Have A Happy Transcendental Holiday, Everyone!

Why is the Christian Right so bent out of shape about Christmas? Of all the stories of the Bible, none has engendered as much worldwide peace and love as Christmas: many wars have been suspended for that one day. People are noticeably friendlier, happier, more compassionate. For at least one day out of the year, much of mankind becomes more human in being ... humanitarian. So why are Christian Right-wingers up in arms about it?

They don't own it anymore. It's one of the few good pieces of PR that they had left and they can't lay claim to it. Christmas transcended them when it morphed into "Happy Holidays" because the true Spirit of Christmas lay in sharing and including everyone, inviting people of all faiths, some with holy-days falling at about the same time, to celebrate mankind and his potential for good. Christmas has also become a time when Original Sin is all but forgotten: guilt does not play the role that it stars in at Easter time. And to many right-wing Christians, Original Sin is the bedrock of Christianity. Original Sin helps them to feel wonderful about themselves when they forgive someone. Yes, take away Original Sin and the label Christmas and they don't have anything left of the holiday to which they felt entitlement. Christmas, or rather the Holiday Spirit, isn't theirs anymore. Not exclusively theirs.

 ***

Does anyone out there remember the Transcendental Meditation craze of the mid 70s? I practiced it for a while in order to deal with stress. I should take it up again. I remember it now not only because of the meaning of the word "transcend" but because I vividly remember the times I actually did transcend from my world to another plane. And whenever I transcended to that plane, it was a jolt, a breakthrough as it were. And after the breakthrough there was a feeling of freedom.

The Holiday Spirit is like that, isn't it? It frees us of the burden of hatred, for even though hatred is easier to achieve than love, it comes with emotional baggage we need to lug around forever. So once we've achieved the Holiday Spirit, we go beyond it and don't think of it in terms of  gifts, Santas, old-time carols or even a babe in a manger. We think of it as freedom and the peace freedom brings with it. 

The Christian Right, however, is still lugging its baggage of intolerance and won't let itself appreciate the wonderful feeling of transcendence. Oh, they think they feel it and crow with a superior sense of entitlement that they above everyone else should know what Christmas feels like. But with their self-righteousness they have built a wall that hinders them from feeling truly free.  And they can't join their brethren who enjoy unconstrained, unqualified love and acceptance.

I guess I should feel sorry for those who are truly "Left Behind" (ala Tim LaHaye), but ... I can't. You see, I'm hindered by memories of "Age of AIDS" Christmases here in San Francisco, when thousands of volunteers - strangers, really - strove to bring as much comfort as they could to people who had been evicted from their homes while they were sick and dying under the guise of "righteousness." It saddens me that I can neither forgive nor forget. Perhaps someday...

"We want Christmas back, it's OURS!"

Sorry, but the Spirit of Christmas, the Holiday Spirit they lay claim to is no longer theirs: it's gone beyond them and is traveling through the hearts and minds of ... everyone else.

Have a Happy Transcendental Holiday, Everyone!

Feeling The Wrath of The FRC: Republicans Rue The Day

The Republican Party is finally feeling the wrath of the monster they unleashed over ten years ago: The head of the powerful American Society of Saints not Electing Sinners (A.S.S.E.S) also known as the Family Research Council, has declared righteous war on members of the Republican party, threatening to strip away the cloaks of righteousness of the ones who voted for the repeal of DADT. There will be a lot of hand-wringing and mea-culpas in the GOP for weeks to come as well as a lot of "distancing" from those senators and representatives who so brazenly defied Perkins and the Creator in all matters spiritual and secular.

The list of evil-doers includes:

The Republicans voting "yes" were: Sens. Scott Brown (R-Mass), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio). Collins had co-sponsored the repeal bill.

 So here is the reaction of Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler Tony Perkins:

"Today is a tragic day for our armed forces. ... now been hijacked and turned into a tool for imposing on the country a radical social agenda. This may advance the cause of reshaping social attitudes regarding human sexuality, but it will only do harm to the military's ability to fulfill its mission...It is clear why this was done: not to enhance the military's ability to accomplish its mission or to enhance national security. Rather, it is a political payoff to a tiny, but loud and wealthy, part of the Democratic base.

I like the loud and wealthy part. Loud, maybe, but wealthy? Who does he think the gay community is, the Mormon Church?

Vicious is as vicious does.

While sage researchers say that the voting power of the Christian Right has dwindled in the last ten years, the fact is that its power and intensity has grown in other ways. Think in terms of California's Proposition 8: the amount of money and the viciousness of the ads, the disingenuous non-apologies of Rick Warren, the busing of thousands of Prop 8 volunteers from outside California. The intensity of it all. Like the video game from the Left Behind Series, the machinations of the Christian Right left nothing to the imagination: destroy, destroy, destroy the Evil gays and their horrible "agenda."*

This is now a great time to monitor the machinations of America's top Christian Right Organizations and just how much they will turn on members of the Republican Party: in the Family Research Council, Focus On the Family, American Family Association, the Catholic League, and the Southern Baptist Convention, we may see the destruction of political careers with a stridency that has never been seen before. Let's look at the key victims:

Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)

Olympia Snowe is no stranger to tragedy: orphaned at an early age, she endured the deaths of her husband (auto accident) and stepson (age 20, congential heart failure). She over came those obstacles to become both the wife of the Governor of Maine while acting as a Representative for Maine in Congress. Her tenure in the Senate has caused her to be labled a moderate. She is, however, a very vocal and active moderate having brokered alliances with both parties and been a leading tie-breaker in crucial legislation.

Olympia Snowe is a strong woman. The Christian Right distrusts strong women.

Susan Collins (R-Maine)

Susan Collins is considered to be one of the most liberal "moderates of the Republican Party and has worked closely with Olympia Snowe on many peace-making missions between the Republican and the Democrats. She has been endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign, so naturally the Christian Right hates her guts.

Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts)

Newly-elected Senator Scott Brown may be the only man in Congress ever to have posed nude for a centerfold in Cosmopolitan's centerfold as Sexiest Man of the Year (he was 20 years-old). The Christian Right will certainly not get beyond that peccadillo. His Republican career as senator has yet to be established, but he describes himself as a social moderate and a fiscal conservative. From now on, his every move and vote will probably be pilloried by the CR.

Mark Kirk (R-Illinois)

Mark Kirk can, on the surface, be looked upon as an ideal Republican: he seems to have completely confused his past military and professional careers: “I simply misremembered it wrong” became his political mantra. According to vote-smart.org, however, his "interest group ratings" are enough to have him drawn and quartered by the Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler himself, Tony Perkins: Kirk's votes have backed Planned Parenthood 100%.

Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)

Senator Lisa Murkowski had one of the most turbulent political careers in history. And not being endorsed by Sarah Palin was a high point with Alaskan voters. One of the few politicians in history to ever be re-elected as a write-in candidate, you'd think that the Christian Right would cling to her like glue. They haven't and they won't: she was oone of the few Republicans to vote for the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. It will just be a matter of time before Cindy Jacobs prays for Lisa Murkowski's untimely political demise.

George Voinovich (R-Ohio)

Voinovich's senatorial career has been marked by two anti-Christian Right events: he vehemently opposed the apppointment of John Bolton as ambassador to the U.N. and he, like Lisa Murkowski, voted for the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Enough said.

So there you have the Christian Right's Republican Senatorial hit list. 

Let the vicious demonizing begin.

*It's notable that, according to wikipedia.com, the term "gay agenda" was " first used in public discourse in 1992 when the Family Research Council released a video series called  The Gay Agenda as part of a pack of materials campaigning on homosexual issues and the 'hidden gay agenda'. So, in a sense, Tony Perkins is the actual source of "the gay agenda." Hmmmm. 

Our Knights In Rusty Armor: K of C Hit With Sex Abuse Scandal

“The supreme purpose of the Columbian Squires is character building.”

Holy hypocrisy! One of the most powerful lay organizations in the world has finally succumbed to a sex-abuse scandal: The Roman Catholic Church's own Knights of Columbus. Yes, that's right, the KofC, that bastion of money, male bonding and morals has gotten slapped with not one but two sexual abuse lawsuits. And due to the size of the organization, it's likely that more will follow.

NEW HAVEN, CT, December 14, 2010 — The Miami law firm of Herman, Mermelstein & Horowitz announces the filing of two new child sexual abuse lawsuits against the Knights of Columbus, one of the world’s largest organizations for Catholic men... The suits allege that the two boys were sexually abused on multiple occasions by Julian Rivera, the leader of the Columbian Squires [youth group] in Brownsville, Texas. One victim claims that Rivera sexually abused him at gunpoint, and also threatened to kill his family if he did not comply with Rivera’s demands.

In addition, one of the victims said he was "shared" by another Columbian Squires leader. This last exposes a whole new aspect to the situation: these are not isolated incidents. These suits go beyond the sexual abuse seemingly endemic in the Catholic Church's preisthood. And like the Vatican, the K of C has covered up the abuse:

According to the Complaints, Rivera was a leader in the Columbian Squires youth program until very recently, despite a 1986 report to two different Knights of Columbus officials that Rivera sexually abused a member of his Squires group.

A Matter of Size

Considering the span of years that the Church has had to account for sexual abuse, it is surprising that the Knights of Columbus has not been indicted earlier. Then again, considering its size and influence, it becomes clear that the organization's cover-ups must have been well orchestrated: there are over 5000 Columbian Squire Circles [chapters] throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Philippines and even Cuba.

And the membership of the Knights of Columbus is matched by the size of its fund-raising pocketbook: while giving over $1.37 billion over the last 10 years, it also has assets of over $14 billion and $70 billion in life insurance policies. No wonder it could afford to spend $1.4 million on Prop 8. 

Its innate homophobia is a force to be reckoned with. Indeed, the K of C has flaunted its homophobia by spending more money to fight same-sex marriage than on its usual charitable donations, including donations to food drives. In other words, "The poor we will always have," but the chance to fight equal rights for gays, well, we may not always have.

Given the amount of money and assets involved, it will be interesting to see how Pope Benedict reacts to this latest scandal ...and if he had any knowledge of cover-ups. His defence of the Knights of Columbus will be convoluted at best: will he try to save this piggy bank from being shattered by public opinion? And if he defends it too much, will he add to the rancor towards the Vatican concerning its history of cover-ups?

Another portal to hypocrisy has been discovered while another bastion of rectitude has fallen. 

Bishop Eddie Long Throws His First Rock: A Wayward Custard Cream Pie That Lands Back In His Own Face!

"I've got five rocks and I haven't thrown one yet." - Bishop Eddie Long

"With little fanfare or news coverage, the four sexual coercion lawsuits confronting Bishop Eddie Long had the first hearing recently, with both sides opting for mediation to avoid a trial." - Huffington Post

HYPE AND HYPOCRISY

One primary fault of America's Christian community: it never properly vets its leaders. Anyone can add a title or a degree to their name and get away with it. And in the case of "Bishop" Eddie Long, taking advantage of this fault has received a royal treatment.

I've always been wary of "honorary" degrees; you can buy one with a hefty donation to a college. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and leading homophobe has 19 of them (prominently displayed under glass in one of Focus' vast hallways, of course). Sometimes I wonder just how many boxes of Cracker Jack one has to eat to get one.* But today's Christian community has to look even deeper into the credentials of someone they automatically ascribe respect to: those "Master of Divinity" and "Ph.D." sobriquets might have come from an oddball bible-thumper school or an unaccredited seminary.

The Eddie Long scandal made me look past his titles of "Bishop" and "Ph.D": I found out just how warranted those titles are.

Not much. Long's title of "Bishop" comes from a break-away Baptist organization founded by - of course - self-appointed "bishops": the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship. He separated from this "heretical" group back in 1998, but has conveniently kept the title. His "Ph.D." is from the unaccredited International College of Excellence.  So the protracted name of Bishop Eddie Long, Ph.D. is pretty shallow. All shallowness aside, however, it may be the only thing standing between him and total disaster, because the news of the day is that "Bishop" Eddie Long has agreed to enter into mediation:

Bishop Eddie Long agreeing to mediation of sexual coercion charges is an end-run around the universally accepted moral and ethical responsibilities of any ecumenical leader. Mediation of sexual allegation grievances is tantamount to an admission of "some" guilt, "some" form of ministerial misconduct. Innocent folk don't make deals if the claims against them are baseless and untrue. Mediation for the accused is a forfeiture of the right to ever claim innocence, and readers should be absolutely clear on this point.

"I've got five rocks." As David, however, Long's first "rock" is more like a custard cream pie that boomeranged back into his face: so what is he going to tell his congregation? For now he's staying mum. But a brave, stalwart sermon is due.  Is he going to cry and beg forgiveness ala Jimmy Swaggart? No. Let his mascara drip like Tammy Faye? No. Shed his jewelry, houses and cars and wear sackcloth and ashes? No. Tell everyone he just had the four young men around to carry his luggage?  Aaah...no.  Whatever the plan, whatever the speech, it will have to be unsurpassed entertainment, for that is what his flock and the rest of the country will demand. 

And he will give a speech. He can't slither silently away from anyone much less tens of thousands of people who entrusted him with their money and their souls. 

And speaking of his flock of sheep(le), how will they react on that momentous occasion? Cry? Moan? Scream? Deafen us with silence?  I would hope for the silence, but a flock like Eddie Long's, a flock that cheers an insipid "David and Goliath" speech, will doubtless shed tears for a tragic leader who needs to be forgiven. They will become part of that spectacle.

Therein lies the real tragedy of this massive hypocrisy.

Stay tuned.

*Unfortunately, I've never really been fond of Cracker Jack, so I guess I'll just have to save up one or two million for endowing some terribly obscure college.

The Season's First Storm of Righteous Indignation: The SPLC Tells The AFA, FRC, KKK and FWBP to SFTU

The proverbial sh*t has hit the fan: The Family Research Institute, along with various other religious and "family values" association,  has been named by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a "hate group." That's right, the FRC has been given the same designation as the KKK! But given the reaction of the FRC et al, it's unclear as to what fan was hit or with what kind of ...fecal matter:

Tony Perkins:

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a massively funded liberal organization that operates under a veneer of public justice when, in fact, they seem more interested in fundraising ploys than fighting wrongdoing...It's a sad day in America when we can not, with integrity, have a legitimate discussion over policy issues that are being considered by Congress, legislatures, and the courts without resorting to juvenile tactics of name calling.

Tony Perkins sometimes stumbles over his own platitudes: "integrity" is something the FRC has marginalized for years. There is no integrity in making "homosexual activists", "compassion", "liberal", or "social justice" into pejorative terms.

Another angle pushed by these groups is that the SPLC is very anti-Christian, but to the SPLC, it's more of a case of using power to disseminate false and demonizing information and certainly more name-calling on the part of the hate group:

These groups’ influence reaches far beyond what their size would suggest, because the “facts” they disseminate about homosexuality are often amplified by certain politicians, other groups and even news organizations. ...claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities — and repeated, groundless name-calling. Viewing homosexuality as unbiblical does not qualify organizations for listing as hate groups.

The ever-entertaining Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association (listed last year as a hate group by the SPLC) chimed in with Perkins:

"In a strange way, it is a badge of honor for these groups to be tagged now by the SPLC as hate groups. It’s a sign of desperation on the part of the SPLC, and a sign that they are so threatened by the truths that these groups speak that they are now flailing about trying to silence them rather than to debate them."

Fischer has it right about trying to silence the groups: their hate speech is lethal. But he was wrong in the assertion that the SPLC has given up trying to debate them. Mark Potok of SPLC debated Tony Perkins on Chris Matthews' Hard Ball last Tuesday. Perkins made a spurious accusation against gays stating that research has shown that homosexuality poses a danger to children and referencing the American College of Pediatricians. The aftermath of this debate, however, revealed several serious problems:

Problem #1: the American College of Pediatricians is a group of 200 Christian Right pediatricians who have earned the scorn of the established American Academy of Pediatrics. Problem #2: the ACP's chief "researcher" was George "Rent Boy" Rekers. Problem #3: Chris Matthews "straighten(ed) these things out" the other day by pointing out the difference between the ACP and the AAP. Kudos to Matthews.

OK, so the SPLC wants the FRC and the AFA to STFU. So what about the rest of those gay-hating acronyms? Let's see, there's the CWA Concerned Women of America; the ATM (Abiding Truth Ministries); the IFI (Illinois Family Institute); HOME (Heterosexuals Organized for a Moral Environment); the TVC (Traditional Values Coalition); the FRI (Family Research Institute); the AFTAH (Americans for Truth About Homosexuality); the CADC (Christian Anti-Defamation Commission); CRM (Coral Ridge Ministries); the DWOC (Dove World Outreach Center); and the FWBC (Faithful Word Baptist Church) which should also go by the acronym of DBH -

Dumb But Honest.

If you remember anything at all about Steven Anderson, the pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, AZ, it's that he hates President Obama with a passion and has prayed that Obama would die. Another memorable point is that he's outspoken in his hatreds, so it should come as no surprise that his little storefront church was labeled a hate group by the SPLC: "I do hate homosexuals and if hating homosexuals makes our church a hate group then that's what we are." 

He forthrightly wishes that homosexuals would die, since  the King James Version of the Bible  is "without error." His ministry opposes "worldliness, modernism, liberalism and formalism." After viewing the video below, however, you will be convinced that he also opposes having an I.Q.  

Anderson is such an embarrassing anomoly that even Tony Perkins wishes he would STFU.

Other anti-gay hate groups featured by the SPLC:

Abiding Truth Ministries (ATM) While its acronym is ATM, this group has always been short of money, perhaps because the entire ministry is based upon the sales of one book, The Pink Swastika and the lectures of one man, author Scott Lively. Both the book and its author have been discredited for the last fifteen years, but that does not stop Lively from having an (albeit minimal)  income, especially when exporting his hatred of gays: he is allegedly one of the chief architects of Uganda's "kill the gays" bill.

Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) This group was formed in 1996 by Peter LaBarbera in 1996. LaBarbera has a penchant for going to gay events (undercover), taking the most salacious pictures and purchasing sex toys. He has earned the nickname "Porno Pete."  The SPLC, however, recognizes AFTAH as a dangerous and influential organization because of the publicity he generates as well as his view that gays are horrible sexual predators.

Christian Anti-Defamation Commission (CADC) Retired Army Gen. William Hollis, founded this organization, which might explain itsa dogged and militaristic attitude concerning anyone who even considers speaking out against Christians. His is the “first line of response to anti-Christian defamation, bigotry and discrimination.” Although it waned for years, its new leader, Rev. Gary Cass, has brought it to the fore by claiming that Christian-bashing, “the last acceptable form of bigotry in America."

Concerned Women for America  (CWA). Before Rapture author Tim LaHaye left his wife behind to write his successful series of novels, Beverly LaHaye was reacting to feminism  by forming Concerned Women for America. She wanted to match the power of the National Organization for Women. Instead, it has developed as a chief bulwark against any form of liberalism, including equal rights for gays. Spokeperson Candi Cushman recently appeared on Anderson Cooper 360 to convince viewers that while CWA and other right-wing groups abhor the rising number of gay teen suicides in the country, they do not want any homosexuals in schools teaching tolerance or anti-gay bullying defensives.

Coral Ridge Ministries (CRM). This group was founded by the late fundamentalist Rev. D. James Kennedy in the late 60s. The mega-church now boasts. over 15,000 members and an annual income of $18 million. Much of the money from donations ($6 million) goes into television and radio "outreach efforts" against various groups.

Dove World Outreach Center(DWOC) The Center was founded in 1986 by Don Northrup, but did not exactly reach out to the world until this year, when  its new leader, Pastor Terry Jones decided to hold an "International Burn a Koran Day" focusing on the Ground Zero Mosque. Although Jones' background resembled that of a two-bit Elmer Gantry (in Germany, of all places), people took the threat very seriously. It should also be mentioned that his mentor (of sorts) was Westboro Baptist Church's Fred Phelps of God-hates-fags fame.

Family Research Institute (FRI). Founded in 1987 by discredited psychologist Paul Cameron, the FRI claims to have "cutting edge research" even though Cameron has been  ousted from three professional organizations. One of Cameron's chief outlets has been Family Research Council while one of his main "studies" proposes that homosexuals have a shorter life span by some twenty-five years.

Heterosexuals Organized for a Moral Environment (HOME). Although HOME was founded over twenty years ago, its profile has only recently begun to pick up steam. Its focus is (obviously) on gay issues and morals, although the founder, Wayne Lela, now describes himself as an agnostic. Much like Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, Lela coins new words, the most notable being "illegalizable." This is the term he uses in relation to "homosexual activity."  Criminalization of this activity is HOME's chief proponent. He would definitely be at HOME in Uganda.

Illinois Family Institute (IFI). The IFI was once headed by Peter LaBarbera (see AFTAH),  so at this point, we could say "enough said." However, it recently launched Illinois Family Action as a political-action sister organization. Therefore, it may be the group to watch for 2011. With its ties  to FRC and the Alliance Defense Fund (a Christian-only legal defense fund founded by Regent University/Pat Robertson alumni), IFI might be able to do a lot of damage to gay rights issues.

Traditional Values Coalition (TVC). With his Traditional Values Coalition, Rev. Lou Sheldon has been warning Americans about the “gay agenda” for over thirty years. TVC has also targeted liberal activists. Ironically, going in somewhat a different direction than "traditional values," Sheldon was strongly implicated in the Jack Abramoff scandal (the TVC received $25,000 from ELottery).

The Dangers of Reconstructionism


Of the worst hardliners of the anti-gay movement (as well as other hate movements), Reconstructionism plays a large part due to its focus on the Bible and biblical law: the "father of Reconstructionism," R.J. Rushdoony, advocated global theocracy by gradual takeover of governments. If this seems to rank with conspiracy theories, remember that believers in Dominionism (strident anti-environmentalists) and Reconstructionism have increased in the last ten years. Of all the hate groups, the ones that espouse Reconstructionism are perhaps the most insidious: once scorned by mainline curch denominations, Reconstructionists have managed to place people on to the political stage. Its two primary groups are American Vision and the Chalcedon Foundation.

The war between religious homophobes like the FRC and "social justice" groups like the SPLC and the ACLU is just heating up in the "Season of Sharing." Brad O'Leary (author, America's War on Christmas) has hysterically predicted that soon the above organizations (and more) will be subject to criminal charges via the Hate Crimes Prevention Act:

Their crime? These groups represent millions of Americans and speak for tens of millions more who support traditional marriage and believe that homosexuality is biblically wrong...Calling an organization a “hate group” used to be nothing more than a slur. But in today’s America, such a pejorative may have serious legal connotations.SPLC knows this, because in 2009 the group was instrumental in getting the Democrat-led Congress to pass, and President Obama to sign, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law.

Forecast for this Christmas Season: Hot As Hell With Frequent Gusts Of Righteous Indignation.

Pushing Us Over The Edge: Holy Evil Lurches Towards Christmas

Can One Act Of Evil Kill The "Season Of Sharing"?

(CNN) -- A [former] Catholic priest, facing criminal charges and a lawsuit alleging that he sexually abused a teenage boy, is now charged with attempting to hire someone to kill the youth, authorities said Tuesday.

It's enough to make you lose all faith in humanity. 

The Christmas Season has settled upon us, feverishly puking its guts out into the aisles of WalMart and Walgreens, Saks and Macy's. The Christian Right is gearing up for its annual "War on Christmas": The Catholic League's Bill Donohue has shipped 50 Holy Nativity scenes to every state capitol with the hopes of snagging at least a dozen or so "atheist states" that might refuse to display them alongside "holiday trees." Retailers are hopeful but nervous: the great economic barometer of Christmass Season ales might not show signs of recovery. 

Elsewhere: the War in Afghanistan drones on; Uganda keeps up its witch-hunting of homosexuals;  cholera snakes its way from Haiti to the U.S.; France and Germany prepare for terrorism; President Obama tries to garner good will from foreign countries, while battling a disgruntled and polarized homeland; the Vatican allows for condoms as use for protection against HIV - twenty years after their use was proved to be effective.

Not a beautiful picture, to be sure, but the glimmer of hope that contains the essence of humanity, that trite-but-necessary, warm-and-fuzzy feeling of comfort the season always manages to bring us will be there, won't it? 

This year, I'm not so sure.

[Rev. John M.] Fiala, 52, of Dallas, was out on bond on other sexual assault charges involving the youth, now 18, when he allegedly attempted to negotiate the boy's murder, said Tom Rhodes, the teen's attorney. He was arrested last week after he offered an undercover agent with the Texas Department of Public Safety $5,000 to kill the teen, according to department spokeswoman Lisa Block.

"This guy," Edwards County Sheriff Don Letsinger said, "is an evil man."

While I've been writing about the extreme hypocrisy of the Christian Right for years, some things never cease to amaze and terrify me: the calumny of clergy like "Bishop" Eddie Long, the stupidity of proselytizers like Lou Engel, or the viciousness of people like the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer. Yet as frustrating as these self-righteous idiots may be, I have always been able to maintain a basic faith in humanity. 

That, however, might change: the machinations of  Reverend John Fiala and his ilk have become so blatant, so intense this past week, that I have trouble seeing any spark of humanity at the end of this dark, dark tunnel. 

CONSIDER THESE ASPECTS OF EVIL:

SEX and GREED

Indicted: Pastor Johnny William “Bill” Cabe, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, on felony charges of sexual abuse of an 11-year-old boy. "Pastor Bill" had already served seven years in prison for conning $8 million from his congregation's "investors." (While guarding their money, somebody forgot to guard their kid.) 

SARAH PALIN'S ALASKA

Guilty: Pastor Carl  Ekamrank, of a Moravian Church (Alaska) of one count of second-degree sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl. This plea, however, enabled him to reduce the counts from five down to one. He faces five years in prison with ten years probation. (Is sexual abuse now doled out in degrees?)

FUN AND GAMES

Convicted: Former coach of Riverside Christian School (Lost Creek, KY), Dennis Jackson, of nine counts of sexual abuse against a number of boys 11-years-old and older. Jackson, by the way, committed the crimes while he was in his sixties. (Proves he hadn't lost his athletic charm.)

BAD SPIRITS

Sentenced: Pastor Marcus Ondiegi of Nyakwatha, Kenya, sentenced to 50 years in prison for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old orphan and infecting her with HIV. Ondiegi had told the girl's grandmother that he needed to pray over the girl to ward off "bad spirits." He raped her for six consecutive days until she escaped. (His conviction, however, put him in "bad spirits.")

TELEVANGELICAL BUSINESS AS USUAL

Sentenced: Pastor Samuel Salanky of Bethany Mission Center (NYC) to 57 months in prison plus restitution for conning "investors" out of approximately $3 million. Salanky was a televangelist who broadcast a program on a Gospel network. (The program was broadcast in the Far East -  obviously not too far for him to get caught.)

SMOTHERING WITH LOVE

Appeal filed: Pastor Matt Baker of  Crossroads Baptist Church (Waco, TX). Baker was found guilty of murdering his wife (administering sedatives, suffocating her with a pillow) and is currently serving a sentence of 65 years. (What the hell is this guy appealing?)

UNDER GOD'S ROOF

Convicted: Former Pastor Marvin James Lowe of Arbeka Indian Baptist Church (Weleetka, OK) on six misdemeanor counts of domestic abuse. He was originally charge with six counts of sexual abuse of girls under 14 in his church. (He knew somebody who knew somebody.)

SPREADING THE LOVE

Charged: Former Pastor David Love of New Hope Baptist Church (Independence, MO), with the first-degree murder of his insurance agent Randy Stone, who was the husband of Love's lover,  Teresa Stone.  He topped the crime by giving the eulogy at his victim's funeral. (A rather twisted take on "Double Indemnity," but Teresa Stone doesn't look as good as Barbara Stanwyck.)

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Sentenced: Pastor Steven G. Welty of Glory House Fellowship (Sequim, WA) to 26-1/2 years to life. Pastor Welty was convicted of six counts of child rape, six counts of child molestation and six counts of incest occurring with the same girl from the time she was 4-years-old until she was 11. (He may have been sorry during those seven years, but relatives are always the last to know.)

Crawling Back To That Spark Of Humanity

Yes, my asides were flippant: the human mind provides safeguards against acute depression. The fact is the list of crimes was longer than I had ever imagined: besides these cases, dozens more were reported - ALL WITHIN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. So while "Silent Night" was droning on during the morning's grocery shopping, I was dealing with hypocrisy overload. "There must be some good ones out there" was trying to tap into my brain, but it was far too numb. Hours later, I'm still trying to fathom it all. 

Yes, there are good-spirited people out there. But they're not to be found on our screens or heard through our airwaves. They're not to be found attending Values Voter Summits. They're not to be found bloviating over microphones during rallies to "protect" marriage. They're not to be found praying in front of the Capitol, beseeching God to make us a Christian-Only Nation. They're not to be found preaching "love the sinner, hate the sin." 

No, the people with that spark of humanity, that basic goodness, cannot be found even amongst the rabble preaching about it. It can simply be found in the person standing next to you on the bus. In the person in front of you in the check-out line at the grocery. In the person you call brother, sister, son, daughter, husband, wife, lover, partner, or friend. In you.I guess the thing I hate most about the crimes committed by the "Reverend" John Fialas, the Bryan Fischers and the Lou Engles of our world is that they make it harder and harder to discover the spark of humanity in everyone else. They’re piling up, like some godawful pile of hypocritical manure.

Yes, the pile of hypocrisy is getting bigger and bigger and the needle of humanity is getting smaller. It’s there, of course, and there’s the entire Christmas season to find it.

Oh joy.

Pope OKs Condoms For Gay Porn Stars!!

But Doesn't That Fall Under "Special Protections For Gays?"

The silliness of the "abstinence only" group got sillier when Pope Benedict XVI declared that it was OK for male prostitutes to wear condoms since, after all, they don't procreate.

AP)  Pope Benedict XVI says in a new book that the use of condoms can be justified in some cases, such as for male prostitutes seeking to prevent the spread of HIV.

Benedict said that condoms are not a moral solution to stopping AIDS. But he said in some cases, such as for male prostitutes, their use could represent a first step in assuming moral responsibility "in the intention of reducing the risk of infection."

Of course, some Catholic adherents to the Vatican, praised the pope's statement:

"We welcome the pope's change of opinion because it is meant to save life and to protect people. We see here an enlightened pope putting his concern over human life as a priority first." 

Then again, thinking hard: 

"There may be extreme, extreme exemptions for the church to allow its use, I'm thinking hard, but I can't think of any right now."

Exemptions, exemptions. Rapists? Nah. Pedophiles? Nah. The speculation as to exceptions besides male sex workers boggles the mind. 

So whither America's Christian Right? Should they condemn the pope because he acknowledged hustlers? Is he just trying to protect priests? Is he putting a (very small) halt to God's judgment? Or should they applaud him for helping them to point out gay porn stars? ("Pssst! That cute guy over there just bought some condoms - I wonder what movie he's in!"). Whatever their stance, they'll still look as perplexed as the rest of us: condoms for hustlers/porn stars, but not for anyone else?

This looks to be a lame attempt to counteract Benedict's 2009 statement that condoms were actually part of the problem of the AIDS epidemic. And it's one that will be twisted by the Christian Right (read: Tony Perkins, et al) as promoting homosexual concupiscence: "since gays can't procreate, let's just give them protection against STDs, then they can have as much sex as they want to."  

And another stance: this earth-shaking announcement flies in the face of women: women need protection too, but Benedict doesn't seem to care. He has taken a very chauvinistic attitude by allowing only a small male segment of the population the right to protection. One hopes he gets justifiably pilloried by women's groups for this latest effort to look sympathetic to the world's ills.

All people have the right to protection from illness, so the placement of that right on one minuscule segment of the world's population smacks as disingenuous at best. It is a tiny throwaway plastic trinket that only further distances Benedict from the people of the real world. And anyone who thinks this is a portent of further pronouncements on birth control is foolish. 

 

So where is Benedict going with this (assuming he's moving in any direction at all)? It smacks of chauvinism, stigmatization, or benign contempt:  the ruminations of a man who shielded pedophile priests, the cast-off, arbitrary pronouncements of a clerical actor who can think of nothing to say about human sexuality. 

In  the end, who cares?