|| News ||
Page 1 of 1

Christians Against Antigay Ugandan Bill


Uganda signatures x390 (photos.com) | Advocate.com

Organized by Faith in Public Life and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, Christian leaders from across denominations united on Monday to denounce the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda.

"Our Christian faith recognizes violence, harassment and unjust treatment of any human being as a betrayal of Jesus' commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves," reads the statement, reports USA Today.

Signatories include the Reverend Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Bryan N. Massingale, president of the Catholic Theological Society of America; evangelical activist Brian McLaren; Jim Winkler, general secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society; and Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners.

Thomas P. Melady, the former U.S. ambassador to Uganda and the Vatican, also signed the joint statement and offered his criticism of the bill.

"This bill is an affront to human dignity and offensive to Christians around the world who take seriously Christ's command to love our neighbors as ourselves. I'm proud to stand with other people of faith who believe our values compel us to speak out against this profound injustice," added Melady, according to Christian organization Faith in Public Life.

While gay acts are already illegal in Uganda, the bill would create a new crime of “aggravated homosexuality” that would be punishable by death. The provision defines “aggravated homosexuality” as having same-sex relations repeatedly, with disabled people or individuals under 18 years of age, or when the accused is HIV-positive.

The law would also make the “promotion of homosexuality,” including publishing information or providing funds for activities, a crime that could result in up to seven years in prison.

Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Facebook. Page 1 of 1
Reader Comments
  • Name: GayElephant
    Date posted: 12/9/2009 4:54:15 PM
    Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

    Comment:

    To be honest Davya since I do not watch Fox News that much (I leave my tv on that channel when I'm doing something else) I did however come to find out that BBC, ABC, CBS, Rick Sanchez, Wolf Blitzer, Red Eye, Shepard Smith, and O'reilly did talked about, however none of them did express any type of conspiracy theory from the "Family", although O'reilly (which I did watch myself) did mention it a bit in his culture wars segment and blamed it (rightly so) on the islamo-fascists and the extremist anti-western government.

  • Name: Luke
    Date posted: 12/9/2009 9:12:20 AM
    Hometown: Florence

    Comment:

    In this case, in this instance, at this particular moment, a very specific group of Christians is doing the right thing. We should definitely reward positive behavior with positive reinforcement and applaud and thank them for having taken this stand and for recognizing a basic truth of their Christ's teachings. We should also keep in mind that in most other cases, in most other instances, at most other moments, the vast majority of Christians have been our enemies sometimes only in debates but at other times mortal enemies. Take allies where we can find them for each individual battle, but never forget who our enemies are.

  • Name: Jim Beam
    Date posted: 12/9/2009 7:09:45 AM
    Hometown: Manchester

    Comment:

    High five Raul for making me laugh!

  • Name: Davya
    Date posted: 12/9/2009 4:24:48 AM
    Hometown: Wynnewood, PA

    Comment:

    Yes we should be thanking them for standing up. And we should also be thanking them for preaching homosexuality as a mortal sin- the exact attitude that led to so much Ugandan support for this bill, both grassroots and governmental. While I agree, friend, that we should collaborate, we should make the causes of this human rights violation the important argument. Also, we should be praising those christians who are against the aforementioned dogma that encourage homophobic tendencies in third world Christian countries (such as OtherSheep ministries, for example, www.othersheep.org, the Anglican Church, the Unitarian Universalist Church, the national Catholic Church of liberation theology, the Swedish Church, the ELCA). And, GayElephant, btw, name me one other newsreporter who covered the causes of the Ugandan bill. While you may not agree with everything she says, at least agree with acute reporting (Fox news? Yeeeeahhhh....CNN? yeaahhhhh.....)

  • Name: Rob K
    Date posted: 12/9/2009 3:34:48 AM
    Hometown: San Francisco, CA

    Comment:

    Kudos to the Christian leaders. The LGBT Community should be thanking them for standing up, even though we don't always agree.

  • Name: Raul
    Date posted: 12/9/2009 1:32:20 AM
    Hometown: El Paso

    Comment:

    God, I hope the name GayElephant implies that you are morbidly obese...

  • Name: AAKreger
    Date posted: 12/9/2009 1:07:16 AM
    Hometown: Iowa City

    Comment:

    I don't understand... if Christians are preaching that they should love their neighbors... then shouldn't they be loving us? The ones here in America? Their ACTUAL neighbors?

  • Name: GayElephant
    Date posted: 12/8/2009 11:36:23 PM
    Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

    Comment:

    "Christians against Antigay Ugandan Bill? No. No. This cannot be true! Don't believe this my gaybots!" - Rachel Madcow, MSDNC, as her head explodes in front of her audience (all 14 of them and this board) and Keith Olbermann is sadden that Rachel can no longer massage his... ego.

  • Name: newz4i
    Date posted: 12/8/2009 11:32:10 PM
    Hometown: Phoenix

    Comment:

    Noticeably absent: Rick Warren - Saddleback Church

  • Name: Chris Gray
    Date posted: 12/8/2009 11:15:25 PM
    Hometown: Kansas City

    Comment:

    BOYCOTT UGANDAN COFFEE. Coffee is Uganda's largest export product. Read www.conversiontherapy.blogspot.com for information and details regarding this boycott. Or read the thread on JointheImpact. How does Starbucks play a role? Dean & DeLuca, Millstone, and more. BOYCOTT UGANDAN COFFEE.



Don't Miss
  • Best of Broadway Smash: Why You Will Love It

    Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, two of the producers of NBC’s new critically acclaimed musical series, explain why the backstage drama of creating a musical about Marilyn Monroe has mass appeal and why big stars like Anjelica Huston, Uma Thurman, Bernadette Peters, and Nick Jonas were eager to appear in it.

  • Best of Broadway How Broadway Does a Flea Market

    Find out why actress Kathleen Chalfant calls the annual Flea Market and Grand Auction in Times Square "the most glamorous flea market you've ever seen." It raised half a million dollars to fight HIV/AIDS.

  • Travel Slideshow Flag Gayest Cities in America, 2012

    It's no secret that megalopolises New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles have robust LGBT life — and we've even heard tell of little queer hoods like the Castro and P-Town. This isn't that list.

 
 
Advocate Subscribe Promo Banner 300x50
 
Follow Us Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterSubscribe to our RSS feedsDownload our app
Facebook Activity
 
COVER 1055 X135 | ADVOCATE.COM
Today's Headlines