Anti-Gay Fervor in Uganda Tied to Right-Wing US Evangelicals

[L0oniX]

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/10/21/anti_gay_fervor_in_uganda_tied

<snip>Human rights activists in Uganda are warning that the lives of gay people are in danger after a newspaper published a front-page story featuring the names and photographs of what it called Uganda’s 100 "top" gays and lesbians alongside a yellow banner that read "Hang Them." We look at the ties of the anti-gay movement in Uganda to the far-right evangelical movement here in the United States with Jeff Sharlet, author of C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy.

<snip>JEFF SHARLET:
OK, this is what’s going on in Uganda, this is sort of the nightmare scenario—I followed it back to the United States and in the US armed forces, where groups linked to the Family—not the same as the Family—but that’s where you see the real flowering of a kind of a militarized, politicized fundamentalism, that leads you into situations where you have something like the 15,000-strong Officers’ Christian Fellowship. This is not fringe.

These are officers defining their mission as reclaiming territory for Christ in the military, not allowing the opposition—this is how they put it—not allowing the opposition, all of which is spearheaded by Satan, to stand in their way.

<snip>starts in this little townhouse on C Street, that expands out into the world through the efforts of men like Senator Inhofe and Senator Coburn, reaches its worst scenario in Uganda

UNFUCKING BELIEVABLE!!!!! "C" FUCKING STREET???? WTF

[sakabatou]

1. No surprise

[laconicsax]

2. IIRC, Rick Warren's behind it as well.

[QC]

3. Shhhh! We're not supposed to talk about that! n/t

[laconicsax]

4. Why not? After all, isn't it just a "two-minute prayer?"

[QC]

6. Or he's only going to sing one song. One or the other.

Sometimes I get them mixed up.

[laconicsax]

8. It was probably just a poor choice of words. n/t

[QC]

10. And, you know, lifestyle choices do have consequences. n/t

[Bluebear]

15. Listen, we have to respect ALL views at the table.

Even those who want to kill gays. :silly:

[laconicsax]

16. Right! We should respect Obama for considering views counter to his party's platform.

Anyone who thinks otherwise must want Palin in the White House.

[muffin1]

22. You can disagree without being disagreeable

even when discussing Human Rights! :D

[Hannah Bell]

24. exactly. i mean, if we called them murdering hypocrites, it would be rude & unprofessional.

the cardinal sins.

[Shallah Kali]

12. Yep him and Scott Lively & Lou Engle & others in NAR

Globalizing the Culture Wars: US Conservatives, African Churches, & Homophobia

sexual minorities in Africa have become collateral damage to our domestic conflicts and culture wars. U.S. conservative evangelicals and those opposing gay pastors and bishops within mainline Protestant denominations woo Africans in their American fight:
http://www.publiceye.org/publications/globalizing-the-culture-wars/index.php

Lou Engle Supports Principled Stand of Ugandan Anti-Gay Bill Promoters
http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/sarahposner/2836/engle_supports_%22principled_stand%22_of_ugandan_anti-gay_bill_promoters

Lou Engle Only One of Many of Sen. Brownback's New Apostolic Reformation Apostle Problems
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/10/17/11135/471/Front_Page/_Lou_Engle_Only_One_of_Many_of_Sen_Brownback_s_NAR_Apostle_Problems

Transforming Uganda - video
http://www.vimeo.com/8749833

Bios of American and Ugandan Leaders in "Transforming Uganda"
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/10/14/213822/52

Six Reasons Americans Should Care About What Is Happening In Uganda
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/10/14/154827/99

Resource Directory for the New Apostolic Reformation
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/1/20/131544/037

Sam Brownback Under Fire For Ties To Controversial Evangelist Lou Engle
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/10/12/192218/65

. GOP's New Prayer Guru Lou Engle Helping Incite Near-Genocidal Anti-Gay Hated in Uganda
http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/04/24/gops-new-prayer-guru-helping-incite-near-genocidal-antigay-hatred-in-uganda/

Elite Fundamentism - The Fellowship's gospel of Capitalist Power
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/religionreport/stories/2008/2353921.htm

Jeff Sharlet: Yes, exactly, and in fact they latched on to Museveni after Siad Barre the former dictator of Somalia died, and that was a relationship they'd forged through Senator Chuck Grassley, the conservative Republican from Iowa and still in office in the United States, and he went to see Siad Barre who was Muslim, and he said, 'Look, I want to talk to you', Barre had been a Soviet client and now he was looking to switch sides. He said, 'I want to talk to you, I can arrange meetings for you with the Pentagon, but first we need to talk about Jesus, we need to pray.' And these dictators were no dummies, they understood that the price was being exacted, which was an ideological one, a theological one, and guys like Soeharto, of course Muslim as well, were more than happy to pray to Jesus in exchange for this massive military aid. Museveni is really only the latest of these characters, who, it's pretty transparent the relationship. I write in the book about Museveni makes friends with a major family businessman, a guy named Dennis Bakke, who was at the time the CEO of AES, one of the largest energy corporations in the world, at a mid-'90s National Prayer Breakfast, and then gives Bakke a new big contract for a $500-million hydroelectric dam, which Uganda doesn't need. Well everybody's making money, they all think they're doing God's work, and they're being supported effectively by the American government, which is sort of subsidizing this kind of thing.

Stephen Crittenden: Just going back to Uganda, one public policy outcome of this connection with President Museveni is that through him, they were able to export a Christian fundamentalist abstinence program into Uganda's policy about how to deal with AIDS. In the 1990s Uganda was being held up for its ABC policy, Abstinence, Be faithful, use a Condom. Ten years later, the results are very poor.

Jeff Sharlet: It's one of the most dismaying tragedies in the fight against AIDS. Uganda was a country that had really turned around. It had a high AIDS rate, and through using this program had turned it around, had actually successfully rolled back the AIDS rate. But because it became so enmeshed with the American Christian Right, and the American Christian Right is part of President Bush's AIDS program, was able to put pressure on these countries to drop the 'C' from the ABC. So they still want Abstinence, they believe in abstinence, but they don't want Condoms. And indeed Uganda backed very sharply away from condoms, and as predictably as any scientist could have told you, the AIDS rate skyrocketed, and people are dying again. And the most horrifying part about that, for some of these people, that's not a problem. I spoke to Senator Sam Brownback about this, who has worked actually with Senator Clinton to change the laws governing US foreign aid to make it so that we can't give money to any organisation that works with prostitutes. The example Brownback's Chief Legislative Director gave me, he said he would rather a Thai prostitute die of AIDS than have her soul imperilled by using a condom. And it's just an absolutely horrifying vision of what the Gospel says.



God and the Fight Against AIDS
April 28, 2005
Helen Epstein
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2005/apr/28/god-and-the-fight-against-aids/?pagination=false

The Less They Know, the Better
Abstinence-Only HIV/AIDS Programs in Uganda
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/uganda0305/index.htm

[struggle4progress]

17. Rick Warren Denounces Uganda's Anti-Gay Bill (2009)

By Howard Chua-Eoan Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009

... "As an American pastor," Warren said in his statement, "it is not my role to interfere with the politics of other nations, but it is my role to speak out on moral issues." He told the Ugandan pastors that the bill was "unjust, extreme and un-Christian toward homosexuals." The bill's requirement that Ugandans report any meeting with homosexuals to authorities, he said, would hinder the ministry of the church and force homosexuals who are HIV positive underground. He also defended the timing of his denunciation. "Because I didn't rush to make a public statement," he said, "some erroneously concluded that I supported this terrible bill, and some even claimed I was a sponsor of the bill. You in Uganda know that this is untrue." He added, "I oppose the criminalization of homosexuality" ...

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1946921,00.html

I'm not fond of Warren -- who once once gave W an "International Peace" medal (WTF!) -- but perhaps we can think more clearly about issues if we keep our facts straight

[QC]

19. Do you remember how hard he had to be pressured to denounce that bill?

[struggle4progress]

21. The day he first crossed my radar screen he flew himself straight into my circular file

He strikes me as a shameless self-promoter and suck-up to establishment folk

I'll happily to tip my hat to whoever had the patience to pester that statement from him, but I'll take his statement at face value, unless someone provides evidence and good reason for a contrary attitude towards it

I don't claim his statement shows Warren to be a great hero; I think it mainly reveals a bit about where the right-centrists now are on such topics

Still, I say a careful regard for actual facts is likely to produce a more accurate and useful analysis, than one gets from a sloppy attitude

[QC]

23. It's unfortunate, if unsurprising, that you are willing to take his statement at face value.

Truth is, Rick Warren helped stoke the fire but then backed off once things got hot.

Warren compared homosexuality to pedophilia while visiting Uganda, where he is highly respected, where he also stated that there should be no human right to homosexual expression. ("We shall not tolerate this aspect at all.")

Warren has invited his friend Martin Ssempa (of Eat Da Poo Poo fame) to speak at one of his conferences.

Simply put, Rick Warren is in this up to his neck, and now that there is an actual pogrom underway, inspired by his own teachings, he seeks to wash his hands of his own deeds, like Pontius Pilate.

[struggle4progress]

30. Well, I do appreciate the links, but I will reiterate my view that accuracy matters a great deal

The link you title Warren compared homosexuality to pedophilia while visiting Uganda actually says "... Warren ... visited in 2008 and has compared homosexuality to pedophilia," which doesn't seem quite to say what you say it says


If I follow your link there should be no human right to homosexual expression. ("We shall not tolerate this aspect at all.") it takes me an an article at scienceblogs

More on Rick Warren and Anti-Gay Views
Posted on: December 29, 2008 9:16 AM, by Ed Brayton
... Richard Bartholomew, a regular commenter here at Dispatches, also wrote earlier this year on Talk2Action about Warren's support for the Nigerian Anglicans in their battle to fight against gay rights, quoting a Nigerian newspaper:
Dr Warren said that homosexuality is not a natural way of life and thus not a human right. "We shall not tolerate this aspect at all," Dr Warren said ... http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/12/more_on_rick_warren_and_antiga.php

and if I follow the link to Talk2Action, I obtain

Ugandan Media: Rick Warren Denounces Gay Rights
Richard Bartholomew
Sun Mar 30, 2008 at 05:48:25 AM EST
The Kampala Monitor reports:
Dr <Rick> Warren said that homosexuality is not a natural way of life and thus not a human right. "We shall not tolerate this aspect at all," Dr Warren said ... http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/3/30/54825/1882

and if I follow the link back from there to the allAfrica site where the Monitor article is supposedly archived, I find

Uganda: Gay Row - U.S. Pastor Supports Country On Boycott
Evelyn Lirri
29 March 2008
Kampala — FAMED American pastor, Dr Rick Warren has said he supports the decision by Ugandan bishops to boycott the forthcoming Lamebth conference in England, United Kingdom. The conference brings together Bishops of the Anglican Communion from all 38 Provinces of the Communion every 10 years ... http://allafrica.com/stories/200803281265.html

and couldn't get the rest without a subscription

I see no reason to question the direct quote I have from scienceblogs -- but it is rather limited ("We shall not tolerate this aspect at all"), everything else being paraphrase. Having wasted hundreds of hours of my life during the Bush era tracking down full statements when the press reported only a sentence taken out of context, I'm today thoroughly skeptical of paraphrases, and single sentence quotes: I really much prefer to see several paragraphs of a person's quote

I do think it useful to attempt to work out the structure of rightwing hate-mongering, and you have adequately documented that Warren has moved in those circles. I am not yet convinced his exact contribution is what you claim it is: I do think we can say at this point that Warren clearly has contributed to rightwing efforts to split the Anglican communion over gay issues, and I do find reprehensible

[Hannah Bell]

32. warren & his church are very involved in the situation in uganda, &

he didn't condemn the "kill the gays" thing until he was called out repeatedly.

it was discussed in detail here at the time, & on rachel maddow.

[QC]

33. Do you have a notarized affadavit in which Rick Warren claims sole responsibility

for the whole African homophobia thing?

Because only that will do. We must be careful not to take even the slightest chance of inaccuracy where Warren is concerned.

[Hannah Bell]

34. i don't, unfortunately. but it is interesting that saddleback is focused on uganda

(HQ for the control centers of the ongoing congo resource war) & rwanda.

"Thy Will Be Done" is an interesting read about the uses of religion (funded by the super-rich) for intelligence-gathering, population control & manipulation, resource-scouting, & the like:

"In 1976, reporters Gerard Colby and Charlotte Dennett traveled to Brazil as part of a journalistic team to write stories about the work of Christian missionaries in the Amazon basin. High on Colby and Dennett's list of priorities was to learn about a mysterious missionary organization called the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). This outfit, also known as the Wycliffe Bible Translators, had gotten kudos from both conservatives and liberals for translating the Bible into hundreds of indigenous languages in Central and South America and helping native peoples cope with the intrusion of Western civilization into their lives.

However, Colby and Dennett had heard of a darker side to SIL. Numerous critics had alleged that SIL was the vanguard of the destruction of both the rainforests and their native inhabitants. They had heard from Latin American acquaintances that SIL was, in military fashion, a scouting party that surveyed the Amazonian hinterlands for potential sources of opposition to natural resource exploitation (read cattle ranching, clearcutting and strip mining) among native peoples and that it employed a virulent brand of Christian fundamentalism that relied on linguistics to undermine the social cohesion of aboriginal communities and accelerate their assimilation into Western culture. In addition to all this, numerous articles in the Latin American press accused 511. of being funded by the American intelligence community."

http://www.cephas-library.com/church_n_state_rockefeller_and_evangelism.html


Warren graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary, notable for being the largest such institute in the world & graduates with intelligence/right-wing funding connections, e.g. Bill Bright & Campus Crusade for Christ.

[struggle4progress]

39. There is an earlier and very detailed book on Wycliff/SIL:

Fishers of Men or Founders of Empire
The Wycliff Bible Translators in Latin America
David Stoll
Zed Press: London
Cultural Survival: Cambridge
1982

This text begins with Guatemala in the 1930s and contains extensive discussion of Peru and Colombia, as well as briefer examination of many other countries. It is notable for its focus on what/where/when detail of Wycliff/SIL activities

[Hannah Bell]

40. thanks for the reference.

[struggle4progress]

35. You seem to think I'm contesting "he didn't condemn .. called out repeatedly," but

if you reread this subthread carefully, you'll see I haven't contested that at all: in #21, I said "I'll happily to tip my hat to whoever had the patience to pester that statement from him" -- which means, in particular, I'm perfectly willing to agree that "he didn't condemn .. called out repeatedly," and which also means that I have some respect for whoever did the dull work necessary to get Warren to condemn "killing the gays"

I think info in links reachable from QC's prior post have enough keep Warren off any future Democratic Presidential inauguration platform: I expect if more of us had been better informed in early January 2008, we'd have been able to kick him off the inauguration schedule then

Nevertheless, such fights generally must be fought precisely and accurately

[Hannah Bell]

36. ok, my misread, then.

[krabigirl]

20. yep.

[DirkGently]

5. Sharlet is sounding an important alarm on this subject. Few seem to be listening.

[L0oniX]

7. Subversion of the military and government...

...and another country.

[Raksha]

9. No, it's not "The Family" per se--it's the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR),

named by Rick Warren's faculty advisor, C. Peter Wagner. These people are hardcore Christian Reconstructionists--the most dangerous kind of fundamentalists. Their idea of "tranforming Uganda" (and eventually the world) is to turn it into a theocracy based on their version of "biblical law."

This linkage can't be made too often, and I'm glad to see the story finally getting some legs on DU.

[leftstreet]

11. I don't think they believe any of this shit. They're just cheap soldiers

The leaders of these groups (Rick Warren types) know they're being used for political instability and resource grabbing.

Their whacked out followers might believe this crap, but so much the better for western capitalists.

:puke:

[Hannah Bell]

25. +100. which is why these phony churches are in all the hotspots in africa.

i've always though warren's history fit the "intelligence" profile. it wouldn't be the first time.

[Shallah Kali]

14. It's both. there is overlap between the groups as with brownback hanging with Engle (NAR), lived at

C Street (The Family) and is an Opus Dei catholic - God's Senator - Rolling Stone mag: http://web.archive.org/web/20080302184819/http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/9178374/gods_senator

[Raksha]

18. I stand corrected - you're right about the overlap between the groups.

I read the article more carefully after I posted my note, and it clarified the relationships for me. NAR, C Street and Opus Dei...the common denominator and common cause is that all of them have a profound distrust of the masses. They believe ordinary citizens need to be controlled by a self-proclaimed spiritual elite, who also just "happen" to be the political and economic elite as well--or in league with them. In other words, the common denominator is an obsession with control and a hatred of democracy.

[Shallah Kali]

41. theocratic authoritarians who, lucky them, conviently turn out to be the chosen ones

it makes sense that these groups would overlap and work together to try to take over. after all they can always turn on each other once they have a full grip on the government and with their egotism tinged with a god complex each must figure they are the ones who will ultimately come out on top of it all in the end after they crush the demon hosting unbelievers.

[donheld]

13. And we wonder why we have a bully problem

:nuke:

[Initech]

26. Seriously. The Xtian right should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.

[Starry Messenger]

27. These threads always get ignored by the people

who screamed two years ago that RICK WARREN ISN'T THAT IMPORTNAT!!111 So telling, isn't it?

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Hannah Bell]

29. lol. i need to weigh in on that one.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Starry Messenger]

37. Maybe this thread is why it went up. n/t

[QC]

38. Could be! n/t

[lightningandsnow]

42. You know this is a part of colonialism, right?

What the colonial project does is not only force Christianity on people, but enforce strict gender and sexual norms.

It's not enough to place the blame on extreme right-wingers. White European colonizers have blood on their hands. We need to decolonize, and participate in anti-racist work.