Bligbi » evangelicals http://bligbi.com The ramblings of an atheistic mom residing in the lonestar state. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:06:35 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Christian gets voted off the narrow path http://bligbi.com/2008/12/12/christian-gets-voted-off-the-narrow-path/ http://bligbi.com/2008/12/12/christian-gets-voted-off-the-narrow-path/#comments Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:15:59 +0000 Karen http://bligbi.com/?p=1903

James Dobson has finally gotten his wish. Richard Cizik has been forced to resign from his position in the National Association of Evangelicals after 28 years.  His crime? He admitted in public that he was in the process of ceasing to be bigoted towards gay people.

In a short portion of the program, [host Terry] Gross asked him, “A couple of years ago when you were on our show, I asked you if you were changing your mind on that. And two years ago, you said you were still opposed to gay marriage. But now as you identify more with younger voters, would you say you have changed on gay marriage?”

Cizik responded, “I’m shifting, I have to admit. In other words, I would willingly say that I believe in civil unions. I don’t officially support redefining marriage from its traditional definition, I don’t think.”

It’s being reported that he regrets doing the interview  now and I can understand. Dobson and other bigoted evangelicals tried to get Cizik fired (PDF) last year over his stance that Christians have a duty to take care of the planet and have probably been waiting for him to do something like this so they could go all “pearl clutcher” on him.

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]]> http://bligbi.com/2008/12/12/christian-gets-voted-off-the-narrow-path/feed/ 0 Nobody has to like you or your religion http://bligbi.com/2007/12/28/nobody-has-to-like-you-or-your-religion/ http://bligbi.com/2007/12/28/nobody-has-to-like-you-or-your-religion/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2007 19:48:37 +0000 Karen http://bligbi.com/2007/12/28/nobody-has-to-like-you-or-your-religion/

The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission has released a list of incidents that they claim are evidence of anti-Christian bigotry in America.

First, the list:

  1. Colorado church shootings.
  2. Federal Hate Crimes bill
  3. Violence on San Francisco Church
  4. Attack on Jerry Falwell
  5. God’s Warriors and Friends of God
  6. Bloggers for John Edwards
  7. Golden Compass being made into movie

Now the response:

This list is not about bashing Christians. It’s about the growing rebellion against fundamentalist Christians specifically. Don’t be fooled by number one. It’s a set up that’s meant to grab you by the guts. Number two exposes this fact.

The federal hate crime legislation, passed in 1969, includes religion. If you listen to the fundamentalists, the reason they oppose the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender into this law is that it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to arresting pastors for calling gay people abominations.

From the list itself:

The 2007 Federal Hate Crimes Bill threatens religious liberties and lays the groundwork for “thought crime,” which has no place in American law and violates the concept of equal protection under the law. As has occurred in other nations, these laws pave the way for Christians to be silenced and even arrested because they believe that homosexual acts are sinful. It is totalitarian regimes which punish thoughts, not free societies. Thomas Jefferson declares that “the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions.”

This can easily be turned around to state that the inclusion of religious groups as a protected class is just a hop, skip and a jump to arresting people for stating that fundamentalist Christianity is an abomination whose adherents are cerebrally challenged.

If they were about opposing “thought crimes”, they’d be up in arms about the entire concept of hate crimes. But, they’re not though. In fact, they set up a group that came up with a list that is dominated by “thought crimes” against predominantly fundamentalist Christians.

The organizers of the Folsom Street Festival mocked the Last Supper (item #3). Christopher Hitchens called Jerry Falwell a toad (video) (item #4). CNN and HBO produced videos showing real fundamentalists from the Great Monotheisms (item #5). Amanda Marcotte made a snarky comment about the conception of Jesus, Melissa McEwan happened to be in the area as far as I can tell (item #6). Phillip Pullman wrote a ‘godless’ series in response to the godly Chronicles of Narnia (item #7).

These are opinions – not actions. No Christians were harmed in the expression of these opinions. What makes these opinions “bashing” is the disrespectfulness and the rebellious gleam to all of them. Expressing these kinds of opinions used to get you tarred and feathered.

People still get upset about ‘em, but it’s become decently acceptable to mock not just religion – but the religion of the majority, Christianity. And that, my dear ones, is the crime or as the CAC likes to call it – the “bashing”.

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