March 19, 2011 12:00 PM - Mike Hamar
Some readers from time to time complain that on my personal blog I am too hard on Christianity and that there are Christian denominations that actually do good works as opposed to the politically motivated professional Christians - e.g., Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, et al - who can best be defined by who they hate. And it's a long list of who these hate merchants hate and despise, with LGBT citizens often at the top of the list followed in alternating order by immigrants, non-Christians, and many others.
I will concede that yes, there are Christians who do good works and actually try to follow the Gospel message - e.g., many are helping with relief efforts in Japan even as the Christianists trumpet that God is punishing that nation for being largely non-Christian. Unfortunately, when it comes to LGBT rights, most of the time these "good" Christians are on the side lines and never forcefully condemn and call out the professional Christian parasites and vitriolic anti-gay denominations like the Southern Baptist Convention, the Roman Catholic Church or the Mormon Church.
Its one thing to occasionally publicly advocate for pro-LGBT legislation or to publicly oppose anti-LGBT legislation, Prop 8 being but one example. But where are these "good" denominations on a daily basis. My own ELCA parish, for example, does many good works. Yet on LGBT related issues, it remains mostly silent and measures go by the wayside out of a fear of upsetting the sensibilities of "conservative" parishioners. The same pattern can be seen in a leading Episcopal parish here in Hampton. No one has the backbone to call these conservatives out for what they truly are: bigots and homophobes - and false Christians. The silence is deafening most of the time and because of this silence spineless legislators allow themselves to be manipulated by the hate merchants who wrap themselves in religion.
A case in point. As Jeremy Hooper reports at Good As You, Focus on the Family is opposing a civil unions bill in Colorado, calling the measure that would afford same sex couples legal protections "unnecessary." Jeremy has this to say:
[L]et's get real: By "analysis," they mean "meticulous consultation of the same preconceived script from when Focus on the Family always operates." This organization has never shown even an ounce of willingness to consider something like civil unions. Hell, this is an organization that still puts "ex-gay" therapy front and center. For them, a compromise wouldn't be civil unions -- it'd be letting a gay person "change" yet still watch "Modern Family" on occasion.
I concede that there are Christian and other religious groups who have voiced support for the proposed civil unions legislation in Colorado. But where are the press conferences, media stunts and concerted actions to rally church members to support the bill with the kind of vigor that the haters utilize daily? Sadly, they are largely non-existent and the field is by default yielded to the groups that make religion a force for evil.
I subscribe to the theory that when good people do not actively and vocally oppose hate and evil, they become part of the problem. It's the "good German" phenomenon all over again. Too many of the "good Christians" continue to act like the "good Germans" did during the rise of Hitler.
