US Congressmen, evangelists support Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Death Penalty Law

Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) has taken at least 20 "missionary" trips overseas since he's been in office, allegedly paid for by U.S. taxpayers, using military transport. He is especially fond of Uganda, boasting that he has "adopted" the East African nation. In fact, he is so fond of Uganda, he has invited its leaders to become members of the not-so secret, secret society known as the Family in D.C., according to Jeff Sharlet, whose new book, "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power" exposes just that.


You may have heard of the Family because of the book, which is currently a bestseller. Or you may have heard of the Family because of recent sex scandals involving members Sen. John Ensign and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who is facing 37 ethics charges for abandoning his job to visit his mistress in Argentina.

But the Family is much more than sex scandals - it is large and powerful, with tentacles that reach every corner of the world. It's members include several high-ranking Congressmen such as Republicans Inhofe, Sen. Sam Brownback (KS), Sen. Jim DeMint (SC), Sen. Chuck Grassley (IA), Sen. John Thune (SD), Sen. Joe Pitts (PA), and several others. It is a bipartisan organization - Democratic members include Sen. Bill Nelson (FL), Sen. Mark Pryor (AR), Rep. Bart Stupak (MI), co-author of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which would ban federal funding for abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the life of the mother.

Since 1953, the group has led the National Prayer Breakfast at the White House, which is attended by the President and his Cabinet, along with dignitaries from across the globe. The Family coined the term "prayer cell", which is an "invisible believing group" who get together and talk with world leaders about what God wants them to do in their leadership capacity.

According to Sharlet, Inhofe took David Bahati under his wing, making him a core member of the Family. Bahati is the author of Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The Bill creates a new crime called "aggravated homosexuality" in Uganda and imposes automatic life imprisonment or the death penalty for its offense. "Aggravated homosexuality" is defined by the Bill as sex with a disabled person, having HIV/AIDS, use of drugs or alcohol that leads to gay sex, knowing a gay person and not reporting it, or speaking positively about same-sex marriage.

Bahati is head of the Family-sponsored Africa Leadership Forum,. It's likely the "Bahati Bill", as it is commonly known in Uganda, will become law, because of the Family's financial support, power, and influence in country. Sharlet says the Family has poured millions of dollars into the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality campaign, and considers Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni as the "key man" for the Family in Uganda. Sharlet says Musevni can go to Brownback or any other Family member if he wants money for arms or anything else, and stays at the Family-owned Cedars House when he's in D.C.

Sharlet, who lived with the Family in its C-Street House near Capitol Hill and became close to it's current leader, Doug Coe, told NPR the Family believes in "Elite Fundamentalism" - that is, that Jesus had one true message for a core group of elite and powerful, another for those in a somewhat "outer circle," and the most common one known to the masses, who "couldn't handle the truth."

Sharlet says the group's founder, Abraham Vereide, claims God appeared to him one night in April 1935 and told him Christianity was focused on the wrong people - the poor, the suffering, the down and out - and told Vereide to be a missionary to and for the elite and powerful; thus, the Family is dedicated to the cultivation of "King Men" who are chosen by God to use his "tools", using King David as a model.

The Family's main tenet is, "Jesus didn't come to take sides, he came to take over." Sharlet says the core rhetoric of the Family is that Christ's message wasn't about love, mercy, or forgivness as most of us believe. It was about power. Coe was quoted as saying Hitler, Stalin, and Chairman Mao understood this message. He was quick to admit these were evil men, but he said they understood power. Coe was labeled a fascist sympathizer after his remarks.

Sharlet is quick to point out, "Doug Coe is not a neo-Nazi, but he fetishizes strength, looking to build a fellowship of absolute strength. This happened in Somalia, which is now a haven for Al Qaeda, terrorism, and piracy, all of which the Family regards as 'God's plan'."

An article in today's Guardian UK by Xan Rice reveals that U.S. Evangelists are the main activists behind Uganda's "Bahati Bill". Both opponents and supporters agree that the impetus for the bill came in March during a seminar in Kampala to "expose the truth behind homosexuality and the homosexual agenda".

The main speakers were three US evangelists: Scott Lively, Don Schmierer and Caleb Lee Brundidge. Lively is a noted anti-gay activist and president of Defend the Family International, a conservative Christian association, while Schmierer is an author who works with "homosexual recovery groups". Brundidge is a "sexual reorientation coach" at the International Healing Foundation.

The seminar was organized by Stephen Langa, who runs the Family Life Network (sound familiar?) and has been spreading the message that gays are targeting schoolchildren. "They give money to children to recruit schoolmates – once you have two children, the whole school is gone," Langa said in an interview. Asked if there had been any court case to prove this was happening, he replied: "No, that's why this law is needed."

"After the conference Langa arranged for a petition signed by thousands of concerned parents to be delivered to parliament in April. Within a few months the bill had been drawn up," reports Rice.

It's unlikely at this point that anything can be done to stop Ugandan leaders from passing the Anti-Homosexuality Law. According to Rice's report, LGBT Ugandans are already making plans to leave the country.

But the involvement of the U.S.'s elected representatives and evangelists should not be ignored. Human Rights Watch has condemend the bill as threatening basic human liberties and human rights defenders in Uganda, as well as progress on the eradication of HIV/AIDS in the region.

Source : Examiner

THIS IS DESPICABLE, Death penalty for not reporting a homosexual! I do not support homosexuality, abortion, nor the death penalty
Again, this is another sign of the times

Well, death may be extreme, but if they punish these offenders who break the law in Uganda then I applaud them happily. It's about time somebody had the good since to make blatant homosexuality a crime.

I believe death will only be considered in extreme cases such as a man raping another man against his will or something like that.

This is a great thing for this country. Now they just need to get God given morals an values in place. What they are doing with this is stopping the same kind of decadent behavior that led to Sodom and Gomorrah. Once morals and values go out the window other things that lead to worse crimes against man will follow.

Well lets turn the tables, and say practicing Christianity is made to be an offense punishable by flogging. Doesn't have to be in any particular place, but lets just put that out there. What would you say then? Would you be for such punishment for gays? Where does the state get the authority or moral superiority to punish one group behavior and reward others. If you go down that road it only gets worse over time. What happened to live and let live?

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


I must say, I'm speechless.

I'm to presume that you likewise applaud Saudi Arabia and Iran on their "god-given morals" and laws?

I'm a christian but that is so sad. What ever happened to hate the sin not the sinner? I have a friend who is a lesbien and I once told her that I would attack any one who waved a "God hates gays" sign in her face.God doesn't hate gays any more than he hates liars and hypocrites. What on earth about homosexuality deserves the death penalty. I believe in the death penalty but I personally believe in the death penalty only for the worst of the worst crimes against children.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


Some Americans would like a form of Sharia Law here.

Why don't you go to Iran and live there, you would fit right in, or perhaps parts of countries controlled by Al-Quida, enjoy!

Personally, while I'm against death penalties in general, I would support a death penalty for prosletyzing.

If your religion or belief system is so hot, then do your thing without trying to con anyone into joining it. Just be, and if someone wants to join, fine. But if they show up at your door banging bibles, korans, or anything else, they should be fair game. I do think they should be given a head start of 30 seconds or so, though. If they pro-actively advocate death for others, that should be sufficient cause for those others to act in self-defense, and shoot them first.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


Amazement.

Really?

You honestly think that homosexuality deserves to be a crime? How does it affect anybody other than your jaded views of reality?

Is it just because it makes you uncomfortable? That it insults your religion? Who are you to judge?

Leave that to your God and be a good sheep as he (The Romans)intended.

~Keeper

[edit on 12/9/2009 by tothetenthpower]