Those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics do not understand religion. - Mahatma Gandhi
The Religious Right is a political movement that cleverly and strategically uses religion and religious language, combined with patriotic symbols to push an agenda that is out of touch with mainstream values and is political in the extreme. - Texas Freedom Network
People place their hand on the Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution. They don't put their hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible. - Jamie Raskin, Professor of Constitutional Law, American University
The national government will maintain and defend the foundations on which the power of our nation rests. It will offer strong protection to Christianity as the very basis of our collective morality. Today, Christians stand at the head of our country. We want to fill our culture again with the Christian spirit. We want to burn out all the recent immoral developments in literature, in the theatre, and in the press - in short, we want to burn out the poison of immorality which has entered into our whole life and culture as a result of liberal excess during recent years. - Adolf Hitler in his first radio address to the German people after coming to power in 1933
I once had a liberal theology professor who said that the hardest thing to tolerate is intolerance. My response was, "Why would you want to?" After all, Jesus himself condemned the judgmental Pharisees, whom he publicly called hypocrites and whited sepulchres.
My professor believed that tolerance had to be all-inclusive, and that to reject intolerance was to become intolerant oneself. But he was a remarkably naive theoretician who lived a cloistered life. He couldn't see that his view was a form of unilateral disarmament. After all, what about the Nazis? Should we tolerate genocide? What about slavery, or segregation, or discrimination? Should we tolerate racism? What about homophobia? Should we tolerate the abuse of gay children by our families, schools and churches, or excuse the denial of equal rights for gays?
Intolerance is too corrosive and deadly to leave unopposed. A society that does not stand firmly for tolerance creates a tempting power vacuum for the malicious and the mean-spirited. And, unlike tolerant people, they do not feel any obligation to be broadminded or fair in the exercise of power.
The price for a tolerant society is vigilance.
DLT
Real Christians Fight Intolerance "Progressive Christians tend to be nonjudgmental and to feel that challenging the intolerance of others is itself intolerant. For that reason we often sit by silently when Fundamentalist Christians criticize homosexual persons. We tend to think of this as being open minded." - Rev. Jim Rigby
A liberal is a man too broadminded to take his own side in a quarrel. - Robert Frost, Poet
We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another. - Jonathan Swift
Bigotry in the name of religion and morality is still bigotry. - DLT
American Civil Liberties Union If not for the ACLU, the Constitution's Bill of Rights would be little more than empty words on paper. Few Americans realize how much the degree of freedom they enjoy today is due to the persistent battles of the ACLU for personal and civil rights. This is one of the oldest organizations which advances religious tolerance by reinforcing the wall separating church and state.
Answers to Your Questions About Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality by the American Psychological Association. There is probably no greater deception being promoted in America today than the claim that being gay is a choice. Get the knowledgeable view from the professionals and arm yourself against charlatans. See also the APA Policy Statements on Lesbian and Gay Issues.
Amnesty International works to promote all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards. In particular, AI campaigns to free all prisoners of conscience; ensure fair and prompt trials for political prisoners; abolish the death penalty, torture and other cruel treatment of prisoners; end political killings and "disappearances;" and oppose human rights abuses by opposition groups. It has around a million members and supporters in 162 countries and territories.
Anti-Defamation League The ADL monitors and fights anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia and many other kinds of extremism. A major information center for anyone dedicated to promoting tolerance.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State This no-nonsense interfaith group of activists fights to prevent the religious right and others from from using government to impose their religious standards on the rest of us. Thanks to groups like this, we still have religious freedom and tolerance in the U.S.
Atticus Circle educates and mobilizes fair-minded straight people to advance equal rights for LGBT partners, parents, and their children.
Center for Progressive Christianity promotes an understanding of Christian practice and teaching that leads to a greater concern for the way people treat each other than for the way people express their beliefs, the acceptance of all people, and a respect for other religious traditions.
The Despoiling of America A well-documented article about "how a political religious movement called Dominionism gained control of the Republican Party, then took over Congress, then took over the White House, and now is sealing the conversion of America to a theocracy by taking over the American Judiciary."
Ex-Gay Watch News and analysis of "ex-gay" disinformation and propaganda.
Faith In America "...is a national organization dedicated to the emancipation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from bigotry disguised as religious truth. Such religion-based bigotry has been used throughout history to justify discrimination against other groups of people, including women, racial and ethnic minorities, and people of minority religious beliefs."
Faith in Public Life A resource of faith movements which share a call to ensure that diverse religious voices for justice and the common good consistently impact public policy, and that those who use religion as a tool of division and exclusion do not dominate public discourse.
Feminist Majority This cutting-edge organization, dedicated to women's equality, reproductive health, and non-violence, uses research and action to empower women economically, socially, and politically.
GLSEN The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network is the largest national network of parents, students, teachers and others working to end anti-gay bias in schools. If you think their efforts are unnecessary, you might change your mind after reading this frightening report by Human Rights Watch, Hatred in the Hallways.
Human Rights Campaign As America's largest gay and lesbian organization, the Human Rights Campaign provides a national voice on gay and lesbian issues. It lobbies Congress, mobilizes grassroots action in diverse communities, invests strategically to elect a fair-minded Congress, and increases public understanding through innovative education and communication strategies.
Human Rights Watch The largest human rights organization based in the United States conducts fact-finding investigations into human rights abuses in all regions of the world, then publishes those findings in dozens of books and reports every year, generating extensive coverage in local and international media. You can order the reports or read them online.
Institute for Welcoming Resources Resources that support the unconditional welcome of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and their families into the church of their choice.
The Interfaith Alliance With Walter Cronkite as its spokesperson and a highly distinguished board of directors from many faiths, this group is not afraid to take on the religious right's extremist political agenda and to expose the right's intolerance of vulnerable groups.
JewsOnFirst.org defends the First Amendment against the growing strength of the Christian right and the accelerating pace of its theocratic agenda.
Keshet-Rabbis The members of Keshet-Rabbis hold that GLBT Jews should be embraced as full, open members of all their congregations and institutions.
Mainstream Loudoun - A Voice for Moderation In order to preserve religious and personal freedom, maintain separation of church and state, and to counter the imposition through public policy of one religious tradition over others, Mainstream Loudoun researches and educates voters about the true purpose and negative effects of the public policies promoted by extreme right groups.
Military Religious Freedom Foundation A watchdog group dedicated to maintaining religious freedom within the U.S. military. The organization's founder explains that "We apparently have a radicalized, evangelical Christian Pentagon within the rest of the Pentagon." Among the findings in MRFF's December 11, 2006 Compliance Report on the Pervasive Violations of the United States Constitutional Religious Freedoms of Military Personnel:
- Attempts by missionary organizations such as Force Ministries and the Officers’ Christian Fellowship to create "Christian soldiers" by training active-duty military personnel to evangelize their subordinates and peers.
- Military leadership appearing in uniform in promotional videos for these missionary organizations and openly discussing their commitment to bring religion into the military.
NAACP The oldest civil rights organization in the U.S. works to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority citizens.
National Council of Jewish Women Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW is a volunteer organization that has been at the forefront of social change for over a century by taking a progressive stance on many issues.
National Organization for Women NOW advances women's rights and promotes the goal of equality in the United States and around the world through education, litigation, advocacy, networking, conferences, publications, training and leadership development.
NCCJ The National Conference for Community and Justice, founded in 1927 as The National Conference of Christians and Jews, is dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry and racism in America.
Network of Spiritual Progressives An interfaith movement which challenges the political dominance of the Religious Right. Also welcomes "spiritual but not religious" secular people.
Not in Our Town is a national movement that encourages community response to hate crimes. The project combines PBS broadcast, grassroots events, educational outreach and online activities to help communities battle hate.
Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance One of the most frequently visited web sites about religion, it's also a lightning rod for religious extremists offended by fairness and accuracy (it's been hacked). Besides covering an encyclopedic range of topics, it also discusses hot issues, including evolution vs. creationism and the status of women and gays in the churches. This is a major on-line reference.
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays This national non-profit organization, with a membership of over 77,000 households and more than 425 affiliates worldwide, fights discrimination against gays and lesbians and promotes their civil rights through various means, particularly the media.
People for the American Way Along with the ACLU and a few other organizations, PFAW is one of the major national defenders of religious freedom and tolerance. It's a bane of the religious right.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America Planned Parenthood affiliated health centers nationwide provide high quality, affordable reproductive health care and sexual health information to nearly five million women, men and teens. Planned Parenthood welcomes everyone — regardless of race, age, sexuality, disability, or income and offers innovative programs on making responsible choices about health and sexuality.
Political Research Associates PRA is an independent, nonprofit research center that exposes and challenges the Right and larger oppressive movements, institutions, and forces. It produces applied research and analytic tools to inform and support progressive activism that promotes equality and justice.
Porchnus The e-zine of The Front Porch, an inter-faith chat room about religious and ethical issues. Respectful of belief and disbelief.
Real Christians Fight Intolerance "Progressive Christians tend to be nonjudgmental and to feel that challenging the intolerance of others is itself intolerant. For that reason we often sit by silently when Fundamentalist Christians criticize homosexual persons. We tend to think of this as being open minded."
The Religious Action Center Reform Judaism proves its admirable commitment to tolerance.
Religious Right Power Brokers: The Top Ten "The United States is home to dozens of Religious Right groups. ...the most powerful organizations conduct nationwide operations, command multi-million-dollar bank accounts and attract millions of followers. They have disproportionate clout in the halls of Congress, the White House and the courts, and they wield enormous influence within the political system."
The Rockway Institute A think tank which brings together scientific and professional expertise to counter antigay prejudice and inform public policies affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the most important and reliable sources of information about the Holocaust. The Center also fights racial intolerance and keeps a close watch on Internet hate sites. Unfortunately, the site says next to nothing about the most pervasive, insidious and socially acceptable hatred of all - homophobia. That's in spite of the fact that gays were also victims of the Holocaust.
Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace is an inclusive Christian ministry whose mission is to proclaim and practice the biblical call to integrate spiritual renewal and social justice.
Soulforce The founder of Soulforce is Rev. Mel White, a former ghost writer for Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and others, who has since become a formidable opponent of the religious right. Soulforce takes the non-violence teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., and applies them to the fight for justice for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the transgendered. What makes this site important is not only the principles of tolerance and spirituality it upholds, but the powerful moral force it brings to the fight, a force that is still shamefully absent from most Christian churches.
The Southern Poverty Law Center One of the most important and formidable organizations in the U.S. for fighting intolerance (of which there is an abundance; see "Intelligence Report"). Among its many significant projects is "Teaching Tolerance," which offers free or low-cost resources to educators for teaching tolerance to youth.
Straight for Equality is an outreach and education project that empowers straight people in supporting and advocating for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people.
Texas Freedom Network This mainstream alliance to counter the religious right in Texas includes over 7500 religious and community leaders who are concerned about the growing social and political influence of religious political extremists.
TheocracyWatch This project of the Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy (CRESP) at Cornell University is a major source of information about the increasingly pervasive role of the Religious Right in the U.S. government, and support for activism opposing it.
Tolerance.org For people interested in dismantling bigotry and creating, in hate's stead, communities that value diversity.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America's national institution for the documentation, study and interpretation of Holocaust history, and serves as the nation's memorial to the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust. Includes some information on gay victims of the Holocaust, although you may have to look hard for it.
Witness.org Founded by singer Peter Gabriel and the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, this non-profit organization provides video and editing equipment to human rights groups around the world to document on tape the stories of the survivors of atrocities. The footage is then placed on this site for public viewing.
Women Leaders Online An inclusive, Internet-based, activist group for empowering women in politics, media, society, the economy and cyberspace.
The Yurica Report Many articles about the threat of the subversive Dominion Theology movement to democratic government.
So life's not fair - how does that excuse society? - DLT
