Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJuly 16th, 2008
As we’ve shown you before, Randy Thomasson and the Campaign for Children and Families are not likely to go down in history as great thinkers of our generation. I’d go so far as to say that they’re downright loony.
Now it seems that the backers of Proposition 8 want nothing to do with them as well.
Thomasson and CCF were not backers of the current proposition to ban marriage but instead supported an alternate proposition that banned civil unions as well. Their initiative did not get enough signatures, but while it lasted they said unkind things about what is now Proposition 8.
But now Thomasson and CCF want to jump on the band-wagon. And the backers of Proposition 8 are trying to force them out. Publicly.
Law.com reports on efforts to get CCF to shut up and go away.
In a short brief filed Thursday, Folsom, Calif., lawyer Andrew Pugno, counsel for ProtectMarriage.com, argued that rather than back Prop 8, the CCF actively campaigned against it for years in favor of another amendment that would have sharply curtailed all gay rights.
“Only now that the act has qualified for the ballot as Proposition 8 do proposed intervenors support it,” Pugno wrote. “Against this backdrop, there is significant concern that the presence of [the CCF] in this action will substantially interfere with real parties’ ability to effectively defend Proposition 8.”
In an interview Monday, Pugno referred to the CCF as “extremists” who want to go beyond the issue of marriage and “strip away gay rights” of any kind.
Well, Pugno certainly knows Thomasson and his goals. But I would say the differences between them are only a matter of degrees.
(hat tip Good-As-You)
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Richard Rush
July 16th, 2008
I think it’s our job to help keep loons like Thomasson portrayed as the voice of Christianity in front of the general public.
Samantha Davis
July 16th, 2008
Don’t you mean the voice of the radical Christianists?
Richard Rush
July 16th, 2008
“Don’t you mean the voice of the radical Christianists?”
It may feel comforting for moderate Christians to view “radical Christianists” as substantially different from themselves. But I think all variations of Christianity are built upon the same delusional foundation. Once you truly believe in the existence of gods, virgin birth, resurrection, heaven, hell, saviours, and salvation, etc., it really is not that much of a leap to becoming a fundamentalist (&/or a “radical Christianist”). The moderate Christians make it possible for the radicals to exist in such large numbers.
I might feel somewhat differently if I heard the moderates forcefully countering the radicals. But what I do hear forcefully every day are the voices of the radicals.
Virtually 100% of our organized opposition is Christian based. They are motivated, loud, well funded, and persistent. And those we consider our moderate Christian allies are, for the most part, unmotivated, quiet, and unorganized for any significant action on our behalf.
So, if the moderates don’t like the loud loony Thomasson being the voice of Christianity, then let them speak up so we hear a different voice.
Jarred
July 17th, 2008
I find myself wondering if “they’ll hurt our message” is a valid legal argument to prevent a group like the CCF from supporting your cause.
Jarred
July 17th, 2008
Richard:
Moderate Christians have spoken up and some of us have heard their voice. If memory serves, BTB (or was it XGW?) has posted statements from at least two different Mainstream Protestant churches praising the California Supreme Court’s decision in favor of marriage equality. And there are strong pushes in several of these denominations for full inclusion and respect for gay people going on.
If you’re basing your opinion of the moderate Christians’ vocal support of the GLBT community and our fight for full quality soley on the fact that they haven’t amy massive political organizations like the AFA or the CCF, then I might suggest that you don’t understand the way they operate or the reasons for it. Instead of forming their own organizations, they would prefer to get involved with the HRC and already pre-existing gay rights advocacy groups. And indeed, many moderate Christians have done exactly that.
Selly
July 17th, 2008
Thanks Jarred, my thoughts exactly.
And I should add that as far as I can tell, quiet a few, if not most readers/commenters on BTB(including the editors?)are what you would call moderate Christians or some sort of Christians.
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