Today's Miniature Cultural Warfare Update

[solarbird]

Sorry, getting behind again. Here's my atypical-sources collection at the moment; a real one will come in a bit, I've been busy with work and with flailing.

United Kingdom throws Intelligent Design out of science classes;

Spotted on mojave_wolf's LJ: The Christian Civil League of Maine attacks Rita Moran (Chair of the Kennebec County Democratic Committee, not a holder of public office) over her religion (neopagan), condemning her specifically for being pagan, and for selling (as a bookseller) books intended to help neopagan parents raise their children in their own faith; they've published a fleet of her email addresses, her phone numbers, her address, and are urging their membership to let her know what they think of her evil ways;

brigidsblest has a series of comments on the CCL of Maine's article against Ms. Moran; several people on this thread state that their comments in response to the article have been edited, that material has been added to "out" commentors as neopagans, and so on; one interesting note is that the CCL of Maine's domain is owned by one Peter LaHaye, which happens to be the name of the son of Beverly ("Concerned Women for America") and Timothy ("Left Behind" book series) LaHaye;

Ex-ex-gay ministry leaders apologise;

A set of Church of England bishops go the Pat Robertson route, blame acceptance of GBLT people for flooding in England; I have to say, I managed to be surprised - not easy these days, I simply assume that Abrahamic religious figures will be vile and nasty fucktards - and actively appalled;

Ken Hutcherson's continuing failure to break through as a fundamentalist leader, um, fails again; he tried his own anti-gay initiative signature raising and couldn't get anywhere - as in, couldn't even get the other theoconservatives like Faith and Freedom Network to go along. They don't like him. I suspect they'll want to do something in 2008, to time with the main elections; they schedule these next to Congressional elections to churn up the anti-queer hate vote, which goes to the Republican party overwhelmingly;

Found via Andrew Sullivan, Mitt Romney is facing a Republican base that cares much more about his religion than his positions, and that popped up in Iowa this weekend;

From kathrynt, it turns out that "Hobby Lobby" and affiliated brands, which is apparently a large midwestern craft store chain, gets linked to by the American Family association approvingly - their July 4th message is Dominionist "ministry" themed; religion as politics as religion, and so forth; it's not as explicit as many, but it's pretty clear if you're used to reading the language.


----- 1 -----
UK Gov boots intelligent design back into 'religious' margins
Not science, not likely to be science
By Lucy Sherriff
The Register
Published Monday 25th June 2007 12:35 GMT

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/25/id_not_science/

The government has announced that it will publish guidance for schools on how creationism and intelligent design relate to science teaching, and has reiterated that it sees no place for either on the science curriculum.

It has also defined "Intelligent Design", the idea that life is too complex to have arisen without the guiding hand of a greater intelligence, as a religion, along with "creationism."

[More at URL]


----- 2 -----
Maine Pagan Democrat Family Values
Democrat County Chair Worships Witchcraft Goddess; Promotes Paganism
By Mike Hein
Jun 25, 2007 - 7:47:48 AM

http://www.cclmaine.org/artman/publish/Maine_3/ME_Dem_Moran_Pagan.shtml

Rita Moran is well-known in Central Maine as the longstanding Kennebec County Democrat Chair and the the owner of Apple Valley Books at 121 Main Street in Winthrop. Less well-known is Moran's involvement in one of Maine's thriving underground pagan worship circles.

Self-described as being interested in "mythology and folklore" and "nature-based religion," Moran promotes and actively participates in the Immanent Grove Gnostic pagan worship group, located at [Ed: redacted, original on Christian Civic League page] Sidney, Maine. She is also involved with the Earthtides Pagan Network of Maine, and states publicly that pagans like her "...are polytheistic" and "...most of us are sincere pacifists."

[...]

Perhaps most disturbing of all is the involvement of Moran's Apple Valley Books store in promoting her pagan-worshipping beliefs to Maine's children. Moran's store is one of only three bookstores nationwide that is listed as a children's resource on the " Pagans'n'Parenting" website. This website is a pagan resource for parents to involve their children in pagan worship. Moran's bookstore offers a 10% discount to parents who buy pagan wares (books, Tarot cards, etc.) from her for their children.

[...]

Moran's Apple Valley Books website not only proudly displays the Immanent Grove Gnostic pagan webpage, but also links directly to the Witchvox website, the pagan ritual website Omphalos, the pagan god website Temenos of Dionysos, and a " Teen Advice on Paganism" website.

Rita Moran can be reached at Apple Valley Books, 121 Main Street, Winthrop, ME 04364, [ed: phone numbers redacted, originals on CCL website], and by email at [ed: email addresses redacted, originals on CCL website].

Click here to post your comments. [Ed. note: See next entry before commenting]


----- 3 -----
[No article title]
Sacred Flame and Holy Well
Jun. 27th, 2007

http://brigidsblest.livejournal.com/425350.html

This is an article posted yesterday on the_wildhunt, the pagan blog run by Jason Pitzl-Waters. It discusses the harassment faced by Rita Moran, Chair of the Kennebec County Democratic Committee in Maine. Ms. Moran is also Pagan, and has been publically out of the broom closet for some time; she runs a pagan bookstore, Apple Valley Books, in Winthrop, Maine.

Ms. Moran recently came under fire by The Maine Civic Christian League, who have published as much information as they could find about her, both public and private, with the supposed intent of 'making things safer for children'. Among the other books Ms. Moran sells at her store are parenting books for Pagan parents who wish to bring their children up in their faith...just as Christian parents wish to do.

[...]

The Civic (Un)Christian League has a place on their site to leave comments on that article. The form to be filled out states that it's required to leave an email address for that site, but the email won't be published.

However, as comments started pouring in, many of them overwhelmingly positive and in Ms. Moran's favor, they did indeed begin to publish the commenters' emails, presumably in an effort to scare and silence them. Both erl_queen and ordos45 were among those who were so 'outed', although erl_queen points out in her own journal that her info is quite public, and ordos45 is not, so far as I know, Pagan.

[...]

I'm leaving this entry unlocked. Feel free to pass it far and wide through your friends' lists, if you like. My original comment to their article was #25, and I didn't give them either my LJ or Vox addresses; those they dug up themselves. Their research is shockingly shoddy, however, as they must have missed almost a dozen, if not more, places I can be found on the web (see my LJ profile page); I use the same username almost everywhere.

[...]

Registration info for tsdsvr.com shows the same administrative, technical, and registrant contacts:

Name: Peter Lahaye
Address: 228 Water Street
Augusta, ME 04330
US
Email Address: webhost@tsdpc.com
Phone Number: (207)623-3222

[More at URL]


----- 4 -----
Former Ex-Gay Ministry Leaders Apologize
Associated Press
Thursday, June 28, 2007

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/28/national/a052434D38.DTL

LOS ANGELES, (AP) -- Three former leaders of a ministry that counsels gays to change their sexual orientation apologized, saying although they acted sincerely, their message had caused isolation, shame and fear.

The former leaders of the interdenominational Christian organization Exodus International said Wednesday they had become disillusioned with promoting gay conversion.

"Some who heard our message were compelled to try to change an integral part of themselves, bringing harm to themselves and their families," the three said in a statement released outside the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center.

The statement was from former Exodus co-founder Michael Bussee, who left the group in 1979, Jeremy Marks, former president of Exodus International Europe, and Darlene
Bogle, the founder of Paraklete Ministries, an Exodus referral agency.

The statement coincided with the opening of Exodus' annual conference, which is being held this week at Concordia University in Irvine.

[More at URL]


----- 5 -----
Floods are judgment on society, say bishops
By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:13pm BST 01/07/2007

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/01/nflood201.xml

The floods that have devastated swathes of the country are God's judgment on the immorality and greed of modern society, according to senior Church of England bishops.

One diocesan bishop has even claimed that laws that have undermined marriage, including the introduction of pro-gay legislation, have provoked God to act by sending the storms that have left thousands of people homeless.

[...]

"This is a strong and definite judgment because the world has been arrogant in going its own way," he said. "We are reaping the consequences of our moral degradation, as well as the environmental damage that we have caused."

The bishop, who is a leading evangelical, said that people should heed the stories of the Bible, which described the downfall of the Roman empire as a result of its immorality.

"We are in serious moral trouble because every type of lifestyle is now regarded as legitimate," he said.

[...]

"The sexual orientation regulations [which give greater rights to gays] are part of a general scene of permissiveness. We are in a situation where we are liable for God's judgment, which is intended to call us to repentance."

He expressed his sympathy for those who have been hit by the weather, but said that the problem with "environmental judgment is that it is indiscriminate".

[More at URL]


----- 6 -----
Redmond pastor drops anti-homosexuality initiative
Associated Press - June 29, 2007 11:05 AM ET

http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=6728378

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) - A Redmond pastor has dropped an anti-homosexuality initiative.

The measure would have set up a state vote on the law banning discrimination against gays and lesbians.

[More at URL]


----- 7 -----
Romney faces questions on religion
Republican candidates appeal to Iowa conservatives
By Mike Glover
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sunday, July 01, 2007

http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/nation/07/01/0701gop.html?COXnetJSessionIDbuild40a=QvcvGHtSQL4nhjCDb5L1JFPR907WDwcxw4xkDnDJ7ZNphzpyytrr%21429353901&UrAuth=%60N%5ENUOcNUUbTTUWUXUVUZT%5BUUUWU%5DUcUZU%5DUcUcTYWYWZV&urcm=y

DES MOINES, Iowa — Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, courting Iowa conservatives, found himself answering questions Saturday about the role his Mormon faith would play should he win the race.

Romney told one questioner at a forum co-sponsored by a Christian group that "we have exactly the same values" and said there is no religious litmus test for candidates.

[...]

"The Bible, for me, is the word of God," Romney said. "I also believe that Jesus Christ is my savior."

[...]

Many conservative Christians are quietly nervous about Romney's religion, and the issue surfaced as Romney opened his campaigning at a forum in Pella, about 40 miles south of Des Moines.

Mary Van Steenis asked Romney how he would ponder important decisions as president and which source of inspiration he would seek.

"Where would the Bible be in that process?" she asked. "Would it be above the Book of Mormon, or would it be beneath it?"

"I don't know that there's any conflict at all between the values of great faiths like mine, like yours, like other faiths, like Jews who don't believe in the New Testament," he said.

"People of faith have different doctrines and different beliefs on various topics of a theological nature. But in terms of what it is we are going to believe and also based on our values for our country, I think we come from the same place," Romney said.

The answer did not satisfy Van Steenis.

"I asked, 'If you had to look to one source, what would it be?' He didn't really respond to that," she said after the event. "This is serious to me."

[More at URL]


----- 8 -----
IN GOD WE TRUST
Hobby Lobby
in association with Wallbuilders
Online as of 3 July 2007

http://www.hobbylobby.com/site3/ministry/message/july4.pdf

Happy Independence Day!

[Editor's note: Followed by extensive quotes graphically arranged over an American flag attempting to demonstrate that the United States needs to be governmentally Christian, condemning removal of manditory school prayer from public schools, declaring the United States a "Christian nation," and so on, before concluding with "To learn how to begin a relationship with Christ, call 1-888-NEED-HIM."]

(also at http://www.hobbylobby.com/site3/ministry/july4.cfm)

Comments

[dogemperor.livejournal.com]

a) Thanks for the confirmation that Peter LaHaye may be the son of the "Left Behind" LaHayes (I'd not been able to find any external confirmation on this).

b) Re Hobby Lobby--the AFA support is new. If you could have your friend provide sources (including links to the relevant AFA pages), that would be very helpful to me--I've been updating the Hobby Lobby info in the Dark Christianity wiki in regards to dominionist-operated businesses and other corporate funders of dominionist causes.

As an aside, you and your readers may be interested to know in my research on Hobby Lobby I've found evidence that it operates as a de facto Assemblies business front (http://community.livejournal.com/dark_christian/889480.html) (one of the charities it donates the most to is in fact an arm of the international publishing company for the Assemblies of God, and the owners are apparently Assemblies men as well).

[solarbird]

Thanks for the confirmation that Peter LaHaye may be the son of the "Left Behind" LaHayes (I'd not been able to find any external confirmation on this).
May be. The name is the same and the politics are the same, but I have no data that isn't in the post and am purely speculating here.

[dogemperor.livejournal.com]

OK, thanks for the clarification. (I'd not been able to find clear links to the LaHayes besides the last name, so I've so far refrained from a definite "yes, they're related".)