Frothy Mix: The Banking Industry Has Been Infiltrated By Sharia Law Advocates

MASSACHUSETTS: Christianists Attack Openly Gay Supreme Court Nominee

Openly gay Massachusetts Supreme Court nominee Barbara Lenk endured some Christianist assholery yesterday during her marathon seven hour confirmation hearing. Lenk is married to a woman and therefore placing her on the state's highest court will turn children gay. Or something.

During her confirmation hearing before the Governor’s Council, some critics testified that her marriage is part of a broader plan to give legitimacy to homosexuality in the public arena. “This will be a clarion call to all that want to indoctrinate our children into homosexuality,’’ testified Sally Naumann, who, like Lenk, lives in Carlisle. “How will we ever be able to say no to our children?" [snip] With her wife, lawyer Debra Krupp, and their two teenage daughters sitting behind her, Lenk was stone-faced during the criticism. Lenk vowed to be a judge who hews to the law and will not be what critics call an activist judge. She also balked when asked to list the cases she handled that dealt with gays or lesbians. “I don’t keep records that way,’’ she said. “I don’t regard these cases in any way of being homosexual or lesbian issues.’’

Maggie Gallagher On The HRC

"To anyone who has been at the forefront of the marriage fight, there is little new in the extraordinary effort to punish a whole law firm because HRC doesn't like its client. Gay marriage advocates have again and again used class networks of power to attack individuals, livelihoods and whole business enterprises to make support for marriage so expensive that they can effectively silence opposition to their views. But this time it happened in full public view.

"In a truly Orwellian statement, HRC President Joe Solmonese praised King and Spalding's decision to abandon a client under fire as an example of putting 'principle above politics.' Oh Joe, oh Joe. It's important for all of us to remember that life for ordinary gay people can still be difficult, even as a powerhouse gay movement flexes its cultural, financial and behind-the-scenes political power to repress the rights of others to organize, speak, donate and now hire a lawyer to defend marriage. One thing is clear: This is not a movement that needs extraordinary intervention by the courts to protect its rights." - NOM chairman Maggie Gallagher, writing for Yahoo News.

Billboard Of The Day

Oklahoma Gets Official State Gospel Song

On Tuesday, Oklahoma's House voted unanimously to make Swing Low, Sweet Chariot the official state gospel song. No other state has an official religious song.

When state Representative Jabar Shumate of Tulsa (left), the Oklahoma bill's House sponsor, was asked by a colleague to give a rendering of the song on the House floor on Monday, he declined, saying his pastor told him to always sing solo -- "so low nobody can hear." Even without a performance, no one voted against the song. "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" was written in 1862, when Oklahoma was still Indian Territory, by a Choctaw Freedman named Wallis Wallis. It's said the Red River made Wallis think of the Jordan River, and the song was loosely based on a Bible passage that describes the Prophet Elijah being taken to heaven in a chariot. "It should be a source of pride to all Oklahomans that this meaningful song was written in our state," Shumate said.

Gov. Mary Fallin signed the bill into law last night.

Andrew Sullivan On "Hunky Jesus"

"I am a First Amendment absolutist, as readers know. And I'm also a solid defender of the right to blasphemy. But there are smart ways of doing this, ways that illuminate broader issues - think of 'The Book Of Mormon' or any South Park episode. And then there are smug, cheap and unfunny shots at the faith of other people. Really, this makes me feel like Bill Donohue. You want to grow some balls? Hold a Hunky Mohammed Contest on Ramadan. And, by the way, thanks for doing your bit to empower every religious right prejudice about gays." - Andrew Sullivan, on the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

David Barton On Earth Day

"Are you kidding me, Earth Day in the schools? We've got to save the Earth? I mean, that's like a tick trying to save a whole heard of cattle. I mean, ticks go along for the ride, they don't manage the cattle, they don't tell them where to go. And that's our arrogance in thinking that we can do something to save the planet and control where the planet goes. You know, we're just along for the ride and we're insignificant peons on this thing." - Dominionist David Barton, who says that environmentalism is "anti-Biblical."

Liberty Counsel Denies Involvement In Lisa Miller "Ex-Gay" Parental Kidnapping

Even though their most famous client magically turned up at a Nicaragua house owned by the father of Mat Staver's secretary, the Liberty Counsel chairman is denying being involved in the disappearance of "ex-lesbian" Lisa Miller, who fled the country in 2009 rather than comply with a court order to share child custody with her former partner.

"It's absurd to try to suggest Liberty Counsel had anything to do with the whereabouts or the disappearance of Lisa Miller," Mathew Staver, Dean of Liberty University's School of Law and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. Staver served as Miller's attorney through 2009. [snip] "She simply stopped communicating by phone, by e-mail, by letter," said Staver. "We have no idea where she went." Staver says Miller's actions forced Liberty Counsel to drop her case. [snip] But some believe Liberty had another motive and took part in hiding Miller - a claim Staver says is 100-percent false. "None of us would be stupid enough to place our careers and our futures and our law licenses on the table to try to help someone violate the law," said Staver.

Is anybody buying this? I'm betting the FBI isn't.

Church Sign Of The Day

The above message is being displayed on an electronic billboard in Toledo, Ohio. The church has issued the below statement in support of their campaign.

This simple statement is intended to be a gift to those who have experienced hurt and discrimination because of their real or perceived sexual orientation. The Church seeks nothing less than the healing of the world, and Central UMC wants to offer words and acts of healing to those hurt and marginalized. Also, declaring that being gay is a gift from God is a prophetic call to the Church to get out of the business of marginalizing gay and lesbian persons from the Church, and to welcome them as full members.

Refreshing and positive religious news! On JMG!

Demon Pig Spirit Exorcism!

Gingrich: U.S. Could Become Secular Atheist Nation Dominated By Islamists

In his warning to an approving church audience, Gingrich doesn't explain how a country can be both atheist and Islamist dominated.

Prop 8 Proponents Move To Vacate Judge Vaughn Walker's Ruling Because He's Gay

They've been talking about it for weeks and today Prop 8's backers officially filed to vacate Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling overturning the ban of same-sex marriage in California. Because a gay judge cannot possibly be impartial about gay issues.

The sponsors of California's same-sex marriage ban said Monday that the recent disclosure by the federal judge who struck down Proposition 8 that he is in a long-term relationship with another man has given them new grounds to have his historic ruling overturned. Lawyers for the ban's backers filed a motion in San Francisco's U.S. District Court, arguing that Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker should have removed himself from the case or at least disclosed his relationship status because his "impartiality might reasonably be questioned." "Only if Chief Judge Walker had unequivocally disavowed any interest in marrying his partner could the parties and the public be confident that he did not have a direct personal interest in the outcome of the case," attorneys for the coalition of religious and conservative groups that put Proposition 8 on the November 2008 ballot wrote.

Lambda Legal's Jon Davidson reacts:

To say that Judge Walker's should have disclosed his ten-year relationship with another man or that it made him unfit to rule on Proposition 8 is like saying that a married heterosexual judge deciding an issue in a divorce proceeding has to disclose if he or she is having marital problems and might someday be affected by legal rulings in the case. Or that any judge who professes any religious faith is unable to rule on any question of religious liberty or, at a minimum, must disclose what his faith teaches. Much like a suggestion that a female judge could not preside over a case involving sexual harassment or an African American judge could not preside over a case involving race discrimination, Proposition 8's supporters improperly are suggesting that a judge will rule in favor of any litigant with whom he shares a personal characteristic.

American Foundation for Equal Rights reacts:

"This motion is yet another in a string of desperate and absurd motions by Prop 8 Proponents who refuse to accept the fact that the freedom to marry is a constitutional right. They're attempting to keep secret the video of the public trial and they're attacking the judge because they disagree with his decision. Clearly, the Proponents are grasping at straws because they have

NCLR's Shannon Minter reacts:

"This is a desperate and ill-advised move that underscores their inability to defend Prop 8 on the merits. This is not likely to win them any points with the courts, who understandably do not appreciate having the integrity of judges called into question based on such outrageous grounds. This is part and parcel of the underhanded way the Prop 8 campaign itself was run-based on lies, insinuations, and unsupported innuendo."

Quote Of The Day - Bryan Fischer

"A self-identified lesbian by the name of Keori confessed to [Pam's House Blend] readers on Friday that she is now in love with a male Marine. This relationship came right on the heels of a three-year love affair with another woman. She sheepishly admits that 'I didn't intend to love this Marine,' and then ruefully acknowledges that 'bisexuality happens, ok?' which is just another way of saying that even she has been forced to admit that sexual orientation is fluid and is hardly a fixed, immovable thing. She is living proof. So apparently without even realizing what she was doing, she has just dropped a grenade on the foundational plank of the gay activist worldview, that sexual orientation does not change, cannot change, and that those who think that change is possible - like most of us in the pro-family community - are just homophobic bigots." - American Family Association radio host Bryan Fischer.

Read Keori's post on Pam's House Blend.

Tony Perkins Defends Arizona's New Anti-Gay Adoption Regulations

But the good guy in Fox's debate does quite well.

Ruben Diaz Rides The Waambulance

"One of the things that I thought makes the United States special is that we can disagree and still get along. Unfortunately, the growing hatred of many people in New York's homosexual community toward me does not demonstrate that. It makes no sense to me as a minister and as a Senator because I have never preached hatred toward anyone, and I denounce those who do. My strong position against homosexual marriage is the very same as the positions held by rabbis, ministers, imams and priests. I'm not sharing this information to appear to be a victim for sympathy sake, but I do want to put this in perspective. I feel a great sympathy for the people who are targeting me with so much hatred. They will all be in my prayers." - NY Sen. Ruben Diaz, in a press release quoting numerous anti-Diaz blog comments and tweets.

RELATED: Diaz may claim to denounce anti-gay hatred, but I was right fucking there in the front row at his massive anti-gay rally in 2009 where thousands of his supporters waved signs about Sodom and Gomorrah, eternal damnation, pedophilia, etc. As he did two years ago, Diaz cleverly scheduled his coming protest on the day of the AIDS Walk, a move which decimates the potential number of counter-protesters. In my 2009 slideshow below, note that the barricaded area for marriage equality supporters was practically empty.

NEW JERSEY: Former Gov. Jim McGreevey Denied Episcopal Priesthood

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey has been turned down in his first attempt to become an Episcopal priest. McGreevey, who resigned from office in 2004 after being forced to out himself, has been a seminary student since 2007. He converted from Catholicism shortly after his outing scandal.

Church leaders, who have long embraced gay parishioners and clergy, were bothered by McGreevey's bitter divorce, sources told The Post. "It was not being gay but for being a jackass -- [McGreevey] didn't come out of the whole divorce looking good," said a source with the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. Some leaders also were wary of McGreevey's sudden embrace of their faith after his scandal and feared the church was being used, the source added. After resigning as governor, "he was sort of looking for every angle to make a complete redo of his professional life," said another church source. "He ran to the church for some kind of cover, which isn't fully appropriate. Even if he's a good guy, he should wait five to 10 years to get over his issues."

Church sources tell the NY Post that it's not uncommon for first-time applicants to be denied.

Planned Parenthood Is Run By Satan

Church Sign Of The Day

(Source)

Creation Institute: Teaching Evolution Leads To Homosexual Indoctrination

"From the patriarchal days of Sodom and Gomorrah to the Law of Moses to the New Testament, God’s Word consistently declares that homosexuality is sin and warns of the condemnation it brings to the individuals who practice it and to societies that promote it. Indeed, the rampant teaching of evolution in our schools that is effectively undermining belief in God and absolute moral standards is not only creating an atmosphere of 'tolerance' for homosexuality, but for just about anything.

"As the truism goes, 'Without God, everything is permissible.' So, in reality, there’s nothing to prevent the same rationale being used today to justify homosexuality and homosexual marriage from being used tomorrow to sanction polygamy or pedophilia or, as one very honest evolutionist wrote a while back (a piece that quickly disappeared from public view), if evolution is true, then rape is a very valid and/or efficient way for a man to spread his genes. After all, why not? It’s the survival of the fittest. Of course, in a purely evolutionary world, homosexuals would naturally be bred out of existence, as well. But you won’t hear that from pro-evolution advocates." - Tom DeRosa, executive director of the Creation Studies Institute.

Quote Of The Day - Sen. Ruben Diaz

"If the affront to my personal safety wasn't enough, it was embodied in an article that was so poorly researched. The two factual errors come to mind: first of all, if as you say my chief-of-staff is gay, no one has bothered to tell her. Also, if any of your readers are interested in attending a counter-demonstration, they shouldn't bother taking your directions to gather at 181st Street expecting the end of our rally there, I and the thousands of New Yorkers who believe in respect for human life and sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman will be found praying near the Bronx County Courthouse at 161st Street and the Grand Concourse. It's so sad to see people in journalism abuse their positions, but it's outrageous to see how the editors of the Village Voice use their editorial discretion to facilitate and encourage homicide." - New York state Sen. Ruben Diaz, responding to a Village Voice blog post in which a commenter made a death threat against him.

RELATED: On May 15th Diaz, who signed the above letter "Senator Reverend Ruben Diaz," will stage what may be the largest anti-gay rally in state history. A similar rally in 2009 brought over 20,000 Hispanic evangelicals to midtown Manhattan, most of whom arrived via out of state church buses. LGBT groups have noted that Diaz' rally is scheduled to conflict with NYC's annual AIDS Walk in order to diminish counter-protests.

ALSO RELATED: Please do not leave comments making even the most idle of threats of physical harm or property damage against any persons or places. Longtime readers may recall that in late 2009, anti-gay and Christianist websites launched a campaign against JMG, claiming that readers were making "terrorist threats" against supporters of Proposition 8. Please contact me via email if you see any threats or calls to violence and I will dispatch them at once. Our enemies are reading every word you write.