When the Equality Riders (a group of students traveling to anti-gay schools to present an inclusive message of Christ) went to Lee University in mid-March, someone (believed to be a woman and teenage boy) painted “fags mobile” on their bus. Some Lee University students helped the Equality Riders remove the graffiti.
Today Mike Ensley of Exodus International took credit. Not for the graffiti, but for the clean-up.
While the reports on ER’s website credit the hospitality demonstrated by Lee University as acceptance of their message, I suspect it probably had a little more to do with the fact that, just two days before, Scott Davis, David Fountain and I shared our stories and taught seminars for thousands of students and faculty. I’m not surprised that the result was a greater outpouring of love. When will they realize that hate doesn’t come from us?
Ensley was probably not being ironic.
So, Mike, let me give you a timeline for when I’ll realize that hate doesn’t come from you:
When you stop spreading malicious lies such as all gay people were molested or had a poor relationship with their same-sex parent, that gay people do not have committed monogamous loving long-term relationships, and the myriad myths you propagate about the sex lives and “health risks” of all gay people. When you stop seeking to enact laws that would deny rights to gay couples that are taken for granted by straight couples, take away gay people’s children, and – in some states – incarcerate gay people for expressing their love to their partner sexually. And finally, Mike, when you stop lying to gay people about the methods, reach, failure rates, and agenda of the Exodus International.
Once you’ve done that, Mike, get right back to us and we’ll let you know whether you’ve convinced us that hate doesn’t come from you. In the meanwhile, you’ll understand why I think that your “love the sinner, but destroy his life at every opportunity in every way” type of message is more likely to result in vandalism than in clean-up.
Wow, what a great post….I am speechless.
Bravo, no question its an EXCELLENT post and very accurrate.
I hoped you emailed this post to Jr. Ensley.
Timothy – can you clarify something for me.
The link to the College of Pediatrics site…(under taking kids of gay parents away) – who is that affiliated with? Is there info here on XGW about it? I know they have been used for quotes in the past by the religious right (and the name makes people think it is legit when it’s really only been around since 2002)…
Do you have more info on that?
To add to Scott’s comment:
mensley@exodus.to
Ah, but you see, that’s not hate. That’s “tough love” that “cares enough to tell the truth.” Isn’t the difference utterly obvious?
(/sarcasm)
Past XGW coverage of the religious right’s so-called “American College of Pediatrics.”
Scroll to the end of the search for a profile of the group.
So first he lies and slanders and then expects us to believe his speech created an “outpouring of love”.
Right.
That remininded me if it ACPeds had a wikipedia article. It does and I changed most of the content since it was heavily biased.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_College_of_Pediatricians
I was pretty appalled too at reading the comments by Ensley. I’ve tried to stop myself from putting comments on that site, since it is pretty rare that they post my comments. I tried to comment on his posting on Brokeback Mountain at his own blog-site, but instead of allowing my comments, he sent an email. Maybe no one reads it except for those of us who are against what they have to say!
“love the sinner, but destroy his life at every opportunity in every way”
Classic, and oh so true. I’m going to start using this as a comeback when I hear that meaningless phrase bandied about.
Christine at April 22, 2006 02:49 AM
Christine, the article I linked was an article reached by a link from Exodus. That was the connection I made between Exodus and “the age-old prohibition on homosexual parenting, whether by adoption, foster care, or by reproductive manipulation.”
This clearly states that a lesbian that has a child through reproductive manipulation (i.e. artificial insemination) should be prohibited from parenting that child. (can’t you feel the love in that?)
The religious right loves to create bogus organizations, give them impressive sounding names (often that are the opposite of their actual purpose), and pretend that they are equivalent to actual representative professional organizations.
That’s why lobby groups pushing for the teaching of Creation in public schools try to include “Science” in their name.
That’s why PFOX claims to be friends of ex-gay AND GAYS.
That’s why the Day of Truth is all about hiding facts.
That’s why groups that try to deny rights to gay families use the term “Family”.
That’s why those attacking department stores to force them to use the religous terms and symbolism that THEY want complain that there’s a “War on Christmas”.
That’s why devout Christian churches that feel that God has called them to apply justice and equlity to gay people are accused of being “Secular Humanists”.
That’s why National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) uses the term “Research” even though they adamantly oppose any legitimate research efforts and spend most of their time trying to argue for the oppostite conclusion of anyone else’s research results.
And that’s why the “Americal College of Pediatricians” sounds so official even though they have positions far outside those shared by most pediatricians and, with about 55 members, are not at all representative.
(Whew… can you tell my Daddy is a preacher?)
If you have any questions about how scary they are, look at their mission and their values. Pieced together it says:
“Children…deserve to be reared in the best possible family environment… (the basic father-mother family unit, within the context of marriage)… [and] We expect societal forces to support the two-parent, father-mother family unit”.
And this is the sort of “love” that Mike Ensley and Exodus have for you and I.
I agree Timothy – its just a shame that groups like that use the prestige of their education to indoctrinate people with poor policy. As doctors they’re obligated to give the BEST medical advice available, not a position based on their ideological and religious opposition to something.
Kendall raises a good point, methinks. These groups, and there are many, aren’t using their education to better humanity, they’re using it to promote an agenda. Examples: pharmacists who refuse to dispense the morning after pill regardless of the reason its being dispensed (and there are more than one). It also makes me wonder about right wing attornies groups. Would they refuse to handle a divorce case?
These people are delusional. . .they are locked into some fantasy about life in the early 1950’s…you know, back when they demanded “under God” be arbitrarily added to the Pledge of Allegiance. They are also apt to ignore things like wifebeating, and we already know they ignore things within their own churches like child sexual abuse and incest – to them, image is everything; reality is scary.
They don’t care if the children are beaten every day as long as it is a father-mother family ONLY. . .and this need to classify love and comfort and commitment into such a strict mold will only reproduce the same kind of trauma that affected America in the 1960’s and 1970’s. . .the rigidity is too much for anyone to uphold.
But it isn’t enough for them to pretend they can live that way – they need to impose it by legislation on everyone around – and that will produce a backlash the likes this country has never seen. If there is one thing Americans don’t like, it’s having some outsider sticking their nose in our private business. Period.
Most of these groups like the “American College of Pediatricians” or NARTH are “Front Organizations” of the RR. They are created for the purpose of creating misinformation that can be referred to in RW publications and legislation. Another term for this is “incestuous sourcing.” A RW organization (FotF) creates a Front Organization (ACoP) that it can refer to in its anti-gay family efforts to give a patina of respectability to it’s stance, while neglecting to cite reputable sources. If you can’t find a source that endorses your view, just ~create~ a source with an impressive name.
Phil: The RW lawyers are only too eager to intervene in a divorce case, if it presents an opportunity to take away or restrict access of GLBTQ parents to their children.
Timothy, you made my heart pound when I read that one. Yur sooo good.
Awesome, awesome, awesome. Exactly what the fundies need to understand. If what they offer is LOVE, I don’t want it. In fact, I don’t recognize it – it doesn’t look or feel like love to me.
Just dropping by to share a link to some positive information and dialogue between the Equality Ride participants and Colorado Christian University.
After reading the positive and encouraging comments at the link discussing Equality Ride Comes to Colorado perhaps you might agree with my conclusion that it appears that many minds of the Equality Ride participants have been positively changed towards Christian believers.
They received warm welcomes at the CCU campus, Azusa Pacific, Biola University and Abilene Christian and were graciously allowed to share their thoughts with faculty, students and staff at each location.
Although the students will not compromise their Biblical views on the issue of homosexuality, they still showed love, respect and care and willingness to listen to the concerns of the Equality ride participants.
Perhaps the success of the “Ride” at these four locations could be viewed as a civil start to a breakthough in dialogue between two diametrically opposed ideologies. One could hope and pray…
Christinewjc said “Although the students will not compromise their Biblical views on the issue of homosexuality, they still showed love, respect and care and willingness to listen to the concerns of the Equality ride participants.”
Christinewjc, if the students will not compromise then at some point they will be unable to show love, respect, or care; and the willingness to listen will be pointless and worthless. Society demands compromise, can’t exist without it. Unless you’re advocating everyone be forced to convert to Christianity there can never be harmony in a world with those who as a matter of principle and prejudice refuse to compromise “biblical” values. The only ultimate value that makes sense as a morality framework is fairness/equality.
A “breakthrough in two diametrically opposed ideologies” is going to require both sides to compromise. It can’t be all your way or the highway. Gay people have compromised deeply throughout history while in comparison Christians have had it entirely their way. This must change if fairness and a workable morality for all is to exist to the maximum degree possible.
Christinewjc at April 26, 2006 03:07 PM
“..perhaps you might agree with my conclusion that it appears that many minds of the Equality Ride participants have been positively changed towards Christian believers.”
Yes I do. After all, some of the Riders were non-believers and I’m certain that they have been positively impacted by riding around for over a month with fellow Riders who are Christian believers spreading the good news of Christ’s radical welcome. I can’t help but believe that many will leave this trip with a closer understanding of God’s glorious love.
I hope and pray that they leave this experience having grown in grace and truth and will find themselves a home church where they can continue to pursue their relationship with God.
There are so many wonderful Christian chuches where they can find God in a fully inclusive environment: the Metropolitan Community Church, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, the Friends (Quakers), and of course those Affirming and Reconciling congregations within the United Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and American Baptist Churches as well as hundreds of other churches who have come to a greater understanding of the inclusive love of God.
A real breakthrough in dialogue will come when more people finally accept that these are not two diametrically opposed ideologies.