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RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY

Catholic School Uninvites City Councilwoman From Black History Month Event – Because She’s a Lesbian

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The Councilwoman is “a pro-gay-marriage politician – and that was problematic,” says the school’s priest.

A North Carolina Catholic school uninvited a newly-elected Durham city councilwoman from a Black history month celebration because she is a lesbian. Councilwoman Vernetta Alston (photo) is Black, a lesbian, married to a woman, a mother, an attorney, and she also happens to be an alumna of the school, as WRAL reports.

Father Chris VanHaight, pastor of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, not only uninvited the councilwoman, he canceled classes on Friday, the day the event was to take place, over reports there would be people protesting both the councilwoman’s invitation to speak at the Catholic school, and protesting his decision to rescind the invitation.

The school uninvited the Councilwoman, but reportedly never bothered to tell her directly.

“The theme for that Friday morning prayer was going to be a strong black woman. Vernetta Alston is that,” VanHaight said. “But she’s also a politician – and a pro-gay-marriage politician – and that was problematic.”

After defending his decision to parishioners in church, he was applauded.

Father VanHaight says, “I don’t know all the speakers who are coming to the school. I will in the future.” He also says politicians will no longer be invited to speak to students. The Father did not say if the “sin” of homosexuality, or of supporting the rights of marriage for same-sex couples is the only one that would disqualify future speakers. Presumably, he would be forced to also deny those who are divorced ore support divorce, those who eat shellfish, those who have had an abortion, and so on.

Here’s Father VanHaight speaking to his congregation Sunday, via WRAL:

Councilwoman Alston posted a letter saying she respects the First Amendment and thus the school’s decision, but the First Amendment gives her the right to say that the Church “is sending a sad, regressive, and life-altering message to our children.”

Image: Screenshot via YouTube

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RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY

Catholic Bishops Spend Nearly $240,000 to Fight Michigan Group’s Goal of Expanding Protections for LGBTQ People

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3 years ago

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July 28, 2021

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Catholic Bishops in Michigan have spent over $238,000 – nearly a quarter of a million dollars – to fight a civil rights group’s goal of expanding protections for the state’s LGBTQ people via a proposed 2022 ballot initiative.

“Campaign finance reports filed on Monday show the Lansing-based Michigan Catholic Conference, which bills itself as ‘the official voice of the Catholic Church in Michigan on matters of public policy,’ has made $238,874.80 in direct and in-kind contributions to Citizens for Equality, Fairness and Justice, an organization formed in April that has actively opposed the LGBTQ initiative,” MiBiz’s Andy Balaskovitz reports. “The MCC made up nearly all of the committee’s $204,175 in direct contributions this funding cycle.”

The ballot initiative is supported by many major businesses. According to the group that initiated the ballot drive, Fair and Equal Michigan, business leaders including Jim Fitterling, Chief Executive Officer, Dow; Tim Cook, Chief Executive Officer, Apple; Andi Owen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Herman Miller; and Ron Bieber, President of the Michigan AFL-CIO, support the initiative.

“The Catholic Church’s opposition to LGBTQ equal rights is unfortunate, but it was not unexpected,” Fair and Equal Michigan spokesperson Josh Hovey told the Michigan Advance. “It is well known that they have been out of touch with the majority of voters in Michigan and across the country on this issue, and that we are thankful that campaign finance disclosure laws make their anti-equality position known to all.”

“At the end of the day,” Hovey added, “what opponents to our initiative are asking for is to continue being able to use religion as a license to discriminate.”

Currently, the ballot initiative is stalled. The Michigan Board of State Canvassers says Fair and Equal Michigan has not secured enough valid signatures to get the issue on the ballot. The group plans to appeal.

 

Image: Fair and Equal Michigan/Facebook

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RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY

‘Just the Worst. I’m Sorry but She Is’: Internet Slams Meghan McCain for Claiming Biden ‘Doing Grave Spiritual Harm’

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4 years ago

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June 21, 2021

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Meghan McCain is attacking President Joe Biden with the sword of religion and the Internet is not having it. Having once presented herself as a moderate, McCain has increasingly moved to the far right, but her latest diatribe may be her most extreme yet.

“I believe that he is doing gave spiritual harm to himself and harm to this country,” McCain said of President Biden, over his support of a woman’s right to choose abortion.

McCain decided to side with the majority of U.S. Catholic Bishops, who themselves are violating a Vatican directive to not “weaponize” of politicize the most sacred rituals of the Roman Catholic Church.

“He’s going to have to ultimately talk to his creator when the time comes as we all do,” she added, “and reconcile his politics with his personal faith.”

Biden, who is 78, is a devout and practicing Catholic who attends church at least weekly. McCain is 36. Her spouse is Ben Domenech, co-founder and publisher of far right wing website The Federalist.

Many online were furious with McCain, who just four years ago said, “I love this Pope,” referring to Pope Francis, adding she had just read an article promoting the idea the the GOP should follow the Pope and “live in the real world.”

The Pope, or his officials, told U.S. Bishops to not go down the road they are going, trying to withhold communion from Biden and other Catholic lawmakers over their support of abortion.

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RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY

Scandalous Scion Jerry Falwell Jr. Sued for $10 Million by Liberty University

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4 years ago

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April 16, 2021

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Jerry Falwell, Jr. is being sued by the school his father founded. Liberty University has filed a $10 million complaint against its former president.

“The new suit, which alleges breach of contract and fiduciary duty, claims that Mr. Falwell withheld scandalous and potentially damaging information from Liberty’s board of trustees, while negotiating a generous new contract for himself in 2019 under false pretenses. Mr. Falwell also failed to disclose and address ‘his personal impairment by alcohol,’ the suit alleges, according to The New York Times.

But according to Talking Points Memo, which published the entire complaint, the lawsuit is far more scandalous.

“The evangelical institution claims in the suit, filed in Lynchburg Circuit Court in Virginia, that Falwell concealed his relationship with Giancarlo Granda from the university.”

“Had Liberty’s Executive Committee known in 2018 and 2019 that Granda was attempting to extort Falwell Jr. and thus planning to damage Liberty, and had it known the full circumstances of Granda’s extortion of Falwell Jr., then the Executive Committee would have refrained from entering into the 2019 Employment Agreement,” the suit states.

“The actions of Falwell Jr. and Granda have injured Liberty’s enrollment, impacted its donor base, disrupted its faculty, enabled the 2019 Employment Agreement that proved detrimental to Liberty’s interests, and damaged Liberty’s reputation,” the suit reads.

The suit also adds that “Granda had plenty of information that could have been deeply  damaging to Falwell Jr. in the eyes of the evangelical community.”

Falwell, Jr.’s social media posts are infamous, and some are included in the lawsuit.

In August of 2020 before leaving Liberty, Falwell said his wife had had a “fatal attraction” extramarital relationship with the man identified as Giancarlo Granda.

“Becki had an inappropriate personal relationship with this person, something in which I was not involved – it was nonetheless very upsetting to learn about,” Falwell claimed.

But Granda responded by accusing Falwell of being involved in that relationship.

“Jerry enjoyed watching,” Granda alleged.

This is a breaking news and developing story.

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