The Gaytheist Agenda

True, this is the 26th, but I just discovered this so…

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The ultimate Vampire Slayer vs. the brooding, sparkly vampire who pushes patriarchy and abstinence. Guess who wins.

My wife and I were howling when we saw this a few weeks ago.

I discovered via Secular Students Union that the rumor I’d heard is true. Big Love is actually going to show a Mormon Temple ceremony.

It’s one thing for Bill and Barb Henrickson’s inner circle to know they have two other wives at home…but letting the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in on the secret? That’s a whole other story. “It’s almost a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy,” says executive producer Mark Olsen. Their under-the-radar status will change this week when Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) faces the consequences of breaking the rules and is called to an excommunication hearing. “We researched it out the wazoo,” says Olsen, who along with executive producer Will Scheffer hired an ex-Mormon consultant to help the set and wardrobe designers re-create even the tiniest details. “We go into the endowment room and the celestial room [areas of the temple], and we present what happens in those ceremonies. That’s never been shown on television before,” says Olsen. Adds Scheffer, “But it’s not for shock value. It’s really a very important part of the story.” The decision won’t be without controversy: According to a church insider, “If they are in fact trying to emulate those rooms in any way, that would be extremely offensive. The general public is not allowed in our temples yet. Not even all Mormons are. We consider them very, very sacred.” Heaven help us.

I’m persistently amazed at how so many religious people treat other humans (LGBTs and women in particular) with the the greatest contempt. Yet they expect their rites, temples, holy books and costumes to be respected and exalted by all, and are outraged when they are not. The hypocrisy is stunning.

They both brought tears to my eyes. Transcripts included.

Dustin Lance Black : Best Original Screenplay

“I heard the story of Harvey Milk and it gave me hope. It gave me the hope to live my life openly as who I am, and that one day I could even fall in love and get married.

“I want to thank my mom, who has always loved me for who I am even when there was pressure not to.

“But most of all, if Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he would want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches or by the government or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value, and that no matter what anyone tells you God does love you and that very soon I promise you, you will have equal rights federally across this great nation of ours.

“Thank you and thank you God for giving us Harvey Milk.”

 
Sean Penn: Actor in a Leading Role

For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect, and anticipate theor great shame, and the shame in theirgrandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way of support. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone. And there are these last 2 things. I’m very, very proud to live in a country that is willing to elect an elegant man President, and a country who, for all its toughness, creates courageous artists, and this is in great due respect to all the nominees, creates courageous artists who despite sensitivity that sometimes has brought enormous challenges, Mickey Rourke rises again, and he is my brother.

That’s what happened to guitarist Jason Barnes of the Christian rock band Haste The Day. He lost his faith along the way, and got fired for it as a result.

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Here is a statement from the band on what they decided to do: This is going to come as a shock to many of you. After much prayer and thought given to the matter, we asked Jason Barnes to step down from his involvement with Haste the Day. For a while Jason has been searching and searching for real meaning in his existence. After several months of reading literature and talking with friends, Jason had determined that he felt there was no God and certainly no Jesus. We as a band do not have problem with those that do not believe in Jesus, nor do we cast judgement on those that do not believe in Jesus. We just want to love on people like Jesus would and hopefully share a little bit about what he’s done and doing in our lives.

We would call ourselves a Christian band and for that reason, we felt we couldn’t have someone in the band who didn’t agree with the band’s foundational drive. Jason’s new found disbelief in what the rest of us have committed our lives to began to cause disunity within the band and as a result, we prayed and talked about it and felt like God was saying it wasn’t time for Haste the Day to come to an end. Thusly, We asked Jason to leave.
…..

Well it sounds very much like they are casting judgment, for firing someone who technically did nothing wrong is pretty harsh if they aren’t. And that “discord” they were talking about didn’t seem to be coming from Jason. It all seemed to be coming from their own personal bigotry against atheists. It would have been far more honest if they’d just left out the nonsense about discord and said they only wanted believers in the band. Considering it’s a Christian band I suppose that would even be legal since you can get away with hiring and firing people for any reason so long as you can chalk it up to your “deeply held religious beliefs”.

 

This time they’re attempting to bully Marriott International into removing “sexually explicit” movies from its in-room pay-per-view options. Apparently groups like American Family Association believe that adults shouldn’t have the opportunity to decide for themselves what they will view in the privacy of their own hotel rooms.

Several conservative groups, including the American Family Association, are asking Marriott International Inc. to stop giving hotel guests the option of ordering pay-per-view movies with strong sexual content - gay and straight.

AFA, based in Tupelo, said 47 “pro-family leaders” have signed a letter asking chain’s chief executive, J.W. Marriott Jr., for a meeting to discuss their concerns.

Marriott was told that stopping “porn movies” would be in keeping with the corporation’s position of “promoting the well-being of children and families,” AFA said in a news release.

Marriott’s website says the hotel chain has about 3,000 properties in the U.S. and 67 other countries and territories. AFA said most of these hotels offer in-room movies with pornographic content.

Roger Conner, vice president of communications for Marriott International, said Thursday the company would review the group’s letter and the request for a meeting.

Conner said Marriott and most hotel chains offer in-room entertainment that includes a wide range of films and “just one of those is adult offerings.”

“Every guest can quickly and easily block out just the adult movie offering by either calling the front desk or using their (TV) remote pad in the room,” Conner said. “It does not appear at all if the guest does not want the offering.”

…..

Among those participating in the letter to Marriott, according to AFA, are James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family; Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council; Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Bishop Harry Jackson, chairman of High Impact Leadership Council; and Robert Peters, president of Morality in Media.

This is utterly ridiculous. If a guest doesn’t want adult movies shown in their room they simply don’t have to order them. If they want to prevent another individual, such as a minor staying with them, ordering them, they can ask the hotel management to block them from the room. It’s that simple. There is no reason for the RRRW busybodies to make it impossible for everybody who stays at a Marriott hotel to be unable to see a particular form of entertainment simply because they themselves wish not to.

In case they’re not able to understand the implications of their bullying tactics let me propose this. Perhaps atheists and other non-Christians should band together and demand that Bibles be banned from all hotel rooms. After all, if we don’t believe in the Bible and don’t wish to see them then why should something we don’t approve of be so readily available in the nightstand of every single hotel room of the nation? Consider what is in the Bible–infanticide, genocide, incest, prostitution, murder, misogyny and a whole host of other heinous atrocities. Yet it’s readily available in nearly every hotel room within easy access of any child.

Of course I’m not seriously proposing the above, but merely offering it as food for thought. The RRRW wishes to control everything and everyone, yet rends its garments if anybody utter a peep against them (let alone attempt to thwart their megalomania). This nation was built on individual freedoms, and that is exactly what groups like FOF, AFA and others are attempting to destroy under the boot of “Family Values”. It’s time that We the People fight back if we are to keep those precious freedoms.

 

You know people like this ‘worry me’ more so than disturbing or angering me. There’s something else going on in their lives, that they would waste such energy on the invasion of consenting adults personal lives/homes/and bedrooms. There are so many other more urgent and pressing causes they could concern themselves with. World Hunger, The Economy, The War, The Lack of Health Care etc. and they’re worried about sex - I guess that’s what happens when you’re not happy in yours. I dont mean it as a laugh or for a joke.

 
They are the new Puritans, and they seem to think that if only life would return to how it was when Leave it to Beaver ruled the airwaves–the “Good Old Days”–things would be right with the world again. What they don’t understand is that the Good Old Days never existed. What they see on television as a depiction of the 50’s or whatever era they think was idyllic is pure fiction and can never be created or captured. As much as I love utopian fiction I’m wise enough to understand it’s just fiction. I don’t seriously expect to create a utopia of any kind, nor do I anticipate anybody ever could. Sadly some people think that if they just yell loud enough or apply enough force they can get their utopia (of course one person’s utopia is another person’s dystopia).

 
I don’t see them applying their time, money and energy to serious problems like poverty, health care, world hunger or global warming any time soon. That takes genuine concern with the needs of others, and I don’t get the impression that they have that despite their constant calls to “please think of the children”. They could prove me wrong at some point in the future, however…

 

Catchy and educational, it’s Smak Dem Christians Down by Jay Spears.

Who says you can’t enjoy debating with the RRRW?

Ledger was found dead in his Soho residence in New York City today.

Ledger’s family, including father Kim and mother Sally and sister Kate spoke to reporters in Perth this afternoon.

“We, Heath’s family can confirm the very tragic, untimely and accidental passing of our dearly loved son, brother and doting father of Matilda,” his father said.

“He was found peacefully asleep in his New York apartment by his housekeeper. He was down to earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving, unselfish, individual (and) extremely inspirational to many.”

…..

New York police said they could not confirm Ledger was suffering from pneumonia.

“This is the first I’m hearing that,” Lieutenant John Grimpal, from the New York Police Department, told Macquarie Radio.

“The medical examiner, once he or she conducts an autopsy, will determine exactly the cause of death.”

…..

TMZ reports the actor was in full cardiac arrest by the time emergency services arrived at the apartment. They attempted to perform CPR on him, but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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In 2005, he was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.

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Ledger’s other film credits included A Knight’s Tale, The Patriot, Casanova, Ned Kelly, Lords of Dogtown and Monster’s Ball. He recently appeared in I’m Not There, one of several actors playing a role representing Bob Dylan and was currently working on the movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, directed by Terry Gilliam and in which he was to star alongside Christopher Plummer and Tom Waits.

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Rest in peace, Heath.