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Endorsements from the Wrong Fellows
The Westboro Baptist Church, a radical anti-gay Christian organization, tried to argue that Fred Thompson “saw eye to eye” with their views on homosexuality. A Thompson campaign spokesperson shot them down right quick. Bob Jones University, which has issues with interracial dating (and really, Black people in general) and whose leaders have called both Mormonism and Catholicism “cults” endorsed Mitt Romney. He appears to have greeted the endorsement with open arms.
3 Responses to “Endorsements from the Wrong Fellows”
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David, I’m hardly one to defend the folks and BJU but saying that they are “only a step or two” further out of the mainstream than Fred Phelp’s and his brood goes WAY too far. It’s akin to saying that your average Muslim American is “only a step or two” away from an Al Quaeda terrorist, something I highly suspect you wouldn’t approve of.
Fred Phelps heads up a small über-extremist sect. Believing in his creed (or rather screed) renders you utterly inoperative in the real world. These are people who revel in the pain of others, and who have a pathological need for attention and perverse enjoyment of the hate of others.
The BJU folks have plenty of positions I heartily disagree with, views that I find bigoted and totally misguided BUT I’m willing to wager that most of them can navigate in the regular world without too much difficulty, with a regular life, and even knowing people who are very different, in race and sexual orientation, without neccesarily not getting along with them.
There is something to be said about how the views of nicer “mainstream” religious people involuntarily give shelter to the extremists, giving their positions a sheen of respectability they do not deserve, but that is not the same thing as saying they are identical to one another. BJU is not a place I would ever feel at home, they are not mainstream, but they are not in need of a room with soft walls, as Fred Phelps obviously is (though maybe just a good boyfriend would do it).
The problem with BJU is the history of Republicans pandering to this group. I don’t recall reading about Hillary or Obama kissing the ring of Markos like McCain kissing the ring of Falwell. I wonder what the policy is at BJU in regards to true “Christians” dating or mixing with heathen Mormons?