The Manhattan Declaration is the religious right’s line in the sand: They’re vowing to ignore any laws that contradict their worldview. The document reads:

Therefore, let it be known that we will not comply with any edict that compels us or the institutions we lead to participate in or facilitate abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide, euthanasia, or any other act that violates the principle of the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every member of the human family.

Further, let it be known that we will not bend to any rule forcing us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality, marriage, and the family.

Further, let it be known that we will not be intimidated into silence or acquiescence or the violation of our consciences by any power on earth, be it cultural or political, regardless of the consequences to ourselves.

The Human Rights Campaign immediately lashed out at the signers of the Manhattan Declaration, pointing out that LGBT-rights groups have gone to great pains to make laws that protect both LGBT people and people of faith.

“This declaration simply perpetuates the fallacy that equality and religious liberty are incompatible and that every step toward fairness for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is another burden on religious people. In reality, non-discrimination laws are working all over this country, where religious freedom is existing side-by-side with equal opportunity,” Harry Knox, director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion and Faith Program, said in a statement. “Advocates of LGBT equality have taken great pains in their legislative efforts to ensure that the rights of religious organizations and people under the First Amendment are protected. It is deeply cynical for the authors of this document to paint themselves as victims because they cannot have a free hand to discriminate, including with taxpayer dollars.”

"Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, Go Kwanzaa..." The Gap's 2009 holiday ad. Source: YouTube

The religious right’s annual “War on Christmas” is ramping up early this year, and at least one Minnesota-based company is on its hit list. For the past few years, the American Family Association has targeted retail corporations that use the word “holiday” instead of “Christmas” in their holiday marketing. On Thursday, the group said it’s a trend that began with the Nazis.

AFA lists Eden Prairie-based SUPERVALU, which runs Cub Foods, as a “retailer against Christmas” because the company “refers to Christmas decorations as ‘holiday’ on website and weekly ads.”

Bloomington-based Best Buy does a little better, making the list under “Companies marginalizing ‘Christmas.’” Best Buy was the AFA’s primary target in 2006, but ended up capitulating.

Minneapolis-based Target is the state’s only retail corporation listed among “Companies FOR ‘Christmas’” by the AFA. Target incurred the wrath of the AFA’s first War on Christmas campaign in 2005 with a massive Christian boycott. The company relented in mid-December of that year in response to AFA pressure.

The AFA’s main target in the War on Christmas this year is the Gap, Inc., and its subsidiaries Old Navy and Banana Republic. On Nov. 11, the AFA launched a two-month boycott of those brands.

“Last year, Gap issued this politically-correct statement to Christmas shoppers: ‘Gap recognizes that many traditions are celebrated throughout this season and we feel it is important to display holiday signage that is inclusive to everyone,’” wrote the AFA. “Christmas is special because of Jesus. It’s not just a ‘winter holiday.’ For millions of Americans the giving and receiving of gifts is in honor of the One who gave Himself. For the Gap to pretend that isn’t the foundation of the Christmas season is political correctness at best and religious bigotry at worst.”

The Gap responded with an ad campaign that does include the word “Christmas,” but remained true to their commitment to be inclusive. The ad features young adults in a holiday cheer:

Two, Four, Six, Eight, now’s the time to liberate
Go Christmas, Go Hanukkah, Go Kwanzaa, Go Solstice.
Go classic tree, go plastic tree, go plant a tree, go add a tree,
You 86 the rules, you do what feels just right.
Happy do whatever you wanukkah, and to all a cheery night.

The AFA was not amused.

“Did you notice it? Gap compares Christmas to the pagan holiday called ‘Solstice.’ Solstice is celebrated by Wiccans who practice witchcraft!” cried the AFA in a press release.

In a statement the Gap accused the AFA of dishonesty. “Our brands have periodically used Christmas in their holiday season advertising. With this year’s Gap and Old Navy ads, we hope that the AFA will update its Web site, which has claimed that Gap Inc. ‘refused to use the word Christmas in its advertising,’” the statement said. “This is untrue.”

While the AFA is targeting domestic retailers, their rationale goes back to Nazi Germany.

On Thursday, Bryan Fischer, AFA Director of Issues Analysis, penned an article called, “Nazis Started War Against Christmas,” which inexplicably conflates the Gap’s advertising with Nazi “holiday” ornaments.

He refers to a Daily Mail article about secular Christmas ornaments used in Germany during the rise of the Nazis to make the case that the Nazis were atheists.

“The Daily Mail story refers to ‘the atheist Nazis, who tried to turn (Christmas) into a pagan winter solstice celebration,’” he wrote. “Can you say ‘Hello, Gap?’ The Gap responded to pressure from the American Family Association about the absence of ‘Christmas’ in their advertising by producing a commercial that does mention Christmas, but then adds ‘Go Solstice’ in the next breath.”

He continued, “The Nazis hated Christmas for one simple reason: it celebrates the birth of a Jew. The left hates Christmas because it celebrates the birthday of the first Christian. But isn’t there something faintly anti-Semitic about that? After all, Christians can hardly be accused of systemic racism when we believe the Savior of the world lived his life on earth as a Jew.”

According to You Can Run head Bradlee Dean — who says homosexuals, President Obama, and liberals are criminals and that the separation of church and state is a myth — Emmer was on hand to raise money for the ministry.

“The spirit of God was there,” Dean said on his Saturday radio show on AM 1280 The Patriot. “We had Tom Emmer there, the gubernatorial candidate for 2010, a potentially important guy.”

Interestingly, though, Emmer chose not to mention his attendance at the fundraiser on his list of campaign appearances from last week.

Update: Emmer’s campaign told the Minnesota Independent, “Rep. Tom Emmer stopped by the event for a social hour before the dinner and program. The program is headquartered out of Wright County which is Rep. Emmer’s county and has many supporters in Tom’s legislative district. It was not mentioned in the campaign update because it was not a campaign event.”

In July, the Madison, Wis.–based Freedom From Religion Foundation filed suit over plans to inscribe the Pledge of Allegiance and “In God We Trust” motto prominently in the Washington, D.C. center, charging that to do so would be unconstitutional and not representative of all Americans, including 15 percent of the population it says are nonbelievers.

Today’s brief (pdf), filed by the American Center for Law and Justice with the U.S. District Court in Madison, calls the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s cause a “crusade,” stating that it “serves no purpose other than to waste judicial resources at a time in our Nation’s history when those resources are needed in cases involving real threats to American liberties.”

The slogans in question “in no way violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. These expressions simply echo the sentiments found in the Declaration of Independence and recognize the undeniable truth that our freedoms come from a source higher than the state…. While the First Amendment affords atheists complete freedom to disbelieve, it does not compel the federal judiciary to redact religious references in every area of public life in order to suit atheistic sensibilities.”

In addition to Bachmann, fellow Minnesota Republican Rep. John Kline and Iowa’s Steve King were also represented in the brief.

Bradlee Dean. Image: YouTube

Bradlee Dean, the founder of You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International, told the attendees of the group’s “Appeal to Heaven” fundraiser that the media “demonizes” him for bringing his fiery brand of Christianity into public schools.

“What is morality? The fruit of Christ! The fruit of morality is Jesus Christ! That’s why we do high school assemblies,” he said during the fundraiser, which included a videotaped message from Rep. Michele Bachmann.

“Again, people are demonizing me right now, and I think we have a couple of those folks here tonight,” he said. (The Minnesota Independent notified the ministry I would be attending). “Thank you for making me famous! You don’t understand the spiritual world at all, brother!”

He continued, “They demonize me, they take me out of context. I have yet to have one person in media say what I said line-by-line, precept upon precept. They try to demonize the truth because they want to justify themselves.”

Then Dean, stating that he “loves” gays and lesbians, directed his comments at this reporter. “I want to say this because I have love and compassion for the homosexual community. The homosexuals are being exploited by tyrants for their own use.”

“You be sure, liberal people back there,” he said, gesturing to the table where I sat. “Tell them I said so, tell them I love them enough to tell the truth. Tell them it’s not a hate crime to warn them!”

The crowd roared with applause.

Then he concluded:

“To the liberal whackjobs that are here: I love you! Put that in your paper! Put that in your paper! All right?”

Related: ‘You Can Run’ may be running afoul of the Constitution

Bradlee Dean at a high school assembly

A controversial ministry that says it preaches Christian doctrine in public schools held a fundraiser in Bloomington Thursday night, drawing a crowd of about 400. At its “Appeal to Heaven” fundraiser, You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International offered attendees a preview of its new documentary, a greeting by Rep. Michele Bachmann and a fiery sermon by founder Bradlee Dean, who called liberals “criminals” and urged attendees to fight a “war” for the faith against liberals.

The almost exclusively white crowd had assembled at the Sheraton ballroom in Bloomington to raise funds for the ministry and its outreach to public high schools across the Midwest, a practice that some civil liberties groups say violates the Constitution’s principle of separation of church and state.

Ron Stone, general manager for AM 1280 The Patriot, introduced Bachmann, a longtime supporter of the ministry.

“There’s a huge difference today between Republicans and conservatives,” he said. “She’s a true conservative. She’s not afraid to say she believes in God. She’s taking the bullets that a lot of our Republican men are standing back in the shadows and allowing her to take.”

He explained that Bachmann’s “House Call” rally against health reform last week prevented her from attending in person. “Michele was excited to be here tonight, but due to the events of last week, you can imagine she had to reschedule a lot of things.”

In a four-minute video message, Bachmann said, “I’d hoped to be there, but unfortunately the future that’s being forged here in Washington, DC … is one that saddles today’s youth with tremendous debt, a diminished world presence, and diminishes their God-given freedoms.”

She praised You Can Run’s mission. “It a tough job that you do, but someone has to do it. I thank God that he has given you the strength and the resolve to fight for our timeless values.”

And she reiterated her support for their work evangelizing in public schools. “We can’t overlook the outright rejection of God in the public school classroom, and the outright scorn of Christianity in our public square,” she said. “Moral relativism is exalted and faith in Christ is derided.”

Attendees also got a glimpse at the group’s documentary film called “My War,” which chastises America’s educational system for not teaching from a “Judeo-Christian” perspective and rails against atheism. In one clip, a teacher asks a student whether God exists if he can’t be seen. Another student chimes in: Since she couldn’t see the teacher’s brain, it must not exist either.

The highlight of the night was a lengthy sermon by Bradlee Dean calling for Christians to pick up arms against secular government that he said was foisting of socialism on the nation’s people.

“We are a Christian nation regardless if you like that or not. The Bible says we are called as ministers of the flame, the fire,” he said. “We are called to war. We are called to fight the good fight of faith. In other words, what I’m trying to say is, I’m a trouble maker, okay?”

“It’s time to say, ‘We are done complaining, and it’s time to start fighting.’ But you say, ‘I don’t know what what I’m going to look like with a sword in my hand,’” he said. “You are going to look great!”

Then Dean offered sharp words for those he disagrees with.

“We are not a land of liberals. We hear this all the time. Why don’t you just call them for what they are? Criminals. Why don’t you just call them for what they are? Socialists. They are contrary to our constitution,” he said.

That prompted a round of “Amen!” from the attendees.

“We are not a land of homosexuals,” he shouted. “God said ‘Adam and Eve’ not ‘Adam and Steve.’”

Then, referencing one of President Obama’s openly gay appointees, he said, “We all know about [Kevin] Jennings, the new czar for safe schools, is a blatant homosexual. Oh, by the way, he wanted me to send you a message: ‘Go F- yourselves!’ That’s what he said. He wrote a book called ‘Queering the Elementary Schools.’”

One woman shouted in the audience, “Oh, no!” Others shook their heads in dismay.

“Yes. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, folks.”

Jennings did write the foreword to a 1999 book called, “Queering Elementary Education.” In those three pages (his entire foreword is available on Google books), he talks about eliminating homophobia in the schools and says, “When eight-year olds already know that “gay” equals “bad,” we shouldn’t be surprised when they get old enough and mean enough, they act out that message by tying one of their peers to a fence and beating them to death,” referring to the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard the previous year.

The Minnesota Independent could not substantiate the claims by Dean that Jennings told him to tell the 400 people assembled Thursday night to “Go f- themselves.”

As he wrapped up the sermon, he thanked the attendees. “You guys, you got just a little bit of the message we give to youth all across the nation.”

Tickets went for $50 and tables of 10 for $500. At 40 tables, the fundraiser likely brought in over $20,000.

Related: ‘They demonize me!’: Bradlee Dean talks about MnIndy reporting of his ministry

“[The LGBT provisions] were highlighted in a story posted on the left newsblog Minnesota Independent,” wrote Tom Prichard, president of the religious right group, on Tuesday. “They correctly conclude that the focus of pro-life and social conservatives was the battle over abortion coverage mandates in the bill. But then go on to point out a number of provisions slipped in by homosexual activists ‘unnoticed.’ [sic]”

The Family Council says that opposing the “use of our taxpayer dollars to kill, eventually, millions of unborn children, was of supreme importance.”

He continued, “That, however, doesn’t negate the significance of many of provisions [sic] which seek to redefine and thus undermine the basic structure of the natural family. This is, of course, where homosexual activists ultimately want to go.”

But, the group was quick to note its opposition to the LGBT items passed on Saturday. “The provisions show homosexual activists are once again turning to government as a vehicle for indoctrinating young students,” Prichard wrote.

A quick survey of websites of national religious right groups suggests that the Family Council is the first to speak out against those new LGBT health policies, which included better access to Medicaid for HIV-positive Americans, comprehensive sex education, governmental research into health disparities among LGBT people and an end to the taxing of same-sex partner benefits.

Bradlee Dean. Image: YouTube

The two leaders of evangelical ministry You Can Run But You Cannot Hide (YCR) have chastised President Obama twice in the past two weeks for appearing at public school assemblies in Chicago while he was a U.S. senator. Bradlee Dean and Jake McMillian complain that Obama used high schools to campaign. But they praise their own ministry’s efforts to bring evangelical Christianity to assemblies at schools — many public — in Minnesota and throughout the Midwest.

On his Oct. 24 radio show, Bradlee Dean talked about his new employee — Dean refers to him only as “Pig Squeal” — who says he attended a public school assembly with Obama when he was a junior in high school four years ago.

“The fact of the matter is, he was in public school in Chicago, folks, and guess who shows up. … Remember what Roosevelt says: ‘Nothing happens in politics that wasn’t first planned’?”

“Isn’t that interesting? [Obama] was doing an assembly for 400 kids in this kid’s school. … I asked [Pig Squeal] so what was he teaching people? He goes, ‘I didn’t really feel right about it.’”

Dean continued: “The point is this guy was doing high school assemblies in public schools in Chicago and why did they specifically target the juniors? Because they are going to be the voters and people didn’t do the math.”

McMillian chimed in, “Just imagine if the church was going into high schools and doing assemblies.”

Dean responded, “Well, that’s what they should be doing and that’s what we have been doing.”

In the same broadcast, Dean offered a challenge to Obama: “And by the way we have a phone on our desk waiting for the president to respond because I think he doesn’t like what is coming out of our hearts.”

On a Saturday show with radio host Mitch Berg, YCR touted their upcoming fundraiser featuring Rep. Michele Bachmann and explained their ministry to listeners. McMillian said, “Basically, we have been doing high school assemblies since 1998 and where a lot of folks say ’separation of church and state’ or ‘you can’t go there,’ that’s where we have made our careers, going to those that need the knowledge between good and evil.”

“Obama, when he was a senator in Illinois, he was campaigning in high schools before he ran for the presidency. He was going to the right target audience, that gave him the victory again that he embraced in this last election.”

“We’ve been doing the same, screaming from the rooftops, ‘Hey, we are down here. We are reaching the youth.”

Rep. Michele Bachmann will be raising funds for the ministry on Nov. 12.

Related:
‘You Can Run’ may be running afoul of the Constitution
Bachmann’s punk-rock benefactor says Obama ‘unpatriotic to the max’

Image: Glen, Flickr

Friday was historic for LGBT Americans as President Obama signed into law a hate crimes bill that includes sexual orientation and gender identity. But some among Minnesota’s religious right didn’t receive the news warmly, saying the law will bring the wrath of God down on America, that Obama is an “anti-Christian radical” and that the bill was a plot by “homosexuals” to silence Christians.

Bradlee Dean of You Can Run But You Cannot Hide ministries in Annandale, a group that brings its message of Christianity and morality into public high schools, slammed the passing of the hate crimes bill on his Saturday radio show, the School of Hard Knocks Roxxs. “If you grab the bull, you are going to get the horns. I want you to listen to me carefully,” he said. “America, as this is being passed again against the majority, I guarantee you that judgments are going to increase in our country… When you begin to pass laws against what God’s words say, God promises to turn that nation into hell that forgets him and if you want to go ahead play the Lord on a national level… Folks, just sit back because it’s only beginning right now.”

Dean repeatedly called gays and lesbians criminals, a familiar theme on his show. The bill, he said, is “there to protect the homosexuals that are perpetrating crimes against the righteous, and you need to understand that Obama’s calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality and he is calling for the criminalization — without saying it — of you.”

On gay marriage, he said, “So the homosexual communities are asking the government for help legalizing that which is illegal. They are also asking for a health care plan to help cure their AIDS from that same government that said it’s okay go ahead and do it.”

He continued, “Rest assured those ignorant homosexuals out there are working overtime to silence the dissent. They want to shut you up.”

Meanwhile, Jan Markell of the Maple Grove–based Olive Tree Ministries, condemned the bill on her popular “end times” radio show on AM 980 KKMS.

“I think that Christians who dare to tell the truth — including this program — about the social, moral, spiritual and health consequences of illicit homosexual acts are accused of hate speech and intimated into silence with threats of fines or jail,” she said. “I think this: The fact that the hate bill had to be passed in such an unscrupulous and cynical manner — which means attaching it to the Defense Authorization Act — reveals the depth of President Obama’s commitment to a radical anti-Christian agenda. I think he will stop at nothing to undermine the will of the majority of Americans to pay back militant homosexual activists who raised millions of dollars for him.”

She continued, “It shows the level of contempt President Obama has for the majority of Americans who oppose the homosexualization of marriage, the military and public education… We really have our work cut out for us.”

Although it has spoken out against the bill in the past, the Minnesota Family Council has been uncharacteristically silent on the bill’s passage and did not reply to a request from the Minnesota Independent. The group’s website says the bill will impose “fines or jail time if you publicly speak out against homosexual activity — even on moral or religious grounds — and a court determines your message might arouse people to hate homosexuals.”

Nationally, religious right leaders were livid. “Public school curriculum could be built entirely on the idea of what is illegal hate in our culture,” said Craig Parshall, chief counsel for National Religious Broadcasters (NRB). “And our children could be indoctrinated [to believe that] if you criticize another religion or mention Jesus as being the only way, that’s hateful— [or] if you say that homosexuality is a sin, that’s hateful.”

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said the bill is “part of a radical social agenda that could ultimately silence Christians and use the force of government to marginalize anyone whose faith is at odds with homosexuality.”

Of course, what the religious right doesn’t mention is that religion has been covered by federal hate crimes law since its inception in the 1960.

The religious right has long railed against Halloween, condemning its pagan roots and claiming it promotes witchcraft and the occult. This year some groups are embracing the day as a time to reach kids with a pro-life and Christian message, while others use the day to burn “wicked” books and CDs. And one writer for Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network warns parents that witches curse Halloween candy.

“[M]ost of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches,” wrote CBN’s Kimberly Daniels. “I do not buy candy during the Halloween season. Curses are sent through the tricks and treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door to door or by purchasing it from the local grocery store. The demons cannot tell the difference.”

Daniels continued, “Halloween is much more than a holiday filled with fun and tricks or treats. It is a time for the gathering of evil that masquerades behind the fictitious characters of Dracula, werewolves, mummies and witches on brooms. The truth is that these demons that have been presented as scary cartoons actually exist. I have prayed for witches who are addicted to drinking blood and howling at the moon.”

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State took the opportunity to have a little fun at Robertson’s expense.

“I’ve heard of the devil being in the details, but to think he’s lurking inside a Snickers bar is a little too much,” said the Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United. “Pat Robertson has always peddled some scary stuff, but this is over the top.”

He added, “I hate to see all of that candy go to waste. I wish Robertson would send it to me, because I’m throwing a Halloween party and could use it.”

A church in North Carolina has found a more proactive approach and is marking Halloween with a book burning. Called “Burning Perversions of God’s Word,” Amazing Grace Baptist Church will be torching books and CDs it deems evil. “We will also be burning Satan’s music such as country, rap, rock, pop, heavy metal, western, soft and easy, southern gospel, contemporary Christian, jazz, soul, oldies but goldies, etc.,” the church website says. “We will also be burning Satan’s popular books written by heretics. We will be serving fried chicken, and all the sides.”

But some groups are embracing Halloween as a way to reach children with the gospel. One anti-abortion group tells its members to make pro-life jack-o-lanterns with images of fetuses.

There are many opportunities to be a voice for the voiceless, and most of those opportunities require us to go to a public place. But, on the eve of All Saints Day, the public comes to us!

So, make a pro-life jack-o-lantern and send your photos to us. Be sure to include your name, age and address in the e-mail, and we’ll post the best ones on our home page!

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It could be as intricate as the design here or as simple as the word “Pro-Life.” Whatever your skill level, be creative and tell the world about the personhood of preborn babies.

For those who aren’t that crafty, the American Life League has pro-life pumpkin stencils.

One small business specializes in Christian pumpkins. For a broader religious right message on jack-o-lanterns, there’s Divine Carvings, a “Christian based watermelon and pumpkin carving kit that gives Christians a way to promote God in the work place, schools and on Halloween without actually saying any thing.”

Other religious right groups celebrate Halloween through educational offerings. Local religious right outfit the Minnesota Family Council is marking the day with a Family Conference dedicated to warning of the downfall of traditional marriage.

“Out of wedlock births, cohabitation, homosexual marriage and declining marriage and birth rates all point to marriage as an institution in crisis” will be the topic of the Halloween conference hosted by MFC at Bethel University.