In other states that have faced an anti-gay marriage ballot, people of faith have been sidelined. In Minnesota, they’ve been involved from the beginning.
Among the donors to the Minnesota Family Council’s efforts to get a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the ballot in 2012 is a slew of churches and religious leaders. Some of the churches and pastors who have contributed to the successful seven-year campaign are opposed to homosexuality and advocate “ex-gay” therapy, a controversial faith-based type of counseling that attempts to change gays and lesbians into heterosexuals. The therapy has been condemned by most major medical associations. Among the donors are churches in Minneapolis and greater Minnesota, and, in one case, a large Minnesota financial institution.
At the RightOnline Conference last month in Minneapolis, Rep. Michele Bachmann became the third Republican presidential candidate to get glitter thrown on her by the “glitterati.” The reason? Her longtime relationship with Bradlee Dean, head of the You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International ministries. Dean’s invective towards Muslims, Democrats and especially the LGBT community has earned him notoriety in Minnesota politics, yet candidate Bachmann has yet to weigh in on her relationship with Dean. As Bachmann’s star rises in the GOP presidential field, the controversial pastor is likely to become a campaign issue in the months ahead, much the way President Obama’s Rev. Jeremiah Wright was seized upon by conservative activists in 2008.
A feud between Rep. John Kriesel and Rev. John Echert of Holy Trinity/Saint Augustine Parish in South St. Paul erupted on Catholic blogs on Tuesday. Kriesel, a Republican who opposes a putting an anti-gay marriage amendment on the ballot in 2012, received a letter from Echert that said the parish was launching a campaign to ban gay marriage in the Minnesota Constitution. Kriesel’s office warned the parish about violating its tax status by lobbying.
Conservative Fox News commentator Sean Hannity went after Rep. Keith Ellison in an interview Wednesday evening, criticizing the Minnesota congressman for saying Fox News has contributed to the scapegoating of Muslims. “I don’t apologize for it,” Ellison said. “If you are telling me you are going to be more even-handed on issues of religious tolerance, that’s a good step, and I thought that by inviting me here, I thought that’s what you were trying to do.”
Forget Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Minnesota will play host to a religious right event in May that’ll feature two potential presidential contenders. Rep. Michele Bachmann will join Newt Gingrich for the Minnesota Family Council’s annual fundraising dinner May 17 in Minneapolis. The event, called “Reconnecting Faith, Family and Freedom,” will feature Gingrich’s film “Rediscovering God in America,” which was produced by Citizens United.
On Tuesday, Minnesota Senators debated whether taxpayer funds should be used to pay for private religious school tuition as part of an omnibus tax bill. Republicans hope the proposal, which is modeled after one in Arizona and has been dubbed a “backdoor voucher” system by some, will pass constitutional muster. The U.S. Supreme Court released a decision on Arizona’s system on Monday that could boost state Republicans’ hopes, but DFLers say regardless of the measure’s constitutionality it represents the GOP’s ultimate goal of “dismantling” public education altogether.
Potential presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and his wife will be in Minneapolis in May to present their film “Rediscovering God in America,” a Citizens United production. The event is hosted by the Minnesota Family Council, according to an event listing on the Newt Gingrich’s campaign website. The film recounts Gingrich’s assertion that the founding fathers envisioned a religious United States and decries secularism.
The watchdog group Americans United for the Separation of Church and State sent a letter to Minnesota Senate leadership Monday warning the chamber that Pastor Dennis Campbell’s prayer last week was unconstitutional. Addressed to Senate President Michelle Fischbach, Majority Leader Amy Koch and Minority Leader Tom Bakk, the letter also urged the leaders to either refrain from allowing prayers in the Senate or to ensure that if it continues to do so it does in a way that respects other traditions.
Controversial Pastor Dennis Campbell gave a Jesus-filled prayer on the Minnesota Senate floor on Monday on the invitation of Senate Republicans. That speech led to calls by several of the chamber’s non-Christians to ensure that prayers in the Senate are conducted in a nondenominational manner for fears of violating the state and federal constitutions. Watchdog groups say those are very real concerns.
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