In the 1950s, thanks to men such as there’s-a-red-under-every-bed Catholic Congressman Joseph McCarthy, American Christianity’s God found a home in the Pledge of Allegiance and on the back of our paper money. Under God was added to the Pledge (1954) and In God we Trust was added to American paper currency (1957). In 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill into law that stated the national motto was In God we Trust. These blatantly unconstitutional acts are still with us today. In 1954, then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson proposed an amendment to U.S. tax code that would forbid churches and other non-profit, tax exempt institutions (501(c)(3)) from endorsing and campaigning for political candidates. This amendment is currently part of the tax code.
Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain taxes.
Certain activities or expenditures may not be prohibited depending on the facts and circumstances. For example, certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity. In addition, other activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, would not be prohibited political campaign activity if conducted in a non-partisan manner.
On the other hand, voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention.
The Internal Revenue Service provides resources to exempt organizations and the public to help them understand the prohibition. As part of its examination program, the IRS also monitors whether organizations are complying with the prohibition.
Churches and their pastors KNOW that U.S. law forbids directly endorsing or campaigning for political candidates. They also know that they are free to ignore the law because the IRS has shown that it has no appetite for going after churches and pastors who spend time and money whoring for political candidates. Evangelicals, sensing that the Obama Administration will not revoke their tax exemption, now want Congress to overturn the Johnson Amendment, giving churches and pastors the right to keep their blanket tax exemption AND endorse, work for, and financially support political candidates.
In recent days, Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump has said that, if elected, he would work to repeal the Johnson Amendment. I agree. I hope Congress will remove this amendment from the U.S. Tax Code. I also hope they will strip from the tax code the clergy housing allowance and any/all preferences churches and religious institutions currently receive. It is time for poor, helpless churches and their pastors to be cast out into the world to live by the same rules and laws that govern other businesses. Yes, other businesses, because churches are, above all else, profit-driven businesses. The charitable, public service parts of what churches do is minuscule. Churches exist, for the most part, to serve their customers — members and prospective members. If churches wish to remain tax-exempt, then the bulk of their income should be spent on charitable works. As it stands now, churches spend most of their money on buildings, salaries, benefits, and programs that only serve congregants.
If, as Donald Trump and many Evangelicals/Catholics want, the Johnson Amendment is overturned, churches and religious institutions should then be required to file business income tax returns and govern themselves according to current business law. This means churches and religious groups should also be required to pay sales tax, real estate tax, and every other tax businesses pay. Imagine the trillions of dollars that will make its way into local, state, and federal government coffers.
Churches and pastors should be careful about what they wish for. If churches are required to play by the same rules as businesses, I suspect that there would be a lot of church bankruptcies and mergers. Good news, to be sure, for those of us who are tired of churches receiving unconstitutional favoritism and financial support via tax exemptions, tuition payments, reduced postage charges, and other tax benefits that are only available to churches and religious institutions. But, bad news for those few churches and pastors who really do care about the social welfare of others.
Notes
Churches have always been permitted to support ballot initiatives and issues.
Pastors, outside of their official capacity, are free to endorse candidates. Unfortunately, this line has become blurred, and an increasing number of pastors and parachurch leaders now think they can endorse candidates without restriction. Realizing that they are breaking the law, these so-called men of God often add to their pronouncements, I say this as an individual, not in my official capacity as a pastor. And then they smile and wink.
Churches, by the way, do not have to file for 501(c)(3) tax status. They are, by default, considered tax exempt. Churches do not have to file any documents in order to be exempt.
When major disasters and tragedies occur, it is not uncommon for Franklin Graham’s Billy Graham Rapid Response Teams to be dispatched to the scene. While these teams certainly do a great job helping with the temporal needs of those who are suffering, make no mistake about it, their goal is to preach the Evangelical gospel, evangelize, and save lost sinners.
I view Franklin Graham’s Billy Graham Rapid Response Teams in the same light as I do Adolph Hitler and his love for dogs. Yes, Hitler loved dogs. Yea, Hitler! But, he also was a murderous psychopath who systematically killed six million Jews, gypsies, and others deemed inferior. So then, Hitler’s love of dogs doesn’t negate his genocidal behavior.
Yes, Franklin Graham’s Billy Graham Rapid Response Teams do — in very small ways — provide help to people who are affected by disasters and tragedies. But, these teams are operated by Franklin Graham, a man noted for his racist, homophobic bigotry. Their primary goal is evangelization, not meeting the needs of those who are hurting and suffering.
From the ashes of 9/11, the Rapid Response Team ministry was developed to share Christ in the midst of crisis and disasters. BGEA currently has chaplains in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. These volunteer chaplains are carefully selected and trained to demonstrate the compassion of Jesus Christ and appropriately share God’s hope through the One who “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).
The suffering and heartache of others is just a means to an end — the salvation of sinners.
Yesterday, I received a fundraising letter from The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Here’s an excerpt from the letter:
Dear Friend,
Our country is hurting. We’re in trouble racially, economically, politically, and spiritually—and day after day the news across our nation reminds us of that.
Dallas, Texas, recently endured the deadliest day for law enforcement officers in America since 9/11—a sniper ambushed and shot 12 police officers. Five of them died. The killings came soon after two widely publicized shootings by police in Louisiana and Minnesota. Protests—sometimes violent—erupted across the country.
These are just examples of how broken our nation and society have become. Government cannot fix this. Elections will not solve this. Our only hope is God, who changes hearts and nations. Pray for America.
A group of crisis-trained chaplains from our Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (RRT), selected for this deployment because of their law enforcement backgrounds, headed to Dallas the morning after the attack to offer support, comfort, and emotional and spiritual care to people affected by the tragedy.
Only weeks before that, a chaplain team went to Orlando when the city suffered the most devastating terrorist-attack on American soil since 9/11. A Muslim gunman began shooting inside a gay nightclub during the early hours of a Sunday morning, massacring 49 people and injuring 53 more. He himself called 911 during the killings to proclaim his allegiance to ISIS.
Experienced Billy Graham chaplains (right) arrived there within hours and immediately started one-on-one ministry to family members, first responders, and others in the stunned community—listening, comforting, and sharing the love of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3, NKJV), and over a period of two weeks, 40 of our chaplains participated in caring for hurting hearts in Orlando, encouraging and praying individually with more than 1,600 people affected by this huge tragedy.
A young man who personally knew some of the victims came with his family to a memorial site. His distress over the shooting had caused him to think more carefully about God, and he engaged two of our chaplains with questions about sin and forgiveness and about faith. The chaplains used Scripture to help answer the questions, explaining what God’s Son did for him on the cross and how he could be confident of forgiveness and eternal salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. The young man then asked eagerly if he, his family, and the chaplains could gather next to the memorial and pray together. In his own words, he repented of sin, thanked God for loving him personally, and committed to live his life in faith with Jesus as his Savior.
During the deployment, the governor of Florida and the FBI agent in charge of the investigation each stopped to thank our Billy Graham chaplains for being there. Another FBI agent, a believer, came by our mobile ministry center and asked if he could pray for the chaplain team.
One day members of the team noticed a man at a memorial site who was taking deep breaths as if to calm himself. They quietly prayed for him before walking over to ask, “How are you holding up?” He immediately began to weep, saying how thankful he was that someone cared enough to ask. He was a professional photographer on assignment from a prominent media outlet, and the images of tragedy he was capturing had started to overwhelm him. Chaplains spent time with him, listening and encouraging. One of them asked if he would like to know how to find
peace in his heart. He replied that he was a secular humanist and not interested in matters of faith.
Nevertheless, for the next 20 minutes he poured out questions about the Bible, church, God, and especially why the chaplains would so willingly invest themselves in other people’s troubles. The chaplains had the opportunity to share the Gospel clearly. The young man readily accepted prayer for himself and his family but was not ready to make a decision. Pray for him and the many others in Orlando who received comfort and heard the Good News, and ask God to nurture the seeds that were planted.
I wonder if the “sinners” mentioned in this letter knew that they were going to be used for fundraising purposes?
Franklin Graham’s Billy Graham Rapid Response Teams are human vultures who swoop down whenever there are major disasters or tragedies. While they might hand out bottled water, coffee, and food, their primary objective is to pick clean the carcasses of hurting people. Instead of offering hope, compassion, and kindness, they offer the bastardized Evangelical version of these things, one that has as its ultimate goal the salvation of sinners. This is, by the way, the modus operandi of most Evangelical “ministries.” Disasters and tragedies are just the means to an end — the evangelization of non-Christians.
I write to express my outrage over recent revelations detailing how DNC officials attempted to derail Bernie Sanders’ 2016 Presidential campaign. It is evident, based on released internal emails, that Deborah Wasserman Schultz and operatives within the DNC were working behind the scenes to marginalize Bernie Sanders, paving the way for Hillary Clinton to become the Democratic candidate for President. Earlier this year Bernie Sanders complained about attempts by Wasserman Schultz and the DNC to keep him from becoming the nominee. The DNC dismissed Sanders’ claims, categorically stating that both candidates were being treated fairly and equally. Thanks to Wikileaks, we now know better.
I am a diehard Bernie Sanders supporter. As a liberal, democratic socialist, I found Sanders’ policy positions to be the closest to my own. Sanders is the voice of progressivism; Hillary Clinton is the voice of centrist Democratic politics. Sanders is a man of principle; Hillary Clinton is a political opportunist. Bernie Sanders didn’t take a dime from Wall Street; Hillary Clinton made millions off of private Wall Street-sponsored speeches. Bernie Sanders opposes war in the Middle East; Hillary Clinton will continue the blood-spilling policies of the Barack Obama. It is for these reasons (and others) that I support Bernie Sanders.
I am also an atheist. Offensive revelations that Wasserman Schultz and the DNC considered tarring Bernie Sanders with the atheist label suggests to me that the DNC doesn’t realize that most atheists are political liberals who most often vote Democrat. It is also clear that the DNC doesn’t understand that scores of millennials are non-religious. These millennials generally skew to the left — good news for Democrats. Good news, that is, if the DNC stops treating non-religious people as if they have some sort of communicable disease.
I am pleased that Wasserman Schultz has been removed as the head of the DNC. But that action is not enough. Every DNC operative who thought labeling Bernie Sanders an atheist was a good idea should immediately be fired. A failure to take such action shows that Democratic leaders don’t value fairness. The DNC should also publicly apologize to the atheist community for their shameful use of the word “atheist” as some sort of pejorative term. A full-page apology in the New York Times and personal letters to the major atheists groups will suffice.
I plan to vote for Hillary Clinton come November. I will do so for one reason and one reason alone — Donald Trump. I cannot in good conscience do anything that will increase the likelihood of a Trump presidency. These are perilous times, and I must do what is best for my country. Quite frankly, if a centrist Republican was running for President I would likely cast my vote for Jill Stein. In doing so, I would be telling the Democratic Party that until they value me as a voter, they have lost my vote. I want to do this now, but I can’t. I know that if Donald Trump is elected he will fundamentally and permanently harm our Republic. It’s Hillary Clinton’s lucky day. She will get my vote, not because I think she best represents my views, but because Donald Trump is a real threat to national security and social progress. If Clinton wins the election, the DNC might want to consider how to keep my vote come 2020. If liberal, democratic-socialist atheists aren’t welcome in the Democratic Party, then perhaps it is time to start seriously considering third-parties that value people such as myself.
Sincerely,
Bruce Gerencser
A Former Right-Wing Evangelical Republican Turned Liberal, Democratic-Socialist Atheist
This is the ninety-second installment in The Sounds of Fundamentalism series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a video clip that shows the crazy, cantankerous, or contradictory side of Evangelical Christianity, please send me an email with the name or link to the video. Please do not leave suggestions in the comment section. Let’s have some fun!
Today’s Sound of Fundamentalism is a clip taken from a discussion between convicted felon and con artist Jim Bakker and Ramiro Peña, pastor of Christ the King Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. Please put on your tinfoil hat before watching this video. You have been warned!
Bakker and Peña shamelessly campaign for Donald Trump while warning that a non-Trump president — the unnamed Hillary Clinton — will likely make Christianity illegal and pack the Federal courts with justices who will do the non-Trump president’s evil bidding. Like I said, make sure you wear your tinfoil hat.
This is the ninety-first installment in The Sounds of Fundamentalism series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a video clip that shows the crazy, cantankerous, or contradictory side of Evangelical Christianity, please send me an email with the name or link to the video. Please do not leave suggestions in the comment section. Let’s have some fun!
Today’s Sound of Fundamentalism is a clip taken from a sermon preached by “Coach” Dave Daubenmire. Daubenmire thinks the that white, heterosexual, Christian American men are the only people who can “save” Western Civilization.
This is the ninetieth installment in The Sounds of Fundamentalism series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a video clip that shows the crazy, cantankerous, or contradictory side of Evangelical Christianity, please send me an email with the name or link to the video. Please do not leave suggestions in the comment section. Let’s have some fun!
Today’s Sound of Fundamentalism is a clip taken from a sermon preached by “Coach” Dave Daubenmire. Daubenmire thinks Evangelical churches have been “sissified.” According to Daubenmire, REAL men watch Fox News, Sean Hannity, and Bill O’Reilly. Daubenmire subtly blames women for the sissification of churches. As with most “problems” in Evangelical churches, the blame rests on women, their vaginas, and the mistaken notion that women should be treated as equals to those who have a penises between their legs.
if Dave Daubenmire is the definition of a real man, count me out. I know some sissified women who would/could kick Coach’s ass in a heartbeat. I am beginning to wonder if these “real” men have any idea about what such a label really means.
Millions of Evangelicals plan to vote for Donald Trump come Election Day. Supposedly, Evangelicals are people of principle, people who resolutely believe and practice the teachings of the Bible. Yet, these very same people plan to vote for a man who is the antithesis of everything they believe. I realize that many Evangelicals wanted a President Cruz or President Carson, yet in primary after primary Evangelical voters carried Donald Trump to victory. It seems that Evangelicals value political power more than they do Biblical principles. Evangelicals have even gone so far as to convince themselves that Trump is a Christian.
What happened to the people who, at one time, said they would only vote for a man who had a Christian worldview? Surely they know that Donald Trump is a misogynistic, narcissistic, adulterous liar, a man who, as John McCain before him, is using Evangelicals for political gain. Readers might remember, in an attempt to pander to the religious-right, McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. I say chose, but what I really mean is that Evangelical power brokers forced McCain to add the former Alaska governor to the ticket. By choosing Fundamentalist Mike Pence as his running mate, Trump, in McCain-like fashion, is betting his political future on Evangelicals voting for him on November 8, 2016.
Millions of Evangelicals plan to vote for Trump regardless of what The Donald says or does. These Clinton haters and closet racists have been stewing for eight years now, forced to endure the indignity of living in country led by the Kenyan-born, Islamic sympathizer Barack Obama. These gun-toting, Jesus-loving voters would vote for Donald Duck if it meant ripping the helm of the U.S. government out of the hands of Democrats.
Millions of other Evangelicals have convinced themselves that Trump, once elected, will be sympathetic to the issues that matter to them. These people seem to be oblivious of the fact that past conduct is a good rule by which to judge how a candidate will act in the future. Trump is a thrice divorced skirt-chasing sociopath who rarely attends church. I have yet to hear one statement from the mouth of Donald Trump that remotely suggests that he has any idea about what means to be a follower of Jesus. I highly doubt he reads/studies the Bible or prays. Trump’s statement about having no need to ask God (or anyone else) for forgiveness should tell Evangelicals all they need to know about Trump’s moral and ethical compass. Despite all of this, millions of Evangelicals still plan to vote for Trump.
If Evangelicals want to be true to their so-call Biblical principles, it seems to me that they either should abstain from voting, vote for a third-party candidate, or write-in a God approved candidate. Instead, millions of Evangelicals who zealously hate President Obama and presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton plan to vote for a man who is the least qualified major party candidate in modern American history.
A month or so ago, scores of Evangelical leaders met with Donald Trump. When I read the pro-Trump comments made by men such as Tony Perkins and James Dobson, it finally dawned on me that many Evangelicals have sold their souls to the Devil. Once Hillary Clinton trounces Trump in November, the proverbial writing will be on the wall for the Republican Party. If Clinton wins the election, this means that Evangelicals have been unable to deliver the goods for three presidential election cycles — four if you consider the election George w. Bush stole from Al Gore.
After three straight losses, I wonder if Republican party leaders will finally wake up and realize that Evangelicals can’t deliver on their promises. As long as the Republican Party is being held hostage by the NRA, Evangelicals, and the Tea Party (Many Evangelicals are also members of the NRA and the Tea Party.) they will continue to lose general elections. Of course, from a Democratic perspective, this is wonderful news. But the Democrats have problems of their own, issues that were pushed to the forefront by Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders. Democrats are just as doomed as Republicans if they fail to truly understand the social and economic angst that is fueling the unrest that has turned into protests and violence.
In many ways, we are reliving the 1960s with its protests and violence. If we as a people do not quickly learn from the past, we most certainly will repeat it. What has happened in recent weeks is but a preview of the bloodshed and outrage to come. Blacks have had enough. Police have had enough. Millennials are restless. Political leaders have their heads up the asses of corporate donors. There is increasing economic despair, a widening gap between the one percenters and everyone else. The United States is involved in numerous wars in the Middle East and is fighting secret wars in Africa. Drones continue to rain death upon terrorists and innocent civilians. The CIA, NSA, and the FBI continue to spy on American citizens, using tools sanctioned by President Obama and Congress. Increased word battles with Russia and China warn of a resurgence of the Cold War.
Throw all these things in a pot, season them with global warming, and there is no doubt that we have entered a dangerous time, one that could easily be turned into uncontrollable wildfire. Does anyone honestly believe that Donald Trump can handle these things, that he can lead us through the current political and social minefield? I am no fan of Hillary Clinton. I voted for Bernie Sanders in the Ohio primary, but now that Clinton will likely be the nominee, I must put the needs of my country first. A Trump presidency would be disastrous, turning the United States into butt end of a joke. Hillary Clinton may not be my first choice for President, but I know she is a seasoned politician who knows what matters. Republican leaders, cheered on by Evangelicals, have done their best to destroy Hillary Clinton, yet, here she is, still standing. Regardless of the facts concerning Benghazi or her misuse of email, Clinton knows how best to lead the United States forward during difficult times. I can’t think of one way a Trump presidency is better for America. Despite promises from Republican operatives that Trump will “change” after the election, he continues to act like a petulant child who has never had anyone tell him NO! Do we really want such a man to control the U.S. military and have access to nuclear launch codes? With all the turmoil in the Middle East, do we really want Trump to have the keys to the car? I know I don’t.
So I ask you this, Evangelicals: without mentioning your hatred for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, please give me one good reason why ANYONE should vote for Donald Trump.
This is the one hundred and twenty-sixth installment in the Songs of Sacrilege series. This is a series that I would like readers to help me with. If you know of a song that is irreverent towards religion, makes fun of religion, pokes fun at sincerely held religious beliefs, or challenges the firmly held religious beliefs of others, please send me an email.
Today’s Song of Sacrilege is Amazing Grace by Chase Holfelder. Holfelder changes the lyrics a bit on the second verse. Some Evangelicals were outraged over his sacrilege
Mark Anthony Escalera writes for the Defending Contending (link no longer active) blog. Recently, Escalera wrote a post about how right he was/is about LGBT people. He concluded his masturbatory self-adulation with this:
Oh yes, one more thing. Just forget about this article. It really is nothing more than the deluded thoughts of man who is nothing more than a bigoted crackpot. In fact, he probably still believes that the Word of God is good for all that pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). As crazy as it sounds, he probably even believes that GOD DOES NOT CHANGE and that JUDGMENT IS COMING!
I am glad that Escalera sees himself as a deluded, bigoted crackpot. Rarely are Christian Fundamentalists as self-aware as Escalera is in the aforementioned quote. Of course, he was being sarcastic, but sarcasm often reveals the true nature of a man’s heart. Kudos to Escalera for seeing himself as he is.
Escalera’s post is titled LGBT is coming for YOUR Children. (link no longer active) In I TOLD YOU SO fashion, Escalera stated:
When I began writing at Defending Contending over 8 years ago, I continued shouting the warnings that these days were coming. I shouted like a madman just as I have for years in the ministry that the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah were coming. I warned about the LGBT movement over and over. I argued with passion that they would NEVER be content to just destroy the Biblical pattern of marriage which was established by God as being between one man and one woman until death.
I was very vocal that the LGBT movement hated God and would strive diligently to destroy true Biblical Christianity. I also told you that they would infiltrate every aspect of government, the military, commerce, and down to the school system. Most have ignored me. Many mocked me. I have received more hate email than I care to have ever read.
In addition, I told you that they had a homosexual agenda. Their agenda has been detailed at great length that can be found with a simple search using any search engine.
Yet Christians closed their eyes. Pastors refused to take a stand. Churches capitulated to the enemy. It started simply enough by making comments like, “Well, what they do behind closed doors is not really anybody’s business.” But the LGBT movement was NEVER going to be content with that. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was not good enough for those who support this very small, but vitriolic and violent segment of the population who wanted complete openness to practice their abominations.
A year ago, Escalera wrote a post about the LGBT community “stealing” the rainbow. Here’s what he had to say:
After the flood, God created a rainbow to be His seal in the heavens. It was a declaration to show the mercy and longsuffering of God. The rainbow was His picture to a depraved world that while He would never again destroy the world with a flood, He would be coming again. The next time He comes, there will be no rainbows. There will only be fire and total destruction of ALL that stand opposed to Him.
The true rainbow is made up of 7 different primary colors of a spectrum. It is a beautiful reminder of the wonder that God long holds up His wrath and judgment against the wickedness of this world. Seven in the Bible indicates perfection and completion.
However, Satan perverted that sign and it is now used around the world as a symbol of “gay pride.” It has only 6 colors. Six in the Bible is the number of man. This “rainbow” is not a true rainbow, but is a symbol of perversion, debauchery, sodomy, lust, pedophilia, and bestiality – just to name a few. The one below is a perversion, and for the record, the White House KNEW what was coming and this was done deliberately. Read Psalm 2 for the conclusion….
In a post titled Mark Anthony Escalera Follows Dorothy Over the Rainbow Over Gay Pride Flag, I easily and quickly dismantled Escalera’s argument. Here we are a year later and Escalera once again has a hard-on over yet another LGBT offense. What is this offense, you ask? Why it is a web video series titled “Queer Kid Stuff.” According to the video creator’s website, the videos are meant to teach three to seven year old children about what it means to be LGBT. The goal, according to the producer’s website, is to “eliminate stigma by properly educating future generations through entertaining video content.”
Here is the first video, titled What Does Gay Mean?
There is also an activity page that goes along with the video. You can check it out here.
I suspect many readers — myself included — likely think that this video is inappropriate for children ages three to seven. I am sure that the producer means well, wanting to put an end to LGBT stereotypes and misinformation, but children of this age don’t need to be sexually educated beyond what they receive at home. If the target audience was ages ten and up, I would likely not object to such children being taught what the word gay means. I highly doubt that any public school district will use these videos to “teach” preschool and first grade students about what it means to be gay.
Escalera, a homophobic conspiracy theorist, is certain that the goal of LGBT people is to abuse, rape, and sodomize children. Escalera must be confused, because most of the sexual violence against children that I read about is being perpetrated by Christians. Day in and day out newspapers publish reports about pastors, priests, deacons, evangelists, missionaries, and evangelists abusing, raping, and sodomizing children.
Escalera can’t be bothered by facts. He KNOWS that LGBT people and their supporters are out to destroy Western civilization. Escalera sees the LGBT community winning court battles which grant them equal rights and protection under the law and it scares the heterosexual right out of him. Same-sex marriage! Transgender bathroom use! Gay Pride! What’s next?, Escalera wonders. Treating LGBT people with love, kindness, and respect? Allowing them to have the same rights as heterosexuals? Perish the thought!
Escalera is right about one thing. There is a battle going on over who will teach and influence children. In a Fox News report about the Queer Kid Stuff videos, Sean Ryan, communications director of the pro-family organization Mass Resistance, based in Waltham, Massachusetts stated:
It is easily conceivable that videos such as these will be sanctioned eventually by local school boards and implemented in preschool and prekindergarten classes. Activists are trying to force these topics on younger and younger children because that is the only way their movement wins. Rational adults don’t buy into the so-called ‘Queer Theory’ or transgenderism. Unfortunately, children are a soft target for homosexual activists as they are malleable and still learning about the world.
Yes, children are indeed a soft target, and that is why Evangelicals, Mormons, and conservative Catholics aggressively indoctrinate them in Fundamentalist beliefs, knowing that the sooner they turn children into ignorant homophobic bigots the better. Evangelicals in particular spend significant time and money on evangelizing children and teaching them the “right” way to view the world. Early on, Evangelical children are reminded by pastors, teachers, and parents that God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. While most Evangelical churches and pastors are not as vitriolic as Independent Fundamentalist Baptist preacher Steven Anderson or Westboro Baptist Church, these bastions of Fundamentalism certainly do all they can to ensure that their children grow up to be good Christian heterosexuals.
Escalera wants to continue minting compliant, obedient Jesus-loving, sin-hating, Bible-believing, LGBT-hating heterosexual Christians. Secularists and humanists, however, think religion — particularly Evangelicalism — is a bankrupt ideology that is impeding progress and civil rights and promoting hatred and intolerance. The future of the human race hangs in the balance. Escalera rightly senses that things are not going his way and this scares him. He simply cannot bear the thought of living in a world where people love and respect one another regardless of their religion, skin color, gender, or sexual identity. I suspect he wants to live in country where Evangelical Sharia law forces LGBT people back into the closet. And for those who fail to return to the darkness and shame of the closet? Arrest and prosecution, perhaps even death. In a November 6, 2015 post titled LGBT — Choice or Genes, (link no longer active) Escalera stated:
The science aspect of this question is rather simple. There is no “gay” gene. There never has been a “gay” gene. There never will be a “gay” gene. Modern scientists will strive in vain to find that which undermines and countermands the Word of God. The reason is because modern culture hates everything about God. It hates the Bible with a passion because it points out the sin nature that is found in every man, woman, and child who has ever lived. Modern culture wants to think that man is getting better and better. Because of this thought process, it demands that all must conform equally to whatever is considered to be the acceptable norm.
….
There was a time when acts such as lesbianism and homosexuality were punishable as crimes, and we do not have to go all the way back to the Old Testament to find that such behavior has long been considered an abomination. However, if the only guide we had to what is acceptable behavior, we can go all the way back to creation to find that God made them male and female. Ultimately, the final authority belongs to God. He created marriage to be between one man and one woman, but sin has destroyed all of that. God created marriage to produce and populate the earth and to care for His creation, but sin has destroyed all of that.
While people such as myself see the LGBT battles of the last few years to be signs of progress, Escalera sees things differently: (link no longer active)
What is next? Polygamy? Many false religions already allow for this and it will not be long before they will demand equal protection for their lifestyle. The polygamists of Utah and Colorado used to be a very quiet group who worked diligently to stay under the radar of the authorities. Now, television and movies have promoted this lifestyle as being acceptable. Judges are already throwing out cases that involve polygamy and it will not be long before polygamy will no longer be a crime, but will be openly acceptable behavior from any who choose to have more than one husband or one wife.
What else is coming? Bestiality? Lowering the age of consent to accommodate the agenda of the LGBT community? Yep, all of the above and even worse will be coming because our societies in the west are on a cliff-face headed straight for hell. If you doubt that the LGBT community has an agenda, then you are living like an ostrich with your head in the sand.
The Roman Empire was destroyed from within by its debauchery. Rome became a place where biblical Christianity was mocked while allowing polygamy, slavery, and the selling of boys and girls for whatever perversions were needed to satisfy a person’s lust was on offer. Our society will also soon be there because it hates God, but God will not be mocked. Neither will His judgment be withheld forever.
Millions of Americans thinks just like Escalera. Little can be done for them. Their minds have been ruined by too much drinking of one hundred proof Fundamentalism. The best we can do is pass laws that promote tolerance, respect, and equal protection under the law, knowing that younger Americans are far more progressive and tolerant than their parents and grandparents. Outside of doing these things, we must patiently wait for enlightenment to choke the life of the Mark Anthony Escaleras of the world. Things seem bleak at times, but I do believe better days are just beyond the horizon. Evangelicals are the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. We all remember the scene when she met her ignoble end….I’m melting, I’m melting. Evangelicalism is melting, and will one day be no more. I doubt that I will live long enough to see it, but I do hope my grandchildren will witness the whimpering death of the beliefs that once caused great harm to millions of people.
