Gary DeMar's "Sexual Up-Side-Downism"
Carlos printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Tue Feb 06, 2007 at 11:38:29 PM EST
Gary DeMar, like Doug Phillips, is an influential leader in far right Christian homeschooling circles. Also, like Doug Phillips, DeMar's anti-gay rhetoric is deeply disturbing. How can these leaders have such a popular following given their extreme views?
From DeMar's most recent anti-gay rant, "The Effects of Sexual Cultism", where he tries to connect the Christian/sex cult of David Berg with gay Christians:

Homosexuals who claim to be Christians believe that they can practice homo-sex "in the name of Jesus." The arguments that Berg was using to justify his view of sex are identical to those used by advocates of homosexuality. The "20/20" report failed to make the connection. [   ]

Homosexuals are chained to a particular sin. Their consciences are seared. A steady diet of sexual themes has resulted in sexual saturation where they are now beyond the point of absorbing any contrary opinion. To give up homosexuality would mean giving up life itself. Homosexuals expound the "All Things" doctrine, like David Berg, perverting the words of the apostle Paul: "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything" (1 Cor. 6:12).

Homosexuals often use Scripture to normalize what the Bible describes as an "abomination." The very activity which Paul describes as "impurity," "degrading passions," "unnatural function," "indecent acts" (Rom. 1), homosexuals embrace with indignant vigor. They go out of their way to debauch the testimony of the Bible and its clear condemnation of homosexuality. [   ]

Even if--and it's a big if--the relationship between David and Jonathan were homosexual, this would not legitimize homosexuality. It would only prove once again that David was a sinner. David also committed adultery and was an accomplice to murder in the death of Uriah the Hittite. So we add to these the sin of sodomy. Are homosexuals ready to acknowledge that adultery and murder are also normative behavior for Christians? Just because a Bible character--even one as great as David--does something, this does not mean the behavior is lawful.

Scripture is clear: Homosexuality is denounced as a horrible sin, an abomination. An entire civilization--Sodom--was destroyed because evil had mounted, finally showing itself in the degrading passions of homosexuality. Could the Bible be any clearer in its denouncement of those who traffic in "strange flesh"? (Jude 1:7)

Homosexuals have created a fantasy world where only their perverse presuppositions have meaning. Their goal is to bring the rest of America with them into their fabricated universe of sexual up-side-downism.




Display:
anti-gay rant, you can go here.

by Carlos on Tue Feb 06, 2007 at 11:43:35 PM EST

What bothers me most about the anti-gay rhetoric of fellows like DeMar is the almost orgiastic hatred they display in their ranting. They remain objective while  discussing other areas of human imperfection, but when it comes to sex, everything changes: it's almost as if they view sexual sin, gay or straight, as a personal affront.

Now, I believe that homosexual *activity* (as distinguished from homosexual *orientation*) is a sin -period - but so are adultery, drunkenness, pride, lying,  envy, and avarice; and, Jesus had relatively little to say about sexual sin, but He had plenty to say about pride and greed, and He said that the love of money is the root of all evil.

These fellows will rave about sexual sin and the "gay agenda" until they are blue in the face, but you will seldom hear one of them question the "corporate agenda", or hear them preach that greed and personal selfishness are at the root of much of the evil in America today.

by Cynthia Gee on Wed Feb 07, 2007 at 01:49:27 AM EST

As Cynthis Gee put it: "What bothers me most about the anti-gay rhetoric of fellows like DeMar is the almost orgiastic hatred they display in their ranting. They remain objective while  discussing other areas of human imperfection, but when it comes to sex, everything changes: it's almost as if they view sexual sin, gay or straight, as a personal affront."

Me thinks they doth protesteth too much! What are they hiding in their own closets???

Q.

by Quotefiend on Wed Feb 07, 2007 at 11:51:45 AM EST

Good question, considering their fairly high profile. Don't they know that people who live in glass houses shouldn't stow bones?

by Cynthia Gee on Wed Feb 07, 2007 at 12:59:08 PM EST
Parent


and perhaps somebody has some clarifying thoughts on this: the internet seems to have encouraged a big audience for the production and consumption of intolerant material, but, at the same time it also has encouraged the practice of grass roots criticism like what is happening on Wade Burleson's (SBC related) blog and websites/blogs like Ministry Watchman and Talk 2 Action. So what is the bottom line? Does it just even out in the end? The internet seems to be an excellent tool for the forces of pluralistic, engaged democracy, but, at the same time, it also seems to be an excellent tool for the forces of incipient fascisms of all sorts.

by Carlos on Wed Feb 07, 2007 at 01:19:51 PM EST
The internet is what it is..... a tool, which allows people on both sides of an issue to reach a large audience with their views. It's a two edged sword -- the more the proponents on one side spread their views, the more their opponents must counter those views with views of their own. Sometimes truth falls victim to plain-old longwindedness, but, that's life in the big e-city.

by Cynthia Gee on Wed Feb 07, 2007 at 01:31:46 PM EST
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old idea of "the medium is the message"?

Speaking of the medium of the internet, what about the idea that the internet is evolving from static websites to community blogs to ever more interactive places like myspace and facebook?

Why are DeMar and Phillips still able to sell so many products and spread their message given that their internet presence is so outdated and non-interactive?

Would it be possible or desirable to take on the religious right from a platform like facebook?

by Carlos on Wed Feb 07, 2007 at 02:10:48 PM EST
Parent

sell their products primarily the old fashioned way.  Through preestablished markets to which they are providing products. In thier cases, educational and cultural products for a fairly circumscribed (but growing), home schooling market, and in conservative Christian schools and churches. DeMar and Phillips (and Barton) work the homeschooling conference circuit vigorously, and maintain active mail order businesses.

Their enterprises are businesses using internet tools in support of that effort. DeMar is more of a writer and public intelletual of sorts, and so he also uses his site for more assertive self publishing.

by Frederick Clarkson on Wed Feb 07, 2007 at 02:23:18 PM EST
Parent

The question then is how much of a challenge could a merely virtual network (even if wired to be intensely interactive) be compared to the already pre-established network of churches, schools and homeschooling conferences.

It's like the talk about how amazing it was for Obama to sign up 200,000 + young people on facebook. But then again, what is the real value of these 200,000 if they don't vote? The Christian Right is so effective (as has been pointed out on numerous occasions) exactly because of these old fashioned networks. It remains to be seen how we can challenge all this from the comforts of our isolated computer offices.

by Carlos on Wed Feb 07, 2007 at 02:49:45 PM EST
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"Why are DeMar and Phillips still able to sell so many products and spread their message given that their internet presence is so outdated and non-interactive?"

Oudatedness is not always a bad thing, depending on demographics. VisionForum targets consumers who are apt to be somewhat behind the times, and quite deliberately so.



by Cynthia Gee on Wed Feb 07, 2007 at 03:36:56 PM EST
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