Views on the American Family Association

As I mentioned in my last post on this subject, I am going to address some of the claims made on the AFA (American Family Association) website regarding HR 254 and other gay-rights issues.

The AFA, and all such organizations like it, proclaim their Christian values and morals while promoting hate, discrimination, censorship, and lies. These types of organizations, and those who run them, truly are the "wolf in sheep's clothing" that Jesus allegedly warned about - at least in my opinion.

According to their About Us page, the American Family Association was founded back in 1977 by Don Wildmon, an ordained Methodist minister. It claims he was angered by the lack of "appropriate" content for his family on television, and led a call for his congregation to turn off their TV's for a week, which thanks to his press release, was noted by various news media and garnered a lot of attention. This led to the formation of AFA as an organization dedicated to monitoring television programming, attacking sponsors of programs they felt were not in line with "family values" (which means Christian values), and advocating for the banishment of other forms of "sin" such as pornographic magazines in 7-Eleven stores.

Since then, AFA has branched out into many other areas. Currently they list their "Battlefields in the Culture War" as:

Preservation of Marriage and Family

Decency and Morality

Sanctity of Human Life

Stewardship

Media Integrity

Sounds benign enough, right? However, let's remember first of all that in order to accomplish their goals, AFA is not just influencing what their own members and other Christians may view, read, hear, or do - but they also want to influence it for everyone in America, whether they are Christian or not, and whether or not they agree with AFA's Philosophical Statement, which proclaims that:

"The American Family Association believes that God has communicated absolute truth to man through the Bible, and that all men everywhere at all times are subject to the authority of God's Word. Therefore, a culture based on Biblical truth best serves the well-being of our country, in accordance with the vision of our founding fathers."

So now we come to the heart of the AFA agenda, as well as the agenda of all other such organizations. As stated in their own philosophy, they want to force everyone to live by Christian morals and doctrine, whether or not they are Christian themselves, and in spite of the Constitution that guaranteed us all liberty, freedom of expression and association, and religious freedom (which includes the freedom to not follow any religion if one should so choose). Further, one can imply that groups such as AFA feel they have special authority
to force their views on everyone else simply because they think the "God" they believe in wants it that way.

One of the things I find so incongruous about organizations like this, and the whole mindset of the Christian right, is that during my younger days as a Catholic, I was taught that "God" gave us all "free will" for a reason. The reason was that "God" wanted faith to be a choice that we made voluntarily. We were supposed to choose good over evil, right over wrong, and belief over non-belief. Organizations like AFA are working against that by trying to remove our choices, and yet they don't seem to see that they are actually working in opposition to the very Christian teachings they claim to uphold.

That is only one way in which the "wolf" shows itself though. Among the other tenets of Christianity is the 10 Commandments, including the commandment "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor". Yet one
only needs to read the list AFA published in regard to HR 254 and it's potential to "open the door" to what AFA believes to be much more heinous laws and regulations to see how easily they break this commandment - over and over again.

Here's the text of their assertions:

Here is a partial list of what homosexual activists are trying to force on every American. While HR 254 will not, in and of itself, accomplish these goals, it will open the door to such regulations. Once the elephant gets its trunk under the tent, the way is open for the elephant to move inside and do whatever he wants.

• Preaching that homosexuality is a sin from the pulpit will result in the preacher being charged with “hate speech.”
• Churches will have their tax-exempt status revoked if they oppose homosexuality.
• Homosexual marriage will be legalized and recognized in all states.
• Polygamy will be legalized.
• Landlords will be forced to rent to homosexuals.
• Scouts, and all non-profit organizations, will be required to hire homosexuals as leaders.
• Biblical language used to define homosexuality will be considered “hate speech.” City officials have already had a billboard removed in Long Island, NY, because it was classified as “hate speech.” The billboard read: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.” (Leviticus 20:13)
• Employees will not be allowed to say anything negative about homosexuality in their workplaces.
• Classes promoting the homosexual lifestyle will be included in school curricula beginning with the lower grades.
• Employers will be forced to hire homosexuals.
• Adoption by homosexuals will be legalized in every state.

Here you have a perfect example of a "Christian" organization that claims to uphold the teachings of Jesus and the Commandments, yet blatantly violates both the words and the spirit of both. They start out by claiming that the items listed are part of the "homosexual agenda". I have never heard any gay person or gay advocacy group push for things like polygamy or the arrest and prosecution of ministers who preach that homosexuality is sinful. This then, is the first in a series of lies, half-truths, and misinformation that the list offers as justification for opposing the proposed legislation.

AFA does add the codicil that HR 254 itself can not produce all the suggested results that are listed, but they try to manipulate the reader through fear with their elephant analogy, and the list of potential "threats" the legislation might "open the door" to. For instance, the very first assertion is that preachers who speak out against homosexuality will be subject to criminal charges based on "hate speech", and the second is that churches can lose their tax-exempt status for preaching against homosexuality.

Both of those claims are flat out wrong. The separation of church and state (something organizations like this would like to end) is a two-way street. It not only guarantees we can have a government free of religious influence, but also protects all religious groups from government interference. Therefore, it is simply not possible for the government to arrest a preacher for preaching the tenets of his faith. Furthermore, as a minister myself, and the founder of a church, I am well aware of the rules for maintaining tax exemption as a religious institution. Churches must refrain from endorsing a particular political candidate, or advocating legislation, from the pulpit or through any official church communications such as weekly newsletters. As long as they do not involve themselves in political or policy speeches from the pulpit, no church has to fear losing it's status (ministers can speak about their personal views outside of the pulpit, but they must make it clear that it is their view and not portray it as an official church position or "divine" direction).

Personally, I think many Christian churches have crossed this line over the last decade, and specifically in relation to supporting right-wing Christian political candidates. It's my belief that such things were overlooked, since those who might have raised a concern about it were also those who benefitted most from it, such as our current President. But that's strictly my opinion.

AFA knows that because of the separation of church and state, there is no threat whatsoever to any minister or church regarding arrest or tax exempt status. In fact, even if Rev. Wildmon and the management of AFA did not, I am certain that their lawyers did (and what organization like this doesn't have a lawyer or five?). Yet they make this spurious assertion anyway. Why? Because they hope that anyone reading it will believe it without giving it a lot of thought, and it will spark enough fear in their hearts that they will support the cause, donate, lobby their politicians, etc. - all without being told the truth that such a thing is not legally possible in America. Is this not misleading, or in fact, bearing false witness?

Next they claim that "Homosexual marriage will be legalized in all states". While I certainly hope that this will be true eventually, there is no reason to think that the hate crimes legislation in HR 254 has any relationship whatsoever to the issue of same-sex marriage. So this is another misleading assertion.

"Polygamy will be legalized". As I recall, the most prominent group that actively sought and supported polygamy, and engaged in it on a regular basis (at least until recently), was the Mormons. Although they have since backed down from this, there is a splinter group that still practices it, albeit illegally. But the point is, Mormons are Christians! So who exactly is it that would be pushing for legalization of polygamy? (More fear-mongering and falsehood.)

"Landlords will be forced to rent to homosexuals". First of all, if a landlord were to ask me about my sexual orientation when I applied to rent an apartment, I would not want to live there anyway, despite being straight. I doubt any homosexual would either. Such a question is an invasion of privacy and none of his or her business. However, because of equal housing protection laws, this assertion is true, but it's already true. It's not something that might happen, it's something that is already a fact. So claiming it's a looming threat is yet another lie.

The same is true of the next point. First of all, any organization that recieves government funding is subject to government rules regarding discrimination. That has always been true, although Bush's "Faith-Based Initiatives" have blurred the line on this somewhat. The only question is whether non-profits and religious organizations that do not recieve such funding have the right to refuse to hire or retain those who do not share their faith or abide by the organization's idea of a correct lifestyle. I believe the separation of church and state comes into play here as well, since as long as these organizations are not using government money, then I see no reason for the government to interfere. Furthermore, such organizations could avoid the problem entirely by simply advertising their mission and requirements in their job postings. The anti-abortion group "Priests for Life" has an office near me, and whenever they advertise in the local paper for a new employee, they make it clear what they stand for. Needless to say, someone like myself, who disagrees with their mission, would not apply for a job with them.

The next point regarding "hate speech" and the removal of that billboard is interesting. AFA neglects to point out that preaching belongs in the pulpit, and not in the public square. I'm sure the AFA would be just as offended if a group of Muslim clerics began posting billboards proclaiming the glory of Allah and demeaning Christians. Apparently the instruction by Jesus to "treat others as you wish to be treated" is yet another Christian teaching that groups like AFA choose to ignore when it suits their purpose.

Next they claim that "employees will not be allowed to say anything negative about homosexuality in their workplace". Well, this first begs the question, aren't they there to work, and not make political or religious speeches? Secondly, this is another point that is already a fact of life. Laws protecting workers from harassment, including sexual harassment, also cover "creating a hostile work environment", which would include making derogatory remarks about gays or their lifestyle when it is known that a coworker (or even a member of their family) is gay. So once again, while there is some truth to the statement, it is presented as a potential threat, which is misleading and untrue.

The next one is a real grabber. The AFA handily manipulates our innate fear of anyone harming our children to make the reader think that their babies are going to be inundated with images of homosexual sex acts. It seems downright abusive to consider a 5 year old being taught about gay sex, right? Except that it's not true, and will never happen.

For one thing, any tangible sex education does not even begin until middle school, and in some cases not until high school, if at all. Secondly, such classes focus primarily on understanding our own bodies and how they work, protecting ourselves from sexually transmitted disease and unplanned pregnancy, and being responsible for our behavior (things the Christian right would prefer were not taught at all). They do not delve into the nitty-gritty details of having sex, and most do not even mention homosexuality.

What might be taught in lower grades, however, is tolerance. One of the functions of education is to promote social order and peaceful communities. This is in part why formal education was instituted. It makes sense, then, that we should teach our children early on that every person has the right to be who they are, and that we should not objectify someone for being different. Such lessons do not focus on homosexuality alone, but all kinds of differences, including skin color, religious belief, disability, etc.

Encouraging children - who will eventually grow up and have to learn to live, work, and get along in a world made up of millions of unique individuals - to accept that their community and the larger world are made up of all kinds of people from all different kinds of backgrounds, family structures, and beliefs, but that it is possible for us all to live and work peacefully together if we respect each other's right to be different, helps promote social order and peaceful communities, as well as preventing hate crimes and other social ills.

This is teaching tolerance. It does not demand acceptance of alternative lifestyles, or agreement with ideas and practices that go against the individual's religious beliefs. It merely gives children a context for living in a society where the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, association, religion, etc., and teaches them to respect the right of others to believe, live, or think differently.

The next point, "employers will be forced to hire homosexuals" is another misleading assertion. For one thing, no employer has the right to ask a job applicant about their sexual orientation. Secondly, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act already guarantees workers the right to equal hiring without regard to race, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, etc. So once again, AFA presents as a potential future threat something that is already a fact of life and law in America. I call that lying, which, according to Christian beliefs, is a "sin".

Finally, AFA claims that homosexuals will be allowed to adopt children. Yet again, they ignore the fact that this is already true in many (but not all) parts of the country. Adoption laws vary by state, and there are some states where homosexuals are not allowed to adopt or care for foster children. However, in many states they can adopt, and in others they can be foster parents but not adopt. So this statement is misleading because it assumes that homosexuals do not have that right at all, when - depending on the location - some do.

So here we have a "Christian" organization that claims to uphold the Bible as the literal word of "God", yet consistently violates "God's" commandment against bearing false witness by exaggerating, misleading, or outright lying to it's constitutents about the issues and their potential impact on Christians or society in general. As I mentioned earlier, this to me is exactly what Jesus meant when he allegedly warned against the "wolf in sheep's clothing". The message there was to be alert for those who pay lip-service to Christian teachings, but do not actually "walk the walk" and will use very un-Christian tactics to try and control others.

Is that not exactly what the Christian right has been doing all along? They not only try to bully others into being "saved"; but have now actively engaged in trying to take over our government by filling Congress, the Supreme Court, and the White House with those who think and believe as they do; by trying to legislate a strict Christian interpretation of morality for all Americans (whether or not they are Christian); by demeaning anyone who does not share their beliefs; and by using deceit to manipulate the minds and hearts of their followers. Add to that the fact that they wish to prevent legislative protection against discrimination and hate crimes against gays, and you begin to see how little their actions resemble those of someone who truly believes in and follows the teachings of Jesus.