Lies. In the name of God

Remember the time that I used to rant that Ssempa lies?

I know. I am gay, and I am not really silent about that fact. In Uganda, since I am gay, few believe that I can be a moral person.  That is why a person like Pastor Dr. Martin Ssempa was able to use his charisma, and his standing before the community and start telling lies about us gay people. When the anti homosexuality bill came out and Christians outside Uganda who had read the bill recoiled in disgust, Ssempa, Bahati and others justifying the bill in the name of their god took up arms to tell lies.

That the bill did not want death for gay people. It does. Read its text...

That we gay people where whinging and lying about the good Christians of Uganda....

That we gay Ugandans were hateful and recruiting and... etc, etc.

We are gay. translation= evil.

Well, we were lucky that Ssempa, the chief supporter of the bill was caught out in his lies. Yes, they were, and are lies. But, like a good politician, he never turned them back until we started telling everyone to get a copy of the bill, to read it and find the facts.
Now, I know that one of the characteristics of religious fundamentalism is a siege mentality. You must be the one blessed with truth. Not anyone outside your group. No one sees like you do. No one.
For that reason, it took some time before people could actually believe that Ssempa et al were actually lying through their teeth to have the bill become law. But, with lots of help from friends inside and outside the country, the lies and gimmicks seemed to catch up with them.

It is a matter of fact. The extreme homophobia and hate speech in Uganda was, and remains, a Christian phenomenon. Christians were, and continue to preach HATRED. Ugly hatred.
This has nothing about the politics climate. But, a seething, purulent, ugliness that was revealed as deep seated, and malignant.

Anyway, Ssempa revealed lost lots of friends. And, one of the positive effects was soul searching on the part of many Christians outside (and maybe inside the country)
But, there are still others- many who hold to the myopia. They cannot believe that, because we are gay, and are crying wolf about the hatred and lies that their Christian brothers preach in the name of god... even at this point in time, they still believe we are lying... and they cannot believe what we say. Or even what others, fellow Christians say. Because, if one has compassion for homosexuals, can that person be really Christian?

Am mad.... angry, arent I? Rather, it is the reality of our being. Values, Christian values seem to be very good... till you remember that they are just values.

[Parallel, but illustrative case, when the Catholic church was lambasted for its connivance to hide sexual abuse cases, the initial cry was- they are homosexuals. they want to stain the church]

Anyway, there is a mega church in the US which has been highlighted as supporting Ssempa. And, why does it support him? Because who can believe what comes out of the mouths of homosexualists and the liberal media? We, of course want to tarnish the name of the good Christian brothers and sisters.

Well, this article about Ssempa and the US Church that supports him is from a Christian who has refused to believe the naked lies in the name of God.

Pressure is mounting on a Nevada megachurch to end its financial support of one of the key backers of Uganda's notorious "kill the gays" bill. But so far, the Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas is standing by Martin Ssempa, who has said that gays like to "eat da poo poo" and boasted of his efforts to "make sure that sodomy and homosexuality never sees the light of legality in this land of the pearl of Africa."

Canyon Ridge's resistance comes even as the Willow Creek Association, a massive global network of evangelical churches that includes Canyon Ridge, distances itself from Ssempa. The WCA bestowed a "Courageous Leadership" award on Ssempa's Kampala-based Makerere Community Church in 2007, but on Thursday, the group said that it no longer has a relationship with Ssempa and that it wouldn't have honored his church had it been more fully aware of his views.

But Canyon Ridge, which considers Ssempa a "mission partner" and helps pay for staff at his Kampala church, is digging in its heels. After promising in early June to review Ssempa's involvement in Uganda's anti-gay movement, pastors Mitch Harrison and Kevin Odor said last week that they "do not believe Martin Ssempa to be the man the media and others have portrayed him to be."

It is actually very sober reading. Go through the whole of it. And then follow it up with this post from Box Turtle Bulletin which clinically details all the available evidence which has to be forced down the throats of these Christian brothers and sisters.....

Fact. Sometimes, many times, the very siege mentality and blind faith in ourselves that make us pigheaded enough to chase ideals make us forget the sanctity of the very ideals that we face.

So, I, a non believer truthfully call out the lies and hypocrisy of Christian leaders and pastors..... What beautiful Christian witness they are burdened with....!

Of course I am not perfect. Of course...
Yet in the frailty of my imperfection, the very stains which I am accused of having seem to pale in the face of Christian hypocrisy....

Uh, Jesus had a simple, telling, compelling comparison. Pharisees.



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