Strict Orders: Go to your local RW church and observe "Justice Sunday".

As you are all no doubt aware, tomorrow has been tabbed as "Justice Sunday" by the extreme right wing of the Republican Party. Certain churches--mostly Southern Baptist, Pentecostal and the Old Testament Mega-Churches favored by the radio preachers-- will be sermonizing on the perceived, Biblical need to change U.S. Senate rules to halt filibusters for Bush's extreme right-wing judicial nominations.Don't be surprised if some of them even show video links of our friends Bill Frist and Tom Delay passing along the Republican talking points.

I for one will skip the Sunday Service at my own Methodist church and visit the local Mega-Baptist church to hear what the diamond-ringed, Gucci-wearing, silver tongued preacher has to say about this GOP scheme--and whether he can say it with a straight face. I might even take my palm-sized camcorder to show the IRS just how political these so-called men of God have become.

I heard it was a only 1,500 of them doing it. I htought about doing this also.

I'd love for the IRS to pull their tax exempt status.

But check it out:

http://www.frcaction.org/

These so-called Christians have a ton of money behind them.

You're best off finding a relatively new "Mega- Church" in the suburbs of your city.

I don't think the old- line conservative denominations are buying in.

Thanks anyway folks. Preach to the choir all you need to.

must be explored after.

http://www.mainstreamcoalition.org/ . . . ?


I say Tax them if they're in business, just like anyone else.

obsolete, because it has become more organic at a personal level.

Academy.

Evangelical Religious harassment, instead of sexual harassment. Just what we need, a religious military!!!

Home of Focus on your own damn family.

The American Center for Law and Justice is a right wing legal think tank that serves the interests of the Family Research Council and the Republican National Committee, by fostering the "Christians as victims" theme through the filing of frivolous lawsuits against schools, local governments, etc., across the country. Their CEO has a daily broadcast on OVER 550 radio stations across the country over the conservative radio web.

And get this:

I was listening to the broadcast on Thursday-- it was all "Justice Sunday" all the time-- and they were plug, plug, plugging their petition to Congress in opposition to judicial filibusters. And as of Thursday afternoon-- after four weeks of saturation advertising on their 550 stations-- they had acquired...(drumroll)... Only 30,000 signatures.

BFD! Harry Reid has about 1,000,000 petition signatures in favor.

As you all no doubt know, the Family Research Council is sponsoring an event called "Justice Sunday-Stopping the Filibuster Against People of Faith".  The express goal of this program is to defeat the proposed filibuster of Bush's judicial nominees -- by bashing all opponents as, essentially, liberals who are against God, religion and people of faith.  

The event will be held this Sunday, April 24, 2005, 7:00 p.m. ET, at the Highview Baptist mega-church in Louisville, Kentucky.  There will be a national live simulcast  to interested churches and media outlets.  The star speaker will be none other than Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, who has, with this shameless political action, abrogated any pretense of a belief in the separation of church and state and further demonstrated the right's willingness to exploit religion as a partisan political bludgeon.

Here's the FRC's Press Release (http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05D09 ), which is filled with just a taste of the inflammatory rhetoric sure to be the key talking points of this theo-political event.  In addition to First, speakers include Dr. James Dobson, Founder and Chairman of Focus on the Family, Dr. Al Mohler, head of the Southern Baptist Convention, and Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship Ministries at Highview Baptist Church.  (Remember Chuck Colson - Richard Nixon's special counsel, who also recruited a young John O'Neill to politically attack John Kerry?)

_________________________

PROGRESSIVE RELIGIOUS LEADER RALLY

I wanted to remind us all that - in response - a rally lead by progressive religious leaders is planned the same day (but a few hours earlier) in Louisville (details here: see http://www.clnnlc.org /):

Social Justice Sunday

WHAT: Social Justice Sunday - Faith and Freedom Vigil

WHEN: 2:30 pm, April 24, 2005

WHERE: Central Presbyterian Church
                   318 W. Kentucky St. Louisville, Kentucky

CONTACT: Clergy and Laity Network and DriveDemocracy


Progressive Religious Communities, our leaders and our community friends are gathering to witness:


OUR OUTRAGE over the attempt by the Family Research Council and its radical Christian Right colleagues to highjack the judicial selection process for their politiclal/theocratic agenda


OUR DISMAY Senate Majority Leader, Senator Bill Frist, is lending his name and influence to the Family Research Council's claim of universal support from  "people of faith" for its strategy, thereby giving false religious credentials to a thinly veiled political agenda


OUR POSITIVE COMMITMENT to defend and strengthen our social context in its commitment to fairness for all people, free of biased religious doctrines and prejudiced attitudes which are inimical to a mature religious understanding of the standards of inclusiveness and justice in American life


The Social Justice Sunday invitation is available at the Building the Beloved Community. Please distribute the invitation to all progressives. You can download the invitation as a word document here.

****PLEASE CONTACT NATIONAL AND LOCAL MEDIA TO MAKE SURE THIS IS COVERED****


For more information, pelase see these dailyKos diaries:

Social Justice Sunday - Who is Participating?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/20/1994/16087

Social Justice Sunday - by George Lakoff
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/15/2016/11711

Louisville Sluggers...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/18/172142/504

___________________

WHAT YOU CAN DO LOCALLY


If you can't get to Louisville, please consider local activisim if a church or media outlet near you is receiving a simulcast of this event (to find out, enter your zip code here: http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?c=JS_SIMULCAST ).  NOTE:  THERE IS NOW A SUBSTANTIAL LIST OF TV STATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY CARRYING THIS PROGRAM.  

Please either contact the church, TV or radio station in question, or organize your own local vigil/rally, to help ensure that the the message gets out -- in a peaceful, safe and polite but forceful manner -- that this tactic of exploiting religion for political gain, and belittling the faith of progressives in general, is totally unacceptable.  It is an affront both to religion and the founding principles of this nation.



Further reading:

Frist Set to Use Religious Stage on Judicial Issue, New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/15/politics/15judges.htm ...  5&ei=5094&partner=homepage) (free subscription required).  

Rabbi Steven B. Jacobs, Rabbi of Kol Tikvah Synagogue in Woodland Hills, California and Dr. Nazir Khaja, Chairman of the Islamic Information Service -- joint statement (http://www.fvcommunity.org/beloved/fristresponse ).

That's right, here in the Bible belt, there will be no local coverage.

Besides, my church's Adult Sunday School is starting Karen Armstrong's "The Battle for God" tomorrow. I think my time will be more productively spent there.

Hah nows the time to carry my "Let me walk, support stem cell research sign into the parking lot." One better I wont take my parkie drugs and start shaking , which might insue an impromptu exorcism :) Note this post is sarcastic. Actually I have altar guild and greeter duties in or Episcopal church tomarrow but I promise my Democrat donkey pin on my lapel. Is that a good deal all. :)
Be good everyone and stay safe the world just got a lot meanner.

I just checked out the dingbats website on where to attend church. NONE in Texas, Louisiana, etc etc etc. If they can't find a RW church in North Louisiana or Dallas, they're not finding one ANYWHERE. It's televised and on radio, but this is NOT HAPPENING in the churches. A big Fucking Scam