Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptists are the largest and most reactionary christian denomination in the USA. They split away from the Baptists in 1845 over slavery, because they thought that slavery was okay. After the civil war, some Southern Baptists founded the Ku Klux Klan. Intense hatred against blacks was to remain the trademark of the Southern Baptists for another century.

In the 1960s, the Southern Baptists supported segregation laws and opposed the black civil rights movement. In 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention issued an apology to all African-Americans and asked for their forgiveness. At the 1999 convention, after SB membership had dropped for the first time since 1926, Southern Baptist Convention President Paige Patterson unveiled a new, agressive missionary campaign to target the inner cities and minority populations, except gays and lesbians.

Some see these developments as signs that the Southern Baptists have broken with their hateful past. In reality, though, only the target of hate has changed, from black to gay. Gays and lesbians are now the most favourite hated group of the Southern Baptists, and no annual convention goes by without some major rhetorical gay-bashing. The 1999 convention rebuked Clinton for his declaration of June as gay pride month and the nomination of James Hormel as ambassador to Luxembourg.

Many Religious Right leaders are Southern Baptists, such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. The next time you hear these people rant against "moral relativism", remember the appalling moral relativism of their own religion, which only yesterday defended slavery and racism as sanctioned by God.

"Yes, we're told to love the sinner and to hate the sin."

R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, responding to Larry King's question whether he loves homosexuals, on Larry King Live, 8/30/99.

Talking Points

1. Told by whom? "Love the sinner, but hate the sin" as a general principle cannot be found anywhere in the bible. There is not a single passage where Jesus instructs his followers to hate anyone or anything. So who instructs Mr Mohler and others like him to hate what they consider sin? (please read the response page for a discussion of this point.)

2. How about a white racist's claim that he does not hate black people, just blackness? How many black people would find that an acceptable statement? And how could one possibly hate blackness in the abstract without hating the people who are black?

3. If Mr. Mohler and others like him truely uphold the aforementioned principle, why are they opposed to the Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) - which protects people, not a behavior? Since they all love homosexuals, why would they refuse to hire one?

4. Why is it that gays and lesbians who listen to religious right tirades about homosexuality never get the warm, fuzzy feeling of being loved?

5. Isn't it true that "love the sinner and hate the sin" is nothing but a meaningless jingle and that R. Albert Mohler and his peers hate not only homosexuality but homosexual people with a passion?

Articles:

...whereas, In recent years, we have watched the world's largest family entertainment company with growing disappointment as Disney Co.'s moral leadership has been eroded by a variety of corporate decisions, which have included but are not limited to:

  • Establishing of an employee policy which accepts and embraces homosexual relationships for the purpose of insurance benefits;
  • Hosting of homosexual and lesbian theme nights at its parks;
  • Choosing of a convicted child molester to direct the Disney movie Powder through its subsidiary Miramax Productions;
  • Publishing of a book aimed at teenage homosexuals entitled Growing Up Gay: From Left Out to Coming Out through its subsidiary Hyperion, connecting Disney to the promotion of the homosexual agenda;
  • Producing, through its subsidiary corporations, objectionable material such as the film Priest which disparages Christian values and depicts Christian leaders as morally defective; It is understandable to anyone who has knowledge of the Bible (and that which comes from reading, not from liberal trickery) why the SBC has chosen to boycott Disney. Allowing sodomites to throw parties in its parks where many children play is not only unsafe but is also a bad influence on the children.

from the Southern Baptist Convention's Disney boycott resolution of June 12, 1996 (underline not in the original)