We seem to have missed a Friday entry (Naughty Teek!) so I’ll just post early today.
These people are #1 on my list of “Folks Who Need to be Smited Right Now by Whatever Higher Power Can Get to Them First.” Why?
“In protest of the 2006 WorldPride Parade, scheduled to take place in Jerusalem on August 10, hundreds of letters, advocating “death to Sodomites”, were distributed to Jerusalem mailboxes on Tuesday morning. They promised NIS 20,000 to “anyone who brings about the death of one of the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah.”
The flyer also included a request–and instructions–for fireboming the parade.
I’m having an awful lot of trouble understanding why there is so much hatred of homosexuals. (Of course, in an earlier post, I mentioned that I have a bit of a crush on 7 of 9.)
And what kind of animal could ever do this to another human being?
I. Just. Don’t. Get. It.
If I’m not scaring the horses, what’s the big deal? The Pentagon is even afraid of gay people!
And so, #2 on my Smite List is Exodus International. (Not to be confused with the equally weird Exodus Project.) Here’s one of their more interesting therapists. WTF??
The American Psychiatric Association has a very nice statement of opposition to any sort of “therapy” to change sexual orientation. With some sort of homosexual behavior documented in over 400 species, it’s getting hard (no pun intended) to buy the idea that being gay is un-natural. There is also a growing body of evidence suggesting biological components of homosexuality.
To end this with a smile: the wonderful response of some creative people in St. Louis to a hateful billboard by Exodus.
A crush on 7 of 9? Well, we can forgive that. Me, I don't think she's nearly as hot as Real Mayer from Ergo Proxy. . . but we must allow some variation for personal tastes, yes? (-:
On an unrelated note, it's always seemed to me that Gomorrah got the short end when it came to metaphors for sin. I mean, who's ever condemned somebody for being a Gomorrahite? (Gommorean?) It's like Sodom got all the people who really knew how to party, while Gomorrah was converted over to family-friendly theme hotels.
"Yeah, I can remember the old days," says the wizened Gomorrahite, "back when your needle-dippin', your powder-snortin' and your basic whorin' were the backbone of the ol' economy. But it's like ever since they built the Luxor, all the action just up and died. These days, you gotta go clear 'cross the vale of Siddim just to get a little piece o' turtledove on a Friday night. . . ."
It baffles, frightens and angers me.
Homosexuality doesn't even make it into the 10 commandments; adultery, murder and false witness are apparently far more grevious in the eyes of God (or Moses). But here these self-professed followers of Christ are, wishing, celebrating, saying they will REWARD murder…
This makes me think of the whole "protecting the sanctity of marriage by excluding gays" circus. A year or so back, there was an article by a Presbyterian minister (can't find it now, alas). He also pointed out that sexual preference was overlooked by the fundies' Top 10, and that if they really wanted to protect marriage, what was needed was a federal law against adultery… which would certainly be in line with their self-professed Biblical principles. He concluded by saying he thought that such legislation from the God-fearing fundies in and out of Congress was unlikely.
Love that billboard!
Actually, in this *particular* case in Israel, the folks offering the bounty are orthodox jews, not Xtians.
But there have been plenty of Christians who have said more or less the same thing.
:(
I edited this to add a link to a thought-provoking short post about the biological basis of homosexuality–and why we shouldn't care about it.
http://scienceblogs.com/ethicsandscience/2006/06/…
Yeah, I'm afraid I'm responsible for Teek not posting anything on Friday: First I offended her senses, then I implied she was crazy, and finally I questioned her geek factor; that all in in pretty much two posts. I can only hope she hasn't written this blog off completely because of me:
Teek, if you're still here, I'm very, very, very sorry! [makes big, sweet, pleading-eyes face]
She's probably just one of those nasty people with a "real" life, and had it interfere with what we see as her main purpose.
oh, I see. So now *I* don't have a life.
Man, Rebecca never told me I was going to get this kind of abuse!!!
:p
I'm here! I'm sorry!
I feel awful about Friday, and the worst thing is I still haven't written anything for it, and it was supposed to be my last entry – but, as Rebecca is stuck in England til Tuesday I'm going to sneak another one in tomorrow and hope she doesn't notice :D
My excuse: I had a last minute assignment on Friday morning from a client that was due Saturday lunchtime, and as we were away for the weekend I had to write it all on Friday night and it took me til 2am.
By which time I was exhausted and fell into bed, all blogging thoughts had fallen from my mind. I am a terrible friend, I hope Rebecca doesn't spank me or refuse to send me more delicious Clif bars now :(
I don't know how many of you have heard about some of the things going on in the us military. while their so desprate for new recruits they've been lowering their standerds all over the place
From the LA Times
…There was a significant increase in the number of recruits with what the Army terms "serious criminal misconduct" in their background. That category includes aggravated assault, robbery, vehicular manslaughter, receiving stolen property and making terrorist threats, said Douglas Smith, a spokesman for the Army Recruiting Command at Ft. Knox, Ky.
As well as an increase in the number of neo-Nazis making it in.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/07/washington/07re…
At the same time the number of gays kicked out under "don't ask, don't tell" has actually increased
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n…
For me, this is the biggest reason of all why freedom is speech is a good thing. We want stupid people like Exodus International speaking a lot so we are constantly reminded how stupid they are.
(sorry, gotta do it)
"Heard a sermon from a creaky pulpit with no one in the nave,
I paid a visit to the synagogue and I left there feeling blame,
No one can tell me what to do,
No one had the capacity to answer me
What the world needs now,
Is some answers to our problems,
We can't buy more time,
because our tender isn't valid,
If your soul needs love you can get consoled by pity,
But it looks as though faith alone won't sustain us no more…"
– Bad Religion – "Faith Alone"
What drives me nuts about Exodus isn't the organization itself. It just kills me to think that there are people out there that really hate something about themselves enough that the want to be cured.
The longer I live, the less I like religion. =/
Mechalith:
"What drives me nuts about Exodus isn’t the organization itself. It just kills me to think that there are people out there that really hate something about themselves enough that the want to be cured."
Actually, I think the organization itself is the good thing to be nuts about. People, particularly those who are different from the majority, have bouts of self-hatred. It's normal to have, and to some degree it's normal to act on. (Remember being a teenager? ;>) On its own, it passes. What people going through that don't need is someone egging them on. That's when it becomes true ugliness.
Very true TheCzech. The self-loathing component bothers me on a more personal level simply because a fair number of those people have been good friends, so it tends to be the first thing I think of.
Exodus and similar organizations draw plenty of ire from me as well, I assure you.