There are small evils and big ones. Focus on the Family is, in my view, a big one. Besides promoting child-beating as a method of keeping your little darlings in line, they are the most homophobic people on the planet. Dobson (even though he is no longer affiliated with them in an official capacity) made a point out of doing everything he could possibly do to make gays and lesbians look like Satan.

The newest FotF "concern" is that gay activist groups are "bullying" schoolchildren:

As kids head back to school, conservative Christian media ministry Focus on the Family perceives a bully on the playground: national gay-advocacy groups.

School officials allow these outside groups to introduce policies, curriculum and library books under the guise of diversity, safety or bullying-prevention initiatives, said Focus on the Family education expert Candi Cushman.

"We feel more and more that activists are being deceptive in using anti-bullying rhetoric to introduce their viewpoints, while the viewpoint of Christian students and parents are increasingly belittled," Cushman said.

Public schools increasingly convey that homosexuality is normal and should be accepted, Cushman said, while opposing viewpoints by conservative Christians are portrayed as bigotry.

In case you haven't seen what happens when children are taught that homosexuality isn't normal and shouldn't be accepted, let me introduce you to the story of Lawrence King.

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Much has been made today in the blogs of the first few moments of Michael Steele illustrating once again his death wish for his career and his party.

Steele's new motto for the GOP is apparently "Y'all Come," and when an audience member offered to "bring the [undecipherable picnic item]", Steele rejoined with "I'll bring the fried chicken and potato salad."

Just how tone deaf on issues of race does one have to be to be both African American and GOP Chairman? At least that much. Wow.

But there's more. The topic his questioner posed, a generic query regarding "inclusion," Steele read to mean primarily racial inclusion. The blogger asking did not announce himself as a GLBT blogger, but clearly inclusion can mean all kinds of folks, and Steele in his answer included "orientation" as part of the GOP big tent, and cited Reagan (don't they all) as a model of inclusivity in the "Y'all Come" Republican mentality. Really.

Somehow The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and other front-liners in the fight against AIDS don't see Reagan's inclusive legacy the way Steele does.

And perhaps we should ask the other chairmen of the GOP, Rush Limbaugh, James Dobson, and Newt "gay and secular fascism" Gingrich how they feel about "Y'all come." Ahem.

Brainshrub: Great British animation re the "War on Terror".

Tennessee Guerilla Women: House GOP says Foley is more gay than Republican. They wish. What about Hastert and Boehner ? Ya think? Freedom Democrats, the GLBT Democrats of Miami, have sumpin' ta say about the GOP gay witchhunt distractor.

Media Bloodhound : The World Can't Wait, but Mainstream Media Can.

Nance Gregg: The five stages of GOP death.

Off the Beaten Path, "The gods must be crazy" edition: Omnipotent Poobah , Emails from Jesus, Konagod, The Big God Blog, and, for "balance", the Heretik. Oh, and a new Jambi and George.

And when you're done with the round-up, take a moment and read this.

A Religious Liberal Blog

“The policy of Father Reese was to present both sides of the discussion...But that did not sit well with Vatican authorities,” - Jose M. de Vera, the Jesuits’ spokesman. They ranged from debates about sexuality to how the church ought to relate those of different faiths. For this reason Father Reese is no longer editor of one of the most respected religious journals in this country, America. One of the last actions Raztinger was to have Reese fired.

And Erik Meder,lost his position with the U.S. Jesuit Conference because of an article he wrote for a Jesuit newsletter which called for the church have an open dialogue with gay and lesbians about homosexuality. A number of catholic journals, colleges, and academics are worried about the rapidly closing space for debate and dialogue in the Catholic Church under the new pope. It's an issue which should concern everyone.

Also the new pope has leaned on Archbishop Flynn of MN to deny glbt supporters who wear the rainbow sash from partaking in commuinion. And "A pregnant student who was banned from graduation at her Roman Catholic high school announced her own name and walked across the stage anyway at the close of the program." This girl's courage and sense of self taking up what was hers, refusing to be barred because of some religious authority, is a lesson for others who find themselves shut out of the church.

Richard Ostling lets his bias show in his coverage of the ABC news show on the resurrection. He writes that the show will bring "on liberal theologians to dismiss the Easter story"..interpetations of the meaning of this story will vary with liberals and conservatives, but "dismiss"? I doubt any liberal would describe their work in such a manner. Barbara Lerner at the Nat'l Review lost his position with the U.S. Jesuit Conference because of an article he wrote for a Jesuit newsletter which called for the church have an open dialogue with gay and lesbians about homosexuality. A number of catholic journals, colleges, and academics are worried about the rapidly closing space for debate and dialogue in the Catholic Church under the new pope. It's an issue which should concern everyone.

Also the new pope has leaned on Archbishop Flynn of MN to deny glbt supporters who wear the rainbow sash from partaking in commuinion. And "A pregnant student who was banned from graduation at her Roman Catholic high school announced her own name and walked across the stage anyway at the close of the program." This girl's courage and sense of self taking up what was hers, refusing to be barred because of some religious authority, is a lesson for others who find themselves shut out of the church.

Richard Ostling lets his bias show in his coverage of the ABC news show on the resurrection. He writes that the show will bring "on liberal theologians to dismiss the Easter story"..interpetations of the meaning of this story will vary with liberals and conservatives, but "dismiss"? I doubt any liberal would describe their work in such a manner. Barbara Lerner at the Nat'l Reviewsays
about the mainline "NCC-Eurosecs with crosses who worship Castro" Does such language suggest regard for religion by the right?

 
",0]);D(["ce"]);D(["ms","410a"]);//--> saysabout the mainline "NCC-Eurosecs with crosses who worship Castro" Does such language suggest regard for religion by the right?