Religious Left

To knowingly lie is almost always wrong. To do so from a position of religious authority is surely, even more wrong! After all, such people usually believe a person cannot possess morals without religious teachings. By making such a claim they suggest that they possess righteous morals because of their extensive religious background. In other words, we are not to question what they say because they possess 'righteous-religious-morality' and are above reproach. Such people are arrogant and believe they are superior. Factually speaking this is often a sign of inferiority! As the old saying goes; Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely! At one point many followers most likely considered these religious leaders 'prophets'. But through their own actions, they have shown their followers they are, in fact, false prophets! Indeed, such 'prophets' have lost the two most important aspects of greatness; grace and humility! Many of them claim all the bad t...

I had the opportunity to see a want ad recently on craigslist. The ad stated: Get Paid to go to Church Faith Perceptions is a program that is rapidly growing across the United States. We are a consulting firm who sends individuals into churches to evaluate their worship experience. To prevent any bias, churches hire us to find people to evaluate what it's like to visit their church for the first time. We have churches in the area to evaluate. We pay $35 for each completed assignment. Assignment consists of attending a church service and completing an online survey. The ad also provided a website and phone number. ( click here to see the ad ) As a member of the LGBTQIA community I've been saying, for quite some time, that the religious community is harming itself with it's attacks on our LGBTQIA community. With that said, I found it quite interesting to see churches paying for people to attend. Although the want ad does state the project is for 'evaluation purpos...

According to Jesus himself, Mark 10:25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Matthew 19:24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Luke 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Deuteronomy 15:7 If there be among you a poor man of one of your brothers within any of your gates in your land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother. Leviticus 25:35 And if thy brother be waxed poor, and his hand fail with thee; then thou shalt uphold him: as a stranger and a sojourner shall he live with thee. 1 John 3:17 But whoever has this world's good, and sees his brother have need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him? Prover...

By Duke Helfand and Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers A week ago, Father Geoffrey Farrow stood before his Roman Catholic parishioners in Fresno and delivered a sermon that placed him squarely at odds with his church over gay marriage. With Proposition 8 on the November ballot, and his own bishop urging Central Valley priests to support its definition of traditional marriage, Farrow told congregants he felt obligated to break "a numbing silence" about church prejudice against homosexuals. On Thursday, Fresno Bishop John T. Steinbock removed Farrow, 50, as pastor of the St. Paul Newman Center, which primarily serves students and faculty at Cal State Fresno. "Your statement contradicted the teaching of the Catholic Church and has brought scandal to your parish community as well as the whole Church," Steinbock wrote in a disciplinary letter that also admonished Farrow against "using the Internet as a means of continuing your conflict with the Chur...

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution The Rev. Jody Hice fired a verbal volley Sunday in a battle that he believes will return the United States to its American Revolutionary roots. From his pulpit at Bethlehem First Baptist Church outside of Atlanta, he urged his congregation to vote for Sen. John McCain and to not vote for Sen. Barack Obama. He based his recommendations on McCain’s opposition to abortion and gay marriage and Obama’s support of those issues, Hice told the Barrow County church packed with about 400 listeners. full article

Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent The Times Online UK The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams is facing growing pressure to create a new Anglican province for conservatives after a leading evangelical was effectively defrocked in the US. Six senior Church of England bishops have come out in support of deposed US bishop Bob Duncan, declaring themselves “deeply saddened and shocked.” Headed by the Bishop of Winchester, the Right Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, the Bishops of Blackburn, Chester, Chichester, Exeter and Rochester joined in declaring their belief that the deposed Bishop of Pittsburgh remains “a bishop in good standing in the Anglican Communion.” In an interview with The Times, the Bishop of Rochester Dr Michael Nazir-Ali said the time had now come for Dr Williams to create a new province for conservatives in the US. full article

By Bob Shaw Pioneer Press, Twin Cities The small church was proud of being open to all people — including homosexuals. The church is pursuing official certification that it is welcoming to gays, lesbians and bisexual and transgendered people. "We have some people who are not happy" about seeking a third party's approval, said Edie Seefeldt, chair of a task force at Community United Church of Christ in St. Paul Park. Interest in the GLBT certification is soaring — with the number of America's certified churches tripling in two years to about 3,100. For the St. Paul Park church, the "Open and Affirming" designation would be granted by officials of the United Church of Christ. About 20 other denominations have similar programs, according to the Rev. Rebecca Voelkel of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. full article

Americans United for separation of church and state The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a Religious Right legal group based in Arizona, is urging pastors to endorse or oppose candidates from the pulpit on Sept. 28, even though IRS regulations forbid tax-exempt groups from intervening in political campaigns. Reportedly, about 30 churches will participate. “Taking part in this reckless stunt is a one-way ticket to loss of tax exemption,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. “We’ll be watching, and pastors who violate the law can expect their churches to be reported to the IRS the first thing Monday morning.” Since 1996, Americans United has sponsored Project Fair Play, an effort designed to educate religious leaders about the requirements of federal tax law. AU has filed complaints to the IRS about 85 houses of worship and religious non-profits. One church lost its tax exemption, some have been audited and others have received IRS warnings. Americans United’s...

I’ve met so many folks who tithe to a church weekly, even if they don’t regularly attend. Many of them feel this warrants a reserved seat in heaven. Even more interesting is the church will rarely say anything to these folks about attendance! On the flip side of that coin, we have the mega churches and mega rich preachers, most of who became rich on tithes. How many children grow up thinking: I want to be a preacher because I’ll be rich! For any who actually read the bible, instead of simply listening to what others tell you, Matthew 19:23 talks about rich people and heaven. Here are a few variations of the verse: International Standard Version: Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you with certainty, it will be hard for a rich person to get into the kingdom of heaven. New American Standard Bible: And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. GOD'S WORD® Translation: Jesus said to his disciples, "...

By Joyce Namutebi, The New Vision DR. Martin Ssempa, a pastor at Makerere Community Church, has received an award for his fight against homosexuality. Ssempa and his wife Tracey received the plague from Apostle Alex Mitala, the overseer of the National Fellowship of Born Again Churches in Uganda. This was during the “Great Marriage Celebration” organised by the National Association of Marriage Enhancement in conjunction with the National Fellowship of Born Again Pentecostal Churches in Uganda at Nakivubo Stadium over the weekend. Ssempa thanked the Christians for standing by him and said he was encouraged by their support to continue with his campaign. He proposed the establishment of a national marriage alliance to counter homosexuality. full article

posted by ThosPayne, Colfax Record A Kiev art museum contains a curious icon from St. Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai in Israel. It shows two ro bed Christian saints. Between them is a traditional Roman ‘pronubus’ (a best man), overseeing a wedding. The pronubus is Christ. The married couple are both men. Is the icon suggesting that a gay "wedding" is being sanctified by Christ himself? The idea seems shocking. But the full answer comes from other early Christian sources about the two men featured in the icon, St. Sergius and St. Bacchus, two Roman soldiers who were Christian martyrs. These two officers in the Roman army incurred the anger of Emperor Maximian when they were exposed as ‘secret Christians’ by refusing to enter a pagan temple. Both were sent to Syria circa 303 CE where Bacchus is thought to have died while being flogged. Sergius survived torture but was later beheaded. Legend says that Bacchus appeared to the dying Sergius as an angel, telling him to be b...

by Brian Heap Eyewitness News Everywhere Earle, AR -- Eyewitness News Everywhere is uncovering new information about rape and molestation accusations against an Earle pastor who was killed in Memphis, including claims of a cover-up by the COGIC church. Stories about Pastor Ronald Paige's sexual involvement with teenage boys started surfacing after a confession by his accused killer that aired Tuesday on the cable TV documentary, "First 48". In the confession, 21 year-old Andre Harris told Memphis homicide detectives that Paige tried to rape him after taking him in off the street. Harris said he stabbed the 50 year-old pastor while fighting him off. Since the episode aired, the Memphis Police Department and Eyewitness News Everywhere have been in contact with people who claim Paige was molesting young boys at Earle Church of God in Christ as far back as 1984. full article

Another great article by Pastor John Shuck . Here are some excerpts: Because so much time is spent in arguments with people who don't get it, it often seems we are spinning our wheels. We think that people are frozen with their views. Because of that, we think the church or society is polarized and it is a matter of winning or losing. What does it mean to "get it?" Getting it is making the connection between religious language (whether that language is vulgar or sophisticated) and the lives of real lgbtq people. Discrimination, violence, etc. is connected to what is heard from the pulpit which in turn comes from theological statements from authoritative people and documents (such as church policies). full article

by Will Moredock The Charleston City Newspaper When Jim Adkisson walked into a Unitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, Tenn., on July 27 and opened fire with a 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun, he said he did it because he was angry at "liberals." Among the Americans who called themselves Unitarians were Thomas Jefferson, John and John Quincy Adams, Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Adlai Stevenson. There are too many hate-mongers in the pulpits and on the airwaves in America, telling people like Jim Adkisson that the source of their pain is liberals or blacks or homosexuals. (He probably found all three at the Tennessee Valley UU Church on July 27.) So when we hand out responsibility for this tragedy, let's not forget Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Pat Robertson. Without the culture of hate they have been brewing over the last 20 years, this could not have happened. full article

By DUNCAN MANSFIELD, Associated Press Writer The York Daily Record KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—An out-of-work truck driver (Jim D. Adkisson) accused of opening fire at a Unitarian church, killing two people, left behind a note suggesting that he targeted the congregation out of hatred for its liberal policies, including its acceptance of gays, authorities said Monday. Adkisson's ex-wife once belonged to the church but hadn't attended in years, said Ted Jones, the congregation's president. Adkisson remained jailed Monday on $1 million bond after being charged with one count of murder. More charges are expected. Four victims were hospitalized in critical condition. full article

In a Feature article at Inside Out Australia , deadcircus writes; We’re putting religion under the microscope this month on Same Same, in honour of the Pope’s visit to Australia. This week Jade Starr wades through the history books, only to discover that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Those who did not follow the Catholic ideals were deemed to be witches or heretics and were then persecuted from the late 1400s to early 1700s. The Catholic Church also has a long history of condemnation toward women; they were also a major target during the witch hunts, particularly independent and homeless women. During the many years of slavery, the Catholic Church also stood by doing nothing until the late 1800s, using the Bible to justify their late intervention. Sexuality and gender expression have been one of the biggest taboos throughout the history of the Catholic Church. Sex and the guilt surrounding it has been the largest and most successful fear campaign used against soc...

BBC News, Wales Stephen Price, 25, of Clydach near Abergavenny, was bullied out of his job at Coleg Trefeca in Brecon by his manager Mair Jones, aged 40. A Cardiff tribunal heard Mrs Jones called him a "stupid poof" and gave him pink fairy toilet paper as a gift. The money was awarded for constructive dismissal and injury to feelings. The church had denied Mr Price's claim for sexual harassment, constructive dismissal and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. The tribunal's panel ruled the church's internal investigation into Mr Price's claims of harassment was unfair, unbalanced, confused and contradictory. " He started as a cheerful and enthusiastic young man and there is no evidence of a vindictive side to his nature nor that his claims were fabricated " Dr Rachel Davies, judge full article with video

reported by Chris Vanocur ABC4 News SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Is the LDS Church violating its tax exempt status by supporting the anti-gay marriage amendment in California? That's the question being asked by one of California's most prominent gay leaders. Kate Kendell is the executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco. The group was the lead counsel in the case before the California Supreme Court, the one which lead to legal gay marriage there. full article

For those wanting more information about the ins and outs of the recent Presbyterian Assembly; you are in luck. I just ran across the site of Pastor John Shuck, First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, Tennessee. There is so much information over there I'm not even going to try to encapsulate it. Click here to check it out .

BINGHAMTON -- The Diocese of Central New York is attempting to order a former Episcopal Church in Binghamton to vacate its buildings and turn over legal title of the property to its regional office. In a lawsuit filed this week, the diocese asked the State Superior Court to force Church of the Good Shepherd, on Conklin Avenue, to leave the facility as well as account for all money -- including an endowment fund -- because the congregation withdrew from the Episcopal Church and joined the Anglican Church of Kenya. "It's a David-versus-Goliath situation; the Episcopal Church has deep pockets. This is a powerful and wealthy institution that is trying to crush a local church, only to put it on the auction block and sell it for cash," attorney Raymond J. Dague said Thursday from his Syracuse office. "It's a sad thing that a bishop who's supposed to protect sheep is trying to crush them." In November, Good Shepherd withdrew from the Episcopal Church and joined...