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Franklin Graham’s Double Standard

February 21, 2012

Unbelievable.

Just a few days ago we told you about a good ol’ tactic right-wingers like to use: questioning a politician’s Christianity or claiming the politician is not Christian at all.

This morning it was Franklin Graham’s turn. Graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, was on MSNBC’s Morning Joe taking questions from the panel. The conversation went something like this (quotes paraphrased):

MSNBC: Is President Obama a Christian?

Graham: Ask him. I assume he is, but it’s not for me to say.

MSNBC: What about Mormon Mitt Romney, is he a Christian?

Graham: I can’t know what’s in another man’s heart.

MSNBC: Is Rick Santorum a Christian?

Graham: Oh, totally.

MSNBC: But you just said …

Graham: I know what I said. Rick Santorum is a Christian.

MSNBC: Isn’t that a double standard?

Graham: You have to look at what a person does with his life (this one is an actual quote). Oh, and by the way, thrice-married Newt Gingrich is a Christian, too.

You can watch the actual exchange in its entirety here.

If you’ve finished watching the clip and are done beating your head against your desk, click here to read about a coalition of Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, and religious liberties organizations that has called for an end to this kind of divisive rhetoric.

Posted in Franklin Graham, Newt Gingrich, religious right, Rick Santorum | 12 Comments »

Aspirin as Birth Control

February 16, 2012

It’s thinking like this that filters down to school sex ed policies and gives states such as Texas a horrible track record with teen birthrates:

“Back in my days, we used Bayer aspirin for contraception. The gals put it between their knees, and it wasn’t that costly.”

That was said today by mutual fund manager Foster Friess, who — along with his deep pockets — is supporting Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum.

Let us repeat: That was said today, in the 21st century, not a hundred years ago.

Seriously, these guys are giving us a headache. If only there was something we could take for that. If only.

Posted in religious right, Rick Santorum, sex education | 14 Comments »

Where Did the Guv Go?

October 27, 2011

This post has been updated

We were so looking forward to the One Nation Under God event organized by Champion the Vote, the national campaign that seeks to register evangelical Christians to vote. But now it seems our main reason for tuning in won’t even be there.

Gov. Rick Perry’s likeness and his name as an invited speaker have been scrubbed from onenationundergodevent.com, leaving Newt Gingrich as the only other Republican presidential candidate scheduled to appear.

(more…)

Posted in David Barton, religious right, Rick Perry | 9 Comments »

Coordinated Anti-Mormonism?

October 17, 2011

Mormonism, or the attacks on it, is in the news again this morning following a story in The Daily Beast that cites emails between a Christian radio executive and well-known religious-right activist David Lane.

The emails between Lane and Dick Bott of the Bott Radio Network seem to indicate the two were in cahoots to advance the anti-Mormon narrative that became controversial when Dallas pastor and Gov. Rick Perry supporter Robert Jeffress called the faith of Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney a cult and non-Christian.

The story posits that because Lane a long history as an important Gov. Perry supporter, perhaps the coordinated efforts were not between Lane and Bott alone, but also with Gov. Perry’s presidential campaign.

We’re not quite ready to take that leap. As Sarah Posner points out in another story published today in Religion Dispatches, the evidence for coordination between Gov. Perry’s campaign and Lane on this issue is thin right now. But there are other reasons to be distressed by these emails.

(more…)

Posted in 2012 Elections, David Lane, religious right, Rick Perry | 3 Comments »

BREAKING: World Ends Oct. 21

October 14, 2011

In breaking news out of California, radio evangelist Harold Camping predicts the world will end on ~~May 21, 1988~~ ~~September 6, 1994~~ ~~May 21, 2011~~ October 21, 2011.

You know what they say? The fourth time is the charm.

So there you go, you have until next Friday to get your affairs in order. If you have a birthday next Friday, this news is upsetting. But not as upsetting as it is for the rest of us to know that someone cruelly picked the delicious International Day of the Nacho as the date of the Apocalypse.

Not that we would use the end of times for a shameless plug, but this also means TFN’s 16th annual gala next Thursday will be the last. Tickets can be purchased here.

Posted in religious right | 8 Comments »

Religious-Righters Gone Wild!

October 10, 2011

The annual Values Voter Summit has become something like “spring break” for religious-righters — except without the booze and naughty behavior. (Well, maybe. Who knows these days?) OK, so maybe it’s not really like “spring break.” Still, the VVS is where you can see the religious right in all its intolerant and anti-science glory. Talking Points Memo has pics from booths during this weekend’s gathering in the nation’s capital. Click on the photo below for more. We’ll have more on the VVS later.

Posted in religious right, Values Voter Summit | 1 Comment »

Gov. Perry and the Father of Science

September 8, 2011

There we were, almost at the end of last night’s Republican presidential debate, ready to declare that Texas had gotten off embarrassment-free. Then the moderator had to ruin it all by asking Gov. Rick Perry a question about science.

Asked about climate change, Gov. Perry repeated his claim that the idea of man-made global warming is increasingly in dispute in scientific circles (not really), and ….

“Galileo got outvoted for a spell.”

Here’s the video:

Buried somewhere beneath this flat, 6,000-year-old Earth of ours, Galileo spun in his grave.

(more…)

Posted in 2012 Elections, climate change, religious right, Rick Perry, science and religion | 24 Comments »

Perry’s Weekend Confab

September 1, 2011

The Texas Tribune this morning published what is the most complete account to date of what happened last weekend when Gov. Rick Perry traveled to Fredericksburg to attend a confab of social conservatives hosted by the so-called “sugar daddy” of the far right in Texas, Dr. James Leininger.

(more…)

Posted in 2012 Elections, James Leininger, religious right, Rick Perry | 2 Comments »

Fischer Is Too Much to Bear

August 9, 2011

Bryan Fischer, who serves as hater-in-chief for the American Family Association, is developing a hate list rivaled in length only by Mr. T’s pity list.

Now on Fischer’s hate list: bears. Right alongside Muslims, homosexuals, Jews and poor people sit grizzly bears, which should be shot on sight, Fischer says.

Writing on the AFA’s blog on Wednesday, Fischer wrote of the recent bear mauling death of a man and other bear attacks at Yellowstone National Park, you know, where a lot of grizzlies live.

(more…)

Posted in Bryan Fischer, religious right | 12 Comments »

The More We Learn, the Worse It Gets

July 9, 2011

It was bad enough that a hate group (the American Family Association) and a host of controversial figures (here and here) were behind Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s prayer extravaganza next month in Houston’s Reliant Stadium. But those names only scratch the surface of extremism linked to the August 6 event. The Dallas Morning News is reporting about some of the other sponsors:

C. Peter Wagner, a Colorado evangelist, has advocated burning the statues of Catholic saints and other non-Protestant religious objects, including those of Mormons and American Indians. He also supports putting business, government and the media under Christian control.

San Antonio megapastor John Hagee, who is scheduled to speak, has said Hitler was part of God’s plan to create a Jewish state and describes the Catholic Church as the “Whore of Babylon.” He preaches an end-times theology that advocates bombing Iran.

Another pastor on the event’s website, Mike Bickle of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Mo., has claimed that Oprah Winfrey will be a “pastor” of a “Harlot Babylon preparing the nations to receive the Antichrist.”

A spokesman for Gov. Perry told the Dallas Morning News that the focus of the event should be on prayer and fasting, not its extremist sponsors. Oh, sure. “Ignore the men behind the curtain,” we’re told.

Well, no. It’s important that Texans stand up to those who cynically use faith and associate with extremists to promote their political ambitions and agendas. Sign on to an open letter that calls on Gov. Perry “to make this gathering open to speakers and attendees of all faiths and welcoming of people of good will who are not affiliated with a faith tradition.” Moreover, the letter calls on the governor “to demonstrate your commitment to religious tolerance by ending the association between your office and the American Family Association.” And Gov. Perry, end your event’s association with other hateful and divisive extremists. Sign on to open the letter here.

Posted in religious right, Rick Perry, The Response | 4 Comments »

Religious Right Closes Ranks Behind Perry

July 5, 2011

New reports of closed-door meetings and conference calls indicate that religious-right kingmakers are coming together in support of a presidential bid by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. One of those closed-door confabs occurred two weeks ago, when Gov. Perry spoke before a virtual “who’s who” of religious-right leaders gathered in the North Texas city of Euless (just outside Dallas), EthicsDaily.com reports.

The organizers of the June conference say the event was “spiritual” in nature, but their rhetoric and actions betray those claims. Indeed, EthicsDaily reports that the June event was preceded by a September gathering in Dallas that explored a strategy to defeat President Barack Obama’s re-election in 2012. Texan and longtime conservative evangelical leader James Robison called the group together for both events. From EthicsDaily:

“This nation right now is facing a tremendous crisis, and it’s as though Christians have buried their head in the sand and not recognized that we were placed here on earth to be overseers of what he entrusted to our watchcare,” Southern Baptist evangelist James Robison told EthicsDaily.com as he expressed his hopes for the gathering.

“One of the points that I’ve made that the leaders agree with is that … the vast majority of those who profess faith are uninspired, uninformed and uninvolved,” he added. “With the privilege of choosing our leadership and putting in place those who establish the policies that govern our lives and affect us comes the responsibility to choose right. And correct choices will always be based upon principles that are consistent with biblical truth and the views of our founders – the providential perspective of our founders.”

(more…)

Posted in American Family Association, religious right, Rick Perry | 10 Comments »

Requiem for a Rodeo Clown

June 30, 2011

Good news: Glenn Beck’s FOX News show goes off the air today. Bad news: Beck is considering moving to Texas. Really horrible news if Beck’s serious: he told Gov. Rick Perry he may run for governor if he moves to Texas.

As America’s most beloved tin foil hatter departs from FOX News, the watchdog group Media Matters has prepared a YouTube video of Beck’s greatest hits, including this one:

“Do you really believe that I could, or anybody here at FOX News, could just make things up and remain on the air?”

Well, I guess not, but they gave you waaaaay more than three strikes. Enjoy:

Posted in extremism, FOX News, Glenn Beck, religious right | 6 Comments »

The Unusual Suspects

June 26, 2011

Many of the hateful, sometimes highly political comments some of the people connected to The Response — the Gov. Rick Perry-hosted and supposedly nonpolitical prayer rally in Houston later this summer — are anti-LGBTQ, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, anti-Home Depot, anti-Barney the Dinosaur, anti-you name it.

And also pro-violence?

The event’s info packet lists Pastor Stephen Broden as one of the endorsers of The Response. Broden, of Dallas, ran for Congress as a Republican in 2010 but was defeated in the general election. A few weeks before the election, a Dallas TV reporter confronted Broden about comments he has made from the pulpit, including that the violent overthrow of the government was “on the table” if elections did not produce the results he wanted. Vote for me, or else?

From Broden:

We have a constitutional remedy. And the Framers say if that don’t work, revolution.

(more…)

Posted in John Hagee, religious right, Rick Perry, Stephen Broden | 12 Comments »

You Need Only One Guess

June 21, 2011

Let’s play fill in the blank. Check out the following quotes from two Texas legislators about the potential mingling of public funds and a religious doctrine. The first is by state Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, followed by state Rep. Wayne Christian, R-Center. See if you can guess what religion they’re railing against.