Rick Warren refuses to oppose Uganda’s “Kill Gays” bill

[ccharles000]

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, has a unique way of viewing a global ministry. Warren sees his mission as being of a scope that does not stop at national borders. He seeks Purpose Driven Nations to comprise his Purpose Driven World.

And Warren is not hesitant to interfere in international religious divisions or schisms. Though not Anglican, he has been a major player in providing American support to African Anglicans who are seeking to oust any affiliates from the Anglican Communion that make any accommodation for gay Christians.

Warren also likes to rub shoulders with the politically powerful. He is friends with presidents and the powerful around the globe. And one of the five steps in his Plan is “Equipping ethical leaders”, i.e. those who agree with Warren’s religious views.

And he’s no stranger to activism on behalf of legislation. Though he was not highly visible in supporting Proposition 8, he did not hesitate to instruct his flock – which does not stop at the walls of his church – to vote to take away the civil rights of their gay neighbors.

But Warren has now found the one exception to his political involvement. And that exception is the proposed Ugandan “Kill Gays” bill. Unlike virtually anything else that flickers across his attention, this piece of legislation just doesn’t rise to the level of requiring his involvement. That would be “interfering in the political process of other nations.”

Or maybe Rick Warren just doesn’t find it unethical on the part of leadership in Uganda to execute HIV positive gay people, incarcerate the rest for life, ban any form of activism that might object, and jail those family, friends, or acquaintances who fail to report their gay loved ones to the government.

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2009/11/29/16987

[Withywindle]

1. I am so sick of hearing about this POS.

Who is he, anyway, besides a bigot and a bullshit motivational speaker?

Why does he have any kind of power at all? Did he get elected to anything? WTF did Obama see in him?

(edit: I'm not dissing you for posting about this - I think that's worthwhile to show his true colors. I realized that could be misunderstood.)

[Ken Burch]

2. He DID use to wear those Hawaiian shirts. Maybe that was it.

Some folks were hoping for cool free shirts.

[Withywindle]

4. maybe, but I bet Obama can buy his own damn Hawaiian shirts.

I bet Warren can't surf for shit either.

I'd like to see him try, though. He'd be pretty tempting for some hungry sharks. Do some good for the ecosystem at least.

[Jamastiene]

6. He'd probably give the sharks indigestion.

I think he would anyhow. Maybe we should throw some Tums overboard at the same time. :evilgrin:

[tridim]

3. And all because he wants to sell more books.

What a dick.

[Jamastiene]

5. ...and watch the excuses begin.

I predict this story will bring out the homophobic posters in droves.

[TexasObserver]

7. Recommend

[Shallah Kali]

8. Don't forget The Family of C Street's involvement -

Meet the U.S. Politicians Who Want to See Gay People Dead in Uganda
http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/meet_the_us_politicians_who_want_to_see_gay_people_dead_in_uganda

Speaking yesterday on NPR’s Fresh Air http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=120746516 , Jeff Sharlet – who wrote a best-selling book documenting the political influence of the family – noted that many U.S. politicians, straddling both sides of the political aisle, are involved with “The Family.” Sharlet spoke about how members of “The Family” have been quite active in Uganda, including Ugandan Parliamentarian David Bahati, who is a member of “The Family” and one of the legislators behind the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009. http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=49189

“{Bahati} appears to be a core member of The Family. He works, he organizes their Uganda National Prayer Breakfast and oversees a African sort of student leadership program designed to create future leaders for Africa, into which The Family has poured millions of dollars working through a very convoluted chain of linkages passing the money over to Uganda,” said Sharlet.

Not only that, but The Family has long considered Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to be their key point man in Uganda, according to Sharlet. And President Museveni, it turns out, is one of the biggest advocates for killing gay people in Uganda. He also just met with a bunch of Ugandan youth and urged them to resist the forces of homosexuality.

That’s a pretty direct, not to mention abhorrent, connection between U.S. evangelical political leadership and Ugandan human rights abusers. Do U.S. politicians like Congressmen Bart Stupak really want to have on their consciences the murder and imprisonment of gay people in Uganda? Urge his office to condemn this proposed bill now.

The facts on the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill are clear cut http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/10/15/uganda-anti-homosexuality-bill-threatens-liberties-and-human-rights-defenders . Here’s what the bill will do if passed into law: it will create a criminal violation known as aggravated homosexuality, and anyone convicted of it will be sentenced to death; it will send anyone supporting gay rights to prison, even if they’re straight; it will imprison parents of LGBT children if they don’t rat out their kids to the government; and it will sentence people to life in prison for talking favorably about same-sex marriage.

Maybe it’s all part of Uganda’s new tourism campaign: Come for the lush wildlife, stay for the brutal repression.

For Congressmen like Joe Pitts and Bart Stupak to have ties to politicians who want to murder gay people is earth-shattering. But the scary part is that “The Family” has a membership far beyond just these two politicians. Sharlet has documented a whole boatload of U.S. leaders involved in “The Family,” including Sen. John “How Much Money Will it Take to Keep My Mistress Silent” Ensign, Sen. Tom “Blackmail is the Best Way To Stay in Political Power” Coburn, and Gov. Mark “Buenos Aires is the Best Place for Adultery” Sanford. The list goes on: Sen. Mark Pryor, Sen. James Inhofe, Sen. Chuck Grassley, Sen. Mike Enzi, Sen. Sam Brownback, Rep. Heath Shuler, Rep. Mike McIntyre, and Rep. Zach Wamp. And that’s not an exhaustive list!

Do all of these folks want to see gay people murdered in Uganda?

If not, they sure better go on record condemning this bill. Rep. Tammy Baldwin http://www.gaypolitics.com/2009/10/31/baldwin-urges-clinton-to-condemn-ugandan-anti-gay-bill/ has already urged the U.S. State Department to condemn the bill. What would be stopping these “Family” politicians from signing her letter as well?

[Lord Helmet]

9. The C-streeters are all up in this too. Disgusting!!!!

:puke:

[sakabatou]

10. Warren still is a POS

[Bluenorthwest]

11. Obama's wisdom

He surveys the clergy of America, and selects this bigoted money grubber as the best of them, the one he devoutly wished to pray for and with him as he took office.