Religious Right Watch

Religious right's hostile new militancy against LGBT Americans

In the span of less than a week, we have witnessed a meltdown of religious right talking heads against the lgbt community.

First there was the Family Research Council's Peter Sprigg who said on Hardball earlier this week that he supports "criminalizing homosexual behavior."

Around the same time came the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer who published an ugly screed saying that homosexuality should be against the law. He compounded this nastiness when he tried to backtrack explaining that he "merely" said that "homosexual behavior" should be treated the same as intravenous drug abuse

After the People for the American Way destroyed his argument,

via www.pamshouseblend.com

Iowa Republicans are on the march against gay Americans, too.

"CBS Worked Closely With Focus On The Family To Craft Anti-Choice Ad"

Back in 2004, CBS rejected an ad from the United Church of Christ, declaring that "it was against our policy of accepting advocacy advertising," which made CBS's decision to run Focus on the Family's anti-choice ad during the Super Bowl such a surprise.

But now we find out that it really shouldn't have come as much of a surprise at all, because the network had been working closely with Focus on the Family for months to help them craft that ad:

via www.rightwingwatch.org

Frank Schaeffer: Help Us Shame "Mainstream" Religion Into an Alternative (Non-Anti-Gay) Prayer Breakfast

On Tuesday, February 2, 2010 key religious leaders will hold a press conference to announce the formation of The American Prayer Hour, a multi-city event on Thursday, February 4, 2010, with key events in Washington, DC, Dallas, Chicago and Berkeley. The American Prayer Hour events will affirm inclusive values and call on all nations, including Uganda, to decriminalize the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. The American Prayer Hour provides an alternative to the National Prayer Breakfast, which is sponsored by The Family (aka The Fellowship), a group with disturbing ties to those spearheading Uganda's oppressive Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

A Salute to John Freshwater

what eighth grader struggling to accept his or herself and finding out that they may have a sexuality different from their peers wouldn’t want their science teacher telling them that they’re a sinner?
.....
Let me tell you folks a story.  There was a time when I really wanted to teach physics.  I got turned down.  It hurt.  I still don’t know what caused it.  I had an interview where I clearly showed my knowledge of the interaction of viscous fluids, I showed that I understood the chemical nature of the glue that covered the planet and kept us from flying of into space, I carefully explained how the glue was the only possible explanation for why we weren’t all thrown into space by the outward force of the planet spinning, it all seemed like it was going well!  Maybe you guys can just take a quick look at my syllabus and tell me where I might have gone wrong.  This is from my first semester....

via www.nycskeptics.org

Click on the link above for Jake Dickerman's proposed lesson plan.