Anyone who reads Christian news services such as AgapePress or visits the web sites of organizations representing the Christian Right is well aware that there are always articles about how Christians are being persecuted by gays, liberals, the media, and anyone else not “in the fold.” A classic example is Ed Vitagliano’s July 26, 2005 article “Liberal Media Lashes Out at Christians.”

Mr. Vitagliano is the American Family Association “researcher” who began the SpongeBob controversy in the January 4, 2005 AgapePress article “Researcher Says Children’s ‘Tolerance’ Video Promotes Homosexuality”:

“When you go to the We Are Family Foundation website, there is a ‘tolerance pledge’ that children and others are encouraged to sign, which includes sexual orientation,” he [Vitagliano] explains. That, he says, is the crux of the problem. “While we want everyone to respect other people's beliefs, we do not consider it appropriate for children’s television to be used in an effort to indoctrinate children to accept homosexuality.”

 

The pro-family researcher sees an age-old tactic being employed by those behind the project. “This is a bait-and-switch approach. It’s been used for years,” he says, “and homosexuals are now using well-known and beloved children's television characters in an effort to use [them] as bait and switch.”

“Bait-and-switch.” How appropriate that Vitagliano is now arguing that the leaders of the Christian Right – who have disgraced religion by using it to promote intolerance and hate, and who have used their multimedia empires to encourage disrespect and loathing for “other people’s beliefs” (not to mention their basic civil and human rights) – are now being persecuted.

Some of the Christians the leaders of the Christian Right claim to represent are more than a bit fed up with the sanctimonious bellowing. These are just two of the many message I’ve received from real Christians: 

As a Christian, I understand that because of God’s unconditional love for us, our response ought to be showing that same love toward all those who are not us (and incidentally as well as toward ourselves). I wish that religious leaders such as Lou Sheldon would read the Bible with a little more discernment toward finding their own actions and activities. Perhaps then, they might find some connections between themselves and those whom Christ came to change.

and

I’m an Episcopalian and often pray for these people [leaders of the Christian Right] to see through the haze of bigotry to what Jesus would actually be saying and doing if He were living in America today and for people like you to continue using your platforms well and wisely.

If the leaders of the Christian Right – "God racketeers" such as James Dobson and Lou Sheldon – are being persecuted by gays, liberals and the media, there’s a very good reason. They deserve it. After all, it’s just the fulfillment of two biblical edicts: “reap what you sow” and “do unto other as you would have them do unto you.”

But no one does persecution and plays victim better than the Roman Catholic Church. The Vatican is responsible for the persecution, torture and murder of untold millions during its reign of terror in medieval Europe and its “holy” campaigns against the native residents of the New World. Crusades and Holy Inquisitions in the Old World and genocidal campaigns in the New World, the Catholic Church has written its name in blood throughout history. And what did the Church do when the rampant priest-pedophile sex scandal was exposed? They claimed to be victims, of course. Although they “may” have stemmed (temporarily at least) the sexual abuse of children by priests, they are still victimizing children.

John Sonego made the case in his July 27, 2005 article “The Sins of the Father: Cardinal Ouellet doesn’t believe in punishing children for their parents’ sins -- that is, unless their parents’ sin is homosexuality.” In responses to Canada’s legalizing same-sex marriages, Cardinal Marc Ouellet has decreed that the Catholic Church should refuse to baptize children of gay parents. As Mr. Sonego noted,

The child of a drug addict can be baptized. The child of a murderer can be baptized. Even the illegitimate child of a fornicating priest can be baptized (and if you’ve studied Catholic history, you know many children of wayward clergy grew up to be cardinals and even popes). All these children are considered worthy before God. The only exception Cardinal Ouellet and his church would make, based on the circumstance of their birth alone, is the child of a same-sex couple who have made a legal life commitment to one another.

Apparently the Cardinal never read Yeshua’s words in the Gospel of Mark: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

These days the leaders of the Christian Right, the Catholic Church and their political brethren preach nothing but hatred and intolerance toward gays, their families and, yes, SpongeBob.

Nearly 100 people crammed into a meeting of the Broward County School Board, but despite emotion charged support for a diversity video featuring the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants, the board decided to uphold a committee decision not to show the tape to students.

 

In May, the Diversity Committee voted to reject the video saying it encourages kids to be friendly to potentially dangerous strangers, with several of the committee members voicing concerns it could lead some children to talk about being raised by same-sex parents.(italics mine)

God forbid children should talk about and be proud of their parents… and their happy homes.