Speak Out Now against Scott Lively and other overt haters who spew hate in the name of religious dicta
By Melanie Nathan, August 02, 2015.
No Religion is exempt from radicalism. When one quotes from scripture, it always boils downs to interpretation- and how things are said. Radical fundamentalism leads to persecution and ultimately murder. ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating:’
Today we heard of the untimely and sad death of an Israeli 17 year old, Shira Banki, who happened to be marching in Jerusalem Pride when she was stabbed by a fanatic ultra-orthodox Jew. She puts a face on the very many LGBTI people who have died because of religious fundamentalists. If it were NOT for scripture, many many people would not have been murdered. With that notion how can anyone in any religious leadership be silent on a day like today!
THE FACES of Radicals – religious extremists and how their words fuel murder | Yishai Schlissel and Scott Lively are one
Today, I blame every single fundamentalist, in every single country around the world, and those religious leaders who have not come out loud and clear to thwart this fanatical behavior. Here are the first two who come immediately to mind. There are indeed many more – both in the religious sector and in the NGO sector:
In Israel we have Yishai Schlissel:
Yishai Schlissel, a radical right wing ultra-Orthodox Jew, sentenced to 12 years in prison for a stabbing attack at Jerusalem Pride in 2005. His sentence was reduced to 10 years. He was set free only to commit a similar crime 3 weeks later, where he again launched a stabbing attack against Pride marchers in Jerusalem, causing the death of 17 year old Shira Banki, and wounding 5 others.
In the U.S.A. we have Scott Lively:
Scott Lively, a so called “Pastor” of the Christian faith, notorious for blaming the Holocaust on Gays in his book the Pink Swastika, and currently being sued in US civil court, by the Ugandan group SMUG, on U.S. soil under the Alien Tort Act for crimes against humanity – is known for his rhetoric against gays. Lively has cited his first amendment rights and his religious freedoms to spew his hate:
SCOTT LIVELY’S CURRENT ANTI-GAY RANT AS HIS TANTURM TO US EQUALITY GAINS:
“How is it that a relatively tiny handful of homosexual activists, themselves representing less than 2% of our population, has managed in the same period of time to establish a reign of homo-fascism in the United States that has turned centuries-old American values upside down and has turned its large Christian plurality (if not majority) into criminals (if they dare to cling to the teachings of the Bible)?”
“The brutal truth is the church has lost the so-called culture war and is now under occupation, like the French under the Nazis, with nothing left to do but organize resistance and plot to overthrow the occupiers through a political revolt.”
“The greatest of all possible sins is not rape or murder, or even genocide. It is to break the First Commandment: “Thou shall have no other gods before Me.” But that is precisely what we have done as a nation, and the reason we are reaping a curse and not a blessing (Deuteronomy 28). And it is why none of our efforts to “restore Biblical values in our land” is bearing fruit beyond the saving of souls due to our ministry and the blessing the we personally receive for being faithful. The land itself is not being cleansed by our work.”
This kind of jibber is what leads to, causes and ties to justify murder.
While all you moderate religious leaders sit back and watch this unfold – it is leading to more persecution and more assaults and the murder of members of our LGBT community, around the world.
This radicalism is neatly boxed and placed on shelves, labelled “Crazy” and “Ignore”. However you can no longer be silent – because it is in the name of YOUR religions that the rhetoric and murder is processed and delivered. It is time for every single religious leader on this planet – whether Jewish or Christian or Muslim or otherwise to come out vehemently and strongly against this hate.
I implore all the Western missionaries and all the religious leaders in African countries to stand up now against these attacks and anti-Gay rhetoric in the name of your Bible. Unless you speak out loud and clear – for tolerance and love and equality for all G-d’S children you are a Scott Lively and you are Yishai Schlissel!
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By Melanie Nathan
Executive Director
African Human Rights Coalition
WE NEED TO HEAR MORE FROM PULPITS ACROSS THE GLOBE… and often …until the hate ends.
WE NEED TO HEAR MORE FROM MISSIONARIES IN REMOTE PLACES… and often…until the hate ends.
WE NEED TO HEAR MORE FROM EVANGELICALS AND MEGA PASTORS…AND OFTEN…UNTIL THE HATE ENDS!
NAME AND SHAME:
After I saw the passing of young Shira Banki, many people took to social media to express their outrage at the murder of this young woman. I was astounded, in the face of such tragedy, to see that so many had the audacity to continue to spew very rhetoric that served to underpin false notions that anything could justify this murder. The type of commentary I saw served only to fuel the fire of the likes of the murderer.
I decided to BLOCK those people – so I would not have to endure their comments again – and at the same time thought I would create this HALL OF SHAME:
This was my request on a a comment I made on the Jewish Standard. And instead of showing respect and stepping back, these people had the audacity to defy my call for quiet and instead blasted away with their vicious commentary:
“Anyone who comes on here in the face of this tragedy with one remote ounce of denigrating the gay community or pronouncing negatively in anyway shape or form on the LGBT community of Israel or elsewhere should be ashamed of themselves.”
Here they are. I have taken screenshots of their comments -for the record – but will not put those comments up here because in light of the tragedy and my request – they disgust me:
HALL OF SHAME:
TRISH PIRTLE
CAROLINE McALLISTER
NICK ZAFIROPOLOUS
DANIEL KOLSI
MICHAEL GRAY
Wishes all Jews and Gays to be stoned to death!
Lively’s obscene comments sound like the opening shots in the are on a woman’s right to choose. They eventually led to the bombing of family planning clinics and the murder of workers, there. I have no doubt this is where they want to take it, again.
People who want to turn their religion into a hate group should figure it out: they didn’t “lose” a culture war, they LOST it with their actions and their hate-filled comments. Religion and conservative morals have been on the decline since the ’60’s for the same reason.
“Homo-facism?” “Under occupation?” They want to be “the victim.” It’s all they know.
The Con of the century to play victim when the one doing the persecuting – unfortunate people do fall for it.#MORONsociety
Reblogged this on Fairy JerBear's Queer World News, Views & More From The City Different – Santa Fe, NM and commented:
Calling out those that accommodate hate…
Of course, his ilk will find the .01% who are sh*t-scared & ready to believe anything…
The truth is: sorry, no supreme anything. We are fully fine calling the shots:
before your moses, people lived together fine. All’s good.