Bigotry Unleashed

Christians Unleash Their Bigotry in Public  now that polls lead them to believe that their opinion is popular. This is what hate looks like in a suit, boys and girls.  And this is why America MUST throw "conservatives" out of office, as fast as we can.  They are eager, EAGER to codify their hatred into law.  Forget the economy; living in a fascist totalitarian system is untenable under any economic circumstance.

Hatred in the name of Jesus.  Is there anything uglier under the sun?  I don't think so.

Psalm 11:3

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

What can we do?  How can we fight this new outbreak of hatred in the church?  It has happened before here in America, and our track record is not good.  The mighty Southern Baptist Convention was FOUNDED on the premise that slavery was "Biblical".  I kid you not.  They preached that it was "Biblical" for devout Christians to engage in the business of buying, selling and enslaving black people.  What's worse, they had the scripture to back it up!


They had dozens of proof-texts to back it up.  The apostle Paul didn't censure the practice of slavery; he gave instructions to slave owners and slaves alike.  The Bible was their justification for the practice of slavery, AND for the years of racist bigotry that followed.  They didn't even apologize for their wicked actions until 1995!  Note that this came on the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Southern Baptist convention.

1995 SBC Apology

Why the SBC was founded


Note:  I can't link to the actual SBC website about the reasons for founding the SBC because they don't mention it.  Their history link starts out, "Since the founding...1895..."  No mention that they seceded from the American Baptists over the issue of slavery.  My (racist) grandmother was a lifelong Southern Baptist. She lived her whole life in Oklahoma, a hotbed of the Ku Klux Klan during her lifetime.  Here is a snapshot of Oklahoma life in the early half of the twentieth century.  The Ku Klux Klan billed itself as a Christian organization, and that makes it a Christian organization.  I refuse to link to their website, but here is the opening statement you will find there even today:

"There is a race war against whites. But our people - my white brothers and sisters - will stay committed to a non-violent resolution. That resolution must consist of solidarity in white communities around the world. The hatred for our children and their future is growing and is being fueled every single day. Stay firm in your convictions. Keep loving your heritage and keep witnessing to others that there is a better way than a war torn, violent, wicked, socialist, new world order. That way is the Christian way - law and order - love of family - love of nation. These are the principles of western Christian civilization. There is a war to destroy these things. Pray that our people see the error of their ways and regain a sense of loyalty. Repent America! Be faithful my fellow believers. "  National Director of The Knights, Pastor Thomas Robb

Because of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and only because of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s,  it is illegal to discriminate against people on the basis of race.  But racism itself is still ALIVE AND WELL in the Christian community here in the South where I live.  The woman with the Ten Commandments proudly posted on her shop wall showed her bigotry in casual conversation with me, a white woman.  The women from the Evangelical Presbyterian church I visited warned me against sending my daughter to public school, lest she wind up pregnant with a "mixed baby", alternately referred to as a "mulatto" by the older woman who spoke to me about it.  I happen to have a religious painting on my wall with one of my favorite scriptures in calligraphy under a painting of a grandfather and grandson rocking in a porch swing.  On several occasions, white Christians have been offended by my owning such a painting, and grilled me on why I would want such a thing.  My black friends call it "living room racism", meaning racism that stays hidden until the racist feels like they are in a safe place to let their true beliefs about race show.

All those people were Christians, and they keep their hate under wraps because they KNOW it is socially unacceptable to let it out. However, with this new minority to hate, the GLBT community, recent polls show that the majority of Americans share their predjudice.  One day after this news release from Gallup polls, "Majority of Americans oppose same sex marriage" we have a Virginia legislator recruiting other law-makers to join him in black-balling a gay appointee for a judgeship because " if you have a bar room fight between a homosexual and heterosexual, I’m concerned about possible bias."


Friends, this kind of open bigotry only comes out when haters believe their bigotry is shared by the majority.


For those of us who don't really want to be crusaders, or, like me, who fear professional backlash for coming out openly and publicly in support of LGBT rights, we don't have the option of silence anymore.  Remaining silent is giving tacit approval to the hate.  The religious right has declared war on LGBT people (and on women as well, but that's another post).  We who are committed to obeying the commands of JESUS will have to take a public stand at some point for the LGBT community.  I'm praying about when/how/what to do personally, and I hope you'll join me.  


Peace to all who read here, SS