Religous Hate in Western Kentucky Borders on the Occult

Click here for the story from Hillbilly Report. Keep this in mind also:

"The plague of mankind is the fear and rejection of diversity: monotheism, monarchy, monogamy and, in our age, monomedicine. The belief that there is only one right way to live, only one right way to regulate religious, political, sexual, medical affairs is the root cause of the greatest threat to man: members of his own species, bent on ensuring his salvation, security, and sanity." - Thomas Szasz

I am a Christian, but separation of church and state MUST be maintained. Also, NEVER forget THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT as stated by Jesus: "Love thy God and thy neighbor with all of your heart and soul."

“If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20).” This verse not only speak to your biological brother, but all of mankind, all humans; they same holds true.

People have always twisted religion and religious views to suit their own selfish needs; if you do believe in a higher power, he/she/? is certainly more evolved and intelligent to ever condone hating your neighbor or imposing your will on another.

• Louisville Pastor (New Bethel Church) Urges His Flock to Bring Guns to Church

• Pope angers campaigners with speech seen as attack on homosexuality.

• California begins investigation into Mormon Church

• United Methodist Church: "homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching."

• Several people shot at gay affirming church in Knoxville, Tennessee.

• KY's largest Methodist Church bars gays from membership.

• The Mormon Church; Roseanne and Lady Bunny protest companies owned by them.

• Against God's law?

• Dr. James Holsinger for anti-gay U.S. Surgeon General.

• Family Foundation wants religion to govern the land (judging from the signs they held).

• Gay marriage debate in Maine turns religious.

• Superstar Rob Thomas details the "The Big Gay Chip on His Shoulder"

• "Rip it from his throat!" a woman yells..... Church Performs Gay Exorcisms

Ex-gay programs dropped for now.....NO MONEY!

Focus on the Family, the powerful evangelical Christian group founded by James Dobson, is being forced by budget problems to do away with its controversial “Love Won Out” ex-gay ministry conferences.

A “serious budget shortfall” at Focus on the Family has prompted the conservative Christian group to issue a special fundraising plea, and contributed to a decision to cede control of its contentious “Love Won Out” conferences about homosexuality to another religious organization, a spokesman said Tuesday…

Focus on the Family also announced Tuesday it would no longer stage “Love Won Out” conferences across the country. The events drew both participants and picketers for their promise to “help men and women dissatisfied with living homosexually understand that same-sex attractions can be overcome.”

The events will go on, instead staged by Florida-based Exodus International, a network of ministries whose core message is “Freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ.”

Just last week, the American Psychological Association released a study that found that gay reversion therapy was both ineffective and psychologically damaging to many who attempt to change their sexual orientation.

Related Stories:

Love in Action (homosexual to heterosexual).

Love in Action's "Refuge" shutdown by the State.

Civil Rights Group Divided Over Gay Marriage - You either believe in liberty and equality for everyone, or no one..... end of story.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the 50-year-old civil rights organization founded by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, is seeking to remove the president of its Los Angeles chapter, Rev. Eric P. Lee, in response to his support of same-sex marriage in California.

The effort by the Atlanta-based organization is meeting stiff resistance in Los Angeles from both the board of the local chapter, whose chairman is secretary of the state’s Democratic Party, and the City Council president.

Well, kudos to Rev. Eric P. Lee for realizing that you 'cannot have it both ways.' You either believe in liberty and equality for everyone, or no one..... end of story.

Let us not forget that only 45 years ago black and white people could not marry in most states. In 1967 (42 years ago), the United States Supreme Court struck down all "Racial Integrity Acts," in Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia, thereby overturning Pace v. State of Alabama (1883*) and ending all race-based legal restrictions on marriage in the United States.

* In 1883 the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that the State of Alabama's "Racial Integrity Act" statute was constitutional and legal; black and white people cannot marry. This ruling would stand until 1964 until McLaughlin v. State of Florida and in 1967 in Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia.

Worse still, black and white people even living together (without being married) often resulted in them being arrested for living "in a state of adultery or fornication" and being sentenced to prison terms that sometimes reached 10 years or more.

To sum things up, I quote Coretta Scott King, widow of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After her husband's assassination, she took on the leadership of the struggle for racial equality herself and became active in the Women's Movement, and an advocate for gay rights.

"Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood." - Coretta Scott King

The New York Times Reports More on this story:

While the Mormon Church raised a great deal of the money in support of the proposition, the role of African-American churches, and their voting parishioners, was not insignificant. The Edison/Mitofsky exit poll in California found that 70 percent of black voters backed the ban, which passed with 52 percent of the vote.

Mr. Lee said that his opposition to Proposition 8 had “created tension in my life I had never experienced with black clergy.”

“But it was clear to me,” he added, “that any time you deny one group of people the same right that other groups have, that is a clear violation of civil rights and I have to speak up on that.”

In April, Mr. Lee attended a board meeting of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Kansas City, Mo., and found himself once again in the minority position among his colleagues on the issue of same-sex marriage, but he was told, he said, by the group’s interim president, Byron Clay, that the organization publicly had a neutral position on the issue.

So a month later, Mr. Lee said, he was surprised to receive a call from the National Board of Directors summoning him immediately to Atlanta to explain why he had taken a position on same-sex marriage without the authority of the national board.

“The black church played a significant role in Proposition 8 passing,” Mr. Lee said. “The failure of the campaign was to presume that African-Americans would see this as a civil rights issue.”

"Rip it from his throat!" a woman yells..... Church Performs Gay Exorcisms

The video shows the 16-year-old boy lying on the floor, his body convulsing, as elders of a small Connecticut church cast a "homosexual demon" from his body.

"Rip it from his throat!" a woman yells. "Come on, you homosexual demon! You homosexual spirit, we call you out right now! Loose your grip, Lucifer!"

America was built on the concept of freedom of religion. I believe that people are free to choose and practice their own religious and spiritual beliefs in whatever way they choose — within certain limits. The state can, and has, interfered with religious freedom when it identifies the need to protect a child from harm. The question is: Does that apply in the case of a so-called gay exorcism?



Associated Press News Article

Manifested Glory Ministries

Religion and Gay Marriage

"What if this whole crusade's a charade, and behind it all there's a price to be paid for the blood on which we dine, justified in the name of the holy and the divine?"

By: DaniDe

I'll never fully understand religion. The topic itself fascinates me because it is one that so many people get worked up over. Although I was raised Catholic, I currently am at a stage in my life where I don't know if I believe in the existence of a higher being nor do I truly care. At one point in my life I probably would have said that death was my greatest fear because of my wavering faith in Christianity and the overall uncertainty that comes from it. But now I have come to realize that death isn't something to be feared and that my energy and worries are must better wasted on issues relevant to the present situations that I live in. I simply do not feel that I need to have the looming threat of eternal damnation in order to force me to be a good person. To me, it seems inherently hypocritical to one who practices a religion to say that they require a religious backing in order to create or even reinforce a desire to do good. I have never felt that I should be a good person because it is what was expected of me by a higher power. Nor have I ever felt that I need a super-empirical safety net to give my life value. I guess what I have come to realize is that the reason I am not religious is because I have no purpose for being so. I am able to obtain ethics and value out of my daily life without a need or desire for religion or spirituality.

However, even though I personally do not need religion in my life to be a happy and fulfilled person, I wish to clarify that I do not condemn those who do. Furthermore, I find nothing wrong with having a strong religious identity and I do not belittle those with a solid faith or spirituality by labeling them as weak-minded. I do, however, have a huge issue with religion when it becomes appallingly misinterpreted and abused. Too many times throughout history (and even in modern day) religion has been used as a justification for actions that are in no way, shape, or form truly representative of the intentions of religious practice. To further elaborate this point, I call upon an example that illustrates how modern misinterpretation of the Bible can cause religion to be vilely misconstrued and used as a weapon of intolerance and injustice.

But, before I do so, I would like to say that despite the fact that I am not religious, that does not mean I do not think that the Bible is not an excellent source for values and morality. Although I may not believe in some of the Church's teachings about the divine nature of Jesus of Nazareth, that does not mean that I do not think the message that Jesus preached does not have any value. In fact, I truly think that the message and values Jesus taught are ones that all people should live by so long as they actually put into practice his message and values and do not corrupt them to their own benefit. What I mean by this is that many modern interpretations of the Bible are not truly interpreted in the spirit of the message of Jesus of Nazareth.

This becomes clearly evident with the issue of homosexuality. If I could only count how many times that I have heard someone say homosexuality is wrong and that sodomy is a sin. While the Catholic church has recently slightly changed their position on homosexuality (they now preach that being a homosexual is not a sin so long as homosexuals do not engage in sexual behavior) many fundamentalist Christian denominations believe that homosexuality is not only inherently wrong but that it is sinful and disgusting. To this, they back their arguments by quoting scripture and different biblical verses. Apparently, after doing so, they find that their arguments have sound proof and that their stance on the issue is thus completely justified.

How very foolish this approach really is.

I am not sure how many people have ever heard of the idea of "context" reading but if anyone has ever taken an SAT they probably recall coming across the reading section of the SAT and encountering a question that in one form or another asked, "What is the main idea of this paragraph?" Following this question, there would be four options. Usually a couple of them would be direct quotes from the passage that, although they were mentioned within the passage, are really just diminutive details that really are not representative of the overall purpose or intention of the passage. Then there will be a couple answers that don't quote the text, but offer a summary of it—one correct, the other wrong. One answer will have clearly nothing to do with the topic and offer a summary to some text completely foreign to the passage on the page before it. The final answer may not have any words directly from the text but after deductions and analytical connections are made, it is evident that it truly gives the best representation of what the intention of the passage was. This answer is the correct answer.

I call upon this example to show how one quote or one scripture citing can rarely truly represent the main idea of a text. So when people use Old Testament passages to justify their anti-homosexual stances, I become upset by their method of biblical interpretation. First off, most Christians argue the Old Testament in itself is outdated and whereas the Old Testament was a document of the covenant of the Jewish people with God, the New Testament is a document of the new covenant of all people with God. Since this is the approach taken by most Christians, I find it in bad taste to turn to the Old Testament to justify a teaching of anti-homosexuality. But even then, my biggest issue goes back to saying the Bible justifies anti-homosexuality by quoting single biblical passages. It is at this point that I say people need to learn how to "context" read, that is, look for the main idea of the Bible as a whole—and, if you are a Christian, specifically emphasize the main idea of the New Testament. To those who think they can justify any interpretation of the Bible as being anti-homosexual after doing so I must say to them--Think again. I've read the bible in its entirety and I've been educated on it thoroughly (13 years of Catholic Schooling!). I know I am capable of quoting more scripture verses and showing more knowledge of biblical history, authorship, themes, and purposes than most Christians or Catholics who swear by the Bible as their book of salvation. In other words, I know a bit about the bible so I truly despise when religious folk argue with me that I am uninformed of the purposes behind Christian texts and doctrine just because I do not practice them. So, when you tell me that the Bible is anti-homosexual I simply cannot do anything but tell you that you have been utterly misinformed. The Bible I know shows Jesus as a healer, forgiver of sins, and a friend to societal outcasts. Jesus was a friend of the prostitutes, the beggars, the tax collectors, the Samaritans—all groups of people that were considered the outcasts of society in his time and day. So, if you, by any capability are able to apply situational factors from the past to the present, you would realize that, had Jesus been around today he would have befriended society's outcasts--who better to fall in that category than the homosexual community which so many continue to condemn today. To those Christians who condemn homosexuals, I say to you, who are you to condemn, when your own God told you "Let he without sin cast the first stone." The God of the New Testament, the God of the Christians, is a loving and forgiving God who extends his welcome to all people. And, as Jesus himself told his disciples, the final and greatest commandment of all is "To love your neighbor as yourself." If this truly is the commandment above all other commandments, laws, and teachings, it seems that any teaching that could even begin to appear anti-homosexual would be overridden by the ultimate commandment that Jesus established. As Jesus told us, all people are our neighbors (a category that includes homosexuals) so his commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves meant that we must love all people as we do ourselves. So I must ask then, how can one even begin to love a homosexual if they condemn their very being? I just don't see how that is possible. To me it seems that any person who is homophobic on the basis of religious belief is actually in violation of their own biblical doctrine, for they are, above all things, breaking the greatest commandment of them all.

It is with this interpretation in mind, that I believe society has wronged the homosexual community. Many religious people do not support gay marriage today because they either believe that 1. Homosexuality in itself in wrong or that 2. Marriage is a holy institution established by God between a Man and a woman. To any person who finds themselves falling into either of these categories, I would like to point-out that marriage was an institution separate of religion long before the time of Jesus. It wasn't even viewed to be a ceremony in which God intervened until a Church council if 300AD decided to make it a sacrament. So, marriage was an institution originally established by mankind that mankind later transformed to be a covenant between two people and the Lord. In this sense, the intolerance that arises from not allowing homosexuals to marry does not come from a biblical standpoint or even an accurately interpreted religious viewpoint, it really comes from the prejudice of those who attempt to justify their intolerance by basis of their faith even when their faith, in essence, does not truly allow for it.

It is for these reason that I do not believe that the anti-homosexual base in America is rooted in the proper practice of religious doctrine. I truly believe, and do so with biblical evidentiary support, that anyone who attempts to use scripture to justify injustice, intolerance, and prejudice does so out of their own selfish bigotry and contempt. For, as Shakespeare once wrote, "Even the devil can quote scripture for his own purposes."

As Shakespeare believed, at the end of the day, any religious book--be it the Bible, the Tanakh, or the Qu'ran--can be used to justify evil actions that contradict the original intentions of the text from which they are derived. It is these contradictions that lead to problems when they are grossly misconstrued. And it is these problems that have become a significant issue at the heart of religious intolerance and misunderstanding in the world that we live in today.

Against God's law?

I was on a radio show this weekend to discuss "Should society recognize gay marriage?" Well, I assumed we would be discussing the legality of the subject, problems some people have with the general idea, and of course the "gay people do not deserve special rights" argument.

To my dismay, the show focused on "Is it against God's law?"

Homosexuality is not unique in its status as an issue some people use to justify their hatred and/or repression of others. Throughout the history of this country, the world, and the church there have been other issues that were divisive in nature: anti-Semitism, slavery, and female clergy to name a few.

The person kept arguing "being homosexual is a choice." Being gay isn't a choice; it is something you are born with.

After the show I posted a blog on the radio shows website. Click here to view it.

Minister found guilty in gay "therapy" case

Isn't this sick (and typical) of people who think homosexuality can be "cured."

A minister and former Christian college instructor has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a young man who sought counselling after he feared he was homosexual.

A jury returned with the guilty verdict early last night after only a few hours of deliberations. Terrance Lewis, 60, will be sentenced at a later date.

In earlier testimony, the alleged victim, now 29, told court he started meeting Lewis for counselling sessions in early 2000 after his parents caught him viewing gay pornography on the family computer.

Lewis — a family friend and minister — confided he had his own sexual identity issues and the two embarked on weekly counselling sessions designed to “assist me to be straight and to live a straight life,” the man said.

The man said Lewis started a program of “touch therapy,” which included the two kissing and fondling each other and engaging in sexual roleplaying.

In God We Trust License Plate

Kentuckians would be able to buy "In God We Trust" license plates under a bill that won unanimous approval Tuesday in the House Transportation Committee. OK, I’m a Christian, but come on…. Isn’t their more important issues? What about in “In Allah We Trust” “In YHWH We Trust” or “In Jehovah We Trust.”

These are all basically the same “God” with different translations and pronunciation. At a minimum, they all sprung from Judaism.

As of 2000, approximately 53% of the world's population identifies with one of the three Abrahamic [term commonly used to designate the three prevalent monotheistic religions—Christianity, Islam, and Judaism which claim Abraham as a part of their sacred history] religions (33% Christian, 20% Islam, <1% Judaism), 6% with Buddhism, 13% with Hinduism, 6% with traditional Chinese religion, 7% with various other religions, and less than 15% as non-religious.

I’m a God loving, and God fearing citizen, but this is a perfect example of why religion and government shouldn’t mix. Sure we use to do it when the Commonwealth and the nation were founded, but this is the 21st Century…. I suppose respect for all religions/translations is still beyond the General Assembly’s capability.

Love in Action's "Refuge" shutdown.

In 2005, 16-year-old "Zach's" MySpace blog revealed that he was about to be involuntarily committed to Love In Action’s youth live-in program “Refuge.” He was committed to a two-month stay in the residential program, and his plight spawned international outrage along with unprecedented protests in Memphis. (more)

The State of Tennessee investigated Refuge last year after learning that clients were being dispensed medications by unlicensed personnel. Finally, after two years of scrutiny, it’s over. Refuge is no more.

It also inspired filmmaker Morgan Fox to begin filming the documentary, “This Is What Love In Action Looks Like,” set for release in January 2008.

Congratulations to the Tennessee's Queer Action Coalition ("QAC") for all their fine and careful activism. Special thanks also to Brandi Walker, Kentucky Equality Federation's Awareness Coordinator for bringing the original story to our attention!

Love in Action (homosexual to heterosexual).

From: Brandi Walker, Awareness Representative, Kentucky Equality Federation

Tenessee based religious Christian organization Love in Action has received national attention for it's efforts in tying to turn gay youth to "straight youth."

This organization makes claims that homosexual behavior is immoral and links it to therapy treatment alongside pornography and promiscuity. Parents of gay youth, especially conservative Christians, are inclined to believe their child is mentally ill and is in need of mental and religious counseling, because they are not walking the path their "God" has chosen for them. The false hope parents grasp to in programs like those managed by Love in Action, are not only unethical, but can cause extreme psychological abuse to an individual, which can contribute to emotional and mental stress in a child. These stressors and detrimental therapy can lead a child to thinking something about he/she is wrong, immoral, out of the ordinary, and/or evil.

For children to be programmed by both their parents, religious leaders, and counselors in a setting like Love in Action's 5 acres of seclusion, can cause a child to have an emotional and mental break down. A child who instead of being accepted for who he/she is, is taught discrimination, denial of one's feelings, and identity rejection. These factors are all labeled "therapy" and the children are fed religious and social standards of "morals" of acceptance, through techniques such as "group think", shame, peer pressure, religious pressure, and guilt. Programs like Love in Action MUST be stopped. These children can grow up doubting and suppressing their emotions and ideas of themselves in matters of opinion, interests, and beliefs, because Love in Action has taught them to reject their inner feelings of truth and identity.

Please, contact corporate supporters of Love in Action and let them know you will not purchase their products/services of their company because of their support of this program.

The Wingate Hotel (http://www.wingateinns.com/Wingate) offers discounts to travels who mention "Love in Action." This is ridiculous, irresponsible, and morally unjustifiable.

Tell them of your disapproval at the following link: http://www.wingateinns.com/Wingate/control/contact_us_form.

- Daniel Newell

Northern Kentucky's new museum (must read to believe).

I raised my children to be religious, but you have to read this to believe it:

• http://www.cknj.com/articles/2007/06/10/opinion/letters/01letter.txt

Isn't it amazing this was actually printed in a Kentucky newspaper?

-Paige

Soulforce - Touched by Angels.

3 are arrested at gay-rights group's event
CUMBERLANDS ONE OF 32 STOPS

By Bill Estep
SOUTH-CENTRAL KENTUCKY BUREAU

Click here to view images of the Soulforce reception.

WILLIAMSBURG --Police arrested three people yesterday when a gay-rights group tried to talk to students at the University of the Cumberlands, which found itself embroiled in controversy last year after expelling a gay student.

About 25 people taking part in the Soulforce Equality Ride had stopped at the school. Soulforce is visiting 32 colleges and universities to draw attention to policies the group says discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and to promote hope and reconciliation, members said.

Members have been arrested at other stops, including earlier this week in Louisville.

"Throughout our stops in the South we have encountered a lot of hostility," said Matt Comer of Greensboro, N.C., an organizer of Soulforce.

Comer said that when the bus got to the school about 10 a.m., Michael Colegrove, the school's vice president for student services, told the riders they would be trespassing if they came on campus.

Dozens of police officers were on hand. Comer said police told the activists that they could not stand on a public sidewalk beside the campus, but rather would have to keep walking or face arrest.

Williamsburg Police Chief Denny Shelley said police charged Soulforce member Jacob Reitan with trespassing and failure to disperse. Two Cumberlands students were charged with failure to disperse.

Comer said it seemed the university and police tried to keep the Soulforce riders from talking to students.

"It sounds ridiculous to even say" someone could be charged for standing on a public sidewalk, Comer said. "The police know what they're doing is wrong."

Colegrove said the university also tried to cooperate with the group and offered members a spot on campus for their visit. However, the group wanted free run of the campus, which wasn't possible because of the potential disruption, and rejected the university's offer, he said.

Comer, however, said Soulforce did not reject the university's offer. A university official quickly withdrew the offer because of a miscommunication and later refused to agree to terms in writing, he said.

The group talked to students for about three hours.

Later yesterday, Soulforce members held a rally on the steps of the Whitley County courthouse. About 40 people listened and about 10 protesters stood on the courthouse lawn holding signs with Bible verses on them.

Many conservative Christians believe the Bible condemns homosexuality. Soulforce members, however, say that belief is hurtful and wrong; several said they consider themselves Christians.

Emily Harlow, a freshman at the University of the Cumberlands, said she came to the rally to hear what group members had to say.

"It's time Cumberland realized it's OK to be gay and be a Christian."

There had been concern on campus that students could face trouble for talking to Soulforce members or attending the rally.

Colegrove, however, said that wasn't the case. Students have First Amendment rights too, he said.

Still, Jordan Palmer, president of the Kentucky Equality Federation, which helped pay for the Soulforce visit to Williamsburg, gave students cards and said to call him if they encountered a problem as a result of coming to the rally.

Kyle DeVries, a Soulforce spokesman, identified the two Cumberlands students who were arrested as Warry Woodward and Annie Decrescente.

Last year, the university expelled Jason Johnson of Lexington, who had disclosed on a Web site that he is gay.

The university's policy said any student who engages in or promotes sexual behavior not consistent with Christian principles, including homosexuality or sex outside marriage, could be suspended or asked to leave school.

University President Jim Taylor said at the time the policy was in line with traditional denominational beliefs.

Johnson returned to Williamsburg yesterday to be with the protesters and thanked students at his former school. "Bless you," he told the students. "You have more courage than you know." Johnson is now a student at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond.

Click here to view images of the Soulforce reception.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

KY's largest Methodist Church bars gays from membership.

Click here for the complete story from Bible Belt Blogger.

Anti-gay Christians miss message.

Anti-gay Christians miss message. Click here to read the article by Staff reporter Kevin Eigelbach who writes on religion for The Cincinnati Post and Kentucky Post.