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Indybay Feature

Ron Luce and "God's instruction book" for Intolerance

by blackeye1776
From Chronicle report on Battlecry:
Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who told counterprotesters at City Hall on Friday that while such fundamentalists may be small in number, "they're loud, they're obnoxious, they're disgusting, and they should get out of San Francisco."

Gay marriage "is another sign of the end of times," said Sherilyn David, referring to the apocalypse that some fundamentalist Christians believe is foretold in Scripture. The 22-year-old San Jose administrative assistant came to Battle Cry with 15 other young Christians on Friday and will be joined by 60 other friends Saturday.

The conclusion: They'll be back.
Christian youth rally in S.F.
- Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, March 25, 2006

More than 25,000 evangelical Christian youth landed Friday in San Francisco for a two-day rally at AT&T Park against "the virtue terrorism" of popular culture, and they were greeted by an official city condemnation and a clutch of protesters who said their event amounted to a "fascist mega-pep rally."

"Battle Cry for a Generation" is led by a 44-year-old Concord native, Ron Luce, who wants "God's instruction book" to guide young people away from the corrupting influence of popular culture.

Luce, whose Teen Mania organization is based in Texas, kicked off a three-city "reverse rebellion" tour Friday night intended to counter a popular culture that he says glamorizes violence and sex. The $55 advance tickets for two days of musical performances and speeches were sold out, but walk-up admission was available for $199.

After stops in Detroit and Philadelphia in the next few weeks, Luce wants to unleash a "blitz" of youth pastors into the communities to do everything from work with the homeless to find new ways to bring others to Christ. He challenged youth leaders to double the size of their groups in the next year.

And then he plans to return to San Francisco next year to chart their progress.

That's bad news to Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who told counterprotesters at City Hall on Friday that while such fundamentalists may be small in number, "they're loud, they're obnoxious, they're disgusting, and they should get out of San Francisco."

Luce didn't flinch in the face of the counterprotest. The author, host of the "Acquire the Fire TV" cable television program and a President Bush appointee to a federal anti-drug abuse commission, wants teens to find Bible-based solutions for the spread of sexually transmitted disease, teen pregnancy, drug abuse and suicide.

The villains, Luce said, range from the promiscuity and "sexualization" of young people on MTV and the popular online meeting hub MySpace.com to a corporate culture that spends millions trying to woo the under-21 crowd.

Battle Cry will try to bring them back to God through two days of religious rockers, speakers and the debut of what Luce called a Christian alternative to My Space.com.

"This is more than a spiritual war," Luce said. "It's a culture war."

Military metaphors abound in Luce's descriptions of the struggle. He tells young people of how "an enemy has launched a brutal attack on them." At a pre-Battle Cry rally Friday afternoon on the steps of City Hall, Luce told his mostly teenage audience that "terrorists of a different kind" -- advertisers -- were targeting them and that they were "caught in the middle of the battle."

"Are you ready to go to battle for your generation?" he asked, and the young people roared "yes!" and some waved triangular red flags flown from long, medieval-looking poles.

Luce's approach has been praised by conservative leaders from the Rev. Jerry Falwell to Fox News commentator Sean Hannity. Much of the statistical backing for the horrors Luce sees on TV is provided by the Parents Television Council, which is funded by conservative foundations such as the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.

Those alliances weren't lost on the 50 protesters representing a rainbow of San Francisco's left -- from abortion-rights advocates to anti-war activists to atheists -- who staged Friday's counterprotest.

"There is a real intolerancy to homosexuality in a lot of these organizations," said Peter Cobb, an organizer with Not In Our Name.

Earlier this week, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution condemning the "act of provocation" by what it termed an "anti-gay," "anti-choice" organization that aimed to "negatively influence the politics of America's most tolerant and progressive city."

Luce said it was the first time one of his events has been officially condemned.

A Battle Cry invitation to teenagers made plain the symbolism of gathering in San Francisco for a pre-event rally at "the very City Hall steps where several months ago, gay marriages were celebrated for all the world to see."

Gay marriage "is another sign of the end of times," said Sherilyn David, referring to the apocalypse that some fundamentalist Christians believe is foretold in Scripture. The 22-year-old San Jose administrative assistant came to Battle Cry with 15 other young Christians on Friday and will be joined by 60 other friends Saturday.

Christian Gallion, a 15-year-old in town with his Assembly of God youth group from Humboldt County, shrugged off being called "fascists" by counterdemonstrators.

"It doesn't bother me," Gallion said. "It's a beautiful city, and we don't have anything against the protesters."

His youth pastor had no interest in engaging in political debates.

"I'm not here to hate anybody," Scott Thompson said. "This isn't about Bush or gays or anything other than being here to worship together."

That's not how some liberal leaders saw it.

"Even if it is done by a Barnum & Bailey crowd with a tent and some snake oil, I think we need to pay attention to it," said Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who authored the condemnation resolution. "We should not fall asleep at the wheel."

Separated by barricades and six feet of neutral sidewalk in front of City Hall, the two sides traded amplified calls to arms Friday.

On one side of the barricade was girl carrying a sign that said, "Instead of porn, show us Godly relationships." On the other, a woman held one that said, "I moved here to get away from people like you."

As Battle Cry organizers walked through the crowd of young people telling them, "Don't engage with them," one rain-soaked counterdemonstrator yelled, "And next time, come back in summer."

Luce said they will.

"We're going to be back here in a year, to see what kind of progress we've made," he said. "And we're going to be at AT&T Park. Or whatever it is called then."

Page A - 1
URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/03/25/BATTLE.TMP
by and discrimination against gays
Leviticus---a sample of the Bible's trash....
How could any critically thinking non-brainwashed human who is not doused with fear agree with this?
by bynrdskynrd
Is it just me or does those battlecry.org banners look like Horus' Eye?

http://www.acquiretheevidence.com/sfbc-3.html

Wonder where Luce gets his funding?
by Rob Dog Uncensored
Please, the Leviticus argument, come on...These kids are standing up for the change this country needs.
Christ never mentioned it. It's no where in the New Testament, not one single mention of homosexuality. It's only found in one place in the Old Testament -- Leviticus.

Ron Luce held a rally on the steps of the SF City Hall to denounce, amongst other things, homosexuality. It's ruining the nation or whatever. And he bases it on the words in the Good Book, i.e. Leviticus. Of course, the parts about slavery being okay and 101 other crazy-assed things in Leviticus, Ron and other evangelicals never once bring up. It doesn't serve their purposes to do so, but they'll quote about the "abomination" to no end as if that is one of the most important tenents in the entire Bible, bigger than the 10 Commandments even.

These maliable kids are listening to Rev Ron preach about how horrible homosexuality is. Some of these kids are likely gay themselves, but will be too afraid to come out and live happy lives. He's preaching based on stories that are thousands of years old and only serve to increase predjudice against and shame amongst gay youth in this country. That's not healthy for anyone.
by Another fundi nut
Hypocrit and homophobe.
by TW
the HONEST Ten (approximately) Commandments. Enjoy!

http://indybay.org/news/2006/04/1818004_comment.php#1821914
by J Clark
" Do not be decived. Niether fornicatiors. nor idiolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God" ( 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10).
by amen
Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 15:13But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised: 15:14and if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching vain, your faith also is vain. 15:15Yea, we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised. 15:16For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised: 15:17and if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 15:18Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 15:19If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable. 15:20But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep. 15:21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 15:22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 15:23But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. 15:24Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 15:25For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. 15:26The last enemy that shall be abolished is death.
by who could be so gullable?
who could be so gullable? To believe in these fear-based fairy tales that serve to keep humankind docile and non-questioning?
J Clark reveals the carnality of using Bible "proof texts" -- poorly-translationed ones at that -- to push a culturally-biased homophobic agenda. What a terrible witness to the liberating, radically inclusive love of Christ, to be as ignorant as J Clark and reduce faith in Christ to religiosity and truthiness.

It is the mistaken contention of some that Paul spoke of homosexuals in Corinthians and Timothy. The error comes from cultural bias which has crept into the translation of his letters (such as the NIV (New International Version) shown below); specifically regarding two words (*malakoi* and *arsenokoitai*). To the church in Corinth and subsequently in a letter to Timothy Paul wrote:

"... Neither the sexually immoral (referring here to the pagan temple prostitutes) nor idolaters nor adulterers (but understood from the 10 Commandments to only he wrong for a married women, but never a married man as long as the women was single - not the property of another man) nor MALE PROSTITUTES (*malakoi*) nor HOMOSEXUAL OFFENDERS (*arsenokoitai*) nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." I Cor. 6:9-10 (NIV)

"We also know that the law is made not for good men but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and PERVERTS (*arsenokoitais*), for slave traders and liars and perjurers." I Tim. 1:9-10 (NIV)

What the NIV refers to in 1 Cor. 9 supposedly as "homosexual offenders" and later in 1 Tim. 1:10 as "perverts" is related in Paul's original letters with the single Greek word *arsenokoitai(s)* The translators for King James render the word as "abusers of themselves with mankind." Other modern translations construe the term as "child molesters" or even "sodomites" (ironic since we know that the Sodomites were not condemned for homosexuality, but rather for violent male-on-male gang rape perpetrated by heterosexual men who wished to humiliate their victims... compare to life in a U.S. maximum security prison).

The claim this word means homosexual, defies linguistic evidence and common sense. "Koites" generally denotes licentious sexual activities, and corresponds to the active person in intercourse. The prefix "Arsen", simply means "male". It could mean a male that has sex with lots of women. Paul made up a new word. A biblical scholar when a word is unknown, looks for similar greek words to find a possible meaning. Boswell concludes Paul writing in Koine Greek, took a word from Attic Greek combined with a word from Old Testament Greek to mean the active male prostitute. These were common in the Hellenistic world in the time of Paul. They served as prostitutes for both men and women. BINGO! Remember "porneia" in the same verse that has been mistranslated fornication but was really female temple prostitutes? Guess what? Paul also is condemning the male prostitutes that also were in the temples of the sex gods!

(Source: http://www.libchrist.com/other/homosexual/cor69.html)
In my view any religion that insists on evangelizing is dangerous from the get-go. Muslims have a belief in the afterlife, atonement, reverance and obediance to "divine law", etc. yet none of the Muslims I know put any effort in to recruitment or "conversion". Why should they? They're sucure in their beliefs. For the most part this also applies to Jews, Bhuddists, and numerous others (incluiding many Methodists and Presbyterians and Episcopalians) in my experience. Only certain Christian sects seem to be on the "war path" to convert mass numbers of "unbelievers" so my guess is that they are either INsecure in their beliefs (masked by fanatical devotion) or their agenda is in reality a political one aimed at gaining control of the state.
I'm an atheist and yet I have been welcomed in many churches and I have friends of many religious persuasions and I would adamantly defend anyone's right to believe as they wish and to practice their religion in any manner so long as the rights of others (including animals and the environment) are not adversely impacted. The vast majority of religious people I know would make perfectly good neighbors and would keep any consternation or disdain they may feel over other people's choices or beliefs that do not directly affect THEM respectfully to themselves.
In short; while I have no attraction to religions of any sort I can honestly say that the veveangelicals like Ron Luce or Ohio's Rod Parseley and Kenneth Blackwell are the sort that tend, like Columbus, the Puritans, and the Inquisition to give religion a bad name.
by M
I had an all-too-familiar,sinking feeling reading about Ron Luce's "battleCry for a Generation"events recently. Apparently,it isnt enough for the Christian Neandertal Right that,at least among non-Islamic countries,we already live in the most repressed,sex and body phobic society on Earth(and we have the highest reported rape and domestic violence incedents among these countries,too-coincidence?).It's not enough that things like the F.C.C.'s on media 'standards' and the outright insipid intelligent design debate have rendered us a world-wide laughingstock.It's not good enough that the line between church and state is as thin as it's been in half a century. No,the Ron Luces among us arent content to live in a place as receptive to and compatible with their' faith as anyplace on the planet.Using military terminology,Luce is imploring the young and impeessionable to "train for war",to"invade the world with...Jesus Christ"He emphasises that it "is'nt a theoretical battle,or a metaphor.It is a very real battle".Considering the growing number of young minds recieving this message,isnt it only a matter of time before we start seeing 'Christian taliban'incidents,actual acts of violence toward those who don't share their' dogmatic view?It seems almost inevitable to me. All of the relativly sane among us who value our' right to worship,to speak,to dress,to LIVE as we choose need to take a stand against this cultural terrorist and his deluded minions.They arent going to stop until America is nothing more than a Christian mirror-image of Saudi Arabia,an intolerant monotheism wherin any deviation from the 'national mindset' is punished swiftly and harshly. They will be content with nothing less.
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