More Missives from Jesusland

[serinde]

* A bill before the Alabama state legislature that would ban all books by gay authors or with gay characters: "I don't look at it as censorship," says State Representative Gerald Allen. "I look at it as protecting the hearts and souls and minds of our children."

* Any flavor you want, as long as it's vanilla: "The 4th Circuit ruled Chesterfield [VA] County's Board of Supervisors did not show impermissible motive in refusing to permit a pantheistic invocation by a Wiccan because its list of clergy who registered to conduct invocations covers a wide spectrum of Judeo-Christian denominations."

* Tolerance = bigotry: "A federal judge on Thursday blocked a [MD] county school system from instituting a health curriculum that includes discussions of homosexuality. U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams agreed with two groups that sued contending such discussions gave preference of religions that are tolerant of homosexuality over those that reject it."

Comments

[rainbear.livejournal.com]

*blpp*sputter*but*arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh*

[arkham1010.livejournal.com]

How could you forget this:http://www.cnn.com/2005/EDUCATION/05/08/kansas.evolution.ap/index.html

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

That one was all over my flist, so I figured it didn't need repeating.

[arkham1010.livejournal.com]

I just want to point out something. ALl this crap going on in Kansas is symbolic, not a real threat. The fundies love to stomp their feet, pull their hair, and shout, but at the end of the day they go home happy and nothing changes.

Its all about getting your voice heard, not about getting anything done.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

So instead it gives preferences over religions (actually sects of religions, there ARE Christian churches that are fine with same sex relationships) that are intolerant. Lovely.

Actually, I don't like the wording of that -- tolerant of homosexuality versus rejecting it. What about accepting, and welcoming? It's as if the only two choices are put up with it or reject it. And that simply isn't the case. By using the word tolerant and reject like that, it's making it look like there simply is nothing valid or positive about homosexual relationships, the best one could hope for it to have such relationships tolerated. And that's bullshit.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

Considering how benighted the rest of the Honorable Judge's remarks are, this surprises you?

[sweh.livejournal.com]

Actually, I prefer "tolerance" as opposed to "accepting" or "welcoming".

I don't accept or welcome religions of any type; I tolerate them as long as they don't get in my face. Why should I welcome it? If I tolerate it then I'm giving them freedom to do as they wish. They don't need my blessing. In the same way, my sexual preferences are my choice; I want people to tolerate my right to choose as I see fit.

South Park actually had a good episode on this; Mr Garrison was trying to get fired for being gay:
http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-344/epid-212343/

Tolerance of differences should be the goal of a civilised society.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

Paired with rejection, though, the judge made it sound like religions had only two takes - tolerance or rejection, that no faith in its right mind would actually accept or welcome homosexuals.

Maybe I am reading too much into it.

[schlatko.livejournal.com]

It's ALWAYS Alabama!

[kalimar.livejournal.com]

From the article about Gerald Allen:

"It's not healthy for America, it doesn't fit what we stand for," says Allen. "And they will do whatever it takes to reach their goal."

*blarg?* A book ban is healthy for America and fits what America stands for?!? I never realized America stood for intolerance and bigotry. I guess the idea that America stands for tolerance and freedom is outmoded.

[xlerb.livejournal.com]

I'm tempted to say “Saw off the South!” here, but nobody who doesn't read soc.motss would get the reference.

Also, I'd like to point out that certain other laws give preference to religions that don't call for the occasional blood sacrifice of a Republican over those that do, and I don't think that's fair.