djv, just some random links that I thought Wayne might like to peruse.
P.S.:
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/10403120.htm
http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD82604
March pushes moral agenda
Add Seymour Jr., Kelly Simmons and Don Plummer - Staff
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Thousands of Christian soldiers marched through one of Atlanta's most storied neighborhoods Saturday, opposing gay marriage and promoting what they see as a moral agenda for the country --- especially African-Americans.
Bishop Eddie Long, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, led the march arm-in-arm with the Rev. Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Long organized the demonstration and carried an Olympic-style torch lighted from the eternal flame at the King Center, where the march began.
Among the throng were a troupe of step-dancing young women clad in camouflage and many New Birth members, who wore black shirts with the words "Stop the Silence" written across the front. Some 40 members of the Nation of Islam, in their trademark dark suits and bowties, jogged down the sidewalk to add their support.
As the group marched through Sweet Auburn, the Atlanta neighborhood that nurtured the civil rights movement, about 50 counterdemonstrators lined Auburn Avenue.
The gay rights group sang, "In the name of Jesus, hate has to go," and chanted, "Not the dream of Dr. King." One person held a sign that read "Bigots Go Back to Lithonia."
But the march ended peacefully.
Long, whose church claims 25,000 members, told his supporters it was time for the black community to be heard.
"We can't be silenced," he said. "We are not marching against folks. We are marching for folks."
According to New Birth's Web site, the march advocated "a constitutional amendment to fully protect marriage between one man and one woman." But some who participated said gay marriage was only one of the issues motivating them.
"As a result of today's march," said New Birth member Janice Russell, "I feel like people will realize that the church --- the kingdom of God --- is alive and that we have risen up as one voice to let the world know we will stand for what is right, morally and ethically."
New Birth members said Long had been talking up the march for the past month.
At a Wednesday service, he told his flock, "This is not a walk in the park. This is a movement. And it's a sign of unity and power of the people who have come to possess the kingdom of God."
Bernadette Trish, a New Birth member who works at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said she came out on a chilly weekend morning because "I believe in the vision Bishop Eddie Long has received from God, that we are to step outside the four walls of the church."
But some critical clergy suggested that he might be trying to garner favor with Republicans to position New Birth as a recipient of funds from President Bush's faith-based initiative. Long would not comment Saturday.
Bush supports a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Political polls during this election year have shown that many African-American Christians --- like their white evangelical brethren --- agree with the president on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion, even though black voters remain heavily Democratic.
The anti-gay marriage sentiment is part of a larger fear on the part of many conservatives, black and white, that the culture is shifting away from the values they hold.
Polls show that almost three-quarters of African-Americans --- a larger percentage than Americans as a whole --- believe the nation is losing its "moral compass" by removing prayer from public schools and banning display of the Ten Commandments on government property.
Many African-Americans have also expressed support for comedian Bill Cosby, who has crisscrossed the country with a call for black parents to take greater responsibility for their families and their communities --- although Cosby has his share of critics.
Claudine Cheatem, who moved to Atlanta two months ago to be a part of Long's church, said she joined the march because she wants to promote a world where African-Americans take responsibility for their actions and stop the violence and poverty that entrap them.
"It's a spiritual awakening that needs to happen," said Cheatem. "My grandchildren will walk in the realization of my dreams."
Some of Saturday's counterdemonstrators charged that Long and his followers are moving away from the high moral ground of the civil rights movement. The King Center had issued a statement Friday saying that it did not endorse the march.
Maressa Penderman, a lesbian who serves as deacon at Unity Fellowship Church in Atlanta, said she believes the Republican Party is using black churches as a "Trojan horse" because of the black community's homophobia.
"God is love, God is for everyone," Penderman said.
Keenun Thomas, 31, felt torn between the two groups. He said he is committed to Long's effort to empower the African-American community, but as a gay man, he can't accept Long's opposition to gay marriage.
"The church is well within its rights to deny marriage to anyone it chooses," said Thomas, who runs the nonprofit Minority Empowerment Foundation in Decatur. But he said Atlanta's black community should be working together.
Eventually he joined Long's march.
As the crowd gathered at Turner Field, Long's recorded voice blared from speakers in time with the thumping beat of music: "Enough is enough. It's time to get tough. Now. Right now. Right now. Right now."
When it was time for Long to speak in person, the Rev. Bernice King introduced him, calling him the new prophet appointed by God to speak the mind, heart and gospel of God.
"We can no longer be silent about hunger, about drug abuse, about poverty, about corruption," Long preached. "We must stand for the generations coming behind us."
Vernell Thomas stood near the back of the crowd and punctuated the bishop's speech with shouts of praise.
"There are people that have no direction," said Thomas, 22. "We have to reach out. It's just about the kingdom of God. It's not directed toward any specific group."
--- This article was written by Gayle White, who can be reached at
gwhite@ajc.com. It was reported by Add Seymour Jr., who can be reached at
aseymour@ajc.com, Don Plummer, who can be reached at
dplummer@ajc.com, and Kelly Simmons, who can be reached at
ksimmons@ajc.com.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=WA SCOW Parental Snooping
--but he forgot to mention they also lead in aids per capita---Proof of Fuzzys conspiracy of "free thinkers" in their 90% liberal vote in DC.
