Friday, March 28, 2014

End of Week News Clips: World Vision and Marriage in Michigan



Elizabeth Drescher, "World Vision Rescinds Decision to Employ LGBT Marrieds":


"The power of moneyed people, connected people cannot be underestimated," said [Tony] Jones about today’s flip-flop. But, Jones agreed that such dramatically public acts of pusillanimity do much to further the marginalization of Christianity in general and Evangelical Christianity in particular.

Zack Ford, "How the World Vision Flip-Flop Demonstrates Conservatives' Commitment to Anti-Gay Discrimination":

The message from these conservatives is clear: discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation is a higher priority than humanitarian work. An organization that serves the needy can only be supported if it promises it will never provide a salary to someone in a same-sex marriage.

Fred Clark, "What Do the Bullies for Christ Hope to Gain?":

The bullies had to prove that they could control World Vision, because controlling World Vision helps them pretend that they can control the Bible. 
It’s just like why they’re compelled to control women. Controlling women is another way of pretending that they can control the Bible.

Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, "World Vision's (Failed) Attempt at Justice for Gay Christians":

Even now as evangelical leaders are crowing about their victory, there will be more young people, gay and straight, who will become convinced that there is no place for them in the Church.

Fred Clark, "The Gospel Coalition Is Very Upset with Those Who Refuse to Participate in Their Lie":

"There is no such thing as a gay Christian." 
That is the lie that erupted all over the Internet this week in response to World Vision's announcement. It was endlessly repeated on Twitter, in blog posts and in blog comments.

Yasmine Hafiz, "This Interview with Franklin Graham Is One of the Most Homophobic Things We've Ever Seen":

In just the first 60 seconds of this interview with Franklin Graham, the son of charismatic preacher Billy Graham, viewers are treated to his condemnation of gay adoption as "recruitment," fear-mongering about a political gay agenda, as well as a strong endorsement of Russian president Vladimir Putin's harsh policies towards LGBT individuals.

Steve Benen, "Michigan Gov Won't Honor Same-Sex Marriages""

So if a man and a woman were married in Michigan on Saturday morning, they’re still married and they can enjoy all of the legal benefits associated with marriage. If two women were married in Michigan on Saturday morning, they’re also still married, but their state will not extend any of the legal benefits associated with marriage.

Elizabeth Drescher, "Who Are Michigan Catholic Bishops to Judge?":

In a state with the third highest unemployment rate in the country, and where one in four children lives in poverty, it seems startling—some might say, "un-Christ-like"—that the Michigan bishops would continue to put at the top of their pastoral and political priority list issues like marriage equality, "religious freedom," and abortion that have nothing to do with the core of teachings of Jesus about feeding the poor, tending the sick, and like that.

Colleen Baker, "The Arc of Justice Has Curved Through Michigan":

I feel sorry for Michigan's Catholics, not only will they get to see their tax dollars wasted going forward, they will also get to see their donations wasted in the same effort. They get double dipped.

David Badash, "Federal Judge: Regnerus 'Entirely Unbelievable and Not Worthy of Serious Consideration'":

The Court finds Regnerus’s testimony entirely unbelievable and not worthy of serious consideration. The evidence adduced at trial demonstrated that his 2012 "study" was hastily concocted at the behest of a third-party funder, which found it "essential that the necessary data be gathered to settle the question in the forum of public debate about what kinds of family arrangement are best for society" and which "was confident that the traditional understanding of marriage will be vindicated by this study."

Frank Strong, "Entirely Unbelievable and Unworthy of Serious Consideration":

Besides being fun to read, I think this means Regnerus’ work, which has been cited in anti-equality court briefs and brought up in state legislative debates, is finally D-E-A-D. It would take serious stupidity for gay marriage opponents to keep pulling it out now.

Timothy Kincaid, "Michigan Episcopalians on Marriage": 

To remain silent is to be complicit in the decline of our society through demonizing unprotected minorities, segregation based on sexual preference, denial of benefits to selected groups, and fear-based prejudice. Our continued silence can lead only to further discrimination, bullying and other forms of physical, emotional and spiritual violence.

Alan McCornick, "The 323":

What an amazing amount of work is going into these attempts to get the people of the United States to recognize that we put our hand on the Bible (if at all) and swear to uphold the Constitution, and not the other way around. That animus toward gay people stems almost entirely from religiously motivated folk who lack the education or the decency to recognize we have a separation of church and state in this country.

The graphic is from NBC's KSHB station in Kansas City, by way of Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon, commenting on how the LGBT community has offered lessons in ways to take on haters, following the death of Rev. Fred Phelps.

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