The other day I shared here twenty-three statements by Massachusetts reverend Scott Lively. I reprint his lunacy, below because, while vile and stupid, it's effective in the darker outposts of the human heart. In 2009, Mr. Lively and other like-minded religious bigots offered numbers of East African legislatures and national executives 'seminars' on how better to marginalize LGBT citizens.
In Uganda, legislators now, with what they consider to be "America" at their back, speak about homosexuality as "witchcraft". They now better know how to punish homosexuality within Uganda's (and other nations') legal system(s).
Here is one specific way Reverend Lively's teachings are playing out, in Uganda. This comes from a civil rights activist with St. Paul's Voice for Reconciliation and Equality Centre, in Kampala, Uganda's capital.
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"Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill, known in the Ugandan press as the 'Kill the Gays Bill', is a legislative proposal that would broaden the [existing] criminalisation of same-sex relations by dividing homosexual behavior into two categories.
"[One category is to be called]: 'aggravated homosexuality', in which an offender would receive the death penalty.... 'Aggravated homosexuality' is defined to include homosexual acts committed by a person who is HIV-positive [whether or not the person knows s/he is infected], [or] is a parent or authority figure, or who administers intoxicating substances, homosexual acts committed on minors or people with disabilities, and repeat offenders.
"'The [non-aggravated] offense of homosexuality' is defined to include same-sex sexual acts, involvement in a same-sex marriage, or an attempt to commit aggravated homosexuality. It further includes provisions for Ugandans who engage in same-sex relations outside of Uganda, asserting that they may be extradited for punishment back to Uganda, and includes penalties for individuals, companies, media organisations, or non-governmental organizations that know of gay people or of LGBT rights."
This is to say, you may be convicted of and punished for the crime of homosexuality if you hire a person who is a homosexual whether or nor you are a homosexual.
This is to say you may be convicted of and punished for the crime of homosexuality if you know a person who is a homosexual whether or not you are a homosexual.
You may see the basis for this legislative madness, from Reverend Lively's statements (at the end).
Like it or not, Americans are complicit to the degree that we sit by while hate is exported with impunity, without comment, in our name.
. If you belong to a member-church of the National Council of Churches, support its ongoing efforts to expose and to condemn the bigotry, as the NCC has, in fact, done.
. Another way is to share your thoughts with Reverend Lively by writing to him at his Holy Grounds Coffee House/Abiding Truth Ministries, 455 State Street, Springfield, MA. If you stop in for the religious tracts and/or for a Double Latte with Venom, tell him what you think.
. For those inclined toward a more direct approach: 1.413.301.0918. Your call will be answered by Abiding Truth Ministries. Here's Why:
The Coffee House listing changed when, in January, its manager resigned when it became known that he failed to register, as he was required by law to do, as a convicted sex-offender.
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St. Paul's Reconciliation and Equality Centre | Compass to Compassion
American Bigots-of-the-Cloth; and a Brief Prayer - Jonathan Wolfman - Open Salon
And for those who missed this the other day and/or for those of you who enjoy re-reading vile stupidity:
Reverend Lively's Greatest Hits:
"Exposing the Truth behind Homosexuality and the Homosexual Agenda"
1- "'Homophobia' is not a scientific term. It's a rhetorical tool of psychological manipulation…everyone knows if you dare to say homosexuality is wrong you are a 'homophobe', which means you have a mental illness... it's built into this terminology."
2- "What does the gay movement mean when it says tolerance...accepting it as normal, healthy, natural and something that should be integrated into every part of society."
3- "The term ‘sexual orientation’…is a code word for homosexuality."
4- "If your definition of homosexuality is being able to do whatever you want, that you should be able to engage in sex with another person and because of that the disease you have is going to spread to that person and they’re going to take it home, how much tolerance should we have for that?...zero."
5- "They say gays are born that way. That is a lie."
6- "Homosexuality is not caused by genetic factors…that means it can be acquired... Shouldn’t we be doing everything in our power to protect people from acquiring it? Shouldn’t we protect the children?"
7- "If someone is identifying themselves based on their orientation toward a person of the same gender, then that's a self-evident disorder."
8- "If you catch them at 12 years old, which they are working very aggressively to do, and you tell those children that if you have an attraction towards someone of the same gender, that means you’re gay and because you’re gay you need to come with us."
9- "There’s a whole network of people ready to inculcate you and enfold you into their world and they want more and more people in their world because they are in a campaign to change everything."
10- "Homosexuality and pedophilia are equated because the very same arguments you can make for homosexuality you can apply to pedophilia."
12- "Even though the majority of homosexuals are not oriented towards young people, there is a significant number that are, especially male homosexuality has historically been not adult to adult, it has been adult to teenager."
13- "The gay movement is an evil institution that’s goal is to defeat the marriage-based society and replace it with a culture of sexual promiscuity in which there’s no restrictions on sexual conduct."
14- "The gay movement doesn’t care about what you think…they’re focused on the young ones because if you can put the ideas into their minds it’s just a matter of time before you die off and they take your place and their value system will then allow all the rules to be changed."
15- "There is a norm...the way things are supposed to be. When you find yourself outside of that...it’s a simple matter of just learning how you ought to be and working to restore the way things are supposed to be."
16- "…Dealing with these sexual disorders, you ask ‘what is it supposed to look like?’ ‘what’s the norm?’ The norm is the heterosexual design of the body."
17- "The real danger of the gay movement is its necessary goal of the elimination of this moral system in order to achieve sexual freedom."
18- "The gay agenda is the re-creation of society on a different moral foundation and the problem with that is that moral foundation will lead to social chaos and destruction."
19- "We’ve seen the transformation of America, when at the pinnacle of its Christianity...in the 1950s. Ever since it has been declining because of the sexual revolution. Where did the sexual revolution come from? The sexual revolution came from the activists of the American gay movement."
20- "There is no other group of sinners in the world that is organized for the purpose of transforming the society in its own image."
21- "Nobody has been able to stop homosexuals so far; I’m hoping Uganda can."
22- "When you then establish the law that says you can’t discriminate against people who are homosexual, what you’re really saying is you’re putting the power of law behind the idea that these are people who cannot change and therefore we must protect them from other people who disagree with them."
23- "People are so intimidated by the gay movement that nobody will say why…they won’t say why they don’t want gay marriage…they don’t dare to say because homosexuality is wrong, it’s harmful abnormal, unnatural; the people who are doing it...should overcome it…"



Salon.com
Comments
What a nut case!!!
On a side note, this whole 'witchcraft' craziness that seems (or is it just publicity these days?) to be endemic in Africa claims a lot of people...madness... We Euros are only a few generations away from same ourselves, and still in the throes of the same kind of thing, only we're too 'sophisticated' to talk of witches nowadays; instead it's (yes) gays or socialists or Muslims or feminists or whatever. I just commented on your post of yesterday about how we are not and cannot be totally autonomous individuals blah blah - but here is a horrible aspect of our groupiness: VE MUST CONFORM - kill off all the not-quite-like-us people because groupiness demands CONFORMITY. Even, one might venture to say, HOMO...
...genity.
"Always wrong, never in doubt".
i suppose its too much to hope that ordinary citizens of uganda would - en masse - start wearing pink triangles to mock their government's pogrom against homosexuals.
they apparently haven't caught up to early 20th century moral sensibilities yet.
Blah!
HUGGGGGGGGG
Such an important post...I feel a letter coming on.
*Grins evilly & contemplates taking up embalming*
Jon, I have seen a LOT, but this is the worst.
And it drives your point home:
Uganda Policing of Gays
WARNING: This is very highly offensive.
and frightening!!!
I occasionally have teenagers, friends of my daughter and son, come to my page.
As you know, I use autoplay. I suppose I could put it there and let the viewer make the decision to watch it, but even that is too upsetting/a>
Truthfully, I am surprised Youtube has kept it.
I know this is america and we promote free speech, but this seems to be right there with porn. And to date, I don't think Youtube runs porn.
I am looking forward to your piece when you run it.
D
It's sickening, Jon.
Makes me so sad.
His reign of terror (I'm not joking here) has to end.
Rated
P.S. Love the graphic.
So R at last