In a move which parallels the religious agenda of Alcoholics Anonymous’s and the “twelve-step program”, Christian groups in the US now offer financial advice to people who have fallen into debt.
From the New York Times:
“A big part of it is that it has a faith component,” [said one man on a Crown Financial Ministries program]. “God wants you to be good stewards of your money. The money’s all his.”
The Christian “traditional morality” pressure group the American Family Association has posted an unscientific poll on homosexuality. Not only does the poll appear on their own site (where responses are likely to support the conclusions they want to find), but the results are rigged anyway, with every submission returning the same apparently bogus data.
The poll question is:
If a corporation supports the homosexual agenda, would you:
Be more likely to do business with that company
Be less likely to do business with that company
It would not affect my buying decision
At the time of writing, the results that will be returned after you vote are:
Be more likely to do business with that company. 6,238
Be less likely to do business with that company. 188,722
It would not affect my buying decision. 3,946
These “results” are clearly intended to imply that businesses should avoid supporting “the homosexual agenda”.
Ofcom, the UK TV watchdog, are changing their rules to allow TV evangelists to appeal for money on screen and the Revelation TV channel has already changed its financial strategies to take advantage of the new rules.
The channel had been struggling to raise £600,000 a year but is now hoping to be able to raise £5million a year, by five years time, through direct appeals to viewers.
Kent “Doctor Dino” Hovind was sentenced to ten years in prison last Friday. He was the controversial leader of the Creation Science Evangelism ministry and owned Pensacola Florida’s Dinosaur Adventure Land, a creationist theme park which “documents” the days when humans and dinosaurs lived side by side. Hovind was found guilty in November on many and various charges of financial wrongdoing. (His wife is due to be sentenced in March, probably much more leniently.)
Hovind had claimed that there are no laws that tax “God’s” property or work. The judge said the case was nothing to do with religion, but insisted that churches are not exempt from all forms of taxation. Hovind’s business empire must now pay hundreds of thousands of dollars owed to the government, which may put Dinosaur Adventure Land itself in peril. Not as much peril as people would have been in if they lived with dinosaurs, though.
The US National Center for Science Education has a good short summary of events, and relays local Pensacola press responses to the sentencing, which are scornful of this minister who is now a convicted criminal. (Via. Image source.)
The House of Lords in the UK has today upheld new gay rights legislation, in the face of a challenge led by Lord Morrow, by a majority of 199 to 68. The Sexual Orientation Regulations Act came into force on 1st January in Northern Ireland, and will now apply across the country from April. The Act extends protection against prejudice already applicable on the basis of sex, race, age and religion, to sexual orientation. It will be illegal, for example, to deny a job or a hotel room to someone on the basis that they are gay.
Some religious groups and commentators have complained that the legislation represents a curtailment of religious freedom. Morrow summarised the criticism as saying that Christians “cannot and must not be forced to actively condone and promote sexual practices which the Bible teaches are wrong.” There were demonstrations by hundreds of religious activists outside parliament. Gay rights advocates have pointed out that discrimination on the basis of religion has been outlawed by similar law since 1998.
Update — 11th Jan: There’s a very cautious welcome of this news from the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association.
Around 10 million Americans hang a Thomas Kinkade painting in their homes. Paintings, prints and inevitable spin-off merchandise from the “painter of light”, fetch in the region of $100 million a year. The paintings are marketed in part on the basis of Kinkade’s Christian faith; many of his fans and Signature Gallery owners are Christian. Critics have slated the works for being mawkish.
Now Kinkade’s business dealings are reportedly being investigated by the FBI (SFGate.com: “Artist Thomas Kinkade under FBI investigation ex-dealers say“), with the help of at least six former Kinkade Signature Gallery owners. Read the rest of this entry »
