Uganda Kill the Gays bill

[smileyeagle1021]

Yes, I do intend to post this here and not in politics. While this is a political issue I want to explore the religious side (funny how often those two go together).
The Uganda leadership is claiming that they are pushing this law because it is what the Bible would command (big shock there ) Several of the more conservative Christian groups even in the United States have expressed support for this law.
This law will be a true genocide... if you look into it, the laws allows for the execution of not only those who have had homosexual sex, but those who have same sex attraction even. There have been Ugandan lawmakers who have even pushed to have the bill allow the execution of those who are heterosexual but do not disapprove of homosexuality.
There has been a huge outcry from many secular groups such as the HRC and the UN. After the holocaust even the churches joined in the call of "never again"
So, here's the question, where the hell are these churches who 60 years ago said "never again".
I've not heard a peep out of the Catholic church condemning this genocide (I've even heard murmurs of approval), nothing from the Mormon church on this genocide (once again, I've even heard prominent Mormon leadership supporting the measure), nothing from ANY mainstream protestant church (at least nothing that has made waves outside of their local communities and not a single one in Utah).

So, where the hell are all these religious leaders? Were there footnotes that said "oh we only meant the jews" or a footnote that said "unless it is a genocide against the fags"
My mother has distanced herself even further from her church (thank the imaginary sky being) because they REFUSE to denounce the genocide.

So, two part question.
First, where are the churches that are making good on their promise of "never again"?
Second, how can anyone claim to be a decent human being while belonging to an organization that refuses to even speak disapproval of a genocide? Or worse, in some places is encouraging the genocide?

[elsporko]

Is it still considered genocide if its against a lifestyle and not a race or religion?

[Fryk]

It' might not technically be genocide, but it doesn't make it right, and it doesn't mean churches shouldn't speak up. I gotta say, if I still went to a church, this alone would be enough to make me leave it, all of it.

[HYHYBT]

Partly, it goes back to the misunderstanding of homosexuality as merely a behavior; after all, there are many things people DO that we lock them up for, and some of them sometimes get the death penalty. That and what I think of as the Vampire Theory: you know, "recruitment" and so forth. And, for the little help it may be, even Ugandan churches don't like the mandatory reporting parts.

First, where are the churches that are making good on their promise of "never again"?

There are, in fact, churches (both individual and denominations) that are opposed to this. Within those who are not, there are many *people* who are. You don't hear much about it, though. And there are still quite a lot of people who still believe that "sodomy" should be criminal and/or believe the line that the death penalty would only be invoked in cases of child molestation, etc. And a large part of it is that churches, at least the ones I'm most familiar with, tend not to take positions on things they can't do something about (such as a potential law in a foreign country), or where they have a conflict between two of their own beliefs, such as between homosexuality being wrong and imprisoning or killing people for it also being wrong.

Second, how can anyone claim to be a decent human being while belonging to an organization that refuses to even speak disapproval of a genocide? Or worse, in some places is encouraging the genocide?

Most people don't even think about this issue. If and when they do, well, it's something far away and "doesn't affect me," and "I can't do anything about it anyway." I couldn't belong to an organization that supports it in any concrete way, but if I were straight I might well remain in one that lukewarmly says positive things about it, if I thought that organization were otherwise pretty good, and work for change from within. As for speaking against GENOCIDE, well, even among those who are opposed to the bill* I doubt most think of it as *being* genocide. Perhaps it's a matter of differing definitions, or of not having thought it through that far, or whatever.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

There are many, many definitions of genocide. All are based on groups, and more than enough include social and political groups along with religious and ethnic. Simply put, genocide is the act of exterminating an entire group of people based on one or more arbitrary identifiers.

[smileyeagle1021]

Is it still considered genocide if its against a lifestyle and not a race or religion?

Would it be genocide if we were to say that we are going to kill are people who are or ever have been registered as a Libertarian? Or perhaps everyone who is Republican, or democrat, or green party, or even those who have never affiliated with a party.
If tomorrow Canada were to declare that being a member of the Green Party was an abomination (after all, God gave us this Earth to use as we see fit) and all Greens and their supporters were to be immediately turned in and imprisoned and executed there would be a massive outcry.
Uganda says kill the fags and people question whether or not it is even wrong to do.

[HYHYBT]

Uganda says kill the fags and people question whether or not it is even wrong to do.

Nobody here has done that; only questioned whether the term "genocide" applies in this case.

By the way, what churches in either the United States, Australia, Canada, or Britain (since that covers almost all the membership here) are supporting the "kill the gays" bill?

[smileyeagle1021]

Nobody here has done that; only questioned whether the term "genocide" applies in this case.

By the way, what churches in either the United States, Australia, Canada, or Britain (since that covers almost all the membership here) are supporting the "kill the gays" bill?

One, I have heard people locally question whether or not it was right to kill all the gays (though as you said, not on this site)
Two, aside from the standard nutjobs (Phelps) there is the College of Prayer with branches in the United States, there are ties to Rick Warren, Ted Haggard, The Third Wave, and The Family. All Christian groups that support the bill or have ties to those who do... all either based or have branches in the United States.
And as an interesting tidbit, Sarah Palin's church is amongst the churches that is part of those groups.

source- http://www.alternet.org/blogs/politi...north_america/

[HYHYBT]

Thanks.
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