A CURIOUSÂ caption appears under this photograph on fundie website LifeSiteNews today. It reads:
Gene Robinson and his homosexual partner Mark Andrew.
Talk about stating the bloody obvious. But why do it?
If Robinson weren’t gay, and was pictured with a wife, would she be described as a heterosexual partner? Of course not!
Leaving aside this silly bit of captioning, why does Robinson feature so prominently today on the site?
Because President-elect Barack Obama has selected the openly-gay bishop to give the main invocation at a Sunday event celebrating his inauguration, scheduled for January 18.
Obama’s choice of Robinson follows the row that erupted after pro-marriage and pro-life Saddleback pastor Rick Warren was picked to preside over the main inauguration event,
The New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop, a central figure in the homosexual clergy controversy that has rocked the worldwide Anglican communion, will deliver his invocation on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
According to this report, Robinson will pray at the star-studded event to be broadcast on national television from the Lincoln Memorial on January 18.
Robinson said he believed his role was an important one.
It’s important for any minority to see themselves represented in some way. Whether it be a racial minority, an ethnic minority or, in our case, a sexual minority. Just seeing someone like you up front matters.
Robinson, who entered into a legal civil union with his long-time partner Mark Andrews in June, added:
I’m just overwhelmed and so humbled by this invitation.
Obama last month defended his choice of Warren, a popular preacher who attracts some 20,000 people to weekly sermons at his giant Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California and is known for his strong views against gay marriage and abortion.
Said Obama:
It is no secret that I am a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans. It’s important for America to come together, even though we may have disagreements on certain social issues. There will be a wide range of viewpoints that are presented. And that’s how it should be, because that’s what America’s about … we are diverse and noisy and opinionated.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
January 14th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Why do Xian fundies hate gays more than they hate (say) child poverty? They certainly devote more effort to the former ‘problem’. Perhaps they just find it easier to condemn and denounce than to construct, build, improve and generally better the lot of their fellow mortals. Oh well. We knew they weren’t nice people – and we knew Obama was a politician.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Gene Robinson did a sermon in Putney, West London, just down the road from me not long ago. If you hunt the net you can probably find a video of the moment where a fundie heckler stands up and goes into a frothing rant… only for his fellow Christians to drown him out with the ‘bugger off’ hand clap.
January 14th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I am an Evangelical Christian and can assure you that I do not “hate” gays; I many Christian friends and,to the best of my knowledge, none of them “hate” gays. However, we disapprove of what they do because the Bible declares it to be sinful. Read Romans chapter 1 v 26-27.
However, the good news of the Christian gospel is that gays can be converted; if they truly repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour then their sins will be forgiven by God and they will be welcomed into Heaven upon their death.
January 14th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
What utter tosh, Bob. Only the gormless regard the Bible as an authoritative source. Anyway, why don’t you lot bang on about all the other “abominations” that are listed in Leviticus, such as eating shellfish?
January 14th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Barry: I think it’s because people will call them a bunch of frothing mentals
January 14th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
I am pleased that my post was not deleted because it was Christian. Many forums delete my posts as they only believe in free speech if it agrees with them.
Reply to Barry: the reason why you believe the Bible to be “tosh” is because the Devil has blinded you. I am praying that God will open your eyes and convert you to faith in Christ as your personal Saviour. I have not mentioned the Old Testament prohibtions against gay perversion as many may claim that the OT laws were a transitory arrangement for the Jews. However, the New Testament is clear about such behaviour being sinful and those who do these things being in need of repentance.
January 14th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Keep going Bob. Every comment you post adds a dozen or so atheists to the fast-swelling ranks of the world’s unbelievers. We salute you!
January 14th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
More fuel for Hell’s fire then!! If people don’t get saved the loss is theirs. My responsibility is to declare truth, yours is to repent.
January 14th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Wow Bob and Barry keep it up. This is great entertainment.
I’ll see you in hell then Barry and please Bob don’t pray for me I hate that.As for converting gays is this the same as “curing” homosexuality?
January 14th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Bob, if you believe that people like me will burn in Hell forever after we die, does that mean you’d happily see us given a taste of this unpleasant afterlife by being incinerated here on earth?
I only ask because I’ve been reading about your spiritual ancestor, John Calvin. He burned (or rather, ordered others to burn – important distinction!) vast numbers of people because he knew he was right. The Bible told him so. Of course, it mysteriously told other people that Calvin ought to be burned. Go figure, as they say…
January 14th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Bob,
Like all glassy eyed morons, you obviously feel that ‘spreading the word’ will somehow make people change. The people who write into this forum have, dare I say it, evolved into independant thinkers who are capable of analysis of the evidence put in front of them.
I put a challenge to you. And I’d like it regulated by Barry.
If any of the regulars on this forum becomes converted within the next 2 weeks (it’s a miracle!!) then I’ll give you £50 to give to the charity of your choice. If your, and I do mean your, God wants people like you to spread the world then surely you will win.
However, if nobody becomes converted then will you quietly fuck off.
Are you up for it?
January 14th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Bob, if I agree to be converted will you give me fifty quid?
And, if I just SAY I’m converted but in fact remain the atheistical scamp that I am at present, how could anyone tell? (The reply ‘God knows’ is not sufficient, I feel.)
January 14th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Reply to chrsbol: if a gay person repents and is converted I guess you could call it “curing” homosexuality. However, one has to bear in mind that the evangelist simply tells the message, it is God who does the converting.
reply to Tony E and valdemar: Conversion is a soveriegn work of God’s Holy Spirit, as I have just stated it is God who does this work. However, He uses means eg. a person like me putting His truth on the internet. Of course, I will be delighted if God grants you repentance unto life but it is His prerogative.
January 14th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Oh Dear! Bob falls in the familiar trap of quoting from a collection of books that contain fairy tales mixed with hate. Why not quote from the phone book, at least that does contain factual information.
People like Bob can’t seem think for themselves, they’d rather have some bigot do it for them
January 14th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Oh dear! Angela K – you are heating up the furnace of Hell for yourself. You must repent and accept Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour. Clearly the Devil has blinded you.
January 14th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Bob,
As expected you have not anwsered the question.
Are you up for it?
No pithy quotes from the bible – just yes or no.
January 14th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
I’m just gonna throw the phrase “provable fact of evolution” out here for no reason.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
I think “BOB” has just punked you all.Poe’s law anybody?
January 14th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Bob,
It’s your hell. You burn in it.
There’s no such thing as an “ex-gay’. There are, however, many Repressed Homosexuals for Jesus; gay people who pretend they’re straight to please the church, God, Jesus, etc. (And many of them return to being fully gay when they realize they were merely living a lie) There are also lots of dead gays, who either killed themselves because the bigotry got too hard to handle, or who were brutally murdered by bigots. But again, there are no “ex-gays”.
There are, however, plenty of ex-Christians, ex-Muslims, ex-Jews and other ex-believers. And the difference is that they truly have left faith/religion behind. I lost my faith more than 10 years ago and have never once looked back. You can toss your archaic dependence on the fairy tales of Bronze-age sheep herders if you only try.
January 15th, 2009 at 2:26 am
Just read all of the above, and yes, I agree with Mark now; Bob is a silly plant…a fake, a phoney, a wind up… oh, but wait! Aren’t ALL Christians phonies? yet to meet one who has ever lived as Jesus told them too, so I guess, Bob, we’ll all see you in the God’s holy boiler room…
January 15th, 2009 at 9:06 am
valdemar
See what you started!
January 15th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Reply to Buffy: Yes there are ex-Christians exactly as Jesus predicted in the parable of the sower. He made it clear that there would be people who fall away, but those “who endure to the end will be saved”. You also say that it is my Hell; no it is not my Hell, it is God’s Hell, made to punish those who reject Him and His word.
January 15th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Isn’t this fun! A fundi christian has joined us. Now what about a fundie carpet butter to produce more fireworks (no pun intended
). Welcome, Bob. Any realtion to ‘birdshit’?
January 15th, 2009 at 9:55 am
I am no relation to Mr Green in the usual sense but in a spiritual sense he is my brother in Christ, and I applaud him for his courage in standing up for the truth of God’s word.
January 15th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Stephen “Birdshit” Green is self-serving, egocentric viper, and I am not at all surprised by your admission that you endorse blackmail, as in the case of cancer charity Maggies, assorted dirty tricks, vexatious court cases, and low-level terrorist tactics used to stifle the very same free speech you claim to support. All in the name, of course, of “standing up for the truth of God’s word”.
January 15th, 2009 at 11:09 am
In making this comments you have upheld the words of Jesus when he stated that people will hate His followers. Indeed, Jesus warned His disciples to beware “when all men speak well of you”. Luke 6 v 26.
January 15th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I think mark has a point, Bob. How do we know YOU are a real Christian? What would it take to differentiate between someone pretending to believe all that stuff and somebody doing it for a laugh, or the hot chicks, or whatever?
It’s a bit of a poser… As indeed am I, ho ho. I suppose your reply must be that God knows. Which is a problem, what with him not existing.
January 15th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Sorry, I should have put ‘probably not existing’. We mustn’t be dogmatic or we’ll upset people.
January 15th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Ive never understood why religion is so obsessed with what consenting adults get up to in the privacy of their own homes. And before “Bob” pipes up with the old “it says its wrong in the bible” It also says its wrong to work on the sabbath but how many christians go straight to Tesco after church on Sunday I wonder? How many go to work? How many don’t kill followers of other religions? And various other rules of the bible that they are more than happy to ignore or break as society progresses and deems them ridiculous! The selective reasoning of these half-witted bigots is beyond belief!
January 15th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Bob,
If you are genuine, why have you not taken up my challenge? Lack of ‘faith’?
If you are fake (like all religion) go away and annoy some others.
January 15th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Reply to Wurble: the Old Testament sabbath was a Saturday. It was a Jewish law for the that time. The NT Sunday is not the same as the OT sabbath. In the NT it does not say we are not to work on a Sunday.
January 16th, 2009 at 8:37 am
OOPS! My mistake! Imagine my embarrassment. Still, I don’t suppose I’m the first person to misinterpret the bible to suit my own agenda!