Phony victimization ruining American Christianity

According to Religious Right Watch, the Family Research Council is asking for folks to pray for Marcus Bachmann's clinic because supposedly it's "under siege" by the gay community because of its use of the faulty practice of reparative ("ex-gay") therapy"

Christian Counseling under Assault – This week a homosexual activist group reported findings from their undercover “sting” operation at Minnesota Christian counseling clinic owned by Republican Presidential candidate Michelle Bachman and her husband, Marcus. Sympathetic national media seemed shocked that the Christian counseling center offered help for homosexuals to break free from addiction to homosexuality through faith in Jesus Christ. Where will the homosexual assault on religious liberty stop?

Meanwhile, the right-wing website Lifesite News is sounding the alarm simply because NY Gov Andrew Cuomo has told the state's marriage clerks that they must comply with the law and sign their names on same-sex marriage licenses.

In these two stories is a theme which is recurrent throughout many religious right Christian and evangelical circles - the idea that someone's religious beliefs trumps the fact that they are not honest or that they have a job to do.

Both stories are really simple.

Bachmann lied and was caught in his deception. He initially said that his clinic does not engage in ex-gay therapy. And he was proven to be a liar by the undercover video.

But some folks who call themselves Christians aren't questioning the fact that Bachmann lied because they are too busy spinning conspiracy theories as to how the entire controversy is a "plot against Marcus and Michele Bachmann and evangelicals."

What's more, these folks actually embrace the fraudulent therapy done by Bachmann's clinic while conveniently omitting the fact that he lied about it.

And to top it all off, they do all of this while talking about "morals" and "values" and "upholding God's truth."

It's a bizarre gymnastic conundrum which should alarm anyone who really do care about morals and values.

The case in NY is even easier to figure out.

As shown by Lifesite News, some folks actually believe that someone working for state government should be absolved from following the rules of their job simply because they are Christian.

The question of where the line should be drawn is a serious one. It should not be taken lightly.

If state workers can use the Biblical verses as an excuse to not sign same-sex marriage licenses, then what's the justification of them not using Biblical verses to deny interracial couples their licenses  (i.e. the Tower of Babel story) or refusing to sign licenses because the woman in the potential marriage may have signed it before the man (in defiance to what some say about the supposed subservient position of a woman in a relationship in accordance to Scripture).

Just when was the Biblical verse "render to Caesar what is Caesar's"  replaced by "I'm a Christian so I deserve more rights than you?"

It's ironic that the same evangelicals and Christians who support all of this mess are constantly complaining about how Christianity has a bad name in this country.

Maybe these "Christians" should stop acting like a bunch of self-righteous, spoiled brats who want their way all of the time.

NY anti-gay activists throwing tantrums and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Don't you just hate people who name-drop? Well too bad because I am going to be one of those people. Witness my online buddy Evan Hurst of Truth Wins Out on Hardball as he expertly eviscerates Marcus and Michele Bachmann for the ex-gay mess both are embroiled in.

And in other news . . .

NYT profiles homophobes who lost, but are still fighting marriage in NY - Disappointing one-sided article by The New York Times. But still the law is the law.

California Board Accepts Credits From NARTH for Licensing Renewal - So apparently being a bogus group trafficking junk science means nothing against your credibility as long as you beat up on the gays.

Audio: Bachmann in '04: 'It’s part of Satan, I think, to say this is gay' - It's never a dull moment with Michele Bachmann.

Illinois Judge Reinstates Catholic Adoption Contracts - For the time being that is.

Religious right circling the wagons around Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann

The controversy over presidential candidate Michele Bachmann's husband (Marcus Bachmann) and his clinic engaging in the dangerous practice of reparative therapy (attempting to convert gay men into heterosexuals) has gained an added dimension.

While Bachmann herself refuses to comment about it, several religious right figures have come out in support of not only her but her husband's practice.

However, rather than address the issue of the dangers of reparative therapy, these folks are whining that Bachmann is the "victim" of a "scorched earth" media campaign out to destroy her:

Marcus Bachmann

 Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel - "Marcus Bachmann is providing a therapeutic service to those who struggle with same-sex attractions and who seek to get their minds around those same-sex attractions," Barber notes. "So this is nothing short of yellow journalism, and we have come to expect this kind of stuff from the left."

Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth - "Incredibly, ABC even went so far as to title its piece “Pray Away the Gay at Bachmann Clinic?” — recycling TWO founder Wayne Besen’s mocking and bigoted attack-slogan for the idea that people can overcome homosexual desires through faith in God."


Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media - "Once a greatly feared investigative reporter, Brian Ross has been reduced to recycling left-wing material from the homosexual lobby. But the pathetic hit job he narrated on Monday’s ABC Nightline show on GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has backfired in a big way. The charge was that the Bachmann family counseling service engages in terrible things by teaching homosexuals how to leave their disease-ridden lifestyle."

The Family Research Council - "The Bachmanns are unapologetic for their views on homosexuality--views that are rooted in the faith that a majority of Americans share. Apart from Washington, D.C. and homosexual interest groups, the majority of the country will view Marcus's work for what it is--a ministry of hope. Pointing men and women who struggle with same-sex attractions to God isn't "a discredited form of therapy," it's the path to sexual healing."

The irony is that none of these statements are helping Bachmann or her husband. The initial undercover investigation - done very excellently by the group Truth Wins Out - took place because Bachmann's husband was denying that his clinic engaged in reparative therapy.

If what Marcus Bachmann is doing is so beneficial, then why would he lie about it?  Apparently members of the religious right are so caught up in fighting the supposed sin of homosexuality that they give the actual sin of lying a free pass.

Perhaps Michele Bachmann advise these folks to keep their mouths shut. If they are trying to help her, they aren't succeeding.