Organized Religion Isn't The Problem

One of the things that pisses me off as a liberal progressive Christian is hearing atheists and agnostic people on the left gleefully bashing religion.  It occurs every time some negativity makes the news concerning one of the world's religious faith traditions not living up to the lofty goals and ideals of it.  

Yes, they deserve to be called out on it when the fail to live up to the tenets of those faith traditions and it bugs me what so called Christians do in the name of my faith. 

But organized religion isn't the problem. It's the fundamentalist 'my way or your going to hell in the express lane' extremist strains of it that is the problem.

I'm more than a little sick of atheists, especially those on the liberal-progressive political side knee jerk bashing religion. You're failing to take into account that it's because of people like Dr King fortified by their religious faiths they have the human rights coverage they do today.
To give a knee jerk blanket condemnation of religion is disrespecting the work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa and countless other men and women of good will and various religious traditions who were motivated by the positive tenets and commandments of their respective faiths to do good for humanity and advance human rights.

And remember, some of these people not only gave their lives, but withstood beating, jail time and and hardships to do so based on their unshakeable beliefs that all humans are created equal.

It's not a smart political play to cede religion to our right wing opponents and make it easier for them to cast liberal progressive values as 'anti-religious', 'evil', and claim in their propaganda outlets that we have 'declared war on their faiths'.   All we are doing is pointing out their hypocrisy and demanding they live up to the values they claim to represent instead of using religion as a means to political power and justify greed is good Ayn Rand style laissez fair capitalism. 

Your over the top remarks bashing faith because of you personal issues with it makes their propaganda plausibly true to the unwashed Fox Noise watching masses and the persuadable folks in the middle.  

So I repeat, organized religion ain't the problem.   Focus your anger on the folks misrepresenting religion to pimp conservative policies and not your liberal progressive allies who are motivated by the tenets of their respective faiths to also work for the successful enactment of liberal progressive policies that benefit us all.

Puerto Rico Legislature Moving To Strip GLBT People From Hate Crimes Law

Frederick Douglass said the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, and what's going on in Puerto Rico is a prime example of it.

The Isle of Enchantment back in 2002 passed a hate crimes law that included gender identity and expression and sexual orientation language.  But possibly because of increasing conservative Roman Catholic and fundamentalist influence prosecutors have ignored the law.

Late last month the Puerto Rican Senate put a lump of coal in the GLBT community civil rights stocking by voting to strip sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ethnicity and religion language from the current statute but left the language covering political status, age and disability in it.

The measure is now in the Puerto Rican House of Representatives with Puerto Rico's governor Luis Fortuño (R) on record as saying he favors the current hate crimes law.

Of course the action of the Puerto Rican senate is causing an uproar on and off the island especially in light of the fact there have been 23 murders of trans and gay people and increased hate attacks aimed at the Puerto Rican rainbow community since 2009. 

"It’s an outrage and now we’re calling upon the House to restore this to where it should be,” said Pedro Julio Serrano of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Singer Ricky Martin, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Congressman Jose Serrano (D-IL) have blasted it as well. Congresswoman Velázquez, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and New York City Councilmembers Melissa Mark-Viverito, Rosie Mendez, Daniel Dromm and Jimmy Van Bramer urged lawmakers to reject the measure in a joint statement they issued on December 6.

Puerto Rican native Ricky Martin cited the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights when wrote on his blog "All citizens are equal under the law and have, without exception, the right to equal protection under the law." 


"To say this is appalling is an understatement," Congressman Serrano said, noting record homicide and other crime rates on the island. "Excluding more people from protections under the law is exactly the wrong thing to do, especially right now."


Damn skippy.  So people, time to get busy voicing your outrage and helping our peeps in Puerto Rico stop this attempt by bigots with legislative power to turn a just hate crimes law into an unjust one.

Pat Robertson...Wow

Just when Pat Robertson has a broken clock moment about legalizing marijuana, he reverts back to Shut Up Fool Lifetime Achievement award nomination form   But before I delve into his latest WTF moment, let me allow you TransGriot readers to peruse what he had to say during the 666 Club's (oops 700 Club's) December 28 broadcast about the repeal of marijuana laws.

"I believe that criminalizing marijuana, and the possession of a few ounces of pot is costing us a fortune," Robertson reasoned. "It's ruining young people, [who] go into prisons as youths and come out as hardened criminals, and that's not a good thing."




Like I said..a broken clock is right twice a day..

But the eyebrow raiser was Pat allegedly parting his lips to say that the recent 'snowpocalypse' that smacked the Northeast US and Atlantic coast was God's way of keeping gay activities from happening in the United States.

Rev. Robertson said, “Because of the bad road conditions the Almighty has made, any gay activities that people were planning on doing will have to be postponed by a day or two.”

…As for the millions of straight people in New York City who were also grounded by the bad weather, the televangelist said, “I think God probably wonders, if these people are really straight, then what are they doing in New York?”

Umm hmm.  Right Pat.  Explain all those gay couples stuck at home who were snuggled up under a warm blanket at home with hot chocolate or whatever alcohol du jour and ....

Well, you get the picture.

TransGriot Update:  Should have know something was up when I couldn't find the 666 Club video for the second one and the other comment allegedly attributed to Pat was from satirist Andy Borowitz.   Pat has said enough bizarre and foul stuff over the years to make him an easy target for satirist like Borowitz.