South African newspaper says toxic homophobia in Uganda is linked to "American-style Christianity"

[ck4829]

Uganda's parliament on Friday adopted an anti-homosexuality bill that will see repeat offenders jailed for life, sparking an international outcry as lawmakers hailed it as a victory against "evil".

Deputies voted overwhelmingly in favour of the text, which has been widely condemned by rights activists and world leaders - with US President Barack Obama describing it as "odious" and Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu comparing it to apartheid.

Homophobia is widespread in Uganda, where American-style evangelical Christianity is on the rise. Gay men and women in the country face frequent harassment and threats of violence, and rights activists have also reported cases of lesbians being subjected to "corrective" rapes.

The vote came a day after the Ugandan parliament passed an anti-pornography and dress-code law banning anything deemed sexually suggestive. In addition to outlawing "provocative" clothing, the anti-pornography bill will ban scantily dressed performers from Ugandan television and closely monitor what individuals watch on the Internet.

http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/International-outcry-as-Uganda-adopts-anti-gay-bill-20131221

The end-result of far right politics when not opposed or unable to be opposed, ladies and gentlemen.

[idwiyo]

1. Religious nuts at their best. All in the name of gawd, of course.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

30. RELIGION THE DESTROYER

[Baitball Blogger]

2. The legacy of the Christian crusade continues.

Why do I get the impression that a backlash against American style evangelicals is coming?

[loudsue]

3. This is the result of influence from that e-street mob of right wing religious extremists

(senators and representatives) in washington, dc, that Rachel Maddow busted a couple of years ago. The right wing version of Christianity is NOT Christianity. It is hate, pure and simple...just like Opus Dei.

[malokvale77]

52. We have a winner. nt

[valerief]

4. Uh, duh. America--Spreading Hate Everywhere. nt

[mountain grammy]

5. "The Family" by Jeff Sharlet is one of the best books I've read on this subject

and Uganda has it's own chapter. The "Jesus plus nothing" gang is still operating at full steam.
Duck man's words are hateful and disgusting lies, but Uganda shows the results of this belief system gaining acceptance and eventually becoming the law of the land.
A theocracy with fundamentalist Christians in charge. Nightmare.

[hootinholler]

26. Absolutely!

Jeff has done us a great service showing the lay of the land and the infiltration of Jesus plus Nothing in our politics.

[KittyWampus]

40. thanks for even more perspective.

[freshwest]

48. Does it have a chapter about the Palin church speaker from Uganda, too? n/t

[Kurovski]

54. K&R

The situation in Uganda has been the handiwork of that particular faction of America's right wingers.

Good call-out, Grammy.

[progressoid]

6. Uhyup.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

7. I had an officemate who was sincerely happy to go on missionary trips

With her church. And actually did go to Uganda one summer.

She was nice, and smart and funny but at the same time so deluded. If you showed her this article she wouldn't get it.

[EC]

8. Well, who would have seen that coming? ...

When I saw Egypt believing something Gohmert said as truth and real, like he had some actual gravitas - it scared the hell out of me...and this is why...someone should tell these people that these "Christians" are actually nuts and shouldn't be listened to. This is exactly why Bachmann and her bunch going around to all these countries now is dangerous...people actually give these nuts time and respect thinking they represent the US.

[BrotherIvan]

27. American-style Khristianity is a good term

Because it is some strange Frankenstein totally unlike Christianity as it was intended. They spout nonsense I have no idea its origin, homeschooling their children to believe this crap, and then go on teevee and scream about it. But the world thinks all Americans are like that.

Then these nutters show up speaking in tongues with American delegations and Congresspeople making promises. It has got to stop! I think people put up with zealots because they were trying to be tolerant. Religion was none of other people's business to and to each their own. Well, that's true in theory. But when you have a virulent strain of something, one must act aggressively to make sure it doesn't kill the host. These people must be pointed out as cult members and insane fanatics.

[KittyWampus]

9. Article hasn't any statistics regarding homophobia in Uganda & spread of rightwing Christianity.

And before DU'ers jump on my post- I don't dispute the thesis but find it unsupported and would liked to have seen some historical context or statistics on such an important matter that effects so many lives.

It would be nice to see some actual facts regarding homophobia, laws against gay civil rights and attitudes over time in Uganda.

If anyone is interested, quick Google produced an interesting article which suggests this is indeed largely a product of imported rabid right Christianity:

http://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/23/07/2013/uganda-and-myth-african-homophobia

Here is a book that sounds interesting on this topic:

http://www.amazon.com/Hungochani-History-Dissident-Sexuality-Southern/dp/0773527516

Wiki mentions history of homosexuality in Africa in an extremely brief manner (one sentence) but scrolling down it might be noted that not all Churches support this and quite a few condemn it.

Religious and human rights organizations[edit]

Several Christian Churches and their leaders oppose this hatred, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, Integrity Uganda, Exodus International, Accepting Evangelicals, Changing Attitude, Courage, Ekklesia, Fulcrum, Inclusive Church and the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement.

Unfortunately even within religious organizations, there seems to be mixed messages.

There should be a more visible counter-balance to these bogus Christians spreading hate amongst religious organizations. Perhaps part of the problem is that liberal religious organizations are kept so busy doing good works & putting out fires at home .

[mockmonkey]

36. I had posted this in the Video & Multimedia Forum

It's Stephen Fry's "Out There" where he confronts some politicians and religious extremists over their homophobia. He points out that in some countries anti-gay laws didn't even exist until they had been taken over by the British Empire.

There is a section on Uganda that runs from about 17:00 to 39:30.

The video is two hours long and the audio is out of sync for about 16 minutes during the American part of the program.

[KittyWampus]

39. Thanks, I would really like to learn more about this. Mainly because as others have pointed out-

It's as if trying to stem the tide of hate here in the USA has caused that malevolence to move to another locus.

It's like a virus.

[quinnox]

10. Nothing new. I think there are many countries in Africa where they have this kind of extremism

and its not just christianity, muslim extremism too. Has been going on for years.

[MNBrewer]

14. It is INDEED new. For Uganda!

This "move on, nothing to see here" attitude you're displaying is sickening!

[quinnox]

18. It has been going on for years. Here is a wikipedia article about it

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Africa are limited in comparison to many other areas of the world. The International Gay and Lesbian Association estimated in 2008 that homosexuality was outlawed in 38 African countries, and in at least 13 African countries, homosexuality was legal or there were no laws pertaining to it.

Since 2011, some first world countries have been considering or implementing laws that limit or prohibit general budget support to countries that restrict the rights of homosexuals. In spite of this, many African countries are continuing to breach international human rights laws, refusing to consider increasing LGBT rights, and in some cases drafting laws to increase sanctions against LGBT lifestyles.[4] Many African leaders feel that gay rights are against their cultural and religious value systems and believe they have a sovereign right to reject what is seen as an imposition by mainly Western nations, which attempts to affect national sentiment via aid.

In Mauritania, Sudan, and northern Nigeria, homosexuality is punishable by death. In Uganda, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone, offenders can receive life imprisonment for homosexual acts. South Africa's constitution has the most liberal attitudes toward gays and lesbians, with a constitution which guarantees gay and lesbian rights, and legal same-sex marriage. Even there, gay rights have been described as an "exclusive privilege of the white and well-heeled, a small but high-profile subset".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Africa

[CJCRANE]

19. You forgot the Bush era: 8 years

of promoting anti-LGBT bigotry.

The effects of that don't change overnight.

Banning gay marriage was a big issue in the '04 US Presidential elections and that influenced countries around the world.

[quinnox]

20. Well, I think this stuff was going on even before Bush

I don't think Africa in general, has ever been considered a friendly place for gays.

[CJCRANE]

21. That's true but I think the Repub/RW links made it worse. nt

[CJCRANE]

23. That's true but it's getting worse and there is a massive propaganda

effort to stir things up which I think originates from similar sources.

[quinnox]

24. Sounds like it

[iandhr]

11. Come on.

Uganda would be doing this regardless. This type of homophobia would exist regardless of "American style Christianity" All our bible nuts are doing is egging them along a road they would have gone anyway.

[starroute]

15. Do you have any proof of that?

Uganda has suffered a lot over the last few decades, but the traditional response to those traumas would be hysterical witch-hunts. I don't recall any references to homophobia in Africa before the US religious right got their claws into them.

[iandhr]

22. The fact the religious right is choosing Africa as their focus speaks volumes.

There used to be a big market for this type of hate here.

Slowly but surely it's disappearing. Since 2009 12 sates have passed marriage equality. They know the battle is lost. This is why they are changing targets


My point is this. They would not focus on a place like Uganda if there was not a market for it. I am not saying the religious right are blameless I am just saying that the Ugandan government also deserves much of blame. They went along with it of their own free will.

[damnedifIknow]

12. Just like in the US

Gays are a target of their misery. They have to hate and degrade in order to feel better about themselves. Sad people in every way.

[iandhr]

13. The only silver lining is...

... the reason they are spreading there hate to Africa is they know the battle is pretty much lost here.

[99Forever]

16. As far as I can tell...

... this is what Christians would like to do worldwide. Shoving their beliefs down everyone's throats seems to be their standard operating procedure.

[hrmjustin]

44. Not all of us but too many.

[pampango]

17. So is the "toxic homophobia" in Russia. Rachel had a segment on this last night. n/t

[iandhr]

37. Saw it.

It was good stuff. She also said it was the by product of domestic politics and prejudice that the religious nuts in this country are only partly to blame.

[jwirr]

25. Of course it is. The rw has been overseas for years as there are more people who are unprotected

from their kind of religion. This is probably also true regarding the homophobia that is going on in Russia. Remember that the rw think that their religion is supposed to set up the New World government order for the return of their god. Both Uganda and Russia have had governments fall. The rw thinks it is their duty to take over nations as they fall in the name of their god.

[The Wizard]

28. Another export

brought by American exceptionalism.

[blkmusclmachine]

57. Religion destroys a healthy, working mind.

[QC]

29. It also has a lot to do with Victorian missionaries,

specifically which ones went to which parts of Africa.

South Africa was missionized primarily by Anglo-Catholics, which is why the church there is quote tolerant in most ways--think Desmond Tutu--which parts of Africa north of there were targeted by evangelical Anglicans, which is how we end up with church leaders like the ones in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, etc.

[Bluenorthwest]

42. Then how do you explain the fact that Uganda is 42% Catholic and 40% Anglican?

So more than 80% of Uganda is either Catholic or Anglican, with 12% Muslim and the rest being 'other Christians'.

[mainstreetonce]

31. Has anyone read

The Poisonwood Bible?....fiction...said to be Hillary's favorite book.
Tells the story of a "missionary" and how the African people saw through him.

[Jessy169]

32. Ignorance, misery and poverty -- fertile ground for Christian-style lunacy

Uganda is a perfect area to grow Christian fundamentalist haters and holier-than-thou loonies of all flavors. How the hell did American style right-wing Christian fanaticism morph into a purveyor of evil and intolerance around the world!?

[blkmusclmachine]

58. WWJH

Who Would Jesus Hate

[Teamster Jeff]

33. Jesus Wept

or more likely....puked

[Egalitarian Thug]

34. Ain't religion a beautiful thing? At this special time of year, we should all

remember and heed the dictates of those ancient people that saw and heard things that weren't there, and then wrote down what the voices in their heads told them were the rules we must all live by so that we can be happy when we're dead.

[Initech]

35. And of course widespread propaganda like this doesn't help things:

I swear Martin Ssempra would make a great James Bond villain:

[nomorenomore08]

46. It would be laughable if the situation weren't so dire...

[okaawhatever]

38. This is a lot of the "mission work" that you hear these churches doing in Africa. While most are

there to do good deeds, make no mistake, they're there to convert and turn the country right wing. The guy from Chick-Fil-A and his buddies have a large presence there.

[blkmusclmachine]

59. ^^ THIS. ^^

[Bluenorthwest]

41. Uganda is majority Catholic, when will Francis break his deadly silence?

Or is he too busy comparing notes with the Duck Dynasty Pontiff? 42% of Ugandans are Catholic, but Francis and his cohort sit on the sidelines snickering at the bigotry and horrors.
I was told yesterday that Duck Dynasty Phil was not like Francis, although they say the same things about gay people, because Francis has so many millions following his faith. If that following is powerful enough to absolve him of bigotry, one would think it would be powerful enough to at least raise a voice against such abuses of human rights....
Another 40% is Anglican. A small percentage is 'other Christian'. Odd that folks see those in majority as innoncents even as they carry water for the hate mongers.

[ninjanurse]

43. The Usual Suspects- Ashcroft, Lively, Warren

Americans have been using Uganda as a testing ground for laws they can't pass here. Uganda is a traumatized society and gays are a scapegoat. It's an unholy alliance of Ugandan and American religious hustlers. Here's some links and history, remember David Kato...
http://www.emancipationconversation.com/2013/12/20/american-evangelists-helped-form-uganda-anti-gay-law/

[blkmusclmachine]

60. Sieg Heil, and Amen too!

[hrmjustin]

45. This is a disgusting law and the people pushing this are evil.

[annabanana]

47. No duh!

Anyone paying a modicum of attention, going back to the C Street house, any Dominion, Seven Mountain fundamentalism, etc. is not shocked...

[Vashta Nerada]

49. Sad for Uganda, sad for the US.

[Warren DeMontague]

50. Not surprising.

Unfortunately all kinds of people will apologize for these asinine religious right culture crusaders, when their agenda gels with whatever authoritarian axe they have to grind.

[Turbineguy]

51. Exporting hell.

because they can't get enough of it here.

[blkmusclmachine]

61. God's Gentle People.

[sinkingfeeling]

53. I do believe the newspaper is 100% correct.

[U4ikLefty]

55. Those damn Muslims!!!

Oops, never mind they're Christians....move along, nothing to see here.

[blkmusclmachine]

56. I read that "The Family" had a direct hand in crafting wording of the Ugandan KILL THE GAYS bill.

And Hillary Roddam Clinton has had a 20+ year relationship with "The Family" Pastor Doug Coe, whom she calls "my trusted friend and mentor."

[Cha]

62. Well, they should look at America instead of the

so called "Christianity". America is on the rise for Equality.. Love is Succeeding and hate is shelved in the faux "Christian" section.

[madrchsod]

63. it`s just not "american style"

there several european "ministers" that have been pushing this message of hate.

[bigbadR]

64. "American style Christianity"

Is an abomination and embodies the anti-christ. The teachings/preachings/propagandizing from the pulpit and within the congregation are 100% antithetical to the teachings of Jesus Christ. These fools are the first Christ will run out of the temple.