January 16, 2012

Contact: Peter LaBarbera; americansfortruth@gmail.com

Raleigh pastor Dr. Patrick Wooden rejects the comparison of black civil rights to sinful and unnatural homosexual behavior.

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – A coalition of African American pastors and pro-family Christian and Jewish leaders is holding a press conference at noon tomorrow (the day after Martin Luther King Day) outside the headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center — to protest the SPLC’s smearing of pro-family groups that oppose homosexual activism as “hate groups”:

WHERE:  Outside the SPLC headquarters, 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, Alabama

WHEN:  Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, noon, Central Standard (Montgomery, AL) Time

WHO:  Scheduled speakers:

• Peter LaBarbera, Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH), Chicago, IL (the SPLC has smeared AFTAH as a “hate group”);
• Dr. Patrick Wooden, pastor, Upper Room Church of God in Christ (COGIC), Raleigh, NC;
• DL Foster, founder, Gay Christian Movement Watch, Atlanta, GA;
• Matt Barber, Director of Cultural Affairs, Liberty Counsel, Lynchburg, VA;
• Tim Johnson, Fredrick Douglass Foundation, Washington, D.C.;
• Rachel Conner, representing Abiding Truth Ministries (smeared by SPLC as a “hate group”)
• Pastor Glen Sawyer, New Mt. Zion Church of God in Christ, Elizabeth City, NC
• Pastor Wil Nichols, Victorious Praise Fellowship COGIC, Durham, NC
• Pastor Jon Robinson, Kingdom C.O.M.E. Ministries, Clairton, PA
• Pastor Kenneth Jefferson, Greater Harvest COGIC

The following pro-family leaders and groups will issue supporting statements:

• Rabbi Yehuda Levin, Rabbinical Alliance of America;
• Laurie Higgins, Illinois Family Institute (smeared as “hate group”)
• Arthur Goldberg, author, “Light in the Closet: Torah, Homosexuality, and the Power to Change”;
• Linda Harvey, Mission America, Columbus, OH
• Brian Camenker, Mass Resistance, (smeared as “hate group”)

Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans For Truth, which is sponsoring the press event, recently interviewed Pastor Wooden, who said that the SPLC’s gambit of labeling mainstream pro-family groups that oppose homosexual activism as “hate groups” is seriously damaging the SPLC’s credibility. Wooden also debunked the “civil rights” analogy used by “gay” activists, saying it is wrong to compare “my beautiful blackness” with homosexual perversion.

LaBarbera said the SPLC is engaged in a thinly-veiled, one-sided campaign to demonize adherents of traditional Judeo-Christian morality. He noted that despite the considerable hatred and anti-Christian bigotry emanating from homosexual activists (e.g., Dan Savage’s vile hate-site, Santorum[dot]com), the SPLC has never labeled a “gay” organization or website as “hateful.”

Dr. Patrick Wooden, Sr., says the Southern Poverty Law Center is losing credibility by smearing pro-family groups opposed to the homosexual activist movement as "hate groups."

This is Part One of my interview [click HERE to listen] with Dr. Patrick Wooden, pastor at Upper Room Church of God in Christ, in Raleigh, NC. This interview was pre-recorded and aired January 14, 2012. Pastor Wooden will be leading a contingent of African American pastors at an AFTAH-sponsored press conference Tuesday, Jan. 17 outside of the headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, AL. The SPLC infamously labeled Americans For Truth and several other Christian pro-family groups as “hate groups” due to their strong opposition to the homosexual activist lobby. (Other groups smeared by the SPLC include Family Research Council, American Family Association and Scott Lively’s Abiding Truth Ministries.)

Wooden is a leader in the effort to preserve the definition of marriage constitutionally in North Carolina as one man, one woman — and he is regularly tarred as a “bigot” and “homophobe” by homosexual activists in his state. Here he debunks the LGBT analogy of “gay rights” to Black civil rights — affirming that there is no connection between “my beautiful blackness” and deviant sexual behavior condemned by God. (Last year, Wooden interviewed me at his church in Raleigh; go HERE and click link for the video, “Fighting Homosexuality in America.”) – Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Real Player is not supported and there may be difficulty when attempting to listen with it.  Left click once on the link below to play. (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show.

1-14-12, Patrick Wooden, Part One

Scott Lively addressing the AFTAH banquet in October. Lively received AFTAH's "Americans Truth Teller" award for 2011.

Part Five of the AFTAH interview [click HERE to listen] with Scott Lively of Defending the Family International.  This was pre-recorded and aired Dec. 3, 2011. Go to the AFTAH Radio Hour Archive for the rest of this very informative interview. In the course of AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera’s interview with Lively, the two discussed:

• The dire state of the American Christian Church vis-a-vis the aggressive movement to normalize homosexual behavior and gender confusion in the culture;
• The “terror” tactics and aggressive campaigns used by homosexual activists to intimidate good people into silence on this issue;
• Lively’s personal experience with the dirty tactics and lies used by radical LGBT activists against pro-family leaders attempting to stop the “gay” revolution (including one notorious fake “anti-gay hate crime” in Oregon). Lively more than almost any pro-family conservative alive today has experienced these tactics firsthand in more than 20 years of working on the front lines (here and abroad) against the homosexualist agenda;
• The futility of relying on politics and the courts to contain the advance of government-backed homosexuality — and how many “ministry-minded” or apathetic believers are woefully naive about the Culture War raging on this issue;
• The campaign of lies used by pro-homosexual militants (and repeated by the media) to smear Lively and others as allegedly supporting the murder of homosexuals in Uganda;
• The corruption of words by the pro-homosexual Left, including “gay,” “sexual orientation” and “marriage equality”;
• The appearance of PRO-homosexuality “evangelicals” like Grove City College’s Warren Throckmorton and Chicago’s Andrew Marin – who confuse Christians and undermine biblical truth on the issue by capitulating to pro-”gay” ideology and semantics;
• The connection of homosexuality and sexual deviance to the Nazi Party in Germany. (See Lively’s book, The Pink Swastika);
• The very real threat to religious liberty posed by the tremendous rise of homosexual (“gay”) power in the United States.

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Real Player is not supported and there may be difficulty when attempting to listen with it.  Left click once on the link below to play. (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show.

12-3-11, Scott Lively, Part Five

Prof. Ken Howell

Here is Part Two of our interview with Catholic Prof. Ken Howell, Senior Fellow in the School of Catholic Thought at the John Paul II Newman Center, located at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Howell was fired and then rehired last year by the University of Illinois (Champaign) after a “friend” of a student complained about an e-mail lesson he wrote on Natural Moral Law and homosexuality. A little known fact arising from the controversy is that Howell is no longer emplyed by the University of Illinois after a long stint there (thus, his liberal detractors were rewarded). In this interview, which aired November 12, 2011, Howell goes deeper into explaining Natural Law. You can listen to Part One HERE.

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Real Player is not supported and there may be difficulty when attempting to listen with it.  Left click once on the link below to play. (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show.

11-12-11, Ken Howell, Part Two

Dear Readers,

We Republicans have often found ourselves on the wrong side of civil rights struggles since the 1960s, but there was a reason that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s father is said to have supported Republicans.

Republicans were historically the party ever-expanding freedom to disenfranchised minorities, from newly liberated slaves to giving women the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony was a Republican. By supporting the [pro-homosexuality American Foundation for Equal Rights trial against California's Proposition 8 upholding traditional marriage as between a man and a woman] we have an opportunity to establish our historic credibility on civil rights issues once again. But we should support marriage equality because it is the right thing to do.

Gays and lesbians are our friends, neighbors, doctors, colleagues, sisters and brothers. Does it sit well with you that because of their sexual orientation, a factor outside one’s control, that they should have less rights and protections in the eyes of the law?…

That’s why the Supreme Court, in 1967 Loving v. Virginia, legalized interracial marriage –six years after our current president was born to an interracial couple. At that time 73% of the population opposed “miscegenation.” How long would it have taken to change popular opinion, for the minority to democratically win their constitutional rights? As Martin Luther King, Jr. famously asserted, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” 

Note that the above excerpt is taken from Hoover’s column, “Why I’m Joining the Fight for Marriage Equality.”  on the Fox News website.  Yes, folks, something is rotten in the state of Denmark – and what’s rotten is that morally-challenged libertarian Republicans are pushing Danish values on the Grand Old Party.  (Actually, Hoover – a “Cultural Warrior” on Bill O’Reilly’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (oreilly@foxnews.com) is to the left of Denmark, which was the first country to recognize homosexual “Civil Unions” but still has not legalized same-sex “marriage.”)  Please help me to ask FOX News to treat the issue of homosexuality and the aggressive, anti-Christian, anti-religious-freedom “Gay” Agenda more seriously than they do now.  Ask that FOX NOT marginalize conservatives, Christians and morality advocates who stand on principle against the pro-homosexuality agenda.

FOX Contact Info: 

Brian Lewis, Executive Vice President
Corporate Communications
Phone: 212-301-3331
Fax: 212-819-0816
E-Mail: brian.lewis@foxnews.com 

Irena Briganti, Senior Vice President
Media Relations
Phone: 212-301-3608
Fax: 212-819-0816
E-Mail: irena.briganti@foxnews.com

______________________________________________________

AFTAH in the news: the following is reprinted from the excellent pro-family website “LifeSiteNews” (emphasis added):

News Corp., parent company of Fox News, to publish mag promoting gay ‘marriage’

by Jeremy Kryn, LifeSiteNews: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/news-corp-parent-company-of-fox-news-to-publish-mag-promoting-gay-marriage

NEW YORK, NY, September 6, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Fox News’ parent company, the conservative-leaning, Rupert Mordoch-owned News Corporation, is preparing to publish a magazine devoted to homosexual “marriage” in the wake of its legalization in New York.

The September 29 debut of “WEDDING Pride” by News Corp.’s Community Newspaper Group has drawn fire from both homosexual supporters, who have slammed the move as a transparent case of financial opportunism, as well as conservatives concerned about what the move says about the future of News Corp and Fox.

“It has come to my attention that News Corp, parent company to virulently homophobic Fox News and NY Post doesn’t apparently hate the gays enough to not make a buck off them, if the opportunity presents itself,” quipped one writer on the liberal Daily Kos blog.

Peter LaBarbera of Americas for Truth about Homosexuality said, however, that “Conservative and faith-based Americans do not look to Fox to promote sin.”

“And yet, every time Fox promotes homosexuality, that’s exactly what they’re doing; they’re promoting bad morality.”

“I think the problem is Fox News is based in New York City, which is a gay Mecca,” he said, noting that while other news networks devoted considerable time to reporting on a New York Senate vote to legalize homosexual “marriage,” the cable news channel devoted zero segments to the vote or to the governor signing the measure into law.

WEDDING Pride is to be a high-end, glossy publication and is to have an initial distribution of 35,000 in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Ad prices in the magazine are to range from $850 for a quarter page to $3,120 for a back cover.

Concerns about the direction Fox News was taking in regard to homosexual issues were also raised in 2006 when the news agency was listed as a “Feature Level” sponsor of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) annual convention after donating $10,000 to the event.

LaBarbera expressed to LifeSiteNews his fear that Fox News may “go neutral” on social issues.

“People expect Fox to avoid the typical liberal media bias on issues like homosexuality,” he said. “Already, Fox supports the NLGJA, and frequent Fox Bill O’Reilly guest Margaret Hoover is a strong advocate for homosexual ‘marriage.’”

LaBarbera said that there is reluctance on the part of most Fox News programs to treat the homosexual agenda as a serious threat to religious freedom.

““We certainly hope that News Corporation’s support of homosexual ‘marriage’ does not presage a tilt by Fox News in that direction,” he said.

FOX Contact Info:

Brian Lewis, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications
Phone: 212-301-3331
Fax: 212-819-0816
E-Mail: brian.lewis@foxnews.com

Irena Briganti, Senior Vice President, Media Relations
Phone: 212-301-3608
Fax: 212-819-0816
E-Mail: irena.briganti@foxnews.com

____________________________________________________

Sign up for the AFTAH Banquet Saturday, Oct. 15th — Dr. Erwin Lutzer Keynotes!

Ex-Transsexual Walt Heyer and Pro-Family Hero Scott Lively to Attend!

We’re excited to announce that former transsexual Walt Heyer [see our 4-part AFTAH interview with Walt at http://www.aftah.com/americans-for-truth-hour/] and his wife Kaycee will be attending the banquet. Also, pro-family hero Scott Lively (author of “The Pink Swastika”) will be attending!

• Who: Dr. Erwin Lutzer, Senior Pastor, Moody Church, Chicago, Illinois. Pro-family culture warrior Scott Lively will also be honored at the banquet
• When: Saturday, October 15, 2011; doors open at 5:30 PM.
• Where: Christian Liberty Academy, 502 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights, IL 60004, northwest suburb of Chicago.
• What: Dinner banquet to raise funds for Americans For Truth About Homosexuality. Expect a delicious dinner, wonderful speeches and a contingent of homosexual protesters outside the building chanting lies about AFTAH.
• Cost: $10 per person in advance; $20 per person at the door. Sign up for $10/person online at www.americansfortruth.com/donate/ (use PayPal if possible); or mail your check to: Americans For Truth, PO Box 5522, Naperville, IL 60567-552. RSVP/inquiries to americansfortruth@gmail.com. Please consider buying extra tickets for your friends, family and co-workers!

For more information on the banquet: http://americansfortruth.com/2011/08/23/moody-pastor-dr-erwin-lutzer-to-keynote-aftah-banquet-october-15/

________________________________________________

Help AFTAH Expose Homosexual Lobby Misinformation!

1. Make you gift of $250, $100, $50, $25 or whatever you can give to www.americansfortruth.com/donate/, or mail your check to: Americans For Truth, PO Box 5522, Naperville, IL 60567-5522.
2. Sign up for our dinner-banquet 6:00 PM Saturday, Oct. 15th – at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, IL — featuring revered Moody senior pastor Dr. Erwin Lutzer.  Tickets are just $10/person (and $20/person at the door).  Buy 5 tickets ($50) or 10 tickets ($100) for your friends and family for this exciting Truth Telling event!  (RSVP to americansfortruth@gmail.com.)
3. Send this story to your network of family, friends and co-workers, introduce them to AFTAH, invite them to the Oct. 15 banquet, and ask them to consider supporting our life-changing work;
4. Pray for AFTAH as we prepare for some big changes that will lay the foundation for the long-term health of our VITAL ministry.

Jerry Buehl

[UPDATE 8/25/11: Jerry Buehl has been reinstated in the classroom at Mt. Dora High School following protests by pro-family citizens nationwide. Congrats to Mr. Buehl, and to Liberty Counsel, American Family Association and all those who defended his First Amendment freedom to voice his beliefs about homosexuality.]

WARNING: Graphic content and links

Folks, kudos to one-time Florida “Teacher of the Year,” Jerry Buehl, for not groveling before the media or the “Gay” Thought Police for his PRIVATE comment denigrating homosexual “marriage” — for which he is now being persecuted. The good teacher — and this short CNN video shows just how good he is — now gives the lesson of his lifetime on the First Amendment and freedom. He deserves our prayers and support.

Regarding that “cesspool” of homosexuality (behavior), I heartily agree with my friend Laurie Higgins. Whole generations of Americans had a natural revulsion toward this perversion, but now — thanks to decades of liberal “tolerance” propaganda — people recoil at frank denunciations of homosexual acts rather than the vile acts themselves. (Well, let’s be honest: most people are shielded from the repulsive and destructive reality of homosexuality; check out this AFTAH story on a pro-homosexual California AIDS flier that lays out the extreme health risks — e.g., bleeding after anal sex — associated with unnatural male homosexual behaviors. And it doesn’t get much more “cesspoolish” than “rimming.”)

Before holier-than-thou Christians and PC-minded “conservatives” get all over Buehl’s case, we should remember: wasn’t it God Himself who declared it “detestable” for a man to lie with a man as with a woman? (Leviticus 18:22) What does that tell you about a society moving toward the embrace of homosexuality-based “marriage”? – Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

Following is a CNN news clip featuring Buehl and his Liberty Counsel attorney, followed by an article on the case by Laurie Higgins of Illinois Family Institute:

Florida Teacher Investigated for Criticizing Homosexuality

8/22/2011
By Laurie Higgins, Illinois Family Institute; reprinted from the IFI website

There’s troubling news coming out of Florida that provides evidence that the cultural movement to normalize homosexuality poses a serious threat to First Amendment speech and religious rights.

Mount Dora High School social studies teacher and winner of the 2010 “Teacher of the Year” award, Jerry Buell, wrote this on his private Facebook page during non-work time:

I’m watching the news, eating dinner, when the story about New York okaying same sex unions came on and I almost threw up.

If they want to call it a union, go ahead. But don’t insult a man and woman’s marriage by throwing it in the same cesspool as same-sex whatever! God will not be mocked. When did this sin become acceptable???

The administrative response to this veteran teacher’s condemnation of government-endorsement of abominable (God’s word, not Buell’s) relationships is to suspend him from the classroom and begin an investigation.

Society has become so desensitized to the offense of cesspoolish acts that calling them cesspoolish constitutes an offense. Our cultural moral compass has become so broken that citizens do not recognize that homosexual acts are, indeed, cesspoolish. In a very literal sense, the primary sexual act engaged in by homosexual men is cesspoolish in that a cesspool is a waste receptacle, but the term “cesspool” also refers to corrupt, depraved acts. Although Buell’s word choice was indelicate and politically incorrect, it strikes me as accurate. (For recent CDC information on HIV infections among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM), click HERE, and for shigellosis information click HERE. [Editor's note: AFTAH substituted the latter link due to a problem with the original link in the IFI article.])

Christians have become deluded into believing that saying that homosexual acts are cesspoolish is an unchristian act, and they have been bullied into self-censorship by exactly the kind of repercussions Buell is experiencing.

Americans, including leaders in government, education, and even the church, increasingly accept the dangerous notion that the First Amendment should be subordinate to the “feelings” of homosexuals. What next? Will speech rights and religious liberty be subordinated to the feelings of “minority-attracted” persons (aka pedophiles) and polyamorists? How long will it be before yet another group committed to normalizing their particular sinful proclivity starts talking about how marginalized, stigmatized, and “unsafe” they “feel”?

Some questions for Mount Dora High School administrators:

• If teachers are not permitted to express their moral and political beliefs during their free time on their private Facebook pages, should they be permitted to express their beliefs on blogs?
• Should they be permitted to express them in letters to their local press?
• Should they be permitted to express them in conversations in public restaurants where they may be overheard by others?
• Should they be able to express them in radio or print interviews?
• Was it the word “cesspool” that generated the investigation and suspension of Buell, or was it his disapproval of the legalization of same-sex “marriage” and homosexuality?
• If it was the word choice that got the administrators’ panties in a bundle, will these language-dictators provide a list of acceptable denunciatory words? Remember, it’s our educators who are promoters of diversity and the free exchange of ideas and defenders of even obscene language when it’s found in the books they teach our children.
• If it were not merely the word “cesspool” but rather any expression of disapproval of homosexuality, is it just homosexuality that teachers may not condemn in their free time or are there other topics of which they may only safely express approval? If so, what are those topics and who decides?
• The First Amendment was intended to protect the expression of even unpopular ideas. How does Big Brother–I mean the Mount Dora High School administration–reconcile its draconian response to Buell with the First Amendment?

The Mount Dora administration might defend their actions by citing the need to keep students “safe.” What school administrations rarely do, however, is define “safety.” The entire homosexuality-affirming juggernaut depends on the tricksy manipulation of rhetoric. “Safety,” which formerly meant the absence of physical threat, has now come to mean the absence of emotional or intellectual discomfort. Of course, liberal activists in public schools won’t admit this (and conservative teachers are too fearful to expose it).

Intellectual and ethical consistency–never the forte of liberals–is not found in public schools even on the topic of “safety.” Liberal activists have no problem making conservative students feel uncomfortable (i.e. “unsafe”) if it’s in the service of eradicating conservative moral beliefs. In so doing, increasing numbers of homosexual students and their “allies” (another rhetorical buzz saw in the homosexuality-normalizing tool box) are becoming presumptuous ideological dictators. They treat all encounters with dissenting moral propositions with high dudgeon and an expectation of administrative censorship.

The exaltation of subjective feelings through the self-actualization and self-esteem movements and the demonization of shame have collided with the tyrannical homosexual “rights” revolution, resulting in the cultural collapse that’s happening right in front of our eyes. (And what do conservatives do? Cover their eyes, plug their ears, and shut their mouths.)

My advice: exercise your right to express unpopular ideas while you can.

[Note: to read Laurie Higgins' Postscript to this story, go HERE]

We are delighted to announce that Moody Church Senior Pastor and author Dr. Erwin Lutzer will be the keynote speaker at Americans For Truth’s annual banquet Saturday, October 15^th at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, Illinois, northwest of Chicago. Dr. Lutzer is a keen observer of moral and spiritual trends in America and we welcome his insights on the growth of homosexual power in the United States and its effect on our liberties.

Who: Dr. Erwin Lutzer, Senior Pastor, Moody Church, Chicago, Illinois. Pro-family culture warrior Scott Lively will also be honored at the banquet

When: Saturday, October 15, 2011; doors open at 6:00 PM.

Where: Christian Liberty Academy, 502 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights, IL 60004, northwest of Chicago; website HERE.

What: Dinner banquet to raise funds for Americans For Truth About Homosexuality. Expect a delicious dinner, wonderful speeches and a contingent of homosexual protesters outside the building chanting lies about AFTAH.

Cost: $10 per person in advance; $20 per person at the door.  Sign up for $10/person online at www.americansfortruth.com/donate/; or mail your check to: Americans For Truth, PO Box 5522, Naperville, IL 60567-552.  RSVP/inquiries to americansfortruth@gmail.com.  Please consider buying extra tickets for your friends, family and co-workers!

Dr. Lutzer: Preacher and Author

For those of you outside Chicagoland and the Midwest who may be unfamiliar with Dr Lutzer, he is a gifted preacher who pastors the historic Moody Church in Chicago (founded by the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody). Lutzer is also the author of numerous books, including: “The Truth About Same-Sex Marriage” (for which Lutzer was branded a “hater” by the Marxist “Gay Liberation Network” in Chicago); “When a Nation Forgets God: 7 lessons we must learn from Nazi Germany”: “Hitler’s Cross”; and “Oprah, Miracles and the New Earth: A Critique.” Here is an Amazon.com link where most of Dr. Lutzer’s books can be purchased.

Dr. Lutzer, who was born in Canada and became an American citzen, has blessed many with his gift for clearly explaining biblical truths. He has a keen grasp on the pivotal ideas and spiritual and cultural developments that decide a nation’s course. And he has the integrity not to compromise on God’s Word even when it becomes politically incorrect. As one who has heard Pastor Lutzer preach on the radio many times (and once at Moody Church), I can safely assure you that you will be blessed by his message and godly counsel for America.

Lower Cost; Buy Bulk Tickets!

We are trying something new for this banquet – lowering the entrance price to just $10/person for advance ticket purchases, and $20/person at the door. We know the economy is rough and we want as many people as possible to attend and hear Dr. Lutzer. So please support us by sharing this event with your network of friends or even buying a table of 10 or 5 tickets so your friends and family can attend. Send queries and RSVPs to americansfortruth@gmail.com.

Scott Lively to be honored

NOTE: We have added a second event with Scott Lively as speaker, Friday, Oct. 14th at 7:00 PM. He will be appearing at Grace Gospel Fellowship church in Bensenville, IL (on Route 83 just north of I-290). This is a FREE event but a freewill offering will be taken to support AFTAH’s work.

As you will know if you have ever attended an Americans For Truth banquet or speaking event, they are very special occasions. Our banquet this year will be made more special by the appearance of Scott Lively (right), a brilliant, veteran Christian culture warrior who has been leading the resistance against the homosexualist juggernaut — in the USA and across the world –  for more than two decades. We will honor Scott, who has suffered greatly for doing good and honoring God and His Truth.

As always, we are grateful to Christian Liberty Academy and Pastor Calvin Lindstrom of the Church of Christian Liberty for their hospitality in graciously offering CLA as the host of Americans For Truth and our annual fund-raising banquet. Please pray for our event and make a much-needed gift to AFTAH even if you cannot make it Oct. 15th. God bless.

Peter LaBarbera

President, Americans For Truth

“The Farleys merely seek to effectuate their daughter’s final wishes, while her alleged ‘spouse’ seeks to unjustly pad her pocketbook.” – Peter Breen, executive director and legal counsel of the Thomas More Society

The following is Thomas More Society’s release published on Christian Newswire: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/131877a620033f28

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Lesbian Partner of Deceased Lawyer Seeks to Overturn Retirement Plan Beneficiary Designation on Grounds She is Surviving ‘Spouse’

PHILADELPHIA, August 1, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ — Jennifer Tobits, lesbian partner of a deceased attorney in the Chicago office of Philadelphia-based Cozen O’Connor, P.C., is not entitled to her “spouse’s” profit-sharing plan because being “married” in Canada is not recognized as a legitimate marriage under the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), according to court papers filed today by the Thomas More Society.

As Cozen O’Connor attorney Sarah Ellyn Farley lay dying of cancer last September, she made her final property arrangements, including designating her parents as the beneficiaries of her law firm’s profit-sharing account. However, her “wife,” Jennifer Tobits, with whom she obtained a same sex marriage license in Toronto in 2006, claims that she is entitled to the proceeds of the account. The Thomas More Society, representing the parents, responded to Cozen O’Connor’s interpleader action in federal court, stating that federal and state DOMAs forbid the recognition of Tobits as a “spouse” and that the law firm should disburse the profit-sharing plan proceeds to the parents, in accord with the wishes of the deceased.

Thomas More Society attorneys argue that the parents are entitled to the funds because their daughter executed a beneficiary designation form in their favor before her death, and because Farley and Tobits’ “marriage” was invalid under Federal and Pennsylvania law. Under the terms of the profit-sharing plan, the parents would be next in line when there is no spouse, even without a designated beneficiary form from the deceased. Therefore, they are legally entitled to the funds as Farley’s surviving parents on two accounts.

“The deceased was fully aware of her rights under the law to designate her parents as the beneficiaries of her profit-sharing plan proceeds, even going so far as to state that she was ‘single’ in accord with the law. What Ms. Tobits is trying to do is circumvent both federal and state laws for her own financial gain. The Farleys merely seek to effectuate their daughter’s final wishes, while her alleged ‘spouse’ seeks to unjustly pad her pocketbook,” said Peter Breen, executive director and legal counsel of the Thomas More Society.

The case, Cozen O’Connor v. Tobits, et al., no. 11-cv-45, is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, District Judge C. Darnell Jones, II, presiding. Randall Wenger, Chief Counsel of the Independence Law Center of Pennsylvania, is serving as local counsel for the Farleys.

About the Thomas More Society
Formed in 1997, the Thomas More Society is a national public interest law firm based in Chicago. The Society defends religious liberty, marriage, and the sanctity of human life in courtrooms across the country. For more information, please visit www.thomasmoresociety.org.

Stephen Black, who left the homosexual lifestyle and has now been married 25 years, says Gospel truth must be preached to "gays," in the love and humility of Jesus Christ.

Here is Part Two of our pre-recorded interview with Stephen Black [click HERE to listen] of First Stone Ministries, based in Oklahoma City. This interview with Black (www.stephenblack.org), who once considered himself “gay,” aired July 9, 2011. Stephen and AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera discuss the ideal of speaking the truth about homosexual sin, in the love of Christ. They criticize the soft, defensive message of “emergent” Christians like Andy Marin (author of “Love Is and Orientation”) – as a false form of love bereft of biblical truth. (Marin is reluctant to call homosexual practice sinful and has launched an “I’m Sorry” campaign whereby evangelicals apologize to homosexuals (and others) for the alleged “homophobic” shortcomings of the Church; see the video of pro-same-sex-”marriage” evangelical Peggy Campolo currently at the top of Marin’s blog HERE [dated July 14th].) Black and LaBarbera agree with ex-”gay” Andy Comiskey that the ”emergent”-type approach like Marin’s is a “gutless gospel.”  Yet they also agree that harsh or insensitive Christians can preach a lot of truths about homosexuality. but without the love and humility demanded of those advancing the Gospel (Black says some have been “cruel and mean” toward homosexuals). Stephen gives a short version of his personal testimony, but in Part One of this interview he lays out his life story (including being molested as a boy) and exodus from homosexuality; click HERE for Part One.  You can visit the archive page containing all the AFTAH Hour interviews HERE.

P.S. LaBarbera has extended an open invitation to Andy Marin to appear on the AFTAH radio show, or speak/debate at at a neutral forum on the proper attitude of Bible-believing Christians toward people practicing homosexuality. We hope he accepts; you can contact Marin at info@themarinfoundation.org.

HOW TO LISTEN:  Left click once on the link below to play. Please note: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Do not use Real Player.  It is not supported and there may be difficulty when listening with it.  (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show.

7-9-11, Stephen Black, Part Two

Frank Turek

Editor’s Note/Correction: our original story labeled Frank Turek as an “employee” of Cisco Systems. Turek was in fact a vendor with Cisco (with high marks for his performance). Thus he lacked the protections of an actual employee. This does not detract from the main story of Cisco’s hypocrisy and anti-Christian bigotry (we call it homo-fascism), which led Turek to be fired abruptly for his private, pro-traditional-marriage advocacy — by a company that champions “diversity.”  — Peter LaBarbera

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Below is a reprint of a Townhall.com column by Christian apologist Frank Turek, an eloquent defender of natural (i.e., real) marriage – who was recently fired as a vendor by Cisco Systems (408-526-4000) due to his off-the-job, pro-family advocacy. Turek’s sudden firing was instigated by a homosexual fellow-employee at Cisco who — acting like a homo-fascist — turned in Turek to the Cisco authorities (actually an HR exec), despite the latter’s stellar and completely professional work record.

Conservative columnist Mike Adams has written three terrific pieces about “diversity”-touting Cisco’s outrageous action. (Read them in order HERE, HERE and HERE.) Needless to say, if Turek were a practicing homosexual who had been canned, this would be a huge media story and Cisco would be contracting with the services of GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).

I have never met Mr. Turek – I’ve only read some of his excellent columns – but I gather that he is a compassionate man who models the Christian ideal of speaking the Truth boldly, in love. One reason I deduce this is that while attending (undercover) the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force “Creating Change” meeting earlier this year, I listened as a homosexual activist described (to a room full of fellow “gay” activists) a church talk given by Turek that he had attended as a critic. The homosexual advocate described Turek’s presentation and demeanor as kind and bereft of malice. This particular LGBT activist works diligently to convert Christians to a pro-“gay rights” mindset, and yet – even as he opposed Turek’s ideas – he found no hatred for homosexuals in the man. (You can buy Turek’s book, “Correct, Not Politically Correct: How Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Hurts Everyone” HERE; and watch him debate atheist Christopher Hitchens HERE; also see Turek’s outstanding Christian youth site here: http://crossexamined.org/.)

The bottom line for Christians and opponents of homosexuality who are not silent about their moral beliefs? If it’s OK to fire Frank Turek merely because he disagrees with homosexuality and “same-sex marriage,” then you, too, are vulnerable. Christians and all defenders of sexual normalcy: we have no other choice but to fight back against the emerging liberal homo-fascism — unless you are content to live as a muted serf in the land of the “free.” – Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org 

Write Cisco here:

Mr. John Chambers
Office of the President
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Mail Stop SJC10/5/4
300 East Tasman Drive
San Jose, California 95134

Phone: 408-526-4000; hit “0″ for operator

________________________________________

Frank Turek’s column in Townhall: 

Sex at Work?

6/28/2011  Townhall.com

Are you supposed to have sex at work? I guess it depends on your profession, but for most of us the answer is “no.” Why then is corporate America obsessed with training about sex?

As described in several recent columns by Mike Adams, I was fired as a vendor by Cisco for my conservative beliefs about sex and marriage even though my beliefs were never expressed on the job. When a homosexual manager found out on the Internet that I had authored a book giving evidence that maintaining our current marriage laws would be best for society, he couldn’t tolerate me and requested I be fired. An HR executive canned me within hours without ever speaking to me. This happened despite the fact that the leadership and teambuilding programs I led always received high marks (even from the homosexual manager!).

How could an experienced HR professional commit such a blatant act of discrimination unless the Cisco culture was decidedly tilted left? Why didn’t Cisco’s relentless emphasis and training on “inclusion and diversity” serve to prevent this? Maybe it’s because “inclusion and diversity” means something different to corporate elites than to normal Americans. That’s why their training didn’t prevent the problem but actually created an environment of intolerance that led to the problem.

Cisco’s chief “Inclusion and Diversity” officer, Ms. Marilyn Nagel, had trouble on the phone defining what “inclusion and diversity” actually means at Cisco, so she sent me several links from the Cisco website. As in our conversation, I found no specific definition on the website but plenty of platitudes, such as Cisco is committed to “valuing and encouraging different perspectives, styles, thoughts, and ideas.”

If that’s the case, then why not value my “perspectives, styles, thoughts and ideas?”

Because only certain perspectives, styles, thoughts and ideas are approved, you see. “Inclusion and diversity” to corporate elites actually means exclusion for those that don’t agree with the approved views. Whoops, there goes “diversity.”

Shouldn’t the real intent of Cisco’s value of “inclusion and diversity” be to ensure that people in that diverse workforce work together cordially and professionally even when they inevitably disagree on certain political, moral or religious questions? It would seem so. In a large multicultural workforce, people need to work together despite political or religious differences. That’s a noble and necessary goal. It’s totalitarian, however, to subject people to “diversity” training and corporate sponsorships that go beyond teaching respect for people to advocacy of what they do in bed.

All employees should treat one another with kindness and respect because they are fellow human beings, not because of their sexual behavior. If people are to be respected simply on the basis of their behavior, then none of us qualify for respect because we have all behaved badly on occasion.

So instead of trying to force all employees to accept any sexual behavior—especially something as controversial as homosexuality—the inclusion and diversity police should be urging us to treat all people with respect simply because we are human beings. That’s all you need to be productive at work anyway.

But as soon as you start telling people from different religious and cultural backgrounds what they must think about homosexuality, you will offend and create conflict andr resentment. As a Christian, I am commanded to respect all people. That’s what I was doing at Cisco. But don’t tell me that I have to respect and celebrate what people do in bed. Don’t tell me that I must violate my conscience or my God in order to make widgets. That’s not only immoral and un-American; it’s manipulative and stupid. How does accepting homosexual behavior have anything to do with job productivity? Are we supposed to have sex at work?

There simply is no business reason to judge my beliefs about sexual behavior or anyone else’s. And even if some corporate nanny could dream up a reason, it would not justify the assault on an employee’s conscience or religion.

Notice that Cisco did not have a problem with my behavior. My job performance was deemed excellent, and I was “inclusive and diverse” by working in a respectful manner with people of all moral, religious and political views.

Cisco had a problem with my thoughts. Although I certainly accepted homosexuals, I committed the thought crime of disagreeing with homosexual behavior and homosexual political goals. So despite all their talk about “inclusion and diversity,” Cisco deemed my thoughts about something irrelevant to the workplace as grounds for immediate exclusion. Do you think they would have excluded me if I had pro-same-sex marriage thoughts? Of course not—that’s an approved view that Cisco actually sponsors (even though they deny it).

But people who don’t accept homosexual behavior don’t have to work at Cisco then!

True, they don’t. But if Cisco or any other company wants to make it a requirement that every employee and vendor personally accept the behavior of homosexuality or homosexual political goals such as same-sex marriage, then tell us directly. Broadcast it to the world. Cisco can’t and won’t because such a requirement would be a clear violation of the religious protections codified in the Civil Rights Act, and it would result in a mass exodus of employees and customers.

Instead, they create an oppressive culture of political correctness under the false banner of “inclusion and diversity” to achieve the same ends. They tell the world that they value and encourage “different perspectives, styles, thoughts, and ideas” while they punish or intimidate into silence people who have “different perspectives, styles, thoughts, and ideas.” While Cisco executives would never admit this, their actions reveal this twisted truth: Cisco values homosexual behavior more than honesty, freedom of religion and freedom of conscience.

Is it the same at your workplace? Are you tired of having to hide your conservative or religious beliefs as if you live in a totalitarian state rather than America? If you continue to cower in silence before an intolerant militant minority, it will only get worse. To paraphrase Edmund Burke, “All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.” It’s time to do something—speak up.

Note: it is outrageous that the State of lllinois would even consider FORCING religious adoption agencies (or irreligious agencies, for that matter) to place children in homes that are motherless or fatherless by design. Adults (proudly) practicing homosexuality are not good role models for impressionable children, who need a mom and a dad. (No, the sexes are not  interchangeable.) The new Illinois “Civil Unions” law — rammed through Springfield in a lame-duck session — must be repealed to preserve religious liberty in the Land of Lincoln. ”Exemptions” — even if they are strengthened – won’t preserve freedom.

In the meantime, a new movement has been launched to place an Advisory Referendum on “same-sex marriage” (and “civil unions”) on the Illinois ballot in 2012. Almost 300,000 signatures of Illinos voters must be gathered and turned into the Illlinois Board of Elections by April 2012 to make that happen. To get involved, go to www.DefendMarriageIllinois.org and download a petition and instructions. — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org   

______________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                     

CONTACT:  Tom Ciesielka, 312-422-1333; tc@tcpr.net; June 7, 2011                                                                                                                   

Catholic Leaders Take Legal Action Over Risk of Losing Foster Care Services

Catholic Charities in Illinois Seek Remedy for Best Interests of Children, Families

(SPRINGFIELD, IL) Leaders of three Catholic dioceses – the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, Peoria and Joliet – took legal action today as their charities fight to continue their work in serving the best interests of thousands of needy children and families throughout the state.

In March of this year, the Attorney General’s office issued a letter stating that the office “received notice that Catholic Charities … discriminates against Illinois citizens based on race, marital status and sexual orientation” in the provision of foster care and adoption services and demanded that Catholic Charities turn over a wide range of documents in response. The June 1 law authorizing civil unions in Illinois has raised further questions and criticism about Catholic Charities’ longstanding position not to place children for adoption and foster care with non-married couples who live together – regardless of sexual orientation.

This lawsuit, filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court, seeks a declaration that the charities are in full compliance with Illinois law in their current practices and an injunction against further action by Illinois government officials to the contrary. The charities argue both that the Illinois Human Rights Act exempts religious adoption agencies from the provisions relied upon by the Attorney General’s office and that the new Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act includes an express protection for the religious freedom of entities like Catholic Charities.

The charities ask the court to declare that they are legally justified to continue their current practices of working only with married couples and single, non-cohabiting individuals. Civil union couples are free to choose among dozens of other organizations for these services.

“Child welfare advocates know it is in the best interest of Illinois children for Catholic Charities to stay in this business,” said Steven Roach, Executive Director for Catholic Charities in the Springfield Diocese. “It’s tragic that there are people who believe unnecessarily disrupting the lives of thousands of vulnerable children is an acceptable outcome in this situation.”

Catholic Charities have served thousands of children and families with top-quality, nurturing care since 1921 and handle about 20 percent of the cases in Illinois. Charities’ leaders are extremely concerned what will happen with those children and families if they are forced out of this work.

“Religious and faith-based entities need not check their beliefs at the door when providing vital social services for the benefit of needy and vulnerable children and families in Illinois. Catholic Charities has a clear right under Illinois law to pursue its charitable good works in the true spirit of the Gospels and the Sermon on the Mount, faithful to the essential tenets of its Catholic faith. We will advocate strongly to protect Catholic Charities’ continuing its mission of social service,” said Tom Brejcha of the Thomas More Society, which is representing the charities in the lawsuit.

About the Thomas More Society

Formed in 1997, the Thomas More Society is a national public interest law firm based in Chicago. The Society defends religious liberty, marriage, and the sanctity of human life in courtrooms across the country. For more information, please visit www.thomasmoresociety.org.

###

Pro-homosexual "marriage" activist attacks TFP banner that proclaimed marriage as it truly is: between a man and a woman. TFP members shouted "Aggressor!" as the assailant did his dirty deed. Later, a TFP member was hit in the head by a beer bottle thrown from a car passing by.

Folks, we’ve seen this nasty brand of homosexual bullying and intolerance so often that we’re no longer shocked by it. Watch the TFP Student Action video as peaceful TFP members shout “Aggressor!” as this troubled man walks up and destroys their banner, in Fairport, New York. Imagine if a bunch of pro-family activists did this to a pro-”gay banner” banner! (CBS, ABC, NBC, and CNN would be lining up to tell the story.) TFP is a Catholic group that has done yeoman’s work standing up for real marriage across the nation. Watch the TFP Student Action video at their website HERE. – Peter LaBarbera,. www.aftah.org

______________________________

Video: Pro-Homosexual Advocate Destroys Traditional Marriage Banner in New York

Contact: Contact: John Ritchie, American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property, 717-495-5427

FAIRPORT, N.Y., June 6, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ — Volunteers with the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP) were assaulted while peacefully demonstrating for traditional marriage in Fairport, New York, on June 2.

As young TFP volunteers stood at the corner of Main Street and Church Street with signs, a pro-homosexualist hurled himself against the group’s thirteen foot long banner inscribed with “God’s Marriage = 1 Man & 1 Woman.” The banner, held by three volunteers, was knocked down and violently torn to pieces.

Watch video footage of the attack HERE.

The assailant also threatened to destroy the group’s cameras used to document their campaigns for moral values. “I’ll smash your camera,” he said.

Approaching another TFP volunteer who was holding a sign that read “Honk for Traditional Marriage,” the aggressor said: “Are you going to give me your sign, or do I need to rip it up too!?”

In a separate incident at the same demonstration, another supporter of “gay marriage” threw a beer bottle at TFP volunteer Michael Shibler from a moving vehicle. The glass bottle hit him on the forehead, causing it to swell and bleed. Local police are investigating both incidents.

“These bully tactics do not even slightly dampen my resolve to continue promoting the truth about marriage in charity. Our cause is noble and we will win,” said Shibler.

“Some say that same-sex ‘marriage’ doesn’t harm or affect anybody. Well, I think my throbbing forehead is a good example of how it does harm people. Anti-family proponents would like to completely silence my first amendment right to free speech,” he said. “While demanding tolerance for what they call ‘diversity,’ they are utterly intolerant of opposing viewpoints.”

TFP, a Catholic organization, was distributing flyers titled “10 Reasons Why Homosexual ‘Marriage’ Is Harmful and Must Be Opposed.” It calls on New Yorkers to firmly and peacefully resist the advance of the so-called gay-rights movement.

Christian Newswire release: http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/8927017115.html

The following presentation [click HERE to listen] is excerpted from a speech by Liberty University School of Law Prof. Rena Lindevaldsen was made at the Truth Academy in Columbus, Ohio, April 1-2, 2011 — sponsored jointly by Americans For Truth About Homosexuality and Mission America. We aired Prof. Lindevaldsen’s talk (edited down slightly from the original, without the ‘Q&A’ session) on the “Americans For Truth Hour” radio program May 21, 2011. Lindevaldsen discusses the escalating ”gay” activist campaign to establish homosexuality — and same-sex “marriage” – as a “civil right.” She discusses the growing threat to religious and First Amendment freedoms arising from pro-homosexual court rulings and policies. Lindevaldsen explains how President Obama is undermining the Defense of Marriage Act, and warns that religious liberty will suffer a crushing blow if homosexuals receive favored “suspect class” status in the law. NOTE: All of Prof. Lindevaldsen’t excellent presentations at AFTAH’s Truth Academies are available below:

Order Truth Academy Sets: DVDs of Chicago 2010 or CDs of Columbus 2011 – Rena Lindevaldsen has spoken at both of AFTAH’s Truth Academies.  Columbus 2011: A 13-CD AUDIO set of this year’s two-day Truth Academy in Columbus, OH – co-sponsored by Mission America — is available for just $49 postpaid.  This 13-CD set includes the full talk above by Prof. Lindevaldsen, as well as presentations by Greg Quinlan, Matt Barber, Linda Harvey, Gary Glenn, Prof. Rob Gagnon, Peter LaBarbera and WorldNetDaily’s David Kupelian. Chicago 2010: A DVD-video set of the entire three-day Truth Academy — featuring two talks by Rena Lindevaldsen — is available for $89 (including postage). Other Chicago speakers include: Robert Knight, Barber, Quinlan, Ryan Sorba, Laurie Higgins, Gagnon, Arthur Goldberg, Cliff Kincaid and AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera. Double order discount: Order BOTH Truth Academy sets (the Chicago DVD-VIDEO and the Columbus CD-AUDIO) for a discount price of $129 (postage included). Send your check and specify your order to AFTAH, PO Box 5522, Naperville, IL 60567-5522; or give online at www.americansfortruth.com/donate/ (please use PayPal if possible). Send queries to americans

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Do not use Real Player.  It is not supported and there may be difficulty listening with it.  Left click once on the link below to play.  (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show.

5-21-11, Prof. Rena Lindevaldsen

Pro-family advocates in Chicago rally against the new "Civil Unions" law in Illinois. The bill, HB 1716, was passed in a lame-duck session and ironically called the "Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act" despite the fact that its passage immediately put Illinois citizens' religious and First Amendment liberties in jeopardy. Photo by Lynn Thomas; click to enlarge.

Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (www.aftah.org); June 1, 2011

Contact: Peter LaBarbera: 630-717-7631; americansfortruth@gmail.com

CHICAGO–Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality and a principal behind the Illinois Defense of Marriage Initiative (www.DefendMarriageIL.org), issued the following statement on the new Illinois “Civil Unions” law that takes effect today:

Homosexual behavior is always wrong, according to the broad sweep of Judeo-Christian history, so it is tragic to behold the State of Illinois – or any government entity – recognizing immoral same-sex relationships and treating them like marriage. Moreover, for the City of Chicago and Gov. Pat Quinn to celebrate homosexuality with a mass Civil Union ceremony June 2^nd is an act of hubris and defiance toward the Creator that mocks His wonderful plan for real marriage – the sacred union of a man and a woman to produce children and family. The pandering Quinn – epitomizing the modern Democratic politician –mocks his own professed Catholicism by working tirelessly to undermine its clear moral dictates.

The anti-Christian Civil Unions law must be repealed. It was passed in a lame-duck session that once again revealed the contempt that liberal Illinois lawmakers have for the citizens they are supposed to serve. Ironically, shortly after passage of this bill – mischievously titled the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act –religious liberty for Illinois citizens and religious institutions was immediately put in jeopardy. A homosexual male couple targeted Paxton, Illinois, bed-and-breakfast owners Jim and Beth Walder – who now face prosecution by the State because they refuse – as Christians – to hold “civil union” ceremonies celebrating homosexuality on their own business property. And the Rockford Diocese’s Catholic Charities announced that it will halt its state-funded foster care and adoption services rather than be forced by the State of Illinois to place children in same-sex households that are motherless or fatherless by design.

These sad developments in the Land of Lincoln constitute further proof that homosexuality-based “rights” and religious freedom cannot co-exist. “Gay” activism – empowered by Illinois’ “sexual orientation” law and the new Civil Unions law — will drive out the free expression of religion and morality, which must include the right to oppose sexual behavior historically regarded as disordered and sinful. (Thankfully, homosexuality is also changeable, as evidenced by Chicago Christian ex-lesbian Linda Jernigan, who spoke at Friday’s rally launching the Illinois Defense of Marriage Initiative.)  [Upcoming Event Notice: Jernigan will be giving a dinner-lecture at AFTAH's office in Carol Stream, IL, 25W560 Geneva Rd., on Friday, June 17th, on the topic "What's Wrong with 'Gay Pride'?"; e-mail us for more information: americansfortruth@gmail.com.]

Already, there are “conservative, pro-family” defeatists who argue that the radical Civil Unions bill cannot be repealed. It’s funny how “gay” activists never display such timidity. The well-financed Homosexual Lobby sees “Civil Unions” as a mere pathway to full, legalized “same-sex marriage.” We must work diligently to repeal this anti-Christian law, while also collecting 300,000 signatures to put a referendum on “same-sex marriage” on the Illinois ballot in 2012. Also, we will continue to push for House Speaker Mike Madigan to stop blocking a vote on a binding constitutional marriage amendment that will permanently prevent the radical redefinition of marriage in our state.

Today a coalition of Illinois pro-family and pro-life advocates launch the Illinois Defense of Marriage Initiative (IDMI; www.DefendMarriageIllinois.org), at a rally in Chicago’s Loop this sponsored by my friend Dick Walsh and Americans For Life [Rally begins at 11:00 AM at St. Peter's Church, 110 W. Madison Ave.; we will march to the Thompson Center]  IDMI is a statewide effort to preserve the historic, traditional definition of marriage in the Land of Lincoln. IDMI needs to gather almost 300,000 signatures of registered Illinois voters by next April 2012 – to put an Advisory Question on the 2012 ballot asking the Illinois General Assembly to pass a Constitutional Amendment stating:

“To secure and preserve the benefits of marriage for our society and for future generations of children, the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose.”

To accomplish this goal – and have Illinois join the 31 other states whose citizens have stood up for real marriage at the ballot box – we aim to gather 600,000 signatures by next year. This could help us avoid an expensive legal challenge by homosexual activists and the ACLU – who will go to any extreme to deny Illinois voters an opportunity to have their voices heard on traditional marriage. Join our campaign by sending an e-mail to DefendMarriageIL@gmail.com.

Click HERE to download the printable citizen petition to protect marriage

Click HERE to download printable circulator instructions

Come to the Pro-Marriage Rally in Chicago Friday, May 27th at 11 a.m. in the Loop at St. Peter’s Church, 110 West Madison Ave., Chicago.
Click HERE for More Information on the rally including free bus rides to Chicago from the suburbs

CONTACT: Peter LaBarbera (630)717-7631; americansfortruth@gmail.com

Christian business owners Jim and Beth Walder could be tied up in litigation for years to stop an attempt by homosexual activists and the State of Illinois to force them to host homosexual "civil union" ceremonies -- against their religious beliefs -- at their bed-and-breakfast in Paxton, Illinois. Here the Walders are shown with their five children.

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois – Americans For Truth President Peter LaBarbera said today that Springfield’s first-ever “Gay Pride” celebration is another tragic watershed for the Land of Lincoln – and said aggressive homosexual activism encroaching on America’s heartland will surely undermine the First Amendment and religious liberties of citizens who stand for traditional, biblical morality.

LaBarbera and AFTAH (Americans For Truth About Homosexuality) will stand in silent counter-protest to the Springfield homosexual “pride” festival near the state capitol (on Capital Avenue between Fifth and Sixth Streets), under the banner: “Homosexuality: Wrong. Unhealthy. Unnatural. Changeable.”

AFTAH expands on the banner’s message below:

•  Wrong:  Historic Judeo-Christian teaching  – Old and New Testament — holds that homosexual practice is sinful. (See Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Professor Robert Gagnon’s website, www.robgagnon.net, which ably refutes various LGBT attempts to affirm homosexuality as consistent with Christian ethos.) The Roman Catholic Church teaches that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered.” Other major religions including Islam similarly teach that homosexual practice defies the Creator.

Naturally, efforts to transform American law to affirm people practicing same-sex behavior have collided with the religious and First Amendment liberties of those who disagree with homosexuality. In Illinois, shortly after lame-duck passage of the ”civil unions” bill, a homosexual  male couple targeted Paxton bed-and-breakfast owners Jim and Beth Walder, who have held wedding ceremonies on their property. The “gay” activists seek to use the new law to FORCE the Walders to use their own private business (and property) to host homosexual “civil union” ceremonies against their Christian conscience. Similarly, LGBT activists are maneuvering to FORCE private, religious adoption agencies in Illinois to place children in homosexual-led households against their religious beliefs.

•  Unhealthy:  Astonishingly consistent data from public health agencies continue to affirm homosexual practice as leading to disease rates vastly disproportionate to the tiny numbers (1-3 percent) of practicing homosexuals in society. For example, in 2008, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) surveyed “men who have sex with men” (MSM) in 21 major U.S. cities [see this CDC Fact Sheet] and found that one in five MSM had contracted HIV, and 44 percent of those did not even know it. (Ironically, today’s debut “Springfield Pride” is organized by the Phoenix Center, a local HIV/AIDS organization.)

•  Unnatural.  Even homosexual advocates admit to the high risk of practicing “gay” sex. Homosexual author Jack Hart writes that “some practices common among gays – especially rimming [anal-oral intercourse] and anal intercourse – are highly efficient at transmitting disease.” Moreover, Transgender activists celebrate the horrific surgical removal of healthy breasts and sex organs as part of their pitiable (and futile) quest to “become” the opposite sex. Nevertheless, pro-LGBT messages are given to youth in schools in the guise of promoting their “safety.”

•  Changeable:  Despite the sometimes vicious efforts of LGBT militants to deny the possibility of healthy change away from homosexuality, untold thousands of men and women have left the homosexual lifestyle behind. An example is Chicago’s Linda Jernigan, a one-time proud lesbian who now, as an ex-“gay” Christian, helps other people overcome homosexuality. Jernigan is black and cannot change her skin color, though with God’s help she successfully abandoned her immoral behavior and false lesbian identity. She was among those lobbying in Springfield against “civil unions” legislation.

“The truth is that homosexuality, bisexuality and gender confusion are nothing to be proud of,” said LaBarbera. “We hope and pray that some of the proud homosexuals attending ‘Springfield Pride’ would find freedom from homosexuality through Christ, and become content in healthy, wholesome sexuality – as so many ex-‘gays’ and ex-lesbians have.”

LaBarbera will be speaking at a rally in downtown Chicago May 27^th – at St. Peter’s Church in the Loop at 11:00 AM — where he will be announcing a major new ballot campaign to put Illinois voters on record in 2012 as supporting the preservation of marriage as between one man and one woman.

Dr. Michael Brown, author of "A Queer Thing Happened to America," says true biblical love cannot bury the truth that homosexual behavior and relationships are sinful.

This is the fourth and final part of AFTAH President Peter LaBarbera’s interview with Dr. Michael Brown, author of “A Queer Thing Happened to America.”  This aired May 14, 2011. [Click HERE to listen.] Brown, director of Coalition of Conscience, and LaBarbera discuss the proper approach of telling the “truth in love” to people practicing homosexuality. Brown espouses a “Reach Out and Resist” approach of lovingly reaching out to homosexuals with the Gospel while steadfastly resisting the agenda to normalize homosexual, bisexual and transgender behavior through the law and culture.

When asked about controversial pro-”gay” Grove City College professor Warren Throckmorton and others who support “civil unions” and pro-homosexual “sexual orientation” laws as an alleged outworking of Christian compassion, Brown says faithful Christians cannot support the idea of legal ”civil rights” based on sinful behavior.  He assails the non-biblical approach of “Love Is An Orientation” author Andrew Marin, a liberal Chicago evangelical living in Boystown who seems reluctant to affirm clear Scriptural teachings that homosexual behavior is always sinful. Brown also prays for “Chaz” Bono, the daughter (Chastity) of Sonny and Cher who has gained immense sympathetic media attention surrounding her tragic quest to become a “man.”

Special “A Queer Thing” Offer: Michael Brown’s book “A Queer Thing Happened to America” is available through AFTAH at a discount price fo $25 (including shipping and postage). Make a $25 gift online at www.americansfortruth.com/donate/; or mail your $25 donation requesting the book to: AFTAH, PO Box 5522, Naperville, IL 60567-5522.

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Do not use Real Player.  It is not supported and there may be difficulty listening with it.  Left click once on the link below to play.  (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show. 

5-14-11, Dr. Michael Brown

Dear AFTAH Readers,

Homo-fascism is escalating, and good people — and the national interest – are its tragic victims.  The idea that Americans should be smeared as ”hateful” because they take a stand against oxymoronic “same-sex marriage” — when citizens in 31 states voted to defend traditional (real) marriage — is beyond absurd.  (In fact, it is hateful!)  The name of the game is INTIMIDATION — and after so many years of practice, the “gay” activists are quite good at it.  But their strategy could not work without the liberal media acting as a de facto arm of the Homosexual Lobby.

Of course, my heart goes out to Peter Vidmar — and all victims of homosexualist intolerance — but at some point leaders will have to stand up to the “gay” bullies or America will cease to be a free land.  You can call or write Vidmar (760-603-8010) using THIS FORM, or send him an e-mail at info@speakersoffice.com.  To call Congress to voice your strong opposition to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act – a federal “sexual orientation” bill that would surely create thousands of new “Peter Vidmars” (always in the name of “tolerance” and ”gay civil rights,” of course…) – call 202-224-3121 (Senate) or 202-225-3121 (House).  Or go to www.Congress.org.  [More info on ENDA: Click HERE for a GovTrack report on the 2011 version of ENDA, HR 1397; click HERE to read my piece: "14 Good Reasons to Oppose the 'ENDA Our Freedom' Bill"]

Stay strong: the homo-fascists may be winning now, but Americans will see through their schemes, and fight back against their evil agenda of demonizing religious people by equating the defense of historic Judeo-Christian values with  ”hate and bigotry.”  – Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org; americansfortruth@gmail.com    

American Family Association’s “One News Now” reports:

_______________________________________________________

Gold medalist resigns, thanks to pro-’gay’ criticism

Charlie Butts – OneNewsNow – 5/12/2011 [Click HERE to read story online; to listen to the report, click the microphone icon at the upper right of the story on the One News Now page.]

Pressure from homosexual activist groups has compelled the head of the 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team to quit.

Two-time gymnastics gold medal winner Peter Vidmar has resigned upon receiving harsh criticism from homosexual and lesbian athletes and activists, who complained that he had donated $2,000 to promote California’s Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

“I wish that Peter Vidmar had not resigned,” laments Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH). “I wish that he’d stood up for his right to defend marriage, and I wish that he’d forced them to fire him if that’s what they were going to do, because that would engender the sort of national discussion that we need against this escalating intolerance against…opposition to gay marriage.”

And he disagrees with openly homosexual Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, who describes Vidmar’s position on marriage as “disgraceful.”

“How dare he seek to marginalize Peter Vidmar, who simply stood up for his beliefs,” LaBarbera contends. “Most people believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. The radical redefinition of marriage still does not have majority support in this country, despite the huge media blitz in support of it.”

The AFTAH president concludes that the homosexual movement is clearly “seeking to intimidate people into silence, and we’ve got to stand up to their bullying.”

Maggie Gallagher, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage, does not fault Vidmar for his decision. She told CitizenLink that the Olympic medalist’s entire career and livelihood were at risk when the “gay rights movement decided to go after him.” Vidmar, she points out, is currently one of the leading corporate motivational speakers in America.

Dr. Michael Brown, author of "A Queer Thing Happened to America," and one of the world's leading Jewish Christian scholars.

Here is Part One of my interview with Mike Brown [click HERE to listen], perhaps one of the most politically incorrect leaders on the planet. This was pre-recorded and aired April 23rd. Brown, the director of the Coalition of Conscience, based in Charlotte, N.C.,  is author of “A Queer Thing Happened to America,” a new book about the amazing rise in power of organized homosexuality in the United States. Brown, as a Jewish man who believes in Jesus Christ, is also one of the world’s leading authorities on Jewish Christianity. He has engaged in numerous debates with rabbis about the divinity of Jesus, and authored many books on the subject. In this first segment of our in-depth interview, Brown discusses how he came to faith in Jesus Christ after rebelling as a teenager and getting into very heavy drug use. It is a fascinating testimony and a witness to the awesome, redemptive power of God. — Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes.  Do Not Use Real Player.  It is not supported and there may be difficulty when attempting to listen with it.  Left click once on the link below to play.  (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show. 

4-23-11, Michael Brown

Ken Hutcherson

These interviews were recorded April 12, 2011, and aired April 16th [CLICK HERE to listen]. In the first part of the show, Pastor Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond, Washington, discusses his new project to rally Christians nationwide in support of DOMA, the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. He launched it after President Obama suddenly announced through his Attorney General that would stop defending in court Section 3 of DOMA, which defines marriage in federal law as between a man and a woman. Already Hutcherson is being lambasted by homosexual activists, but he said the response among Christian leaders, including his friend Dr. James Dobson, has been outstanding.  The RealClearPolitics article by Matthew Franck to which AFTAH president Peter LaBarbera refers in the interview is HERE. (Hutcherson did a wonderful three-part interview with AFTAH last year [Click HERE for Part One]; spoke at our banquet in October; and received the 2010 AFTAH ‘Truth-Teller’ Award.) 

Linda Harvey

The second half of the show features Linda Harvey, founder and president of Mission America, which co-sponsored our recent and highly informative Truth Academy in Columbus, Ohio, where she lives. Linda discusses that and the recent story that she broke about the ‘Gay-Straight Alliances” Facebook site of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) containing photos for a pornographic homosexual hook-up site, and photos for other inappropriate websites including a “Gay Thailand Today” site promoting sex tourism. Linda tells how she was informed about the inappropriate GLSEN FB photos by a grandmother and pro-family advocate in New York who came upon them. Incredibly, after AFTAH advanced the Mission America exposé, homosexual bloggers led by Alvin McEwen – an AFTAH-hating extremist with a penchant for twisting facts – began speculating that Americans For Truth might have placed the photos on GLSEN’s Facebook page as a “homophobic smear” to “frame” this homosexual activist organization! Just one more lie from a movement built upon lies… (Linda too has previously been interviewed by AFTAH; click HERE for Part One of her two-part 2010 interview.)  

HOW TO LISTEN: This is an mp3 file, supported in most operating systems by Windows Media Player, Quick Time and/or I-Tunes. DO NOT USE ‘Real Player,’ which is not supported; there may be difficulty when attempting to listen with it.  Left click once on the link below to play.  (Please be patient, depending upon the speed of your internet connection it may take a moment or two to load.)  OR right click the link then “save target as” to download the whole show. 

4-16-11, Dr. Ken Hutcherson & Linda Harvey