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You Can Support Hate Crimes Legislation — Courtesy of the American Family Association

Then again, maybe not!

Jim Burroway

June 16th, 2007

Update: Err, Okay. I’ve been punked. This looks like a parody — and a pretty hilarious one. This is the real thing on which it’s based.

This much is true:

The American Family Association’s Don Wildmon sent out an urgent message to his fan base, asking them to go to the AFA web site and sign a petition demanding that Congress defeat the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act. Wildmon’s email is about as charming as they come:

If pastors and other Christians don’t aggressively oppose a bill now in Congress, in the near future they will be subject to huge fines and prison terms if they say anything negative about homosexuality.

The proposed law would make it a crime to preach on Romans Chapter 1 or I Corinthians Chapter 6. Or even to discuss them in a Sunday School class.

If churches and individuals want to keep the government from telling them what they can and cannot preach and teach about homosexuality, they better get involved now!

House bill H.R. 1592 and Senate bill S. 1105 would make negative statements concerning homosexuality, such as calling the practice of homosexuality a sin from the pulpit, a “hate crime” punishable by law. This dangerous legislation would take away your freedom of speech and your freedom of religion.

Wildmon’s email provides hyperlinks for the text “Senate bill S.1105,” but in an act of abject cowardice, he doesn’t link to the text of the bill. Instead, he links to his own web site. Why? Because if anyone actually read the bill itself, they’d know that everything he says in this email is a bold-faced lie.

But here’s the best part. (And this is where the parody kicks in.) He wants you to take action by signing a petition. But be careful how you do it (as “reported” by Baptists for Brownback):

Christians ONLY Click Here

Only your first and last name and zip code will be included. DO NOT type anything Pro-Homosexual, Anti-AFA, or anything against the Bill in The slot for the FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, or ZIP CODE BECAUSE CONGRESS WILL ACTUALLY SEE AND BE ABLE TO READ ANY Pro-Homosexual, Anti-AFA in formation in that part.

Again, if you CLICK ON THE LINK you CAN SIGN THE PETITION. BUT BE SURE NOT TO ACCIDENTILY TYPE ANYTHING PRO-HOMOSEXUAL, ANTI-AFA in the those spots because it WILL RUIN THE EFFECT OF THE AFA MESSAGE.

Okay, so it’s a parody. But think about it. It could work, couldn’t it?

Comments

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Lynn David
June 16th, 2007 | LINK

The former Christian in me still has a angry reaction to those who call themselves the more perfect of Christians, honest defenders of the faith, and yet do find it necessary to lie for their supposed savior and faith.

Hypocrisy, they name is Wildmon [and various other 'Family' proponents].

Samantha Davis
June 17th, 2007 | LINK

Something in me thinks that it’s a trick. They probably strip anti-AFA stuff from the petition and just say that the congresscritters can read it in order to trick people like you and me into giving them an extra signature.

rmthunter
June 17th, 2007 | LINK

Just put your real message in the first and last name blanks. All they’ll have left if they’re stripping those out will be zip codes (which must be numeric).

Kevin
June 17th, 2007 | LINK

ahhh…”christians only”…which I’m assuming means only those who profess to lie and bear false witness as a foundation to their spiritual journey.

The American “Family” Association has become such a clown act that I fully expect them to soom upstage any entertainment Ringling Bros. could ever produce.

Do the Wildmon’s actually belong to a denomination? Or are they just another con-artist con-servative political action committee masquerading as the sole representatives of God?

cooner
June 17th, 2007 | LINK

Hmmmm. I’d love to go and screw with their petition, although again, that warning sounds a little fishy … If he’s speaking to the Believers already, why would he be warning them not to “accidentally” type anything pro-gay, anti-AFA in the Name slots …?

I’m all confused now.

Jim Burroway
June 17th, 2007 | LINK

cooner,

Follow your suspicions. It turns out it’s a parody.

Michael Ditto
June 17th, 2007 | LINK

In reality all it does is let them say they have one more signature, and unless some poor sap working in a congressional office actually goes through the whole list (which they don’t), they too will just assume the signature is valid.

JOHN ROBERTS
June 18th, 2007 | LINK

where in the gospel does it say, that we are to put standing on our beliefs about sin(according to our interpretation of scripture) above the fellowship of walking in the light. particularly, when we have not tested those beliefs, with a 1john1 witness with our homosexuals brothers in christ, with whom we share the same inheritance.

Lynelle
June 19th, 2007 | LINK

There is a new Action Alert this morning. We are supporting the AFA in writing letters to Presdeint George Bush about the CDC paying for sex changes and beauty contests for drag queens.

We must pull together to stop the liberals from spending our tax dollars on perversion parties and sin.

God Bless!

Lynelle :-)

ps… There is still a picture of a 1/2 naked homosexual on your site – top left corner. Homosexual activists must have hacked into your site. I thought you would want to know so you could take it down.

John
June 24th, 2007 | LINK

Well, I never thought this would happen, but the AFA has actually slightly changed the wording in their “Action Alert” on the hate crimes bill. I had written the AFA a letter pointing out what I believed was incorrect information they posted about the bill; and I’m sure they received a ton of feedback, especially after Snopes.com started calling their work the stuff of urban legend.

But I checked back on the AFA’s website today. Most of the Action Alert is identical, yet there has been a subtle change in words. Consider the following excerpts taken from the Action Alert on June 18 (I’ve boldfaced the words that have changed):

A bill in Congress makes it a crime for pastors and churches to speak against homosexuality.

The proposed law would make it a crime to preach on Romans Chapter 1 or I Corinthians Chapter 6. Or even to discuss them in a Sunday School class.

Senate bill S. 1105 would make negative statements concerning homosexuality, such as calling the practice of homosexuality a sin from the pulpit, a ‘hate crime’ punishable by law.

As of five minutes ago, the Action Alert now reads:

A bill in Congress could make it a crime for pastors and churches to speak against homosexuality.

The proposed law could make it a crime to preach on Romans Chapter 1 or I Corinthians Chapter 6. Or even to discuss them in a Sunday School class.

Senate bill S. 1105 could make negative statements concerning homosexuality, such as calling the practice of homosexuality a sin from the pulpit, a ‘hate crime’ punishable by law.

So I think the changed text is still ignorant and fear-motivated… but, hey, at least it’s no longer an outright lie. I must admit that I’m quite encouraged; the efforts of everyone who wrote to AFA, blogged about it, or contributed to the Snopes.com work should be thanked.

And thanks to AFA for reconsidering their facts and words. Here’s hoping they continue to reconsider things…

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