On Sunday, October 15th, the Family Research Council sponsored "Liberty Sunday" at Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston while simulcasting the event to churches across the country. It featured the usual notorious notables of the Religious Right: James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Tony Perkins of Family Research Council (FRC), Gary Bauer of American Values, Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, and Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney.
They claim that the gay rights movement threatens their religious liberty. The FRC states on their website: "The expansion of anti-discrimination laws, including family law, to include homosexuality inevitably constricts Americans' right to express and act on their religious beliefs."
This is a very dangerous argument on behalf of the Family Research Council. As African Americans, we can testify that the expansion of anti-slavery and anti-segregation laws constricted many American's right to express and act on their religious beliefs. After all, the bible blesses slavery and the biblical story of the "Curse of Ham" was the foundational premise of the enslavement of Africans, the rationale for segregation in America and the theoretical underpinnings of apartheid in South Africa.
We also object to the demonizing of LGBT and same-gender-loving people by Roberto Miranda, pastor of the Lion of Judah Congregation in Boston, an invited guest of "Liberty Sunday" who has previously said: "Massachusetts, as well as all of New England, has become a cemetery of churches, a breeding ground for heretical doctrine, an intellectual furnace energizing attitudes of godlessness, rational arrogance and secularism, it is no coincidence, of course, that something as dramatically distant from the Christian worldview as gay marriage would originate in this region."
Miranda goes on to call homosexuality and gay marriage as a "virus". Our position is that the world view of authentic Christianity is centered on love, hospitality, charity and good will towards others.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State posits that "Liberty Sunday" is not about liberty at all but "another opportunity to attack gays and bash church-state separation." Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United said: "The Religious Right's crusade is designed to curtail liberty, not expand it. It's sad to see an entire event built around fear-mongering and hatred—especially in Christian churches."
Words that demonize gay men and lesbians and reckless rhetoric directed towards LGBT people lead to vicious acts of violence to the body and soul. The ideas behind "Liberty Sunday" contradicts the very essence of liberty which is defined by the qualities of freedom, emancipation, self-determination and independence.
Rev. Barry Lynn: "What's truly frightening is the extreme agenda of the Religious Right and its ongoing campaign to literally demonize and entire class of Americans. That is disgraceful."
We concur. Hatred wrapped in religious garb can be as lethal as any weapon of mass destruction.
Dr. Sylvia Rhue
Director of Religious Affairs and Constituency Development
National Black Justice Coalition
www.nbjc.org
E-mail: srhue@nbjc.org
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Comments: 5
They say that they represent the moral right. Well, if we were to have no seperation of church and state, then they would have to start paying taxes on those nice, fancy buildings and income that is not documented. Those taxes alone will keep them from wanting to merge church and state together. "Money makes the world go 'round."
They don't even realize that they contradict themselves w/ every statement that they make. Jesus dealt w/ these same type of people when he was on earth, they were called the Pharisees and Sadducees. Aka Republicans and Democrats. Jesus condemned just about everything they did or said, because he couldn't stand the greed of politicians and their so-called moral agendas.
I say if you want to ban gay marriage, then ban pornography, make it a crime to cheat on your spouse, lock up the thieves in office, ban television, music, anything that may be in the least bit entertaining or stimulating. They claim to follow the laws of God, but what they fail to realize is that by Bibles standards, if you are guilty of one sine, you're guilty of all sins. (They don't tend to like that or agree w/ that, but it's true.)
Much props for this article.