Religious Right Watch

A conservative case for same-sex civil marriage rights

The simple fact is that there is no good reason why we should deny marriage to same-sex partners. On the other hand, there are many reasons why we should formally recognize these relationships....

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Conservatives and liberals alike need to come together on principles that surely unite us. Certainly, we can agree on the value of strong families, lasting domestic relationships, and communities populated by persons with recognized and sanctioned bonds to one another. Confining some of our neighbors and friends who share these same values to an outlaw or second-class status undermines their sense of belonging and weakens their ties with the rest of us and what should be our common aspirations....

When we refuse to accord this status to gays and lesbians, we discourage them from forming the same relationships we encourage for others.... I cannot imagine how we benefit as a society by doing so.

via www.newsweek.com

Former US Solicitor General Ted Olson in Newsweek has made the conservative case for extending the right of civil marriage to same-sex couples. It's a case made on this blog, most recently here. The conservative case for marriage is one grounded both in the principle of equality under the law and pragmaticism.

Libertarian-leaning conservative commentator Andrew Sullivan's reaction.

You can read Olson's opening statement as prepared (Perry v. Schwarzenegger) here.

"Michael Steele: God Wanted Me to be RNC Chair"

RNC Chair Michael Steele says that he is "the gift that keeps on giving" ... and that he is thanks to statements like this one her gave to CBN's David Brody explainingthat God chose him to head the RNC

via www.rightwingwatch.org

Steele said,

but God, I really believe has placed me here for a reason because who else and why else would you do this unless there’s something inside of you that says right now you need to be here to do this and there’s going to be a lot of ugly that comes after you but if you stay true and you stay faithful to what brought you into this party and why you believe so much that what this administration is doing is wrong for America then I’m good.

Yes, the Lord of the Universe is deeply concerned about who is the head of the Republican Party. In fact, I'm sure there's a giant crypto-cosmic battle going on about it right now between demons and angels, and you can trust Tim LaHaye to write a novel about it in the near future.

Texas "Revisionaries" set the national textbook agenda

The jovial creationist sits on the Texas State Board of Education, where he is one of the leaders of an activist bloc that holds enormous sway over the body’s decisions. As the state goes through the once-in-a-decade process of rewriting the standards for its textbooks, the faction is using its clout to infuse them with ultraconservative ideals. Among other things, they aim to rehabilitate Joseph McCarthy, bring global-warming denial into science class, and downplay the contributions of the civil rights movement.

via www.washingtonmonthly.com

 

"Divorce Rate in Gay Marriage-Legal MA Drops To Pre-WWII Level"

gay marriage has little impact other then 1) allowing gay couples to marry and 2) providing marriage fees for clerics who conduct such marriage ceremonies.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

Bruce Wilson's above assessment is correct, and his article's list of "predictions about gay marriage prior to its legalization in Massachusetts" is damning of social conservative imbecility about the issue.

Allowing same-sex couples to be granted civil marriage licenses hurts nothing and helps a minority.

It does not "redefine" any traditional marriage. It does not in any way affect a religious institution that disallows or any individual member of any clergy who eschews the performance of a ceremony for a gay couple.

(Hat-tip to Ken Sherrill for the article. Image: MakeItEqual.org)

"Religious Freedom Day" Jan. 16

Jan. 16 is Religious Freedom Day. As American holidays go, this one tends to be overlooked. It's not even listed on my desk calendar.

That's a shame, because Religious Freedom Day commemorates an important event: passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. This landmark legislation, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and maneuvered through the Virginia legislature by James Madison, became law on Jan. 16, 1786. Scholars consider it a precursor to the First Amendment and vital step along the way to securing the separation of church and state.

via www.talk2action.org

Unfortunately, Gateways to Better Education and the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) are trying to co-opt Religious Freedom Day. Read the article to learn more.

After Americans Visit, Uganda Weighs Death for Gays - NYTimes.com

For three days, according to participants and audio recordings, thousands of Ugandans, including police officers, teachers and national politicians, listened raptly to the Americans, who were presented as experts on homosexuality. The visitors discussed how to make gay people straight, how gay men often sodomized teenage boys and how “the gay movement is an evil institution” whose goal is “to defeat the marriage-based society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity.”

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One month after the conference, a previously unknown Ugandan politician, who boasts of having evangelical friends in the American government, introduced the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, which threatens to hang homosexuals....

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The three Americans who spoke at the conference — Scott Lively, a missionary who has written several books against homosexuality, including “7 Steps to Recruit-Proof Your Child”; Caleb Lee Brundidge, a self-described former gay man who leads “healing seminars”; and Don Schmierer, a board member of Exodus International, whose mission is “mobilizing the body of Christ to minister grace and truth to a world impacted by homosexuality” — are now trying to distance themselves from the bill.

via www.nytimes.com