First up from the God Machine this week is a look at the controversy that erupted after North Carolina pastor Charles Worley's anti-gay screed at his Providence Road Baptist Church.
For those who can't watch clips online, Worley's Mother's Day sermon included these comments:
"I figured a way out, a way to get rid of all the lesbians and queers but I couldn't get it pass the Congress: build a great big large fence, 50 or 100 mile long. Put all the lesbians in there, fly over and drop some food. Do the same thing with the queers and the homosexuals. And have that fence electrified so they can't get out. And you know what? In a few years they will die out. You know why? They can't reproduce. [...]
"I tell ya right now, somebody said, 'Who you gonna vote for?' I ain't gonna vote for a baby killer and a homosexual lover! You said, 'Did you mean to say that?' You better believe I did!"
As news outlets picked up on Worley's hateful harangue, his critics organized a protest march in the community, scheduled for tomorrow. As many as 2,000 people are expected to participate. What's more, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina has been quick to note that neither Worley nor his congregation is affiliated with the convention, and the leadership of the Baptist State Convention "does not support or agree with his (Worley's) comments."
Also from the God Machine this week:
* Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) signed an anti-Shariah bill into law yesterday, prohibiting state courts from using Islamic laws in their rulings. Were state courts using Islamic laws before? Well, no, but the unnecessary law makes Kansas Republicans feel better anyway.
* In Kentucky, Pastor Ronnie Spriggs urged his congregation to vote against President Obama, which generated an IRS complaint from Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Soon after, a video of the sermon that had been posted on church's website disappeared.
* Speaking of church politicking, several churches in Maine will be raising money this weekend to combat marriage equality. Because it's an issue campaign, not affiliated with a specific candidate or party, such efforts are legal.
* And Alternet's Greta Christina had an interesting piece the other day piece on the growing political and fundraising clout of atheist groups (thanks to R.P. for the tip).
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The only thing the teapubs are good at is passing useless laws. And they get paid and full family benefits from our tax dollars to do it. Keep voting in those corrupted liars. Keep paying them their tithe for doing nothing.
Here I am again. My mind is still quivering at the smallness of some of the people in this country. All makes and models were invited when this piece of dirt came into being. There were no restriction except what was brought in the residents minds. Can we not forget those small things and lead with the heart instead. Start a new year and move forward instead of the directions that we have been going in which is backward. We cannot wash away thirty to fifty years and go back word. These people that want us to go backward must stop beating the small folks down. the government is falling apart both state and federal. Is money so important. Start with the poor and the elderly that is what they are doing. Those in the middle even the ones with a little whatever going for them are going, going,gone. GONE,GONE ALL OF US THAT ARE NOT IN THE CIRCLE.
I would just like to get to a common place of humanity some day. The categorizing of good and bad humans, we are all infallible humans.
Humanity does have a common ground Sandy.
Simply stated it is : " Live and let live. Believe and let believe. "
Unfortunately, Religious and Political Zealots on the Right of our social spectrum do not honor this. It is their way or the highway.
And after what they have done to block almost EVERYTHING that our President, Barack Obama, has tried to do for this country it is pretty obvious that they have no intention of compromising whatsoever.
But, " Power Is Where Power Is Perceived " and those of us who do want a common ground and level playing field where everyone can enter and make of their lives what they will, have the power to rise above the haters in our country and this world.
POWER IS WHERE POWER IS PERCEIVED.
Of course you are correct, but it is harder and harder to get past the political and judgemental rhetoric and work for the betterment of all.
I get what you're saying. Thanks, I felt the power surge.
LOL. Awesome. I get what you are saying, too, about how overwhelming the ' power over vs power from within ' dilemma can be.
Me thinks this guy, Worley, doth protest too much! Bet a dollar to a doughnut he’s a frequent flyer in the stalls of public men’s rooms?
:>)
I'm just wondering if there is also an electrified pen for adulterers and another for those that are selfish and not "that concerned with the poor".
No. Remember in conservative realms Jesus believed that the poor were bad because they didn't work to make themselves not poor. And, also, remember that according to Johnlorican (I shouldn't even utter his name for fear he'll come back here) or however you spell it no poor person is or has ever been a true Christian.
We'd be better off it the fences around gated communities were electrified, and the security forces were tasked with keeping the inhabitants inside. Worley can join them. They can all live snug and safe in their little bubbles of imagined privilege, and the rest of us will be left alone to live our real lives in peace.
We have solved by fair experiment the great and interesting question whether
freedom of religion is compatible with order in government and obedience to the
laws. And we have experienced the quiet as well as the comfort which results
from leaving everyone to profess freely and openly those
principles of religion which are the inductions of his own reason and the
serious convictions of his own inquiries.”
~Thomas Jefferson, 1808
Wow. Thank you for posting this Mego. VERY important information for rational minds to digest and remember. Sadly, irrational minds cannot, and will not, absorb the meaning of it.
Personally, I believe in a metaphysical Divine " One " and I believe in the teachings of Jesus and that is why I do not believe in any Organized Religion, especially the one invented at the Council of Nicea by homophobes, women haters and xenophobes !
If the God of Moses wanted a religion named for Jesus Christ, he would have had Jesus establish it. None was created by Jesus in his lifetime. This is because this Religion was established by men to enslave the minds of every day people.
If the God of Moses wanted a Bible written as his 'word', he would have had Jesus write it. None was written by Jesus in his lifetime. This is because this Book was, and is, some correct history-much of it not, a haters manifesto, mythology which was written by men to enslave the minds of every day people.
I believe that the whole meaning of the establishment of these United States ( other than violently stealing this land from American Indians who were here first ) is freedom of ALL choices, not just freedom to choose as Religious Zealots would have us choose.
Well of course this will work! Brilliant!
'CUZ THERE IS A FIXED NUMBER OF HOMOSEXUALS IN EXISTENCE!
Phew, maybe we could get rid of gum-poppers this way as well; nature or nurture on gum mistreatment is a compelling question destined to polarize.
Couple of points
1) It always amazes me how little law enforcement does to address this kind of hate speech. If that pastor were to replace the labels 'gay' and 'queer' with any other sort of epithet, be it racial, religious or otherwise, he would have Federal officers kicking in the doors of his church so fast it would make his head spin, and rightly so.
2) A thought experiment for you - imagine it is the 1930's, the world is climbing out of one of the worst depressions it has ever known. Now imagine the language the pastor is speaking, and that you are understanding, is German. as in the tape above, people are clapping and applauding, shouting their support for the vile diatribe spewing from the pulpit at the front of the room. Add the tacit approval of the most powerful churches in the region, not exactly saying it themselves but not disagreeing either. Now imagine his name is not Charles Worley, but Hermann Goering. Welcome to the new Nazi America, one group is already headed for the camps, others are soon to follow...
I prefer to think of current situations of people so animated and vociferously against marriage equality as a sign that we are winning.
They cannot ignore us anymore, they cannot laugh at us anymore, the best they know how to do is throw a temper tantrum that they are not getting their way to dominate over another human being. They are being forced to not only consider the humanity of other people, but the inhumanity of themselves. And they hate it.
My dad had a saying: "The Hell you dream up for others is the one you'll rot in." That was the first thing that came to my mind hearing Worley's diatribe. Besides, electric fences, seriously? We'd have that thing re-wired in no time and just head back home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axVOA96tWOA&feature=relmfu
As empty as judgement. I believe He would wish more for those than arming themselves with His name.
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." -James 2:26
Nuns put the teachings of Jesus into action. There is no greater witness to Him than those who serve others by His name. Of this I have seen.
Re the churches raising money to combat marriage equality in Maine. Maybe political issues should be added to the tax exempt violations. Lord knows the churches in this country are violating the other statutes of their status.
As for Worley, he apparently is ignoring Galatians 15-24 and 19-21 in particular.
Perhaps it is time for an 11th commandment. Thou shall not attempt to impose your small-minded views on others.
AMEN !
What kind of sick minds do these Military leaders have, where they sit there and call someone a coward, because the outright horrific act of butchering and murdering someone to them is not such a good thing. These Military leaders as too many people fail to admit sit there to think about and to strategy on how many clever ways to kill or butcher someone. And they have the guts enough to say a person who thinks these things are awful and is disturbed by these things are cowards or are in the wrong. What kind of insane and maddening world is this, where we teach our young people who join the military that killing and butchering someone is something to be proud of and is encouraged. And on top of it, they are having people kill other people over Oil, personal power craving interests, corruption and greed. It just cannot get anymore sicker than that and top of it, not even adequately help these poor soldiers recover or heal from this repeated personal hell that they have gone through and continue to go through.
I would just like to shout out a "you go girl" for Rachel's coverage of this issue. Yours is the only news show I DVR so I don't miss it.
I also think it's interesting there aren't more extreme right wing haters trolling the comments on this one. [rolleyes]
Please don't encourage them. I get totally nauseous reading their garbage.
I just got an ad put out by the Catholic Church warning the Catholics not to vote for the President. Ugly, ugly, ugly. I sent it back with what I thought of not only the ad, but the people who sent it. I finally told my old friend that I love her, not her politics. Thinking about it, I think I lied. I used to love her, but I didn't know she was as bigoted, hateful, angry, arrogant and pathetic as she seems to be. I liked her much better before she was "born again". I thought people who did that were supposed to be better people. . . not worse. Shame on me.
While "This Week In God" subjects are newsworthy, isn't there a greater concern that is the premise of all the issues being raised as a religious concern, being the separation of church and state? Religion is saying that it is a religious right to practice there beliefs that require change in secular law that may in turn prevent others from practicing American rights of their own beliefs of any nature, religious or not. Where are the leaders standing up to religious incursion of everyone's individual rights? Many in religion are attacking secular laws and American rights while enjoying free financing by way of paying no taxes at the expense of those who's existing rights are being taken away. What is the real and biggest issue?
Reading the words is bad enough, but hearing his rant, under the cross in fact, shows a great shame for all who sit there. He probably has an ego the size of a Blue Whale but the Blue Whale deserves to exist.
If Sharia Law were called Biblical Law, Brownback would be all for it. It does come from the Old Testament
Make them Die Out? As in kill all the syndromatic that carry the God Like protein that criminals gave them in vaccines using HeLa cells? That's a good one...
While they call the 1 in 29 with the real Autism/AIDS many things they all did not get it from a tick bite.
They are getting it from their parents, who get it from theirs...
Over 30 yrs. is a long time for spirochetes that carry the God Like protein to stew a lot more than the many rainbows of many colored ribbons of the people that suffer them. While many researchers and Doctors accept the truth the war of lies continues to protect profits because they know the infections transverse the neurons to disrupt the hormones in ALL SYNDROMES.
All infectious organisms are sharing their genes now as well. Over 40% of their genes are stealth and why we have no vaccine for HIV, nor any vaccine that works. But you sure got to pay them zillions until our Pres. won US patent relief after 30 yrs. of litagation of hoarding the informations for profit to now have us all on the edge of existance.
Because like they failed to tell us using Hela Cells and Lyme Spirochetael cells was incurable, because you cannot kill the God Like protein by any means known to man. They also failed in those efforts to only allow you an avg. lifespan of 65yrs. which is no more than it was 60yrs. ago----To tell us what it takes to go very viral.
That's just one reason the US only ranked 17th in world science test scores. They refuse to teach the truth also to protect their profits.
So ignorace is an acceptable excuse to Preachers and Pontiffs alike.
The worlds leading expert of Prion/AIDS/Lyme telling what happens when infectious organisms are now able to share at least 40% of their genes to hide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yOno_2m_8LY
Think about this.
Conservatives see the constitution as a gun. Their right to "stand their ground" against anything and everything.
Liberals see the constitution as a shield. Their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Which side of history do you want to be on? Do you want to be a picture in the 3012 history books? Just like the KKK are pictures in the 2012 history books? I just find it hard to believe slavery, UN-equal pay for women, isolationism and children working 20 hour days will come roaring back as a social norm. I find it hard to believe collective unity is not in our future but every man for himself is. I just find that hard to believe. If its true and every man for himself is law, then this world won't last until 3012.
So why not be in the history books along with MLK, Mother Theresa, Harvey Milk, JFK and all the folks who supported freedom instead of tyranny?
Why would you not want to be apart of that? Why would you want your family name associated with domestic terrorism, domestic apartheid and domestic mass atrocities of Americans?
I think it is incredibly naive of homosexuals to expect that any kind of rational argument is going to change the hearts and minds of bigots. Save your breath to cool your porridge, as my Irish grandmother was prone to say. Bigots do not have hearts or minds. They are murderous and won.t give up until gays are all incarcerated or dead. The Jews failed to recognize this until too late. Gays should arm themselves under the 2nd amendment and be ready to protect themselves. Stop begging for acceptance,it's not going to happen.
Apparently Pastor Charles Worley has accepted innateness of sexuality, inasmuch as he invokes a remedy much like mine for snoring…
http://niquette.com/books/sophmag/snore.htm
If you are really bothered about snoring, here's what you can do...
1.Teach your daughters to qualify suitors based not on a young man's earning potential but on whether his father snores.
2.If you happen to be the daughter of a snorer, sad to say, you will have to decline the privilege of motherhood.
A few generations later, though, and -- hey, no more snoring.
Why is it so hard for some people to acknowledge that a man like Jesus, who believed in his principals ever walked the Earth? Do these same people deny the fact that there are still people who beleive in what Jesus taught, and practice those beliefs. There are Corporations that don't beleive in anything Jesus said. Thus, we have our present situation. Romney is best friends with Corporations who actually believe profit is better than helping people. They actually believe that people work for profit alone. They cannot actually beleive that anybody does something just to help out another human being. And these are the same people we give our hard earned money to. They exist only to profit themselves. The rest of us can die.
It is just really something, when these rich people think they are all that in the eyes of God. Because really too many of these rich people are really worthless in the eyes of God. It is as Jesus said it is better that a camel can get through an eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into heaven. Thus many of these rich people have that reserved seat in hell. One cannot truly trust a rich person according to Jesus, since these are the people that are so typically power craving, arrogant, greedy, hypocrites, corrupt and greedy and cause most, if not all, of the despair and hardship in the world. And in reality, really do need to prove that they are worthy to be trusted and they are in a favorable opinion by God, otherwise all you will get is their evil deeds.
that preacher is a HYPOCRITE! no person following the ways of the true JESUS CHRIST would speak such blasphemy. Anyone who follows these false prophets will go to hell. it says so in the bible.
Is it any wonder why so many people are distrustful of Christianity after hearing such hateful and inappropriate remarks from one its pastors? Frankly speaking, he is to be pitied.
I've taken some time to think about this, and I don't think he should be pitied. I think this is what should have happened when Worley got done speaking.