Friday, March 01, 2013

Robert Jeffress : tone-deaf homophobe for Christ?

We all know what the religious right and those who are anti-gay say about the lgbt community. We all know the lies and the distortions they stoop to in order to demonize us. But what if, just what if, they were challenged on these distortions with the facts? Would they attempt to refute with other facts? Would they agree that they were wrong? Or would they stick to their guns under the mistaken idea that being "Christ-like" is refusing to admit you are wrong even in the fact of being pointed out that you are wrong. Robert Jeffress, who has been in the news lately because of the Tim Tebow controversy, is the test subject to my question. Watch what he does when he is presented facts about the lgbt community which refutes his conjecture.



Where to start? First of all, the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental illness in 1973, not 1976. And research was involved thanks to folks like the late Evelyn Hooker who was a pioneer in the study of homosexuality.

The basic point is that Jeffress is a sad man. He reminds me of the pharisees and the Sanhedrin council who spoke out against Jesus and plotted his death. He wraps himself so hard in the phony guise of being a steadfast warrior for good that he has abandoned all humility and common sense.

He thinks he is so close to God that he has become interchangeable to God. Jeffres forgets that he is just a man and as such is subject to mistakes in thought and actions. And when confronted with these mistakes, he refuses to yield just a little. He refuses to say "maybe I should take a look at this" or "perhaps I am wrong." He holds firm to his beliefs, which can be at times can be an admirable quality.

However, in this juncture, it's not so admirable. In fact it demonstrates a prime reason why so many are leaving the Christian religion. Jesus called men to preach the gospel, not be stubborn jackasses.

Too many "Christian" pastors have mistaken one for the other.

Hat tip to Jeremy Hooper.

Anti-gay leader Tony Perkins whines about 'Jewish lobby'

The Family Research Council's Tony Perkins seems to skirting on the lines of Anti-Semitism with his comments about the Democrats and the Jewish community:



Transcript:

But here’s the irony. Is that the Democratic Party and the Democratic senators that supported Hagel, in spite of the fact that he has a record that’s deplorable on Israel, it comes from Democratic senators who are mostly aligned with a lot of the Jewish lobby here in Washington and around the nation, enjoy the money coming from the Jewish community. The Jewish community tends to be liberal, not all, but a lot of it is, and it supports Democratic candidates. But yet the Democratic Party works against the benefit of Israel in many ways, and this is an example of it.

Right Wing Watch breaks down the interesting "significance"  of Perkins' words:

Speaking about the confirmation of Chuck Hagel, Perkins mused about the ‘irony’ that Hagel, whom he considers to be anti-Israel, was backed by Democratic senators who are “mostly aligned with a lot of the Jewish lobby” and “enjoy the money coming from the Jewish community.” Hmmm, “Jewish lobby,” where have I heard that before? Hagel has been savaged in recent weeks for having used the phrase in a 2006 interview. He has since apologized and said he should phrased his comments differently. In case it isn’t obvious, the ADL’s Abe Foxman explains the many problems with saying “Jewish lobby.” Notwithstanding Hagel’s apology, Sen. Lindsey Graham grilled him about his use of the phrase during his confirmation hearing. FRC also cited Hagel’s use of “Jewish lobby” in its background document opposing his confirmation. Meanwhile over at the website of the American Family Association, which broadcasts Perkins’ show, David Limbaugh railed against Hagel’s “bigoted accusation” about the “Jewish lobby” and said he failed to provide a “satisfactory explanation for his disgraceful terminology – because there is none.” “Bigoted” and “disgraceful” sounds about right, but don’t hold your breath waiting for conservatives to denounce Perkins’ comments.

My guess is that since it's rare that lgbt organizations call out Perkins for his continuous spoutings of homophobia, maybe he is getting so bold that he thinks the Jewish community will act the same way.

Let's hope not.