)
- Pastor Randy & Sarah Brannon Senior Pastor, Grace Community Church (Madera, Calif.)
- Steve Brown National Radio Broadcaster, Key Life (Maitland, Fla.)
- Dr.
Robert C. Cannada, Jr. Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological
Seminary (Orlando, Fla.) Galen Carey Director of Government Affairs,
National Association of Evangelicals (Washington, D.C.)
- Dr. Bryan Chapell President, Covenant Theological Seminary (St. Louis)
- Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver
- Timothy Clinton President, American Association of Christian Counselors (Forest, Va.)
- Chuck Colson Founder, The Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview (Lansdowne, Va.)
- Most Rev. Salvatore Joseph Cordileone Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, Calif.
- Dr. Gary Culpepper Associate Professor, Providence College (Providence, R.I.)
- Jim Daly President and CEO, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
- Marjorie Dannenfelser President, Susan B. Anthony List (Arlington, Va.)
- Rev.
Daniel Delgado Board of Directors, National Hispanic Christian
Leadership Conference; Pastor, Third Day Missions Church (Staten
Island, N.Y.)
- Patrick J. Deneen Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis
Associate Professor and Director, The Tocqueville Forum on the Roots of
American Democracy, Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.)
- Dr. James Dobson Founder, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
- Dr. David Dockery President, Union University (Jackson, Tenn.)
- Most Rev. Timothy Dolan Archbishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of New York, N.Y.
- Dr. William Donohue President, Catholic League (New York)
- Dr. James T. Draper, Jr. President Emeritus, LifeWay (Nashville, Tenn.)
- Dinesh D'Souza Writer and Speaker (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.)
- Most Rev. Robert Wm. Duncan Archbishop and Primate, Anglican Church in North America (Ambridge, Pa. )
- Dr. Michael Easley President Emeritus, Moody Bible Institute (Chicago)
- Dr. William Edgar Professor, Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia)
- Brett Elder Executive Director, Stewardship Council (Grand Rapids, Mich.
- Rev. Joel Elowsky Drew University (Madison, N.J.)
- Stuart Epperson Co-Founder and Chariman of the Board, Salem Communications Corporation (Camarillo, Calif.)
- Rev. Jonathan Falwell Senior Pastor, Thomas Road Baptist Church (Lynchburg, Va.)
- William J. Federer President, Amerisearch, Inc. (St. Louis)
- Fr. Joseph D. Fessio Founder and Editor, Ignatius Press (Ft. Collins, Colo.)
- Carmen Fowler President and Executive Editor, Presbyterian Lay Committee (Lenoir, N.C.)
- Maggie Gallagher President, National Organization for Marriage (Manassas, Va.)
- Dr. Jim Garlow Senior Pastor, Skyline Church (La Mesa, Calif.)
- Steven Garofalo Senior Consultant, Search and Assessment Services (Charlotte, N.C.)
- Dr. Robert P. George McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University (Princeton, N.J.)
- Dr. Timothy George Dean and Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School at Samford University (Birmingham, Ala.)
- Thomas Gilson Director of Strategic Processes, Campus Crusade for Christ International (Norfolk, Va.)
- Dr. Jack Graham Pastor, Prestonwood Baptist Church (Plano, Texas)
- Dr. Wayne Grudem Research Professor of Theological and Biblical Studies, Phoenix Seminary (Phoenix)
- Dr. Cornell "Corkie" Haan National Facilitator of Spiritual Unity, The Mission America Coalition (Palm Desert, Calif.)
- Fr. Chad Hatfield Chancellor, CEO and Archpriest, St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary (Yonkers, N.Y.)
- Dr. Dennis Hollinger President and Professor of Christian Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (South Hamilton, Mass.)
- Dr. Jeanette Hsieh Executive Vice President and Provost, Trinity International University (Deerfield, Ill.)
- Dr.
John A. Huffman, Jr. Senior Pastor, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church
(Newport Beach, Calif.); Chairman of the Board, Christianity Today
International (Carol Stream, Ill.)
- Rev. Ken Hutcherson Pastor, Antioch Bible Church (Kirkland, Wash.)
- Bishop Harry R. Jackson, Jr. Senior Pastor, Hope Christian Church (Beltsville, Md.)
- Fr. Johannes L. Jacobse President, American Orthodox Institute; Editor, OrthodoxyToday.org (Naples, Fla.)
- Jerry Jenkins Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Moody Bible Institute (Black Forest, Colo.)
- Camille Kampouris Editorial Board, Kairos Journal
- Emmanuel A. Kampouris Publisher, Kairos Journal
- Rev. Tim Keller Senior Pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (New York)
- Dr. Peter Kreeft Professor of Philosophy, Boston College (Mass.) and at the Kings College (N.Y.)
- Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville, Ky.
- Jim Kushiner Editor, Touchstone (Chicago)
- Dr. Richard Land President, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the SBC (Washington, D.C.)
- Jim Law Senior Associate Pastor, First Baptist Church (Woodstock, Ga.)
- Dr. Matthew Levering
Associate Professor of Theology, Ave Maria University (Naples, Fla.) - Dr. Peter Lillback President, The Providence Forum (West Conshohocken, Pa.)
- Dr. Duane Litfin President, Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.)
- Rev. Herb Lusk Pastor, Greater Exodus Baptist Church (Philadelphia)
- His Eminence Adam Cardinal Maida Archbishop Emeritus, Roman Catholic Diocese of Detroit
- Most Rev. Richard J. Malone Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine
- Rev. Francis Martin Professor of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Heart Major Seminary (Detroit)
- Dr. Joseph Mattera Bishop and Senior Pastor, Resurrection Church (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
- Phil Maxwell Pastor, Gateway Church (Bridgewater, N.J.)
- Josh McDowell Founder, Josh McDowell Ministries (Plano, Texas)
- Alex McFarland President, Southern Evangelical Seminary (Charlotte, N.C.)
- Most Rev. George Dallas McKinney Bishop, Founder and Pastor, St. Stephen's Church of God in Christ (San Diego)
- Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns Missionary Bishop, Convocation of Anglicans of North America (Herndon, Va.)
- Dr. C. Ben Mitchell Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy, Union University (Jackson, Tenn.)
- Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Ky.)
- Dr.
Russell D. Moore Senior Vice President for Academic Administration and
Dean of the School of Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
(Louisville, Ky.)
- Most Rev. John J. Myers Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, N.J.
- Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann Archbishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City, Kan.
- David Neff Editor-in-Chief, Christianity Today (Carol Stream, Ill.)
- Tom Nelson Senior Pastor, Christ Community Evangelical Free Church (Leawood, Kan.)
- Niel NielsonPr esident, Covenant College (Lookout Mt., Ga.)
- Most Rev. John Nienstedt Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
- Dr. Tom Oden Theologian, United Methodist Minister; Professor, Drew University (Madison, N.J.)
- Marvin Olasky Editor-in-Chief, World Magazine; Provost, The Kings College (New York)
- Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
- Rev. William Owens Chairman, Coalition of African-American Pastors (Memphis, Tenn.)
- Dr. J.I. Packer Board of Governors' Professor of Theology, Regent College (Canada)
- Metr. Jonah Paffhausen Primate, Orthodox Church in America (Syosset, N.Y.)
- Tony Perkins President, Family Research Council (Washington, D.C.)
- Eric M. Pillmore CEO, Pillmore Consulting LLC (Doylestown, Pa.)
- Dr. Everett Piper President, Oklahoma Wesleyan University (Bartlesville, Okla.)
- Todd Pitner President, Rev Increase
- Dr. Cornelius Plantinga President, Calvin Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Dr. David Platt Pastor, Church at Brook Hills (Birmingham, Ala.)
- Rev. Jim Pocock Pastor, Trinitarian Congregational Church (Wayland, Mass.)
- Fred Potter Executive Director and CEO, Christian Legal Society (Springfield, Va.)
- Dennis Rainey President, CEO, and Co-Founder, FamilyLife (Little Rock, Ark.)
- Fr. Patrick Reardon Pastor, All Saints' Antiochian Orthodox Church (Chicago)
- Bob Reccord Founder, Total Life Impact, Inc. (Suwanee, Ga.)
- His Eminence Justin Cardinal Rigali Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
- Frank Schubert President, Schubert Flint Public Affairs (Sacramento, Calif.)
- David Schuringa President, Crossroads Bible Institute (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Tricia Scribner Author (Harrisburg, N.C.)
- Dr. Dave Seaford Senior Pastor, Community Fellowship Church (Matthews, N.C.)
- Alan Sears President, CEO, and General Counsel, Alliance Defense Fund (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
- Randy Setzer Senior Pastor, Macedonia Baptist Church (Lincolnton, N.C.)
- Most Rev. Michael J. Sheridan Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Dr. Ron Sider Director, Evangelicals for Social Action (Wynnewood, Pa.)
- Fr. Robert Sirico Founder, Acton Institute (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Dr. Robert Sloan President, Houston Baptist University (Houston)
- Charles Stetson Chairman of the Board, Bible Literacy Project (New York)
- Dr. David Stevens CEO, Christian Medical and Dental Association (Bristol, Tenn.)
- John Stonestreet Executive Director, Summit Ministries (Manitou Springs, Colo.)
- Dr. Joseph Stowell President, Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
- Dr. Sarah Sumner Professor of Theology and Ministry, Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, Calif.)
- Dr. Glenn Sunshine Chairman of the History Department, Central Connecticut State University (New Britain, Conn.)
- Joni Eareckson Tada Founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center (Agoura Hills, Calif.)
- Luiz Tellez President, The Witherspoon Institute (Princeton, N.J.)
- Dr. Timothy C. Tennent, President, Asbury Theological Seminary (Wilmore, Ky.)
- Michael Timmis. Chairman, Prison Fellowship and Prison Fellowship International (Naples, Fla.)
- Mark Tooley, President, Institute for Religion and Democracy (Washington, D.C.)
- H. James Towey, President, St. Vincent College (Latrobe, Pa.)
- Juan Valdes, Middle and High School Chaplain, Florida Christian School (Miami, Fla.)
- Todd Wagner, Pastor, WaterMark Community Church (Dallas)
- Dr. Graham Walker, President, Patrick Henry College (Purcellville, Va.)
- Fr.
Alexander F. C. Webster, Ph.D., Archpriest, Orthodox Church in America;
Professorial Lecturer, The George Washington University (Ashburn, Va.)
- George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center (Washington, D.C.)
- David Welch, Houston Area Pastor Council Executive Director, US Pastors Council (Houston)
- Dr. James Emery White, Founding and Senior Pastor, Mecklenburg Community Church (Charlotte, N.C.)
- Dr. Hayes Wicker, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church (Naples, Fla.)
- Mark Williamson, Founder and President, Foundation Restoration Ministries/Federal Intercessors (Katy, Texas)
- Parker T. Williamson, Editor Emeritus and Senior Correspondent, Presbyterian Lay Committee
- Dr. Craig Williford, President, Trinity International University (Deerfield, Ill.)
- Dr.
John Woodbridge, Research Professor of Church History and the History
of Christian Thought, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield,
Ill.)
- Don M. Woodside, Performance Matters Associates (Matthews, N.C.)
- Dr. Frank Wright, President, National Religious Broadcasters (Manassas, Va.)
- Most Rev. Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
- Paul Young, COO and Executive Vice President, Christian Research Institute (Charlotte, N.C.)
- Dr. Michael Youssef, President, Leading the Way (Atlanta)
- Ravi Zacharias, Founder and Chairman of the Board, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (Norcross, Ga.)
- Most Rev. David A. Zubik, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
- James R. Thobaben, Ph.D., M.P.H., Professor, Bioethics and Social Ethics, Asbury Theological Seminary (Wilmore, Ky.)
There
are a great deal of institutions represented that appear to be so
miniscule as to seem innocuous. However, therein lies the danger of
this group: they may seem small, but, given the right occassion, will
make valiant attempts of bigotry that could prove to be ... fatal. ALL
of these people and their organizations deserve the utmost scrutiny
from now on. Of course, while some of them may seem to be beyond
reproach (like archbishops), remember that titles can cover a host of
hypocrisies.
Authors Website: http://sacredcowsmakethebesthamburgers.blogspot.com
Authors Bio:Rev. Dan Vojir is has been writing/blogging on religion and politics for the better part of ten years. A former radio talk show host (Strictly Books €" Talk America Radio Network) and book publisher, Dan has connected with some of the most interesting people of our time: Steve Allen, William F. Buckley, Alan Ginsburg, Armisted Maupin, Anne Rice, Grace Slick, Bishop John Shelby Spong, Patricia Nell Warren, and Betty White.
He is also an ordained minister in the ULC and has studied extensively on the subject of the Bible and homosexuality. Additional articles can be read on his blog, The Devil and Dan Vojir.
Future goals and activities: a new ministry focusing on reaching personal spiritual levels without the outside influence of proselytism or evangelism called The Church of the Inner Preacher. This ministry will be included in a new website The Devil and Dan Vojir.
Vojir's main goal: to root out hypocrisy in religion and politics. "If only one person is saved from being killed or bashed by inane bigotry, then I'll have accomplished what I was put on earth to do: To Live and Help Live."
http://sacredcowsmakethebesthamburgers.blogspot.com