Dan Savage, founder of the It Gets Better project, commented today on the four-year old who was filmed singing “Ain’t no homos gonna make it to heaven,” in an Indiana church, as The New Civil Rights Movement reported today. The church is the Apostolic Truth Tabernacle in Greensburg, Indiana.
WATCH: 4-Year Old Sings ‘Ain’t No Homos Gonna Make It To Heaven’ In Church
In, “O They Will Know We Are Christians…,” Savage writes:
The Apostolic Truth Tabernacle is in Greensburg, Indiana. That’s the town where Billy Lucas was bullied to death for being perceived to be gay by his classmates. I wonder if they stood up and cheered at Apostolic Truth Tabernacle when Lucas died—hey, another homo in hell. I wonder if any of Lucas’s tormenters attend services at Apostolic Truth Tabernacle. And remember: I’m an anti-Christian bully for pointing out the connection between what straight kids are taught about “homos” in the shithole mega-churches they’re dragged to by their parents and what they turn around and do to “homos” they encounter in classrooms. And what if that precocious little four-year-old singer is gay?
Praise the Lord and pass the barf bags.
Savage, of course, is referring to Billy Lucas, who was one of almost a dozen youth and teen suicides in September of 2010. And he’s absolutely right: “what if that precocious little four-year-old singer is gay?”
Parents who teach their children hate are the ones who aren’t going to make it into any heaven I can conceive.
Take a look at the video of the four-year old singing “Ain’t no homos gonna make it to heaven,” if you can.
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{ 7 comments }
this church is sick, I am sure what they are teaching here is against the law, I wonder why no one has opened a case against them under the new anti hate laws.
If this is the American form of being a Christian, then one can understand that the USA is Satan's country
Debatable. As in any large organized religion, there are at least two major factions among Christians: the Dominiationists and the Reclamationists/Apologists/Originists. There's an excellent book for more detail on that subject (http://savingparadise.net/) but the gist is that this divide has been entrenched in Christianity for a long time, possibly since its founding if we accept the argument that Charlemagne invented Christianity as a political tool. The thing which saddens me is this, if said argument is accepted, then folks like Apostolic Truth Tabernacle or Westboro Baptist ARE true Christians, following a tradition closer to the founding ideals of Christianity. Which is why I claim to be a Reclamationist. There has always been a battle for the soul of Christianity and it is particularly poignant in relation to civil rights.
That said, the other bit that got to me is the title of Savage's blog post. To finish the reference, the song says "And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love." Hymns are an expression of consensus in Christianity. Apostolic Truth Temple may be singing "ain't no homo going to heaven", but in my congregation alone, at least three gay people are published hymn composers.
Ignorant religious bigots that deserve to be put on the No Fly LIst for domestic terrorism.
Why is it that behavior that would be severely punished in any sane, normal country, becomes immediately untouchable the moment you utter the word "religion?" This insanity that is consuming this country truly is a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card.
I have sent the following to WNC Pride, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the New Civil Rights Movement and the Christian Left in response to the Kansas preacher who is calling for death for gay folkes.
Contact everyone that you think will listen and tell them that we are launching a national effort to hold accountable in law any preacher who preaches this hatred to this extent "if anyone is harmed and or,God forbid,murdered becuase of the incendiary speech of any person religious or otherwise" we will ask the local authorities to prosecute them as an accessory to injury and or murder". The First Amendment does not support the legality of such speech. If the local authorities will not prosecute then we will demand the Department of Justice of the Federal government to do so. Next we will inform all clergy of this campaign to hold them accountable for such incendiary and violent speech! I am very serious about this will you join us and help spread the word!
Dan Savage isn't a bully for pointing out the flaws in heavily funded churches that function more like businesses anyway.
He's a bully for being a venomous, antagonistic speaker who'd much rather fight hate with more hatred than try and reach any sort of understanding or compromise. Granted, he's recent behavior (the dinner invite) shows a bit of a change, but we'll see how long it lasts.
As for this…Yeah. Hate starts at home. The smart money says that kid has no clue what the word homo means, or any feelings towards the matter.
Someone needs to compile all these wonderful hate videos and buy some TV time to show them across the country just to remind those few remaining Christian denominations that haven't pissed their brains down the toilet what is being said in their name or the name of their so-called Savior. It's time for all Christians to be held accountable for what others say in the name of their so-called Savior. Every Christian who does not condemn such actions is in a sense saying that this is an accurate portrayal of Jesus's teachings. I'm sorry, but I am beginning to doubt that any Christians are really on our side. The ones who claim to be make Spiro Agnew's silent majority look like all night ravers!
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