At the press conference, MFC president Tom Prichard warned of “real dangers to our culture” and said that a bill by Sen. John Marty that would make same-sex marriage legal could become law next year, and to prevent that from happening, Minnesota needs a constitutional amendment.

“What it will do is have a dramatic impact the institution of marriage, right of conscience and freedoms and every aspect of society will be impacted,” said Prichard of same-sex marriage.

Rep. Dan Severson, R-Sauk Rapids, said, “This goes to the structure of power of the people of Minnesota. Allowing them to vote on this important issue is fundamental to our society.”

Marty replied in a press release Monday night saying he has every intention of pushing the bill to legalize same-sex marriage into law next year.

“I stand by my commitment to equality,” he said. “I am confident that we can give Minnesota LGBT families the same rights that other families have — the right to have each other and their children qualify for the health care benefits they get at work; the right to visit each other in the hospital; the right to inherit each other’s property, and hundreds of other rights that other families take for granted.”

Marty said that in 2003 conservatives began the push to ban same-sex marriage in the Minnesota Constitution, often playing to Minnesotans’ prejudices. “Same-sex marriage was a concept most Minnesotans were not familiar with,” he said. “Even so, their efforts failed. Now, after years of public discussion and as more people are getting to know wonderful gay and lesbian families, minds have changed.”

Here’s the full press release by Marty’s campaign for governor:

John Marty Response to Minnesota Family Council’s Call for Constitutional Amendment on Same-Sex Marriage

Yesterday morning, the Minnesota Family Council and several Republican lawmakers attacked Senator John Marty’s comment that a marriage equality law could be signed in Minnesota as early as next year. They urged passage of a constitutional amendment to block such action. Here is Senator Marty’s response to their challenge:

“Seven years ago, Minnesota had a very vocal debate about same-sex marriage. Proponents of a constitutional ban fought hard for its passage. In 2003, the opposition to same-sex marriage was strong, but much of that opposition was based on fear and misunderstanding. Same-sex marriage was a concept most Minnesotans were not familiar with. Even so, their efforts failed.

Now, after years of public discussion and as more people are getting to know wonderful gay and lesbian families, minds have changed. People who opposed marriage equality have been rethinking the issue and the change is happening faster than some politicians realize. Acceptance is growing month by month, not decade by decade.

The proposal for the constitutional amendment is dead. Over numerous conversations in communities throughout the state, Minnesota values have come to the forefront, and Minnesotans are rejecting discrimination against same-sex families.

I stand by my commitment to equality. I am confident that we can give Minnesota LGBT families the same rights that other families have — the right to have each other and their children qualify for the health care benefits they get at work; the right to visit each other in the hospital; the right to inherit each other’s property, and hundreds of other rights that other families take for granted.

The promise of marriage equality for all Minnesota families is within reach. We can pass marriage equality legislation and sign it into law next year.”

Senator John Marty is author of SF 120, the Marriage Equality legislation. He is a DFL candidate for Governor and has committed to signing this legislation in 2011.

Photo: wdcpix.com

Mike Huckabee is invading Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s turf. The former Arkansas governor and likely 2012 presidential candidate will be visiting Minnesota in April to headline a fundraising dinner for local religious right outfit the Minnesota Family Council.

The event’s location and start time haven’t been released yet, but according to an MFC announcement, the dinner will be held on April 26.

Pawlenty, another likely 2012 candidate for president, has long had a close relationship with the Minnesota Family Council, sharing the group’s push to block rights, such as a stronger anti-bullying bill. for LGBT Minnesotans. Pawlenty vetoed that bill last year at the Family Council’s urging. Pawlenty has also directed legislators to negotiate comprehensive sex education standards with the Family Council, which opposes teaching about contraception and birth control in schools.

Huckabee, a leader in the national religious right, once said, “I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ.”

Meanwhile, Pawlenty continues a road trip of his own. Tonight, he’s in North Carolina giving the keynote speech at the Institute for Emerging Issues’ annual forum.

Two Haitians try to reach survivors in a toppled hotel. Photo: UN Development Program, Flickr

Pat Robertson generated outrage last week when he said he believes Haiti’s problems stem from a pact the nation made with the devil in 1804, but his remarks aren’t unique among evangelical Christians, even in Minnesota. While not all subscribe to the view that Satan is to blame for last week’s devastating earthquake, some say Haiti’s salvation will only come about if its inhabitants abandon their Vodou religious practices and turn to Jesus Christ.

Adoration Church in Savage, Minn., has close ties to Haiti. Over the last few years, the church has partnered with Minnesota Teen Challenge to create Haiti Teen Challenge. The arrangement is facilitated by Craig Sulentic, who is on the Adoration Church Leadership Team and the MNTC board of directors, and is now the president of the Haiti Teen Challenge Board.

“Craig connected the dots and asked Pastor Dan [Schmitt] and Adoration to consider joining forces to help MN Teen Challenge with their leadership training center,” Adoration’s Web site says. The site, which praises the partnership with MNTC, attempts to get to the root of Haiti’s problems:

This former French colony overthrew their French slave owners through the only successful slave uprising in modern history and the nation of Haiti was born. While the revolution against slavery was commendable, the manner in which it was achieved was deplorable. On August 14, 1791, a group of houngans (voodoo priests), led by a former slave houngan named Boukman, made a pact with the Devil at a place called Bois-Caiman. The founding fathers and others present vowed to exterminate all of the white Frenchmen on the island. They sacrificed a black pig in a voodoo ritual with hundreds of slaves drinking the sacrificial pig’s blood. In this ritual, Boukman asked Satan for his help in liberating Haiti from the French. In exchange, the voodoo priests offered to give the country to Satan for 200 years and swore to serve him. On January 1, 1804, the nation of Haiti was born and thus began a new demonic tyranny.

MNTC has distanced itself from Adoration’s claims.

Spokesperson Eric Vagle told the Minnesota Independent, “We absolutely do not hold to those views on Haiti.”

Another example of an evangelical view of Haiti’s problems comes from the Minnesota Family Council. John Helmberger, the chief executive officer of MFC, wrote on the organization’s blog that Haiti must become a Christian nation in order to thrive. Helmberger notes a column by New York Times columnist David Brooks, where Brooks asserts that a culture change is needed to tackle pverty in Haiti. While Brooks doesn’t insinuate that evangelical Christianity is the answer, Helmberger responds that it is:

One is that there is probably no more stark illustration of the profound impact a people’s worldview can have on them economically, socially, culturally, and spiritually than the contrast between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with which it shares the island of Hispaniola. Haiti has been chronically impoverished and resistant to improvement since long before last week’s earthquake, and New York Times columnist David Brooks correctly points to the dominant voodoo religion as a cause. Why make plans or try to improve yourself or your community if your life and your society are at the mercy of capricious spirits that may negate your efforts on a whim? But the truth is that Haiti needs more than relief. It needs redemption and transformation. Haitians need to be delivered from the false and destructive spirituality that has held them and their nation in bondage for two centuries and made them impervious to change or improvement. They need to be “delivered… from the domain of darkness and transferred… to the kingdom of [God's] beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). They need to be “transformed by the renewing of [their] minds” with the truth of the gospel, through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 12:2).

Within a day of its first appearance that blog post was deleted.

(Click on the image to see larger version)

Tom Prichard, president of MFC, explains its removal:

The post … was a response to an op/ed piece by David Brooks in NY Times. Brooks piece was viewed as insensitive to the Haitian people as they struggle with this incredible tragedy. We felt our commenting on the same topic at this time might come across as insensitive as well. Now is a time for compassion. This is a time to reach out and help the Haitian people rather than try to address the historical, social conditions of the country.

MFC also removed two other posts that seemed to defend Robertson’s comments — or at least criticized his critics: “Pat Robertson, Haitian earthquake, “A Curse”, and media bias” and “Haiti disastrous earthquake. What did Pat Robertson, Danny Glover, and the White House say about it? What would Jesus say?” are still on Google’s cache.

Robertson, too, has found it necessary to revisit, if not recant, his initial statements about Haitians. Robertson, via his Christian Broadcasting Network company, released this statement late last week:

On today’s The 700 Club, during a segment about the devastation, suffering and humanitarian effort that is needed in Haiti, Dr. Robertson also spoke about Haiti’s history. His comments were based on the widely-discussed 1791 slave rebellion led by Boukman Dutty at Bois Caiman, where the slaves allegedly made a famous pact with the devil in exchange for victory over the French. This history, combined with the horrible state of the country, has led countless scholars and religious figures over the centuries to believe the country is cursed. Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath. If you watch the entire video segment, Dr. Robertson’s compassion for the people of Haiti is clear. He called for prayer for them. His humanitarian arm has been working to help thousands of people in Haiti over the last year, and they are currently launching a major relief and recovery effort to help the victims of this disaster. They have sent a shipment of millions of dollars worth of medications that is now in Haiti, and their disaster team leaders are expected to arrive tomorrow and begin operations to ease the suffering.

The insinuation that some Haitian religious practices are to blame for Haiti’s problems are not new. In fact, many religious writers have used Haitian poverty and corruption as evidence that Vodou is “demonic” and that the nation has made a pact with Satan, often minimizing the impact of colonialism and the tendency for other nations to meddle in Haiti’s affairs.

Today, 96 percent of Haitians are Christian (80 percent Catholic, 16 percent Protestant), according to the CIA Word Factbook, which also notes that “roughly half” of the population practices Vodou.

“I absolutely agree with Brit,” wrote Tom Prichard, president of the Minnesota Family Council. “Tiger’s problems are, as all of ours are, ultimately questions of the heart. And that’s where ultimately only Christ offers help.”

He continued:

There are those who will angrily denounce these comments as narrow minded and bigoted but that’s to be expected in our relativist cultural mindset, where the only one who is wrong is the one who says there is truth we can know. (Even though those who express such sentiments are implicitly saying their views are the truth. That’s known as inconsistency at best and at worse hypocrisy.)

Hopefully, Tiger will realize that there are much more important things in life than golfing and material success. Paramount is the condition of one’s soul where one will spend eternity.

For instance, Minnesota statute 609.36 says, “When a married woman has sexual intercourse with a man other than her husband, whether married or not, both are guilty of adultery and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than one year or to payment of a fine of not more than $3,000, or both.”

But if a man, whether married or not, has sex outside of marriage, his crime is considered a lesser crime, according to statute 609.34: “When any man and single woman have sexual intercourse with each other, each is guilty of fornication, which is a misdemeanor.”

“We think they’re important. They send a message,” said Tom Prichard, president of the Minnesota Family Council, of the statutes.

Prichard told WCCO that the adultery laws should be even stronger. His group supports the inclusion of men into the law as well.

“When you are dealing with a marriage, it’s not just a private activity or a private institution. It’s a very public institution. It has enormous consequences for the rest of society,” Prichard said.

Jonathan Turley, who runs a popular law blog, says the laws are likely unconstitutional.

“This is, as Mr. Prichard suggests, a matter of great symbolism even if the laws are not enforced. It stands for the proposition that consenting adults can be jailed in the United States for failing to maintain the moral principles of their neighbors.”

“[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.

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.

“If we trust scripture in matters of Christ, why don’t we trust it in human sexuality?” asked Pastor Michael Johnson of the Western North Dakota Synod.

Fred Heintz of the Northwest Ohio Synod urged ELCA members to vote “no” until the group had come to a unified stance on the issue. “We do not have a consensus. There’s a time to listen and a time to wait. I am willing to continue to explore this issue.”

Larry Christiansen of the Southeast Iowa Synod argued that the ban doesn’t jibe with the teachings of Christ.

“Look to yourselves and your own sin. Jesus said to apply the law ruthlessly for ourselves, and graciously toward others,” he said. “Our current policy bears false witness to our Lord.”

Craig Johnson of the Eastern North Dakota Synod opposed repealing the ban. “I feel in my stomach that something is seriously wrong. Loving our neighbor I agree is essential… but it does not condone doing what is not right.”

John Seng, a member of the Northeastern Ohio Synod, expressed a widely held belief: that the vote will split the church:  “It saddens me that we are going this way.”

Others, like Brittani Lamb of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod, said that for the ELCA to survive, it needs to understand that young people want gays and lesbians to have equal standing in the church. “For the church to say that God loves everyone but not show that to homosexuals is hypocritical. If this resolution fails, not only will we lose great pastors but will lose younger people too.”

Pastor Paul Tidemann of the St. Paul Synod said that when his church left the ELCA in 2000 in order to roster the Rev. Anita Hill, a lesbian in a committed relationship, membership at their church blossomed. “The issue of welcoming LGBT people the congregation continues to strengthen in spirit and numbers. When we decided in 2000 to call Rev. Anita Hill, our decision was to ordain her. And in the end after a vote of 181 to nothing, our congregation grew by over one hundred.”

The vote to allow gay and lesbian pastors in committed relationships to lead congregations passed by a vote of 559 to 451.

After the vote, one ELCA member seemed nonplussed and asked the presiding bishop for support. “We have taken some historic votes today. Can you share with some of us who are deeply disturbed why they should continue in this church?”

Many people have been disappointed in the vote. Minnesota’s own religious right, the Minnesota Family Council, released a statement immediately following the vote Friday afternoon.

“With this vote to affirm homosexual behavior and clergy, the ELCA has fully embraced moral relativism and jettisoned its moral authority in the community. They’ve embraced postmodernism and rejected the clear teaching of Scripture and Christian practice for nearly 2,000 years,” said Prichard.

“Speaking as a Lutheran, with this vote the ELCA needs to change its name. It’s no longer ‘Lutheran’ or ‘Evangelical.’ They have turned their back on the authority of the Bible, the foundation on which Martin Luther started the Reformation,” said Prichard.

Rev. Paull Spring of State College, Pa., chair of Lutheran CORE, a group who lobbied against the measure, said, “I am saddened that a Lutheran Church that was founded on a firm commitment to the Bible has come to the point that the ELCA would vote to reject the Bible’s teaching on marriage and homosexual behavior. It breaks my heart.”

But for many, today’s vote was met with excitement. “This is a joyous day for the LGBT Lutherans who no longer have to choose between their spirituality and their sexuality,” Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said.

“Thanks be to God for our colleagues at Lutherans Concerned and all of the Goodsoil coalition,” said Harry Knox, director for HRC’s Religion and Faith Program. “The ELCA has studied, prayed and listened to the witness of its LGBT sisters and brothers, and has come to consensus in community. This decision reflects the best of Lutheran tradition.”

Emily Eastwood, executive director of Lutherans Concerned/North America, said, “Today I am proud to be a Lutheran. Supporters and advocates of full inclusion have longed for this day since the inception of the ELCA, and for many of us what seemed like a lifetime.”

The ELCA also voted to ensure that churches that decline to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships have that right and each congregation is free to make the decision that best fits them.

Image: Glen, Flickr

The religious right is ramping up its campaign against health care reform, even joining with the “tea party” movement to encourage conservative Christians to swamp town hall meetings. Minnesota’s religious right leaders say that the health care reform package is against God’s plan for health care and that Christians should go to community forums and “read them the riot act.”

Jan Markell of Maple Grove–based Olive Tree Ministries called on her radio listeners to attend congressional town hall meetings in August. “Here’s what you can do, your congressmen and senators are coming home for much of August,” she said on last week’s program. “They are going to have town hall meetings all over the place. You need to go there and give them an earful. The ideal thing to do is to go to their town hall and read them the riot act — in Christian love — but read them the riot act on this issue of health care.”

But she implied Rep. Michele Bachmann should be spared, heaping praises upon her: “[Michele Bachmann] is one of my favorite people. She is doing just an outstanding job in Congress standing up for what is right. She’s got a target on her back. You need to pray for her and her family.”

The Minnesota Family Council says that Obama’s plan for health care reform is against God’s design.

“Some may ask what does God have to do with our health care system,” wrote Minnesota Family Council president Tom Prichard. “For one, He’s created the government as an institution in society to do certain things. When we reject His design for government, in a sense, we’re rejecting Him.”

Prichard continues, “In Obama’s worldview, our trust is in government not in God. A denial of how God designed and created our economic and social systems to actually work in the real world. The result? The abysmal failure of government control of health care in socialist models. From the USSR which takeover [sic] everything, including health care, to our neighbors to the north, Canada and European countries such as the UK where rationing and massive waiting periods are the order of the day.”

In the national context, the largest and most well-known religious right groups are employing some bizarre tactics. The Christian Coalition of America is pitting seniors against immigrants. Health care reform would “provide healthcare to illegal aliens, while rationing care to elderly and disabled American citizens.”

Americans for Truth say that the public option would go to pay for sexual reassignment surgery for transgendered people. “Will ObamaCare Turn into Taxpayer-funded ‘Tranny-Care’?” asks their latest email alert. The Family Research Council is pushing Republican talking points — verbatim.

And the majority of these groups are tagging along with the tea party movement to swarm congressional town hall meetings. Focus on the Family is urging its members to attend such meetings and “demand that abortion funding be explicitly excluded from any reform bill.”

The Family Research Council want its members armed with video cameras. “Please make a point of going to the forums near you and share–in a respectable manner–your thoughts with your congressman,” an email from the group instructs. “While you’re at it, why not bring your video camera?”

And the American Family Association tells its members to keep the pressure on: “Don’t let the liberal left silence you! The future of our country and our children and grandchildren is at stake. The ugly name calling shows that your voices are being heard. Please keep it up!”

Image: Ben McLoed

Religious right leaders are celebrating the postponement of an IRS complaint against a Warroad, Minn., pastor alleging he violated tax laws when he twice endorsed Sen. John McCain from his pulpit in 2008. The IRS says a procedural move forced them to close the case, but have the option to open it again in the future.

“Both Hillary and Barack favor the shedding of innocent blood (abortion) and the legalization of the abomination of homosexual marriage,” Booth said in a May 2008 sermon at Warroad Community Church. “We need to vote for the most righteous of candidates. And it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure that out. The most righteous is John McCain.”

Booth admitted that he knew he was violating the law in a letter to the IRS and in another letter to Americans United for Church and State, which initiated a complaint against the church. Because Booth’s church enjoys an exemption from paying federal and state income taxes, the church is not allowed to endorse candidates.

Booth allegedly violated the law again during the James Dobson–inspired Pulpit Freedom Sunday, when churches were encouraged to break the law by endorsing McCain from the pulpit. Booth again sent a letter to the IRS flaunting his law-breaking sermon.

The IRS began a case against the church, but the agency said in a letter to Booth (pdf) dated July 7 that due to “a pending issue regarding the procedure used to initiate the case,” they have closed the file. However, the letter said that the agency “may commence a future inquiry… after it resolves that procedural issue.”

The Minnesota Family Council says that the IRS is being a bully and that churches should have the right to endorse candidates and keep their tax-free status.

“Pastors should be free to speak or not to speak in opposition to or support of political candidates according to the dictates of their consciences,” said Family Council president Tom Prichard. “They shouldn’t have their free speech rights, guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution, undermined by the IRS. Yet that appears to be what the IRS is trying to do in this instance,” concluded Prichard.

But the group that filed the complaint, Americans United, said churches are not free to be partisan — and shouldn’t be. “Booth is free to endorse anyone he wants to as a private citizen,” the Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United said when the group filed the complaint. “But when he is standing in his tax-exempt pulpit as the top official of a tax-exempt religious organization, he must lay partisanship aside.”