Mohler: '...no issue defines our current cultural crisis as clearly as homosexuality'

If there is a "cultural crisis" then Al Mohler is one of its architects.

Al Mohler is the President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Mohler puts the Bible in the Belt. In a blog post titled; No Truth Without Love, No Love Without Truth: The Church’s Great Challenge; Mohler writes:

The church’s engagement with the culture involves a host of issues, controversies, and decisions–but no issue defines our current cultural crisis as clearly as homosexuality. Some churches and denominations have capitulated to the demands of the homosexual rights movement, and now accept homosexuality as a fully valid lifestyle.

NOBODY WANTS TO TAKE AWAY YOUR FUCKING GUNS!

In case you are unaware, a letter addressed to Mayor Bloomberg contained traces of ricin. The text of the letter included:

You’re not going to take my guns. You’ll have to kill me before you take my guns. If you take my guns, you should see what I’m going to do to you ...

Acting on behalf of the gun industry, the NRA has successfully convinced people that gun safety advocates want to take people's guns away. In 2008, they swore that Obama was a "gun grabber" who would confiscate everyone's guns. Just how many times do these people have to get "played" before they employ some critical thinking?

I, having been shot by a .45 in the hands of a prohibited purchaser, want universal background checks. Does anyone really feel that we need to insure that criminals and insane people can purchase guns? 

Background checks don't confiscate anyone's guns. Nor do they interfere with the right to bear arms of any law abiding person.

The Vatican Condemns Intolerance for Tolerance - or something like that

Presumably this guy is referring to gays without actually saying so. I don't know what is happening in Europe but in this country the Catholic Church is trying to impose their religious beliefs on everyone else by force of law.

When they say that I am disordered; When they say that when we adopt children we do violence to them; When they behave as the world's largest anti-gay hate group it seems reasonable to expect some push-back.

There are some restrictions on hate speech in England. Those restrictions have been well earned. They seem deaf to the idea that their religious liberty is best protected by the separation of church and state. Furthermore, their idea of religious liberty is the right to discriminate in secular venues.

This also seems like the usual false equation narrative. While unspecific the idea is that if we can marry then they lose religious liberty. At least in this country that is an argument that they are losing. They seem to figure that because they are The Church, reciprocal respect is unnecessary.

Video: Meet France's First Married Gay Couple

Grooms Bruno Boileau and Vincent Autin, say "oui"

NOM links to article on anti-gay site: 'Mutable or immutable'

These days National Organization for Marriage will subscribe to just about any theory, from any blowhard, that denigrates gay people.

At NOM's Ruth Institute blog they are linking to an extremely verbose article on an extreme Australian anti-gay website. The piece written by Robert Reilly titled Mutable or Immutable. According to the site:

Robert R. Reilly is the author of The Closing of the Muslim Mind. He is currently completing a book on the natural law argument against homosexual marriage for Ignatius Press.

For an economist, NOM's Morse is woefully inept or spectacularly disingenuous

A very long time ago, I came to the conclusion that those opposed to gay rights for religious reasons will say just about anything irrespective of whether or not it is truthful (let alone logical). Somehow, that whole "bearing false witness" thing doesn't apply     at least when it comes to the gay. It is their selective observation that should cause most people to question their reliance on a passage in Leviticus.

More "end of world" hyperbole from AFA over the Boy Scouts

Most sane people realize that the Boy Scouts' decision to allow openly gay members is relatively inconsequential.

For an anti-gay hate group like American Family Association, it's Armageddon. We comprise about 5% of the population and I suspect that most of the gay kids who are into Scouting are already Scouts. AFA's problem is that these people don't believe in sexual orientation.

Their problem is not so much that there will be gay Scouts as the fact that the Boy Scouts acknowledge that there are gay kids.

Creation Museum Celebrates Six Years of Child Abuse

Yee HAW!

The Creation Museum would be more accurately described as the Young Earth Creationism Museum. The museum is dedicated to the notion that the earth was created roughly 6,000 years ago over a six day span. Adherents insist that humans and dinosaurs existed at the same time.

Mark Regnerus Keynotes for Christian Sociologists Organization

Mark Regnerus is the author of the infamous and profoundly flawed family structures study.

Meanwhile, the Association of Christians Teaching Sociology is holding its annual conference May 30 to June 2. "The theme of the 2013 conference is 'Sociology in the Public Square.' Dr. Mark Regnerus, Associate Professor of Sociology at University of Texas at Austin will be a featured speaker."

ACTS appears to be a small affinity group. It is not incorporated for non-profit and apparently has no employees.

Scott Lively: 'Satan wins back the scouts'

Scott Lively is the miscreant who blames gays for the Holocaust. He also claims that Obama is gay.

It was only a matter of time before this one-man hate group took up the cause of the Boy Scouts. On Alan Keyes' blog, the equally batshit crazy Lively informs us first that he can read minds and then:

The very fact that the leadership organized a vote on the question instead of simply standing firm on its existing policy, which was backed by a large majority of scouting parents and a US Supreme Court victory no less, told me all I needed to know. The amoral fat cats now running this once venerable organization wanted the change to preserve their "gay"-controlled corporate donor base but wanted the blame to fall on others.

Miscasting and Lack of Camp Seriously Mar HBO's 'Behind the Candelabra'

Let's face it. Liberace was a nasty, shallow, self-absorbed queen.

I was prepared to dislike Behind the Candelabra which premiered on HBO last night. In that regard it did not disappoint. Perhaps director, Steven Soderbergh, was overly concerned about offending the gay community. Michael Douglas did an admirable impersonation. However Matt Damon, at 42, was a terrible choice to play Scott Thorson who first met Liberace as a 17-year-old and was his lover for five years.

The script depicts the man and boy as intellectual equals. Liberace was a miserable piece of work who manipulated and dominated an uneducated 17-year-old kid. Damon, hampered by an awkward script and a considerable age difference, was unable to convey Thorson's vulnerability. Without that, we are left with a somewhat sterilized Liberace.

The Irresponsible Catholic Church in France Sponsors Violence

I have previously written about the Archbishop of Paris claiming that marriage equality would lead to violence; something he seemed to endorse.

Sunday's anti-equality protest turned violent as protesters began hurling lit traffic flares at police. All that was necessary to ensure a civil protest was for the Roman Catholic hierarchy to issue a statement opposing any form of violence. They did not and the result was predictable.

11-year-old brings gun to school in backpack - accidentally shoots classmate

What could possibly go wrong?

Details remain sketchy. Apparently, on Friday, a Homestead boy brought a handgun to school in his backpack. In class, the kid dropped the backpack on the floor and the handgun discharged, sending a bullet into the leg of another student. The injured boy was airlifted to Miami Children's Hospital and is in stable condition.

Not only do we have too many guns in Florida but many are unsecured. How on earth does an 11-year-old kid get his hands on a handgun     loaded no less?

A gun in the home is an invitation to disaster. Infinitely more innocent people are killed or wounded than criminals are thwarted. I will never understand the correlation of the gun fetish to the Bible Belt. At least people should be intelligent enough to employ trigger locks when children are in the home.

John Stemberger remains spectacularly clueless - his own kids will require deprogramming

John Stemberger is the mediocre Florida lawyer (of equally mediocre intellect) who attempted to spearhead continued discrimination on the part of the Boy Scouts of America. Stemberger not only lost the vote but he got his ass kicked.

It is abundantly clear that Mr. Stemberger has no interest in self-reflection or even analysis. According to a statement released this evening on his website:

John Stemberger Indoctrinates Children With Hate

Here is Mr. Stemberger "welcoming" Scouting delegates last night while using children as props.

He has managed to get the assistance of four or five young teens in addition to the usual evangelical whack jobs asking the Scouts to sustain their policy of discrimination. Perhaps a couple of these kids are his unfortunate children. While I am at it, below is the advertisement that Stemberger, in concert with Family Research Council, ran in Dallas newspapers:

Mohler "Boy Scouts at the Brink"

Albert Mohler is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Apparently the national council of the Boy Scouts of America is "actually deciding the future of the entire organization."

According to Mohler:

In 2000, the B.S.A. prevailed at the U.S. Supreme Court when the nation’s highest court ruled that the Boy Scouts had a constitutional right to exclude openly gay boys and leaders from the organization ...

Stemberger claims that the BSA vote will affect the marriage cases at SCOTUS

John Stemberger, head of Florida Family Policy Council, is a Florida lawyer with a mediocre legal education and mediocre intellect. He has become the right's point man on Scouting discrimination.

Today, in an email:

Homosexual activists, having convinced BSA leadership to spearhead the proposed change in policy (which would force every Scouting unit to allow open homosexuality among its boys), know that losing this issue would be the biggest set-back for the homosexual agenda in America yet, also affecting literally millions of young Boy Scouts.

NOM unhinged: 'Help us fight our legal battle against the IRS! Make a donation today'

Has National Organization for Marriage given up on marriage discrimination entirely? Presumably they think that they can raise more money off of the IRS than banning gay marriage.

Of course, this path is fraught with peril. This all started with an uredacted tax return [PDF] (identifying donors) getting into the hands of HRC. NOM claimed with absolute certainty that someone at the IRS conspired with HRC. Of course, that is easily debunked. Indeed, even Maggie Gallagher claims that a low-level employee was duped into sending the return to someone who sent it to HRC. Stretching it even further, the current controversy with the IRS involves additional scrutiny before approving 501(c)4 applications from Tea Party groups. That has nothing to do with NOM but why ruin an opportunity for NOM to claim victimhood     again?

NARTH trots out pseudo-science in support of Boy Scouts discrimination

NARTH pretentiously postures as a serious scientific organization in contrast to the religious group that it really is.

According to an email, NARTH has released a "BSA White Paper." A "white paper" is supposed to be an authoritative source of information. Well, I'll just provide bullets of the bullshit. According to NARTH:

May I indulge in some idle speculation?

One of NOM's largest donors is Sean Fieler and Sean Fieler is heavily invested in gold.

H/T (chart) Krugman

NOM is now completely off the rails

26 blog posts by National Organization for Marriage since the 10th. Five pertain to marriage.

The Irrational Organization for Banning Equal Marriage has  now decided that their mission is to be a victim of the IRS. If their blog is any indication, this is their latest obsession. As my friend Jeremy Hooper noted, earlier in the day, NOM seems to be AWOL in Illinois with a very close vote about to occur in the state legislature.

Family Policy Institute of Washington creates 'Team Arlene' - a celebration of discrimination

An attempt to remain relevant after losing the battle in opposition to marriage equality.

Lionizing Barronelle Stutzman, owner of Arlene's Flowers, for refusing to provide services to a same-sex wedding, seems like a silly misadventure on the part of Family Policy Institute of Washington. Aside from flouting Washington's anti-discrimination law, Stutzman would be at a loss to explain how selling and arranging flowers is offensive to her Christian faith. There seems to be a bright line and it is at the border of clergy actually solemnizing a marriage that is inconsistent with their religion.

What a Surprise - Batshit CRAZY Allen West is Joining Fox News

The network said West’s congressional and military experience along with his fearless approach to voicing key issues will provide valuable insight. The fact that West is insane doesn't seem to concern Fox.

Neighbor shot in quarrel over dogs - victim in critical condition

Man shot during dispute with neighbor over dogs in Loxahatchee.

Loxahatchee, Florida is a couple of miles east of Delray. The neighbors had initially quarreled Friday afternoon over their dogs. The second dispute occurred Saturday. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office took the shooter into custody.

As a society we just don't seem to get it. Our death rate is 40 times that of the United Kingdom.

I keep careful watch of gun violence in south Florida. Utterly missing from the carnage are people thwarting criminals with their toys of mass destruction.

Otherwise civilized people are killing other people over parking spaces and loud music.

Vive la France! It's official as President signs gay marriage into law

Despite constitutional challenges and months of (sometimes violent) protests choreographed by the Catholic Church, French President Francois Hollande has signed a law authorizing gay marriage and adoption by same-sex couples. The first marriages occur in about ten days.

Ret. Justice John Paul Stevens' predictions on marriage cases

At an event in Arlington, Virginia retired Justice of the Supreme Court John Paul Stevens guesses that the court will dismiss the California challenge for lacking jurisdiction and strike down the Defense of Marriage Act as unfair tax policy.

(h/t Scottie Thomaston, Equality on Trial)

Stevens' prognostications seem to be pretty consistent with most court observers. The consensus (for what that's worth) seems to be narrow rulings on both cases but Prop 8 and DOMA will both be history.

Priests Break Up Gay Rights Rally Against Homophobia in Georgia (former Soviet Republic)

Reuters NS

This from Reuters

Priests and thousands of other Georgians broke through police barricades and forced gay rights activists to flee on Friday, cutting short their rally to mark the international day against homophobia.

Holding banners saying "Stop Homosexual Propaganda in Georgia!" and "Not in our city!" the demonstrators swarmed into a square in central Tbilisi where about 50 Georgians were rallying in support of gay rights....
[...]
"We won't allow these sick people to hold gay parades in our country," said Zhuzhuna Tavadze, brandishing a bunch of nettles and adding that she was ready to fight.

"It's against our traditions and our morals."

Blowhard alert: 'Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison'

The President of the Lutheran Church     Missouri Synod, Matthew C. Harrison likes the "Rev. Dr." honorifics in spite of the fact that the doctorate is honorary.

The Rev. Dr. Harrison strongly supports discrimination by the Boy Scouts of America.

As an aside, this is the same pretentious schmuck who criticized Rev. Rob Morris for participating in the interfaith prayer vigil after the Newtown massacre last December. Essentially his reasoning was that it was wrong to give the impression that other religions are equal. But I digress.

By next week NOM will have to shift to Benghazi

National Organization for Marriage seems to be running out of talking points.

Earlier today I wrote about the intensity of Christian victimization when it comes to recent IRS issues. They assume that every audit and inquiry is targeting them like a smart bomb. Included in my post this morning was my take on Anne Hendershott who is certain that her 2010 audit is the result of her conservative Catholic views. My take:

Suddenly every Christian reprobate is a 'victim' of the IRS

It must be cultural. It seems that conservative Christians love being victims.

It's a given that most people are not terribly fond of the Internal Revenue Service. We also know that some low-level employees of the IRS scrutinized organizations seeking non-profit status with words like "patriot" and "Tea Party" as part of their name. That's what we know. We might find out more as the situation is investigated.There are actually perfectly valid reasons for scrutinizing political organizations applying for 501(c)4 tax exempt status. The Washington Post has reported that at least three liberal groups received the same treatment. The also explain the connection to the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court.

Tony Perkins has simply gone from crackpot to pathological liar

These days, Family Research Council is willing to say just about anything that supports its agenda - the donor loop.

Consider the contents of an email that I received today:

Well, turns out, the voices were right. Only now, the tyranny is no longer lurking around the corner--it's officially arrived. In an unfolding government corruption scandal that may very well eclipse Watergate, the IRS is finally admitting what some congressmen suspected all along: that the administration was using the agency as a hired thug to punish and silence conservatives.

Minnesota Catholic Conference: '...effects of marriage redefinition will begin to manifest themselves in the years ahead'

The Minnesota Catholic Conference the association of the state's Roman Catholic Bishops. The Bishops are not pleased.

They are displeased that Minnesota is now an equal marriage state. Furthermore, they demand the right to discriminate. They want someone to be able to say "I am a Catholic and I am not going to rent you a tuxedo for a gay wedding." They call that religious liberty.

Poof: We have a new victim "No cake for homosexuals"

The real victims of any discrimination are those who are being discriminated against. 

Another Oregon baker has decided "No Cakes for Homosexuals." They might as well post a sign on the shop. Pamela Regentin, owner of Fleur Cakes in Mt. Hood Oregon, refused to provide a cake for a commitment ceremony.

The couple reached out to Regentin:

Pam, are you aware that it’s illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation if you have a business that serves the public?

Her reply:

I believe that I have the liberty to live by my principles.

h/t ThinkProgress

The legislative amendment that failed in Minnesota - the right to discriminate as religious liberty

The religious liberty to discriminate.

The right to discriminate is a theme that seems to have begun with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and it is framed as "religious liberty." It has made its way through National Organization for Marriage and the religious right to the floors of legislative bodies in Rhode Island, Delaware and now Minnesota. The full text of the amendment as t the end of this post.

The Bishops had a problem. They could not oppose marriage legislation on the basis of religion; Doing so is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Therefore, they manufactured the idea that marriage equality was an offense to religious liberty. It was intended to thwart equality. Failing that, it would make same-sex marriage unequal in society

NOM doesn't seem to be very interested in marriage these days

National Organization for Marriage loves victimhood. It is at the core of their culture.

Since Friday, the organization has complained about the IRS supposedly leaking an unredacted return to HRC no fewer than seven times. As I have demonstrated, they have no basis for their assertions.

That depicts another part of their culture, NOM's employees believe that they are doing God's work. They are certain that God deplores gay marriage. If God's work requires a little lie or an exaggeration     so be it. What's a little "information refinement" compared to instructions from The Lord?

NOM rattling their chains - again - over "stolen" tax return

National Organization for Marriage needs a distraction ...and a "look  at us."

The tax returns of not-for-profit organizations (their "990" filings) are public. However, the organization redacts the names of individual donors and the amount of their donations.

In March of 2012 an unredacted return (PDF) made its way to the Human Rights Campaign. With absolute certitude, NOM claimed that the return must have been provided by the IRS because the past President of HRC was a co-chair of President Obama's reelection campaign and it showed that a Romney PAC donated money to Prop 8. That same day I was able to demonstrate that NOM's "evidence" wasn't evidence of anything at all.

It's hate banner season again

David Caton has created a one-man hate factory in the Florida Family Association.

According to this nitwit:

On Saturday, June 1st, there will be approximately 10,000-12,000 LGBT people    lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgenders    in the Magic Kingdom. They'll be wearing a lot of different shirts and hats promoting their various alternative lifestyles.

Business as usual last night in Florida - Much more to come tonight

Funny thing is that I don't see any stories about these expressions of Second Amendment entitlement thwarting any criminals.

• A Dade City teenager was arrested after deputies said he shot and killed his sister’s boyfriend late Friday. Adan David Diaz Jr., 17, faces a charge of first-degree murder. The weapon used in the shooting was a 9 mm handgun.
• A fight inside a nightclub spilled into the parking lot and resulted in a shooting that left one man dead and another injured, police said. The shooting took place at about 2:10 a.m. Saturday. Wayne Thomas Lanier was shot and taken to Tampa General Hospital, where he died. Omar R. Bacon was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

The Peculiar World of Peggy Scott of Minnesota

Peggy Scott is a Republican member of the Minnesota House, representing Andover. Yes, unsurprisingly, that is in Michele Bachmann's district.

According to the Star Tribune Ms. Scott had something to say after her chamber approved a marriage equality bill:

“My heart breaks for Minnesota,” said a Rep. Peggy Scott, R-Andover.

“It’s a divisive issue that divides our state,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes as she stood on the House floor after the vote. “It’s not what we needed to be doing at this time. We want to come together for the state of Minnesota, we don’t want to divide it.”

Minnesota for Marriage has its own 'gays lie' meme which, of course, is a lie

As a group LGBT Americans and their allies have been rather truthful in campaigning for marriage equality.

According to Minnesota for Marriage, our campaign against a marriage amendment last fall was premised on the notion that beating back the amendment was not a predicate for gay marriage. Aside from the fact that I can find no evidence to support that claim it is counter-intuitive.

There they go again - NOM flailing away at their opponents

National Organization for Marriage likes to threaten Republicans who cast votes for equality with consequences at the polls. NOM seems convinced that legislators should vote in accordance with the whims of a special interest group in contrast to their oath of office.

NOM has a habit of misunderstanding the electorate. In New Hampshire, in 2011, a number of Democratic legislators were replaced with Republicans. Brian Brown, NOM's head, assumed that this must have been because of gay marriage. NOM experienced a debacle trying to repeal marriage equality. Most of the Republicans voted in favor of equal marriage.

National Organization for Marriage Promotes Bizarre Conspiracy Theory

This is similar to Robert George's April 17 piece about gays wanting to marry so they can destroy marriage but even crazier.

National Organization for Marriage sent out an email from our friend Brian Brown. It includes lots of good stuff and is, perhaps, the most directly Catholic communication that I have seen from NOM in awhile. Catching my attention is a quote from British theologian John Milbank. Milbank is not exactly plain speaking. He likes to "fog." According to Milbank:

There was no demand for "gay marriage" and this has nothing to do with gay rights. Instead, it is a strategic move in the modern state's drive to assume direct control over the reproduction of the population, bypassing our interpersonal encounters. This is not about natural justice, but the desire on the part of biopolitical tyranny to destroy marriage and the family as the most fundamental mediating social institution.

The Heritage Foundation is Hosting an Event Regarding the Boy Scouts

This is all that you need to know:

Should be a lively hate-fest.