Pious, Scmious . . .

There was a reunion yesterday of extras from old Frankenstein and other horror movies. You know, the ones who played frightened, ignorant villagers who ran around looking for people to burn or impale? Oh, wait, Spotty now reads it was just a gathering of the cretinous and intolerant at Grace Church in Eden Prairie. Sorry; Spot’s mistake. Still, he wonders if they had to leave their torches, pitchforks and pike poles at the door.

There was a “pastor’s summit” at Grace Church yesterday to serve as a pep rally for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Apparently, some of you are going to get a lot about this from the pulpit in coming days. The goal is to pass a bill during the 2006 legislative session to put the amendment issue on the ballot for the fall 2006 election.

Here’s a few words about the raison d'être for the summit:

The pastors' summit was organized by the Minnesota Family Council in the belief that "the only thing that stands in the way of legalization of same-sex marriage in Minnesota is the church," said Chuck Darrell, of the council's Minnesota for Marriage project.

Attendees heard speakers who described how pastors have spearheaded marriage amendment drives in states from Oregon to Maine, offered tips for churches to get active without forfeiting tax-exempt status and recounted the history of religious leaders engaging in the American political culture.

Religious leaders engaging in American political culture? That has always worked out so well. Slaves, obey your masters. Women should not vote. Temperance must be the law of the land. Dr. King, end the Birmingham bus boycott.

When religion gets into politics, it is almost always on the side of the status quo, the stiff-necked intolerant boobs, and the narcissistic, pious crackpots who think they alone have the moral authority to speak for all of us.

Here’s an example of the Biblical scholarship presented yesterday at the summit:

David Barton of the Texas-based group Wallbuilders said the Bible condemns not only homosexuality but also capital-gains taxes, progressive income taxes, estate taxes and minimum-wage laws.

Imagine. Spotty had no idea. Spot thinks old Davey spends his time on the entrails of owls, not the social gospel of the New Testament. And of course, the clown princess of Minnesota politics (unchallenged now since Cheri Pierson Yecke climbed on her Bissel and flew to Florida), Michele Bachmann had to get into the act:

State Sen. Michele Bachmann, R-Stillwater, the Legislature's chief proponent of the proposed amendment, led one session on its uncertain status in Minnesota, while her husband, Christian therapist Marcus Bachmann, led another on "the truth of the homosexual lifestyle."

Boy, wouldn’t you just love to spend some quality time with these two dining on roasted sinners? Sweet Jesus.

By the way, Jesus did have some things to say about the Pharisees. They are yet among us.

Tags: Michele Bachmann hates same-sex marriage at Grace Church