Tag: homosexuality

New York Times: First report from The Call Uganda

The New York Times has a report from Uganda on The Call Uganda and it does not sound promising.

Though not originally linked to the Ugandan legislation, Mr. Engle has long been a controversial figure in the United States for his views on homosexuality. During California’s referendum on same-sex marriage in 2008, he called homosexuality a “spirit of lawlessness.”

Before arriving here last week, Mr. Engle came out with a statement condemning the harsh penalties proposed in the bill, and said that his ministry could not support it. But when he took the stage late on Sunday afternoon, with Ugandan politicians and pastors looking on, he praised the country’s “courage” and “righteousness” in promoting the bill.

“NGOs, the U.N., Unicef, they are all coming in here and promoting an agenda,” Mr. Engle said, referring to nongovernmental organizations. “Today, America is losing its religious freedom. We are trying to restrain an agenda that is sweeping through the education system. Uganda has become ground zero.”

Lou Engle’s statement last week promised that the meeting in Kampala would not promote the bill:

Therefore TheCall, though continuing to be held in Uganda, will not promote this bill. In fact, we challenge the Church of Uganda to join with Christians around the world, to first examine our own moral failures, confess our own lack of love, and from that heart seek to establish true biblical standards, reflecting compassion for those struggling with same-sex attraction and equal justice for criminal offenses committed by heterosexuals or homosexuals. We believe this also reflects the heart and intent of the Christian leaders of Uganda.

I am aware of several sources who video taped the meeting and footage should be available sometime tomorrow. We will be able to see if the NYT report is accurate.

UPDATE: While I wait to review video of the event, I am going to post reports that come from Uganda about The Call Uganda. Another report, this time from a gay advocacy group, disputes The Call’s promise not to promote the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

UGANDA – 03 May 2010: The commencement of Uganda’s prayer crusade yesterday, Sunday 2 May became a platform for religious leaders to cast out homosexuality once more, as a Western behavior, unAfrican and unbiblical.

Reports state that Pastor Mulinde of Trumpet Church called on other pastors present to come to the floor and pray for the nation of Uganda and in his prayer he condemned ‘evils in society’, committed by both homosexuals and heterosexuals.

He further emphasized that homosexuality is invading schools, families and the entire community and that it should be stopped.

Pastor Oyet Julius pointed out that Uganda is not for sale and that western civilization should not be allowed to take over the country.

“Members of parliament should not waste time by debating the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, they should quickly make it a law”, Oyet reportedly said.

He also called upon the cabinet, media, and business community to take a firm stand against homosexuality, also accusing homosexuals of paying school fees for young children while recruiting them to ‘the act’.

“Uganda cannot be intimidated by the Western World, we cannot put our dignity for sale” He said.

Pastor Lou Engle of The Call Ministries, a movement emphasizing prayer, worship and fasting for Spiritual breakthrough, said Western countries are using Ugandan NGO’s to promote homosexuality.

“We warned the youth against the act, when America allowed homosexuals freedom, it was the end of their Nation”, he said.

Meanwhile minister of Ethics and Intergrity Nsaba Buturo said that Uganda will not listen to the “nonsense” that homosexuality is a human rights issue.

Another report from someone who says he was there. This from Ugandan blogger, wamala dennis mawejje: 

Lou engle on stage

He said he come to know Uganda through Apostle John Mulinde and knew nothing about the anti-homosexuality bill when he was being invited to Uganda hence he had a big debate on whether he should come to Uganda when there was international controversy over his trip.

They were under a lot of pressure and now they understand the kind of pressure Ugandan pastors are under.

He encouraged Ugandan pastors to stand firm because they have been chosen to lead the world in the fight against homosexuality and that they are standing for the truth.

The pastors don’t hate gays or spread hate but NGOs, UN, UNICEF, etc are promoting a homosexual agenda which is against the teachings of the church.

Uganda is a Christian nation and God loves everyone trapped in sin but marriage was established between Man and woman for the wellbeing of children.

The government of Uganda should uphold righteousness in this land.

America has lost the fight against the homosexual agenda and it has got into school. Parents are even losing power over their children as schools are teaching them that homosexuality is okay.

God is using Uganda as ground zero or a starting point for the rest of the world against homosexuality. God chose Uganda.

His son prayed for the sexually broken and then all youths below 30 years were called in front and blessed to be the front runners in the fight for morality in Uganda.

Lou Engel and crew went back to US immediately after his prayer.

Again, if accurate, this is very disturbing and would not match up with the commitment not to promote the bill. Ground zero? Reminds one of Scott Lively’s imagery of a nuclear bomb in Uganda.

Bob Hunter writes to say that 1,300 is a very small turnout for a rally of this nature in Uganda. The area in question will accommodate many times that number of people and this would have to be considered a bust.

Colonel Sanders responsible for homosexualization of America

Bolivia – WTHN – Today, Spero News reported that Bolivian President Evo Morales linked eating hormonally enhanced chicken with problems in masculinity, saying,

“The chicken that we eat is chock-full of feminine hormones. So, when men eat these chickens, they deviate from themselves as men.”

The chicken – homosexuality link was presaged in the US by a WorldNetDaily author, Jim Rutz, who linked soy products with an upsurge in bromance around the world. Rutz said, “Soy is feminizing, and commonly leads to…sexual confusion and homosexuality.”

One source who spoke only on condition of anonymity said, “You can blame the whole culture war on Colonel Sanders. That’s who started it. Then it was chicken nuggets, and chicken tenders. Now you understand how those chicken dishes got their names.”

The anonymous ex-chicken farmer said the disclosure from the Bolivian president could be devastating to both the American fast food and fashion industries.

Elsewhere, a prominent Iranian cleric countered the Bolivian president by saying that feminized chickens also cause earthquakes, but only if they are promiscuous.

CPAC in civil war over homosexuality

The Conservative Political Action Conference is meeting now and really went viral today with Ryan Sorba’s rant about homosexuals and natural law. Here is the exchange. Surprising to me, he was booed off the stage.

I want to address this issue further but for now, my observation is that this episode is a data point supporting my contention that conservatives are on civil (ok, uncivil) war over homosexuality. Some want to make demonization of gays a litmus test for being a social conservative and others want to get away from this stance.

Check out this reaction from the conservative blog Hot Air.

BBC News: Ssempa shows porn to church audience

The leader of the Ugandans for Truth About Homosexuality Pastor’s Task Force Against Homosexuality, Martin Ssempa decided to take his pornography show to church, according to the BBC.

A Ugandan clergyman’s decision to show gay pornography to his congregation has been labelled as “twisted, homophobic propaganda” by a gay rights groups.

Behind the Mask told the BBC the stunt, by anti-gay Pastor Martin Ssempa, equated homosexuality to paedophilia.

The pastor showed the pornography in an attempt to gain support for a proposed law which would see some gay people facing the death penalty.

Earlier this week, I reported the reactions of some Pacific Lutheran University students who were in a similar presentation last month in Kampala. The students were not impressed and the presentation did not encourage them to favor harsh punishments for homosexual behavior.

Ssempa has divided his American supporters over his methods and views. Rick Warren and WAIT Training have severed ties with Ssempa. However, he represents Oral Roberts University in Uganda and is financially supported by Canyon Ridge Christian Church (Las Vegas).

UPDATE:

Next he wants to take the show to the Parliament.

The photos above were provided anonymously by someone who attended one of the presentations over the past few weeks. I have more but I am unsure whether to post them. Suffice to say they are troubling but not in the way Pastor Ssempa hopes. This is leather S&M which of course is unrepresentative of the population he hopes to demonize.

Islam teaches death for gays says Islamic chaplain associated with Vanderbilt University

More on the Islamic chaplain at Vanderbilt University, Awadh Binhazim, who says Islam teaches gays should be put to death and he has no choice but to believe it. I wonder what he is teaching his charges at Vandy.

Video footage from a small Vanderbilt event earlier this week has spread across the Internet.

“Common Ground: Being Muslim in the Military,” an event designed to explore the involvement in Muslims in the military earlier this week, resulted in heated exchanges between a Muslim chaplain at Vanderbilt and the vice president of the national Youth for Western Civilization organization.

The dialogue between junior Devin Saucier and Vanderbilt chaplain Awadh Binhazim that occurred at Monday’s event has become the source of campus and Web-wide controversy. The video has appeared on several blogs such as Jihad Watch, Bare Naked Islam and Youth for Western Civilization. The video has received 1,612 views on YouTube.

The presentation, sponsored by the Muslim Student Association, ROTC and Project Dialogue, sought to “bring fact and knowledge to a media storm through discussion and open dialogue,” said Project Dialogue coordinator Emily Stewart.  

Tensions ran high earlier this week when the Muslim Students Association and the Army and Navy ROTC paired to bring information to the student body regarding the issue of Muslims in the military.Much of the online discussion concerns remarks made by Binhazim, who suggested that he, as part of his religion, would support the death of individuals involved in homosexual acts.

“Given the recent controversy surrounding homosexuals in the military, under Islamic laws if a homosexual engaged in homosexual acts, then the punishment under Islamic law would be death,” Saucier said. “As a practicing Muslim, do you accept or reject this particular teaching of Islam?”

“I don’t have a choice to accept or reject teachings,” Binhazim responded. “I go with what Islam teaches.”

In a phone conversation following the event, Binhazim expressed his regret that the focus had been taken off Muslims in the military.

“(Saucier) came with his own agenda. He asked a question that was irrelevant to the theme of the night,” Binhazim said. 

Saucier admitted to attending the event with his own agenda in a Youth for Western Civilization blog entry on Jan. 27: “When I saw that the Muslim Students Association was hosting an event titled ‘Common Ground: Being Muslim in the Military,’ which was sponsored by the Project Dialogue committee, I knew it would be ripe grounds for me to expose the gullibility of leftists who grovel at the altars of tolerance and acceptance.”

He, however, disputed the accusation of irrelevance in a phone conversation.

“Given the recent controversy surrounding homosexuals in the military, I thought homosexuality, the nature of Islam and the military was a particularly complex issue,” Saucier said. “I thought Binhazim would present the good, the bad and the ugly. Instead, his presentation was flowers and butterflies.”

Binhazim, however, calls for perspective.

“As Muslims, we don’t just go around killing gays. That is a ridiculous misconception,” Binhazim said. “There is a set of strict criteria that must be met before this punishment is enforced. The rule is in place to promote the Muslim values of family. Even in rare cases where all criteria is met, it is even rarer for this conclusion to be reached.”

In an e-mail exchange, Binhazim disapproved of the press the exchange has received.

“I don’t want that one question to overtake the entire purpose of why that event was done and the presentation. Many positive things came out of the gathering we had,” he said. “One question for 10 or 20 seconds could not take away that whole hour.”

Wow, hate to ruin his whole hour but his beliefs, if implemented, could ruin the lives of many. Moral disagreement is one thing, the death sentence is another. Continue reading “Islam teaches death for gays says Islamic chaplain associated with Vanderbilt University”