Conservative evangelical groups line up behind Trump to defend 'Doctor Demon Semen'

Donald Trump defends this woman, so conservative evangelical groups are also defending her.

Eager to play the central role in what's becoming a political version of the German legend of Faust (a philosopher who sells his soul to the devil), conservative evangelicals groups have given a bit more of their soul to Donald Trump in return for political power.  In all honesty, these groups never had that much of a soul, if any to begin with, but I think they've given so much of what they do have to Trump that they're down to soul "stamps." This latest spiritual capitulation involve an incident on Monday. I think you know what I'm talking about, but I will give a short recap:

The far right publication Breitbart streamed a press conference involving individuals claiming to be medical professionals who proceeded to push insane conspiracies about COVID-19 cures.

According to NBC News:

A dozen doctors delivered speeches in front of the U.S. Capitol on Monday to a small crowd, claiming without evidence that the coronavirus could be cured and that widely accepted efforts to slow its spread were unnecessary and dangerous. It was the latest video to go viral from apparent experts, quietly backed by dark money political organizations, evangelizing treatments for or opinions about the coronavirus that most doctors, public health officials and epidemiologists have roundly decried as dangerous misinformation. 

 . . . Dressed in white coats with "America's Frontline Doctors" stitched on the chest, the stars of the Facebook video claimed that business and school closings, social distancing and even masks were not needed, because hydroxychloroquine, a drug commonly used to treat malaria, could both prevent and cure the coronavirus. In fact, the FDA has warned against using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, citing serious health effects and the conclusions from randomized clinical trials that have shown little benefit from the treatment. "We don't need masks. There is a cure!" said Dr. Stella Immanuel, a licensed pediatrician from Houston.  

In one of the event's most fiery speeches, Immanuel, who claims to have effectively treated 350 COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine out of her medical clinic, but declined to provide data, referred to doctors who declined to treat patients with hydroxychloroquine as "good Nazis" and "fake doctors," and called published research "fake science."

Family Research Council angry at Amazon's 'deeply held beliefs' opposing 'ex-gay therapy' books

Amazon has decided to stop selling books pushing the fraudulent idea that people can change their sexual orientation. Hate group the Family Research Council and members of  Congress are angry about it:

If one of the country's biggest retailers is going to ban books, it had better have a good reason. Amazon didn't. The authors it blacklisted weren't inciting violence or promoting terrorist jihad -- they were offering hope to men and women suffering from sexual bondage. But to LGBT activists, it didn't matter what the books actually said or how many people they helped. All the extremists care about is that these authors might undermine their agenda and therefore must be silenced. 

Of course, to most Americans, the intolerance is nothing new. We've all watched Google, Twitter, YouTube, and others crack down on conservative speech for years. But banning books that could give people freedom? That's taking the intolerance to a whole new level. Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), who's been horrified at the fast pace of censorship in this country, refuses to let Amazon get away with it. "Everybody is entitled to information," she told me on Monday's "Washington Watch." "And what Amazon has done is [block] people from having access to information that they're seeking and that they want. And it's just not right." Censorship, she said, should have no place in a country that values free speech.

"We don't want to start having a society where, on controversial issues, people will only have access to one viewpoint.... That's what's made America different than others. [Sexual orientation change efforts may be] an emotional topic, but we need to have more information out there for people so they can make decisions. [U]nwanted sexual attraction is a very difficult thing.... This isn't just a topic that we should throw around the political sphere. We have to remember these are individuals... And if people are struggling with something so personal, and they want more information, they should have access to a book... [to] get some potential help... or see if [it's] something they want to pursue or not. To just to have one group say, 'No, our way is the only way, and we're not going to let any other American hear about another alternative way to think about a condition or a subject' -- that's what we've seen in other countries in the past, and that's a scary place to go."

Apparently FRC and its Congressional allies,  particularly Rep. Vicky Hartzler (who has been known to freely funnel any lie FRC tells her), is relying on hysterical connotations about "intolerance" and "censorship" to tell boldfaced lies. When FRC says that those books aren't inciting violence, the group is clearly lying.

Religious author says evangelical silence about Trump's racism proves they made 'a deal with the devil'

Franklin Graham (top), Robert Jeffress (middle), and Tony Perkins (bottom) have been called out for enabling and then being silent about Trump's recent racist comments against four members of Congress.

The House of Representatives just voted 240-187 to condemn Trump's racist attacks on four of its members. Only four Republicans joined the Democrats in that vote.

Meanwhile, conservative evangelicals have been mostly silent throughout the entire thing. Franklin Graham, who seems to be never at a loss for words when tweeting attacks on the LGBTQ community, has been especially evasive.

And don't think that it hasn't been noticed. John Fea, religious author and professor of American history at Messiah College, posted about this on Tuesday:

Trump is simply calling upon an old tradition in American history. Sadly, we have been telling people to “go back to your country” since the birth of the republic. None of this is new. Trump appeals to the darkest parts of our past. This is what demagogues do. Today he refused to rescind his comments because apparently a lot of people like them. 

But America has always had its better angels. We have always had men and women who have tried to consistently apply our country’s ideals to matters of race, immigration, and injustice. Robert Jeffress, Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr. Jack Graham, Tony Perkins, Paula White, Ralph Reed, Gary Bauer, David Barton, Jim Bakker, Lance Wallnau, Steven Strang and the rest of the court evangelicals do not fall into this category. 

Sadly, the court evangelicals have chosen to side with darkness over light. They are sycophants, incapable of speaking truth to power because they have made a deal with the devil (who apparently has come in the guise of a new King Cyrus). They have enabled Donald Trump. The silence speaks volumes.

The entire piece is short but on point and deserves your full attention.

 

Mike Pence promotes fake martyrdom during Liberty University commencement

On Saturday, VP Mike Pence spoke at the commencement of Liberty University.  In his address, Pence spoke with the same tone deaf self-righteous hypocrisy which has marked his political career:

“Some of the loudest voices for tolerance today have little tolerance for traditional Christian beliefs,” Pence said. “Be ready.” With his wife, Karen, sitting on stage as he spoke, Pence recounted the “harsh attacks” he said they endured when she returned this year to teaching art at a Christian elementary school where she’d worked when he’d served in Congress. Unlike her previous stint, this time Karen Pence faced scrutiny after news reports pointed out that the school bans gay students and teachers. 

“Throughout most of American history, it's been pretty easy to call yourself Christian,” Pence said. “It didn’t even occur to people that you might be shunned or ridiculed for defending the teachings of the Bible. But things are different now.”

I don't know why Pence continues to play the "I'm only trying to follow my faith" game. There is a long paper trail showing that his idea of "Christianity" is undermining LGBTQ equality and safety. Not to mention that his idea of folks, particularly the LGBTQ community, "showing tolerance" to those like him is to allow ourselves to be discriminated against.

But for the record, it never hurts to remind people:

Franklin Graham subject of brutal twitter ratio after condemning Pete Buttigieg's sexual orientation

Editor's note - No news briefs on Friday because of a personal issue.

I hate the fact that the Huffington Post beat me to the punch on this because I witnessed the occurrence as it took place. Still, it's nice to point out.

Anti-LGBTQ pastor and Donald Trump supporter Franklin Graham took it upon himself to scold presidential candidate Pete Buttigief about his sexual orientation in a series of posts like so:

Mayor Buttigieg says he’s a gay Christian. As a Christian I believe the Bible which defines homosexuality as sin, something to be repentant of, not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized. The Bible says marriage is between a man & a woman—not two men, not two women. 2/3

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) April 24, 2019

Usually when Franklin tweets something, particularly about current events (and taking an anti-LGBTQ point of view), the retweets are mostly "amens" and sycophantic agreements. Not this time. Franklin got twitter spanked so badly that he was reduced to meekly posting other Biblical verses. Some of the responses he received from the Buttigieg tweets are as follows:

You epitomize one of Jesus' disciples.

Unfortunately—it's Judas.

— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) April 25, 2019

No, man. You were reading BREITBART, not the BIBLE.

Easy to mix up. They both start with B.

— Sleeping Giants (@slpng_giants) April 25, 2019

Read the Jefferson Bible. With scissors and paste he took only the words of Jesus-.ignoring the rest. Jesus did not have a word of condemnation for gay people. Surely you can find better things to do than hating on us, while pandering to Trump.

— Mia Farrow (@MiaFarrow) April 25, 2019

Wake me up when Franklin Graham calls on Donald Trump to repent for being a serial sexual-assaulter and cheater. https://t.co/ubUNHUbXvM

— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) April 25, 2019 

Franklin Graham is not just a false prophet; he’s a sorry excuse for a person who claims to follow Christ.

This is not of Christ. This is of a cynical callousness toward everything Christ preached.

My queer identity is inextricable from my Christianity. This is how God made me. https://t.co/PIO2hcVmHk

— Charlotte Clymer🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) April 25, 2019

I'm not God, but I know a heart filled with kindness and love will find favor in the sight of God, regardless whom they chose to share affection with. But a deceptive soul and those who condone them with be condemned. People like you sir, are the reason there's hate in the world

— I dig deep, lightly (@TrueSatire) April 24, 2019

Needless to say that others were, shall we say, less polite. But you can click on Graham's tweet and read the responses for yourself. 

Mueller Report responses prove Trump evangelicals replacing Jesus with 'p-**y-grabbing messiah'

The anti-LGBTQ and evangelical right distort Mueller Report findings to praise Trump.

To the anti-LGBTQ and evangelical right, Trump represents the power to force their agenda on America. That's why so many of them discarded or recalibrated their tirades about values and morality to feature him in the center. And in many cases, replacing Jesus.

Their responses to the recent Mueller Report sadly cements this fact.

From American history professor John Fea:

Donald Trump is a liar who clearly obstructed justice. He has forced others to lie to the American people on his behalf. Some, like Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a self-professed evangelical Christian, lied for the president on multiple occasions. (That is a lot of slips of the tongue). Others refused to lie for him. The Mueller report reveals that Trump’s presidency lacks a moral center. He should be impeached. 

And what about the court evangelicals and all of those other white evangelicals who still support Trump? They will double down in their support for the president. He is God’s chosen instrument and his evangelical supporters will invoke biblical examples of how God’s anointed instruments will always suffer persecution. They will claim that the Mueller Report is biased (except, of course, the parts that say there was no collusion). They will continue to stoke the “witch hunt” metaphor. They will continue to take their marching orders from Fox News and claim that the report proves that Trump did not commit a crime. They will argue that the country should simply move forward as if nothing happened. They will ignore the parts of the report that show Trump’s immorality and lies. Court evangelicalism blinds one to the truth. For example 

Americans must demand that “no collusion, no obstruction” means NO MORE HARASSMENT of President @realDonaldTrump! — Dr. Robert Jeffress (@robertjeffress) April 18, 2019 

The attacks on @PressSec Sarah Sanders are disgraceful and pure politics. She does an outstanding job as WH Press Secretary and is a woman of character & integrity. — Ralph Reed (@ralphreed) April 19, 2019  

The #MuellerReport on whether President @realDonaldTrump colluded w/the Russians in the 2016 election is out. The answer is still NO. 1/2 https://t.co/JmoXvJjEKv — Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) April 18, 2019 

 . . .  AG Barr was masterful in his press conf. The lie of Russian collusion and obstruction of justice has been completely refuted. But the left won’t stop. They are addicted to the lie.#MullerReport #BarrPressConference #Barr #MAGA — Gary L Bauer (@GaryLBauer) April 18, 2019

The irony is these folks seem to forget that Trump isn't going to stay in office forever. How ever and whenever he goes,  if these Trump evangelicals think that they will be able to slide back into their unearned positions as self-designated arbiters of cultural morality, they need to make other plans.

No one is going to forget their behavior during the Trump years. Some of us are even taking notes.

Franklin Graham the latest religious hypocrite to support Karen Pence's homophobia

Yet another defender of Karen Pence and her decision to teach at an anti-LGBTQ school (while still being 2nd Lady of the United States which sends a bad message to our country)  shows his ugly head and gives us a wonderful chance to spotlight yet again the hypocrisy of evangelical conservative leaders.

Just like in the case of the Family Research Council, this is another situation in which anti-LGBTQ right-wing evangelicals are all so fired up with attacking the LGBTQ community that they leave themselves open to much deserved scrutiny.

In terms of the worst person to defend Mrs. Pence's homophobia, Graham should win a booby prize.

Graham is the same person who said the LGBTQ community don't have families and that we want to harm children. And he is the same person  who  supports Putin's persecution of the LGBTQ Russian community, claiming that Putin is merely trying to protect children.

Furthermore, Graham's talk of "Christian values" doesn't gel with his unwavering support of Trump. Remember that time he once  said  that no one elected Trump to be "president perfect" And then there was that time when Graham told Americans that Trump's extramarital affairs are "none of our business."

Also, as much as Graham is coming out against the LGBTQ community in this matter, he always seems to be conveniently "unable" to comment on things like Trump's shutdown, Trump's policy which took immigrant children away from their parents,  or Trump's lies about "the wall."

But he sure enough knows how to kiss Trump's butt:

Graham is not only a hypocrite, but he is self-righteous and deluded if he thinks that he has the authority to defend Mrs. Pence after his long history of homophobia and his pandering support of Trump's incompetence. Or if he thinks that some of us aren't going to figuratively spill the hot tea all over his head while "reading him to filth."

I don't expect Mrs. Pence to realize that as 2nd Lady, affiliating herself with a restricted and anti-LGBTQ school is not a good idea. Humility and self-awareness doesn't suit the type of Christianity she and her husband practice.

But damn, I am enjoying calling out the hypocrites who publicly support her.

Related posts: 

Vice President Mike Pence is offended at controversy over wife's choice of teaching at anti-LGBTQ school

Evangelical hate group: Stop picking on Karen Pence because she may think LGBTQs are second class citizens 

Karen Pence's homophobia is bad. The homophobia of her defenders is worse  

Don't expect any honest answer from Karen Pence. Homophobic evasion is a family trait with the Pences