One Brave Dude

File Under: the 'religious' Right

HOUSTON - The leader of the largest branch of American Judaism blasted conservative religious activists in a speech Saturday, calling them "zealots" who claim a "monopoly on God" while promoting anti-gay policies akin to Adolf Hitler's.

Wait: Houston? There are Jews in Houston?

Now lots of folks throw around the 'Hitler thing' a bit too easily (like "Rush Limbaugh/Tom Delay/Don Rumsfeld/Dick Cheney/etc is a Nazi"), but the jews... the jews know Hitler and Rabbis don't tend say that lightly.

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the liberal Union for Reform Judaism, said "religious right" leaders believe "unless you attend my church, accept my God and study my sacred text you cannot be a moral person."

Stunning when someone calls them on their bullshit isn't it?

"What could be more bigoted than to claim that you have a monopoly on God?" he said during the movement's national assembly in Houston, which runs through Sunday.

Hmmm, let's see... do you really want me to try or was it an empty threat?

Yoffie did not mention evangelical Christians directly, using the term "religious right" instead. In a separate interview, he said the phrase encompassed conservative activists of all faiths, including within the Jewish community.

Aww, I hate when folks start something and then back off. Come on, we know the names: Dobson, Falwell, Robertson, Graham, et al.,

He used particularly strong language to condemn conservative attitudes toward homosexuals. He said he understood that traditionalists have concluded gay marriage violates Scripture, but he said that did not justify denying legal protections to same-sex partners and their children.

"We cannot forget that when Hitler came to power in 1933, one of the first things that he did was ban gay organizations," Yoffie said. "Yes, we can disagree about gay marriage. But there is no excuse for hateful rhetoric that fuels the hellfires of anti-gay bigotry."

Right. I mean come on, as long as you aren't being forced to marry another dude/chick (whichever applies) then really, what do you care? And why are they so obsessed with it?

Yoffie said liberals and conservatives share some concerns, such as the potential damage to children from violent or highly sexual TV shows and other popular media. But he said, overall, conservatives too narrowly define family values, making a "frozen embryo in a fertility clinic" more important than a child, and ignoring poverty and other social ills.

Well, personally, I could care less about 'violence on TV' 'cuz I think it is a HUGE step up from the sorts of public entertaiment we've see throughout history like gladiator games & public executions (sorry been catching up on HBO's Rome lately). That's up to parents, not TV folks, but he's right about the embryo thing: folks get all worked up about a few frozen cells, but once a kid is actually born then 'f@#k 'em: if their parents couldn't take care of them they shouldn't have had kids in the first place' seems to be the prevailing attitude.

Nice to see someone out there saying the obvious, but this guy should be careful: the "religious" Right has little to no use for jews (except to help start the 'end times' & armageddon because it is supposed to start in Isreal)... brave dude.