Maybe, just maybe, the show of support discussed in the article below
can make a difference. Regardless, what is really needed is a science based
all-out campaign to discredit even as much as toleration of
homosexual psychopathology.
On what basis are the Republican lime lighters basing their case?
"This I believe" ?
Maybe that can win a battle in this war, but the war cannot be won
on hope and prayer alone. Anyone who thinks so is delusional.
As for even more "hate the sin, love the sinner" claptrap, exactly
what is wrong with the example of the very first Christians,
complete exclusion of homosexuals as anti-Christian in essence
and "deserving death" -not my words, this is a direct quote from Romans
1.
Or is Romans 1 verboten these days?
My honest opinion is that 90% of Evangelical churches have
no use for Romans 1, run away from Romans 1 every chance they get,
and much prefer anything but Romans 1.
But, in case you have not noticed it, there it is, in the Bible, Romans 1,
it can't be missed whatever translation you prefer.
For myself, on this issue I am 100% in favor of Romans 1
as well as Matthew 11 : 20 - 24 and each of the other 28 verses
in the Bible that condemn sodomy unequivocally.
What is more, if anyone asks, I would gladly speak in public to this exact
effect and back up the testimony of the Bible with research findings
that are empirical from start to finish. You know what? No-one else
could do so as meticulously as I can do so.
Know what else? I already have done so in a lecture at U of O in 2009.
Know something further ?. No-one at all will take me up on my offer.
No-one.
Most Christians would rather lose than actually be effective.
This is (1) tragic and (2) indefensible.
Well, I have made my position unmistakably clear, no compromise,.
explicit, up front, no hedging anything, and with pride in doing so.
Will anyone else?
LOL, ROTFUL.
What a joke
Billy
==========================================
In embrace of ‘Duck Dynasty’ star, 2016 hopefuls make bid for evangelicals
Matea Gold ("The Washington Post," December 19, 2013)
Few could have predicted that the story lines of the hit A&E reality show “
Duck Dynasty” and the 2016 presidential contest would converge.
But that unexpected mash-up played out Thursday as conservative politicians
rushed to defend Phil Robertson, the shaggy-bearded, homespun star of the
breakout series, who was suspended by the cable network after his published
comments about gays stirred a storm of controversy.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), a likely White House contender whose state
is home to the show about a family that runs a duck-hunting gear
enterprise, called Robertson and his family “great citizens.”
“The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those
they disagree with,” Jindal said in a statement prominently displayed on
his official Web site, adding: “I remember when TV networks believed in the
First Amendment.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), another probable 2016 candidate, chimed in on
Facebook, writing: “If you believe in free speech or religious liberty, you
should be deeply dismayed over the treatment of Phil Robertson.” And 2008 GOP
vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin wrote in a Facebook post that “those ‘
intolerants’ hatin’ and taking on the Duck Dynasty patriarch for voicing
his personal opinion are taking on all of us.”
Their embrace of Robertson — who in an interview with GQ described “
homosexual behavior” as sinful and compared it to bestiality and infidelity —
underscored how gay rights remain a potent political issue for many religious
voters on the right.
As the same-sex marriage movement has gained steam, many evangelicals and
conservative Catholics feel as if they are being asked to give up deeply
held beliefs — an effort they perceived in the quick suspension of the “Duck
Dynasty” star after his comments were denounced by gay rights groups.
The furor is reminiscent of the protests and counter-rallies of support
that swirled around the fast-food chain Chick-fil-A last year after its
president said the company supported “the biblical definition of the family
unit.”
Conservative Christians “feel like they’re under siege in a culture that
is increasingly intolerant and discriminatory toward their views, and they
don’t feel represented,” said Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith & Freedom
Coalition, who noted that Robertson paraphrased from the Bible’s Book of
Corinthians in his interview. “I did not get any impression at all that there
was animus expressed,” Reed said
By jumping into the “Duck Dynasty” maelstrom, conservative leaders such as
Jindal and Cruz sent a clear message to evangelical voters: We’re on your
side.
“Make no mistake,” Reed said, “these voters are paying attention, and they
are going to remember who stood up.”
The controversy played out on the very day that opposing cultural forces
were on full display. New Mexico’s highest court legalized same-sex marriage,
the 17th state to allow gays and lesbians to wed. And figure skater Brian
Boitano announced he is gay, making him the third gay member of the U.S.
delegation who will travel to Russia in February for the Winter Olympics.
The cross-currents spotlighted the schism over gay rights that persists in
parts of the country.
“This shows that there clearly needs to be more engagement of the
evangelical community if gay acceptance is going to become a reality,” said
Gregory
T. Angelo, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay rights
advocacy group.
Still, other gay rights advocates noted the growing number of moderate
Republican leaders who have embraced the cause of same-sex marriage. Earlier
this year, more than 100 Republicans signed a legal brief urging the Supreme
Court to declare that gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to
marry.
Fred Sainz, spokesman for the gay advocacy group Human Rights Campaign,
said that “the days of making gay a wedge issue are dated.”
“I think they are outliers,” he said of Jindal, Cruz and Palin, adding
that he believes they jumped into the “Duck Dynasty” controversy to appeal to
“a niche base.”
But that base remains a powerful force in the Republican Party,
particularly when it comes to presidential primaries in states such as Iowa
and South
Carolina.
Conservative activists said that the national push for gay rights could
mobilize evangelical voters to the polls in new numbers in 2016, particularly
if they feel there is a candidate running who reflects their beliefs.
David Lane, an influential Christian activist based in California who
organizes pastor conferences, said he got an e-mail Thursday morning from a top
Republican activist in Iowa who credited Jindal for speaking out quickly
about Robertson’s suspension.
“What Jindal is doing is absolutely tremendous, from an evangelical and
pro-life Catholic standpoint,” Lane said. “Spiritually speaking, we’re in a
war.”
And Robertson, the blunt-spoken reality show star, is serving as the
unexpected latest flashpoint. (Notably, his comments about gays — including a
graphic description of which body parts are more desirable — have garnered
substantially more attention than his contention in the same GQ interview that
African Americans were happier in the era of Jim Crow laws in the South,
calling them “singing and happy.”)
In the interview he said:“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out
from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and
that woman and those men.”
Robertson issued a statement Thursday saying that he believes his mission
is to spread the Bible’s teachings. “I would never treat anyone with
disrespect just because they are different from me,” he said. “We are all
created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be
better off if we loved God and loved each other.”
As of late afternoon Thursday, there were around 1 million mentions of the
“Duck Dynasty” or Robertson on Twitter. An online petition organized by
the group Faith Driven Consumer, which promotes Christian-friendly companies,
had more than 50,000 signatures. And the Faith & Freedom Coalition called
on its members to launch an e-mail and phone campaign to let A&E know they
will boycott the network until Robertson is reinstated.
“I would expect,” Reed said, “they will need to hire additional folks to
handle the phones.”
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