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It was an hour of my time that I could say I want back, but in the end, it was good to hear the level of ignorance of the separation of church and state during a debate on the Spectacular Radio Show today. It was between well-known local pastor, Dr. Patrick L. Wooden, Sr. of the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, NC and state legislator (and our only out lawmaker in the lege), Rep. Marcus Brandon (D-60, Guilford County) who is working with the coalition to Protect NC Families.
Hosts Gary Jones and Phyllis Coley did a fair job of giving time to both sides and the callers; sadly, Wooden and too many of the latter were in favor of the amendment, based on the usual religious objections, and even flat-out idiocy. Some of the low lights:
- Pastor Wooden spent time explaining to us about Adam and Eve and procreation to justify the amendment
- He stated statistics (providing no source) that gay men in relationships have 8 partners outside of relationship. Too bad no one asked him about Herman Cain’s fidelity.
- He compared same-sex marriage to pedophilia.
- Wooden said that gay couples in states where marriage is legal have divorced, therefore they shouldn’t be able to marry in NC. What about 50% het divorce rate? Besides, this amendment is not about giving gay and lesbians the right to marry — it’s about banning it through a constitutional amendment.
- My favorite howler from Wooden: ”They are going to have to teach anal sex in the public school classroom” if gays can marry.
- And in a bizarre bit of business, Wooden tried to cite statistics to prove that states with marriage equality have less vital economies than those with marriage discrimination amendments. Where do they get this garbage?
- Host Phyllis Coley asked Wooden why this amendment is on the ballot since same-sex marriage is already illegal in NC. Wooden: “We have to protect marriage from activist judges.” STALE, #FAIL. Perhaps he forgot about those “activist judges that ruled in Loving v Virginia in 1967?
Marcus Brandon did an excellent job of addressing the hypocrisy of the religious objection, noting Wooden has not called for an amendment to ban adultery and divorce, two sins that are in the Bible, as well as throwing back in Wooden’s face charges that the black civil rights movement has nothing to do with LGBT rights, saying “these are all false arguments; Rosa Parks was tired because she was treated differently…That is what the civil rights movement was about.”
We need more of these debates broadcast around the state in order to expose the fraudulence of these anti-gay arguments fomented by religion-based bigotry. People need to see that there is no rational reason to support this amendment; it’s based on personal views and animus.
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A religious leader who is stupid. I’m shocked. In other news, water is wet
“People need to see that there is no rational reason to support this amendment; it’s based on personal views and animus.”
Sadly, they already know that, and those who oppose civil rights for LGBTs will continue to rationalize their prejudices. I think those who are willing to keep an open mind — and perhaps understand that “religious freedom” does not mean “religious precedence” — just need to have the lies pointed out to them, as, it seems, Rep. Brandon quite ably did.
The 8 year gay relationship claim sounds like the Netherlands study which looked at CASUAL relationships of gay men over a 16 year period. Three things about that study – no lesbians participated and the requirements to participate expressly excluded gay men in monogamous relationships. Also, the study was conducted BEFORE marriage equality was legalized in The Netherlands.
It’s sad that when blacks become conservatives, they immediately forget their collective history, because I think they’re wanting to be accepted so desperately by the white rulers they’ll actually work against their own people. Note Herman Cain, Ken Blackwell, Clarence Thomas, ad nauseum.
When it comes to ministers like Mr. Wooden, I guess he also discounts and forgets the fact that same book was used to justify Jim Crow and the bans on voting and interracial marriage.
Let’s not forget Mel Boozer’s famous line in his acceptance speech for the vice-presidency at the 1980 DNC convention:
“Would you ask me how I dare to compare the civil rights struggle with the struggle for lesbian and gay rights? I can compare them and I do compare them, because I know what it means to be called a ‘nigger’ and I know what it means to be called a ‘faggot,’ and I understand the differences in the marrow of my bones. And I can sum up that difference in one word: none.”