Who knows? With a little modification, Robertson’s advice to the wife who has been cheated on might offer a new spin direction for the Harper regime, especially in its current troubles.
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I grew up in a Pentecostal church, so I remember the beginnings of some of the dominionist doctrines that characterize far right faith groups today. There was never any one principal compendium of theology that every church got behind (just as there’s no single denomination in the dominionist movement, and divisions exist), but rather there were different streams of thought that flowed in and gradually changed the course of the river of belief teachings. It filtered in through books by C. Peter Wagner, sermons by Oral Roberts, through Maranatha Ministries publications, through Youth For Christ media, and various . . . → Read More: Dented Blue Mercedes: Using scripture to rationalize slavery by the one percent Right from when it was first proposed during the May 2011 federal election, the Office of Religious Freedom (ORF?) was met with the accusation that it was an attempt to pander to its base, concerns that it would overstep the boundary of what Canada should be doing in foreign nations, and skepticism that it could be instituted in any kind of way that would be fair and balanced for all religions. As it turns out, it’s becoming not very popular among Evangelicals, either. One of the clearest examples of late is RoadKill Radio’s interview with Jim Hnatiuk, . . . → Read More: Dented Blue Mercedes: Harper’s Theological Crossroads. Well, perhaps it isn’t a coming out per-se, since it’s questionable as to whether they were ever “in.” But RoadKill Radio commentators Kari Simpson and Ron Gray have more or less made their position known on Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill during an interview with Christian Heritage Party leader Jim Hnatiuk, who tacitly agreed. The interview highlighted the growing antipathy among Canadian Evangelicals toward Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Office of Religious Freedom, which will be a topic for another post. But here’s what they said (starts at 4:54 in the video): SIMPSON: The Minister responsible for this Office . . . → Read More: Dented Blue Mercedes: Canadian Evangelical audio program comes out in favour of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Sort of. If you’ve frequented any LGBT media at all, you’ve heard about Uganda’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill (often referred to as the “Kill the Gays Bill”), and possibly other anti-gay legislative bills that have been debated in African nations. Perhaps you’ve signed on to petitions directed to various governments to urge them to put pressure on those nations to drop this type of legislation. And if you’ve been paying close attention, you’ll have seen that when governments do put the pressure on nations like Uganda, often the situation for LGBT Africans becomes worse, with political leaders vowing to enact extreme . . . → Read More: Dented Blue Mercedes: Doing something about anti-gay lobbying in Africa In August 2012, Floyd Lee Corkins entered the Family Research Council (FRC) headquarters and opened fire, injuring a security guard as he was tackled — fortunately, before he could cause any more damage. Periodically, I see people who I otherwise respect trying to dismiss the incident as insignificant, or even making excuses for Corkins. Violence is not an acceptable response to hate. I’ll add the caveat “unless someone is in direct danger.” I believe in the right to self-defense and accept that there could be extreme situations that preclude using the word “never,” i.e. mass criminalization and . . . → Read More: Dented Blue Mercedes: Violence is almost never an acceptable response. Neither is rationalizing it. The interplay of rage and persecution complexes works to shape trans, LGB — and in fact all — struggles against oppression. It can become an eternal feedback loop that can stymie any attempt to move progressive causes forward, if it succeeds in establishing its circuitous pattern. This translates to many struggles, so I’m going to speak generally and with varied examples — but I’m reminded of this most recently by the claims of persecution over a confrontation that happened at the New York dyke march, by Cathy Brennan, so will probably focus there most frequently. (Oh dear god, I . . . → Read More: Dented Blue Mercedes: On Persecution Complexes and Rage On Wednesday June 6th, Parliament voted to send Private Member’s Bill C-279: An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code (gender identity and gender expression) to committee for review as part of its trek toward passage. I had expressed concerns at that time about some possible changes that were being considered, but it remains to be seen in committee stage if that will happen. I do know that if Parliamentary support for the bill drops, those changes will become more likely, while better awareness could help to avert them. 15 Conservative Members of Parliament . . . → Read More: Dented Blue Mercedes: Trans rights bill supporters being targeted. Also, a flag for you. Dented Blue Mercedes: When even silence “indoctrinates:” the “No Pro Homo” education model. (Part 2)This is part of a 3-part series on LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying education, centering around the Day of Silence, which encourages students to take a vow of silence for the day, to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. It occurs on April 20th. Part 1: When even silence offends: on the 2012 push from the North American far-right to subvert and antagonize Day of Silence participants. and: When even silence “persecutes:” on the ongoing conflicts in Canada, and a new game of declaring “homophobia” a hate word. Part 2: When even silence can be exploited: on how . . . → Read More: Dented Blue Mercedes: When even silence “indoctrinates:” the “No Pro Homo” education model. (Part 2) This is part of a 3-part series on LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying education, centering around the Day of Silence, which encourages students to take a vow of silence for the day, to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. It occurs on April 20th. Part 1: When even silence offends: on the 2012 push from the North American far-right to subvert and antagonize Day of Silence participants. and: When even silence “persecutes:” on the ongoing conflicts in Canada, and a new game of declaring “homophobia” a hate word. Part 2: When even silence can be exploited: on how . . . → Read More: Dented Blue Mercedes: When even silence fails: On affirmation (part 3) This is part of a 3-part series on LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying education, centering around the Day of Silence, which encourages students to take a vow of silence for the day, to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. It occurs on April 20th. Part 1: When even silence offends: on the 2012 push from the North American far-right to subvert and antagonize Day of Silence participants. and: When even silence “persecutes:” on the ongoing conflicts in Canada, and a new game of declaring “homophobia” a hate word. Part 2: When even silence can be exploited: on how the . . . → Read More: Dented Blue Mercedes: When even silence offends. (Part 1)
Sean makes some great points, let me reiterate them. Why are parents allowed to watch their child die because they believe in magic? Christian Science and faith healing are utter bullshite and yet they continue to torture children, often to death, because of their mysticism. The Christian Right then gets a seismic stiffy over universal healthcare and the fatuous notion of death panels, while they say NOTHING about those who choose to let their children die from treatable ailments. Where is the outcry from the religious pro-lifers? Oh well it doesn’t involve stripping away . . . → Read More: Dead Wild Roses: Attack of the Theocrats! Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary with 40% of the vote and appears to be heading toward winning the Republican nomination. Unlike most of his opponents, he has not “surged” but just plodded along, attacking when he needed to attack, and standing up to the blows from his tag-teamed conservative opponents. In the weeks leading up to these important votes, there was a lot of talk about the conservative movement mobilizing to knock him out, yet they were unable to do that. They appear instead, to have burned themselves out, by focusing too much on issues that are now non-issues. . . . → Read More: Pushed to the Left and Loving It: Would a Romney Victory Mean the End of the Conservative Movement? “The hypocrite’s crime is that he bears false witness against himself. What makes it so plausible to assume that hypocrisy is the vice of vices is that integrity can indeed exist under the cover of all other vices except this one. Only crime and the criminal, it is true, confront us with the perplexity of radical evil; but only the hypocrite is really rotten to the core”. – Hannah Arendt (above) Of all the hypocritical preachings of the conservative movement, from holier than thou exhortations to economic homilizing, perhaps the most hypocritical and heinous of them all, are their anti-homosexual sermons. I’m now reading David . . . → Read More: Pushed to the Left and Loving It: The Conservative Movement and Homosexuality Revisited Social Conservative candidate Rick Santorum, surprised everyone by coming close to beating Mitt Romney in Iowa, finishing just 8 votes behind. Up to now he has flown under the radar as “surges” went from Rick Perry to Herman Cain to finally Newt Gingrich. The media is now paying attention and one thing that they are paying attention to is Santorum’s choice of costume, or should I say uniform. The dreaded sweater vest. Apparently it signifies the Social Conservative dream of life before the civil-rights movement. Who knew? I thought it just meant they were dorks. Not all Republicans . . . → Read More: Pushed to the Left and Loving It: Is Rick Santorum Getting Fashion Tips From Stephen Harper? News clip by the CBC regarding the growing influence of the religious Right with the Conservative Harper government, and interview with Marci McDonald, author of The Armageddon Factor. See also: CBC: MPs under the influence of evangelicals? (This post previously appeared at The Bilerico Project) Recently, leaders of Commonwealth nations met to discuss pressing international issues, and leaders from the U.K., Canada and others pressed for human rights reforms for LGBT people. British Prime Minister David Cameron went so far as to threaten to cut off aid to member nations that still criminalize homosexuality — something that was met with accusations of “bullying.” Nigeria responded by redoubling efforts to symbolically pass a bill to ban same-sex marriage (even though homosexuality is already illegal there), including witnessing, participating in and “abetting” a . . . → Read More: Dented Blue Mercedes: Aarchive: Anti-Abortion Lobby Dances on the Graves ”Borrowed in part from the legacy of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, Canadian neo-conservatism owes much of it’s character to the right-wing populist tradition of the West. “Indeed, Canadians became exporters of neo-con innovation in the 1990s. ‘I would say Margaret Thatcher and Mr. [Preston] Manning are the two non-Americans we learned most from”, said U.S. Republican House Speaker, Newt Gingrich in 1995. I know him [Preston Manning] because I watched all of his commercials. We developed our platform from watching his campaign.’ Like cowboy culture, Canadian neo-conservatism is a growth industry, spawning a whole generation of Will . . . → Read More: Pushed to the Left and Loving It: Dog Whistle Politics and the Return of Old Dance Partners Despite the allegations of sexual misconduct, Herman Cain continues to poll high with Republicans.And yet they wasted millions of tax dollars in an attempt to impeach President Bill Clinton, because of a sex scandal. Clinton’s was consensual… . . . → Read More: Pushed to the Left and Loving It: Why Does the Right Hold the Left to a Higher Moral Standard? The Canadian Manifesto: How the American Neoconservatives Stole My CountryI read an interesting paper by Mytheos Holt, a neoconservative intellectual, I suppose you’d call him; that discusses the fusion of right-wing groups, that currently make up the … . . . → Read More: Pushed to the Left and Loving It: Fusion or Confusion? Why I Think the Conservative Movement Will Self-Destruct You gotta love Republicans. In Michigan, the Republican-heavy Senate has passed a new anti-bullying bill that promotes bullying by giving perpetrators the ‘moral conviction’ right to bully on behalf of their religion. In effect, bullying … . . . → Read More: “Moral convictions”, Republicans and bullying Brian Abrams is a former Conservative candidate for Kingston and the Islands. He had a pretty good showing in 2008, but lost to incumbent Peter Milliken. After his defeat, the Conservatives launched an all out attack on this riding. T… . . . → Read More: Pushed to the Left and Loving It: Harper Stacks Judiciary For American Conservative Movement I came across a piece from 1967, written three years after extremists began taking over the Republican Party, with the nomination of Barry Goldwater to run for president. He took a trouncing but the movement was given a huge boost.They had establ… . . . → Read More: Pushed to the Left and Loving It: Are Members of the Religious Right Christians or Pagans? A group of parents in B.C. are adamantly opposed to the Burnaby school district enacting an LGBT-inclusive anti-bullying policy. Catholic school districts in Ontario want to ban rainbows and Gay-Straight Alliances. Charles Adler is worried that a calendar that is a teachers’ reference (and notes the Transgender Day of Remembrance) might cause kids to become Watching the Republican presidential hopefuls duke it out to determine who is the most absurd, I’m reminded of how far this party has fallen since the days of Eisenhower. I doubt they’d get anyone “normal” to run now.In the latest round of insanity, Ri… . . . → Read More: Pushed to the Left and Loving It: The Republican Debates Now Turning Into the Reform-Alliance Debates |
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