Monday, May 22, 2017

'Evangelical' Trump supporters are gutting, destroying Christianity

 Tony Perkins is abandoning Christian integrity to shill for Trump. He's not the only one.

At least once a week, I can find an item on the Family Research Council's Washington Update worth using to demonstrate the group's distortions and hypocrisy.

Today, I have two and they speak to a larger problem regarding the evangelical right's support of Trump and how this support is debasing the Christian religion in general.

The first item has to do with Trump's Saudi Arabia speech. It's not so much of how FRC praised Trump,  but how the group lies about Obama's Middle East outreach:

The best part of President Trump's speech in Saudi Arabia may have been what was missing: an apology. After eight years of Obama-sponsored groveling, Americans probably forgot what leading from a position of strength looks like. And while a 34-minute speech can't undo almost a decade of servility, it was a good start to reasserting our place as the unapologetic leader of the free world.

Unlike President Obama, who offered reparations for every American act since the Revolutionary War, Donald Trump made it clear that the only thing he's sorry about is that the legacy of political correctness has gotten in the way of true problem-solving.

As it has been pointed out consistently, Obama never groveled in any of his speeches. Of course the truth never stopped FRC from repeating a juicy lie.

 The second item has to do with the recent walkout of Notre Dame students from their own graduation in protest of commencement speaker VP Mike Pence. Notice how FRC proceeds to smear the students, who had every right to protest Pence's past actions and support of anti-lgbtq policies

The Class of 2017's choice of a commencement speaker wasn't without its share of controversy, but Mike handled the situation with the kind of poise people have come to expect from the Hoosier. In fact, he used the opportunity to point people back to the problem -- political correctness on college campuses. That much was evidence when a few dozen LGBT activists walked out of the auditorium in protest. (Once again we see that all the talk about "tolerance" is just that. Talk.) "This university is a vanguard of freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas at a time, sadly, when free speech and civility are waning on campuses across America," the vice president argued. "I would submit that the increasing intolerance and suppression of the time-honored tradition of free expression on our campuses jeopardizes the liberty of every American," he warned. 
Unfortunately, it was a message some students never heard. A group of liberal graduates and their families stood up and left at the beginning of Pence's remarks, giving the media a juicy distraction that was fanned by far-Left groups like GLAAD, who applauded the students' supposed "leadership." To many Notre Dame alums, it was a sad commentary on the church's compromise on the cultural issues of the day. After all, this is a religious institution that was once rooted in biblical morality. Like a number of faith-based institutions, they've surrendered important ground on the question of sexuality, which history tells us is just a harbinger of further moral compromise.

FRC's items, coupled with a few things I saw on twitter last weekend, has come to make me realize that Christianity in America is changing. But not for the better.

'Texas begins legislative assault on same-sex families, lgbtq community' & other Mon midday news briefs

TX governor Greg Abbott, legislators declaring war on lgbtq community.

With All Eyes On Trump, Texas May Soon Pass Horrific Anti-LGBTQ Laws - And old story we know very well and fear. With all of their money, planning, and discipline, the religious right and their allies always manage to go too far. Such as the case in Texas: 

Amendments to bills would allow nurses, lawyers and pharmacists to discriminate on religious grounds and restrict bathroom use for trans students. 
Texas Senate Approves ‘Religious Refusal’ Adoption Measure - This awful bill is about to become law. Hopefully it will be stricken down but why sit on our asses and wait? Make no mistake that this is an assault on our families. And I don't expect for it to stop in Texas. 

 On Harvey Milk Day, Here’s How to Honor the LGBT Visionary and Rabble-Rouser - Happy Harvey Milk Day and it is so apropo.

 Police Detained More Than 140 Men After A Raid On A Gay Sauna In Indonesia - Our fight for fairness and dignity continues around the world.  

Trans people are being blocked from registering to vote in the UK - I reiterate the point.

Notre Dame graduates walk out own commencement ceremony in protest of VP Pence

On Sunday, several Notre Dame students walked out of their own graduation ceremony during VP Mike Pence's commencement speech.

 According to CNN:

 A group of Notre Dame graduates walked out of their graduation ceremony Sunday in protest against Vice President Mike Pence and his policies. Pence was delivering the commencement speech after receiving an honorary degree from the Catholic university, located in his home state of Indiana. Videos showed some students standing as Pence took the podium, then walking out of the ceremony and gathering outside Notre Dame Stadium, where they held a short alternative "graduation ceremony." The protest action was planned ahead of the ceremony, with activist group We Stand For saying Pence's policies as vice president and as former Indiana governor targeted marginalized people on the basis of their religion, skin color or sexual orientation. 

All I can say is "Good for them!"