Religion
The same old Religious Right, with a few new tricks: Part 2
By Mel Seesholtz, Ph.D.
Online Journal Contributing Writer


Mar 5, 2009, 00:15

They�re still at it. Same old tired arguments, same old blatant prejudice. Two events in mid-February exemplified the Religious Right�s continuing attempts to wrong gay Americans in any way possible, but all they�re really doing is flapping their Chicken Little wings and exposing their unbridled bigotry.

Don Wildmon and his grotesquely misnamed �American Family Association� are notorious for their homo-hunting and boycotting of any company that treats its gay employees as equals or that advertises in a gay-related publication. Disney, Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble, Ford Motor Company, Hallmark, and McDonald�s have all been targets of Wildmon-led boycotts. AFA�s latest targets are PepsiCo and Campbell Soup. The latter drew the wrath of Wildmon because . . .

In the December, 2008 and January, 2009 issues, Campbell Soup Company bought two, two-page advertisements in the latest issues of the nation�s largest homosexual magazine, �The Advocate.� The ads promote their Swanson line of broth.

In one of the December ads, the Campbell Soup Company highlighted the lives of two lesbians with their son. The others feature New York City chefs. See the ads here.

Campbell Soup Company has openly begun helping homosexual activists push their agenda. Not only did the ads cost Campbell�s a chunk of money, but they also sent a message that homosexual parents constitute a family and are worthy of support. . . .

Aside from the fact that target-marketing is a common practice, what kind of �man,� what kind of �Christian� would deny that legally married parents and their child do not constitute a family? If ever there was an example of raw hatred and seething bigotry hiding behind religion, it�s Don Wildmon and his American �Family� Association.

Always on the lookout for new ways to demean and hurt gays and their families, Wildmon�s AFA put together a 60-minute paid-programming �infomercial,� Speechless: Silencing the Christians. The television stations they targeted were in states beginning to become more conscious of gay Americans� civil equality. �Civil equality� for gays is anathema to Wildmon and the AFA.

They were able to get WSPA in Greenville, South Carolina, to air the �infomercial,� but the station manager subsequently aired an apology for doing so. WSXY in Columbus, Ohio, refused to air it. But the station that really got Wildmon�s knickers in a twist was WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan:

Religious right lashes out with virulently anti-gay infomercial
by Kilian Melloy

A bold forward attack against GLBT Americans has been launched by an anti-gay group that claims in a video that equality for gays and lesbians harms families and curtails religious freedom.

The video, called �Speechless: Silencing the Christians� is poised to air on a Grand Rapids, Michigan TV station as a paid program.

The �infomercial� was scheduled to air just before President Obama�s televised address. But after shifting the time and day it was to air -- and after receiving more than a few complaints about their decision to air it -- WOOD decided to pull the plug:

Michigan TV Station Ditches Plans to Air Antigay �Infomercial�
February 12, 2009

A Michigan television station has rescinded its offer to air an hour-long antigay �infomercial� produced by the American Family Association this weekend on the heels of a campaign by the Human Rights Campaign to have the program yanked from airwaves. . . .

�Make no mistake . . . this is the opening salvo in a campaign designed to denigrate LGBT Americans and deny us our basic rights,� HRC president Joe Solmonese said in a statement. �Just as our community is at a point where measures protecting millions of Americans heads to Congress and a willing president, the AFA unleashes 60 minutes of lies and distortions to scare voters. The AFA and its allies have never been �speechless� when it comes to promoting their own agenda, and that�s driving a wedge in the very places where LGBT Americans work, live, and even pray.� . . .

 . . . WOOD TV released a statement on its website that the station no longer planned to air the program.

�We made a gesture of the 2-3 p.m. Saturday time period,� WOOD TV general manager Diane Kniowski said in a statement. �It�s been 24 hours and we had no response. Our station is being bombarded with calls and messages, and we find ourselves in the middle of someone else�s fight. Ours was a fair offer and we are removing ourselves from this matter.�

Was this another example of �silencing the Christians,� as Wildmon and the AFA are claiming? Or was WOOD-TV�s decision a civically responsible one? If any group produced an �infomercial� that used religion to justify civil discrimination and the marginalizing of a certain group of American citizens, would any responsible television station agree to air it?

Kilian Melloy�s article �Religious right lashes out with virulently anti-gay infomercial� noted something else about the AFA �infomercial�:

The one-hour production starts as a look at how a group of Christian demonstrators were arrested for, as they tell it, trying to �share the Gospel,� but almost immediately focuses on gay and lesbian Americans� struggle for equality under the law. . . .

That arrested �group of Christian demonstrators� were 11 members of Repent America, a radical Philadelphia-based �Christian� group founded and led by Michael Marcavage, who was the subject of a 2005 article in Philadelphia�s City Paper, �Jesus Geek Superstar.�

What the AFA �infomercial� conveniently neglects to mention is that the �Philadelphia Eleven,� as they came to be called, were freed by the courts the Religious Right usually rail against: �activist judges,� �black-robbed tyrants.� The event was hailed on the Full Quiver Mission website. .

Just in case you�re not familiar with the Full Quiver movement, their biblically-ordained �mission� is to have as many children as possible, home-school them in the �Christian� way so that in a generation or two they can sway elections, take over the country and make it �Jesusland.�

As for the other revealing event, this February 12, 2009 report summarizes:

Utah gov. faces wrath after supporting civil unions

(Salt Lake City, Utah) Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) is facing a backlash from fellow Republicans, the powerful Mormon Church and from evangelical Christians following this week�s statement that he would support civil unions for same-sex couples. . . .

Huntsman did not show up at his office in the Capitol on Wednesday. He canceled a scheduled news conference and moved several meetings to the Governor�s Mansion prompting several news organizations to speculate there had been threats against the governor, something his office denied.

Inside the legislature, Sen. Chris Buttars (R) -- a longtime foe of gay rights -- circulated a statement claiming civil unions in Utah �would threaten marriage and religious freedom.� . . .

Wednesday night gays and their allies staged a candlelight vigil outside the Governor�s Mansion to show their support for the governor and to urge passage of LGBT rights bills before the legislature.

In addition to saying Tuesday he supports civil unions, Huntsman also said he is in favor of most of a group of LGBT bills called the Common Ground Initiative.

This year LGBT rights groups unveiled a group of bills called the Common Ground Initiative that includes legislation to begin process of repealing the section of the amendment banning civil unions. Other bills include adding gays in job and housing protections, a domestic partner registry and partner health care rights. . . . [italics added]

Alas, the Mormons do seem to have a problem with �truth� and �honesty�:

Direct Evidence Mormon Church Violated Tax Exempt Status
Friday, January 30, 2009

On November 3, 2008, ProtectMarriage.com received a contribution of $30,354.85 from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You read that right. The Mormon Church donated more than $30 thousand dollars to eradicate the right of same-sex couples to marry. This is clear evidence, with a paper trail showing the Church and their personal financial contribution.
See the filing here.

A day later this item appeared:

More �Revelations� For the Mormon Church Tax Scandal

Mormon church officials, facing an ongoing investigation by the state Fair Political Practices Commission, Friday reported nearly $190,000 in previously unlisted assistance to the successful campaign for Prop. 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California.

The report, filed with the secretary of state�s office, listed a variety of California travel expenses for high-ranking members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and included $20,575 for use of facilities and equipment at the church�s Salt Lake City headquarters and a $96,849 charge for �compensated staff time� for church employees who worked on matters pertaining to Prop. 8.

The Mormon church had been under investigation by the Fair Political Practices Commission for failure to report its contributions as required by law. The investigation was prompted by a complaint filed by Fred Karger, of Californians Against Hate.

Then came a �confession�:

Mormon Church admits it spent 100 times more for Prop 8 than reported
02.02.2009

(San Francisco, California) Six weeks into an investigation by California�s Fair Political Practices Commission, the Church of Latter-Day Saints has admitted that it spent nearly $188,000 more on the campaign to approve Proposition 8 that it had initially stated. . . .

In early February 2009, things got even worse for the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints:

Prominent Mormons Reimbursed for Prop 8
February 3, 2009

In what is now being called Mormon Gate by Californians Against Hate, the LDS church finds itself embroiled in a new scandal every day over their social, and financial involvement in banning same-sex marriage in California.

All this may be the tip of the iceberg as new reports indicate the following people, and probably more to follow were allegedly reimbursed by the church.

�         Lawrence Research (Gary Lawrence, Mormon pollster and Meridian contributor): $528,877.35

�         Eagle Foundation (a Mormon PAC set up by Bart Marcois and David Parker): $135,912.76

�         Glen Greener (former Salt Lake City Police Commissioner, Meridian contributor, and now a GOP operative and sometime Cali property developer): $50,236.42

�         Sonja Brown (Protectmarriage.com communications director): $41,844.00

�         Zion Multimedia Corp.: $2,000.00

�         Rob Wirthlin: $768.18

The full list of those who contributed to the Yes on 8 campaign can be viewed here courtesy of California�s public records law. . . .

The statement by Utah senator Chris Buttars -- quoted in the �Utah gov. faces wrath after supporting civil unions� article -- that civil unions �would threaten marriage and religious freedom� well represents the Mormon Church�s unfamiliarity with �truth� and �honesty,� and epitomizes the Religious Right�s continuing campaign of lies and distortions.

There is no rational, cogent argument supporting the contention that civil unions would in any way �threaten marriage.� Heterosexual couples can already opt for a civil marriage ceremony rather than a �church wedding,� and if Sen. Buttars means the so-called �Biblical view of marriage,� then perhaps he should re-read Lisa Miller�s December 15, 2008 Newsweek cover story:

Let�s try for a minute to take the religious conservatives at their word and define marriage as the Bible does. Shall we look to Abraham, the great patriarch, who slept with his servant when he discovered his beloved wife Sarah was infertile? Or to Jacob, who fathered children with four different women (two sisters and their servants)? Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon and the kings of Judah and Israel -- all these fathers and heroes were polygamists. The New Testament model of marriage is hardly better. Jesus himself was single and preached an indifference to earthly attachments -- especially family. The apostle Paul (also single) regarded marriage as an act of last resort for those unable to contain their animal lust. �It is better to marry than to burn with passion,� says the apostle, in one of the most lukewarm endorsements of a treasured institution ever uttered. Would any contemporary heterosexual married couple -- who likely woke up on their wedding day harboring some optimistic and newfangled ideas about gender equality and romantic love -- turn to the Bible as a how-to script?

Of course not, yet the religious opponents of gay marriage would have it be so. . . .

The claim by Mr. Buttars that civil unions would threaten �religious freedom� is one of the standard scare tactics used by the Religious Right. It�s as bogus as their other arguments. Churches have the right -- and should have the right -- to refuse to marry any couple that �violates� their dogmatic beliefs. The Mormons should understand that better than any group. If a heterosexual couple wanted to be married by the Mormon Church, the Church could refused based on dogmatic principles. That�s their right. The state could not force the church to marry the couple.

What Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman supports is civil unions. They pose no threat to �religious freedom.�

Mr. Buttars elaborates on his bigotry and fanaticism in a forthcoming documentary, 8: The Mormon Proposition, by Reed Cowan:

Senator Buttars compares some gays to radical Muslims

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Utah state Senator Chris Buttars is now comparing some in the gay community to radical Muslims.

Buttars makes this strong comment in an upcoming documentary about Prop 8.

And they come just a year after remarks by Buttars greatly offended many African-Americans. . . .

In it, Buttars not only makes the comparison to radical Muslims, but also suggests that gays could pose the greatest threat to America. . . .

 . . . in the audio clips which ABC 4 received permission to broadcast from Reed Cowan Productions, Buttars makes several equally strong comments.

Sen. Chris Buttars: �Homosexuality will always be a sexual perversion. And you say that around here now and everybody goes nuts. But I don�t care.�

Just one year ago, Buttars found himself in hot water locally and nationally for this comment on the senate floor.

�This baby is black . . . this is a dark, ugly thing.�

And even though Buttars says in the documentary interview, . . .�the ACLU - bless their black hearts . . . ,� it�s his other comments which may get the strongest reaction.

Like this one which the documentary maker confirms is about gays.

�They�re mean. They want to talk about being nice. They�re the meanest buggers I have ever seen.�

And just seconds later, Buttars draws a comparison between some gays and radical Muslims.

�It�s just like the Muslims. Muslims are good people and their religion is anti-war. But it�s been taken over by the radical side.�

Buttars also claims he�s �killed� every gay rights bill in the legislature for the last 8 years.

He also talks about gay marriage being the beginning of the end.

Buttars: �What is the morals of a gay person? You can�t answer that because anything goes.�

And finally, this is how senator Buttars refers to the �radical gay movement.�

�They�re probably the greatest threat to America going down I know of. . . .

Two Utahns who �think� like Mr. Buttars took matters into their own hands, as Rebecca Walsh reported in her column in The Salt Lake Tribune:

Sandra Rodrigues and Jonas Filho are patriotic American immigrants. They love the place -- all its rights and freedoms. Stuff like free speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press.

So when they were thinking of creating a nonprofit organization dedicated to denying gay Americans civil rights, they named it America Forever. Of course.

The incorporation papers for the foundation have since lapsed. But that didn�t stop the Rodrigues family from placing a full-page ad in both of Salt Lake City�s daily newspapers Sunday -- price tag: about $15,000 -- filled with the sophomoric, pseudo-legal reasoning of two people who get up in the morning to be hateful.

Under the headline �Stand up and stop the homosexual movement,� and squeezed around a picture of a Utah gay couple kissing -- one white, one black, for added shock value -- America Forever raises conspiracy theory to a new level. �Shame on Governor Huntsman for joining, and adding to this public shame by endorsing the common ground initiative� and �Shame on Utah Gays for using the LDS Church.�

It goes downhill from there -- equating gays with a woman who shows up at work dressed like a hooker, promoting so-called �anti-species behavior� and misquoting a gay satire, the �Homosexual Declaration of War,� based loosely on Jonathan Swift�s �Modest Proposal.� . . .

 . . . A week ago, Rodrigues told lesbian lawmaker Christine Johnson, a Salt Lake City Democrat, that her vagina is wasted.

More ads from Rodrigues and Filho can only drive public opinion to the center.

�It took me a while to realize I should be grateful for Chris Buttars,� says Johnson. �He�s giving me allies. This group is the same.�

You can view the Rodrigues/Filho ad here.

It�s also quite telling to visit America Forever�s website. This is how the opening salvo read on February 17, 2009 (yes, I have a screen shot to verify):

Do Not Be Fooled By Equality Utah and The Common Ground Initiative

They are using intimadation [sic] to gain ground and are lying to the public, ALL THEY WANT IS MARRIAGE RIGHTS to valdite [sic] their relationship of the same-sex!!! THEY ALREADY HAVE THE RIGHT to Marry, a gay man can marry a gay woman! If they want Marriage Rights then get married, but we cannot afford the same rights of Marriage to other relationships for it will devaluate Marriage and change society�s perception of what Marriage is!!!

Below is en excerpt from their Declaration of War, and what is the Homosexual�s Movement Ulitmate [sic] Goal, see how close they are to acheiving [sic] it . . .

Perhaps the Rodrigues family should have spent that $15,000 on some writing and spelling lessons instead of the ad.