Free Zach!

I recently posted tihs paragraph:

A 16 year old myspace user stumbled across an email in his parents inbox that explains the rules for an x-gay camp they planned to send him to. The "inmates" aren't supposed to see these rules. See them here. By the end of the rules, you'll think he's going to a concentration camp.

He had just come out to his parents. They flipped out and signed him up for a Christian ex-gay camp. He wrote about it in an online diary entry.

Well, it's bigger than an online diary entry now. A group of people in Memphis have been protesting Love In Action, the business behind it all, ever since he entered the place. Love In Action's slogan is "Finding freedom in Jesus Christ" and features a program for kids "struggling with broken and addictive such as ...homosexuality."

The protest isn't just about the fact that they're trying to "change" him, that's not the whole thing at all. They're being protested for child abuse, based on the rules that Zach posted.

Check out part of an entry from Zach's blog:

I can't take this... noone can... not really, this kind of thing tears you apart emotionally. To introduce THIS subject... I'm not a suicidal person... really I'm not.. I think it's stupid - really. But.. I can't help it, no im not going to commit suicide, all I can think about is killing my mother and myself. It's so horrible. This is what it's doing to me... I have this horrible feeling all of the time... I wish this on no person... I'm so satisfied--happy's too strong of a word the state I'm in-- that everyone's taking the time to email and write letters in complaint to these people. I dont know if it will do anything, but if something did happen it would be -- awesome.

Love In Action's leader, John Smid, put the organization's position as such: "I would rather you commit suicide than have you leave Love In Action wanting to return to the gay lifestyle. In a physical death you could still have a spiritual resurrection; whereas, returning to homosexuality you are yielding yourself to a spiritual death from which there is no recovery."

The "Free Zach!" MySpace group page features links to petitions, organizations to write to, politicians to write to, news network contacts, and other links relating to the cause.

A snippet of Margaret Cho's response:

Love in Action claims to "find freedom in Christ," but they are grossly misinterpreting the Bible to serve their own warped needs. Jesus would want you to be yourself. Jesus would love you as you are. True freedom in Christ is to know that Christ resides in all of us, regardless of sexual orientation, and that we are born already free. There is no need to seek it, just to accept it.

A snippet of Planet Out's Story:

Although "reparative therapy" for homosexuality has been denounced by the mainstream psychological community as tantamount to abuse, "ex-gay" ministries offer hope to conflicted parents (usually devoutly religious and conservative) who are unwilling or unable to accept their kids' sexuality or seek traditional counseling.

Youth (and adults) who enter "ex-gay" programs may suffer from genuine self-destructive behaviors that go far beyond their struggle with same-sex attraction, said Wayne Besen, who wrote the book "Anything But Straight" about the "ex-gay" movement.

Here's an article by Southern Voice.

Watch Love In Action's press conference (which is mostly a bunch of closeted gay guys giving their opinions in the name of Jesus).

The big media needs to pick up on this. The only way they're going to is if the protests get big enough.

If there's anything that pisses me off, it's the extremist church scaring or forcing people into following their narrow-minded, self-righteous morals. Jesus would not stand for this.

I say we make this yet another story broken by the bloggers - by real people.

Spread the word.

via throwingstardna

"Democrats Can't Help Denigrating And Demonizing Christians."

During a debate surrounding an amendment by Rep. David Obey (D-WI) to fully examine allegations of proselytizing and religious intolerance at the United States Air Force Academy, six-term Republican Rep. John Hostettler (IN) rose to assert that "Democrats can't help denigrating and demonizing Christians."

Earlier in his remarks, Hostettler discussed the drive by Democrats to erase every "vestige" of Christianity from America; he also prefaced his remarks by noting that "The long war on Christianity today continues on the floor of the House of Representatives." During a meeting of the House Armed Services Committee on May 18th, while debating a similar amendment by Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), Hostettler referred to "the mythical wall separation (sic) between church and state that's been erected by the courts."

"Enough with the religion-bating already; the GOP and conservatives must stop attacking Democrats as being against Christians and against faith in America. Such ludicrous assertions and stereotypes coarsen our political debate, they have no place in civil discourse in this country, and they are utterly beneath one of America's two major political parties," said National Jewish Democratic Council Executive Director Ira N. Forman. "The heroic efforts by Representatives Obey and Israel supporting religious expression by people of all faiths at the Air Force Academy—including people of no faith—are hardly an attack on Christians, as Mr. Hostettler disturbingly alleged.

"In fact, Reps. Obey and Israel are working to protect the religious liberty of every American, which is exactly what our military has fought to protect again and again. If anything, Rep. Hostettler's shocking display demonstrates just the type of religious intolerance that Reps. Obey and Israel were seeking to address. But the GOP has had their say today, and sadly voted down the Obey amendment.

"Today on the floor of the U.S. House, we've seen Republicans overrule Democratic efforts to squarely address proselytizing and religious intimidation at the Air Force Academy, and perhaps more shockingly, we've seen a key Republican allege a Democratic 'war on Christianity.' On both counts, they just don't get it," Forman added.

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Because, you know, when evangelical Christian cadets and faculty at the Air Force Academy are proselytizing and harassing non-Christian & Jewish cadets, and a Democrat says that shouldn't be allowed at our military institutions, he is obviously "attacking Christianity." He clearly hates Christ. And probably hates America too.

Nevermind that about 80% of Democrats identify themselves as Christian. Reminds me of this cartoon Lee sent me this morning:



It cannot be stated enough that entries like this—concerning the "American Taliban" faction of the religious right—do not, and are not meant to, refer to Christians in general or Christianity as a whole.

Unfortunately, you cannot talk about these fucking nutjobs without talking about the basis of their beliefs; their justification for their views: their interpretation of Christianity. You cannot divorce their views from their faith.

I don't feel that every time we discuss this, I should have to provide a disclaimer that "not all Christians are like this." Rational people are aware of this already, it's just stating the obvious.

There are many great and wonderful people who read my journal who are Christian. This is not about you :)

Entire entry by throwingstardna.