SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas Hobnobs With Anti-Gay Activists And Must Recuse Himself From Marriage Case

Yesterday Heritage Foundation staffer and anti-gay marriage activist Ryan T. Anderson posted the above photo of himself, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and former NOM chairman Robert George, who wrote the Manhattan Declaration, whose signees avow that they will disobey (somehow) the legalization of same-sex marriage. Using hate group logic, Thomas must now recuse himself from the coming marriage case before his court. 

RELATED: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia must also recuse himself, as last summer he was the keynote speaker at an event organized by anti-gay marriage activist and Catholic Bishop Paul Loverde, who helped spearhead Virginia's battle against same-sex marriage.

TENNESSEE: Hate Groups To Hold "Moral Revolution" Convention On Marriage

A coalition of anti-gay groups will hold a convention in Nashville to plot the next stages of their opposition to same-sex marriage.

The ERLC National Conference will address “The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage” to equip Christians to apply the gospel on these issues with convictional kindness in their communities, their families and their churches. This event will be held at the iconic Opryland Hotel on October 27-29, 2014. Are you and your church prepared for the moral revolution surrounding homosexuality and same-sex marriage happening across America? While human sexuality and social institutions are being redefined before our very eyes, the Bible presents marriage as an unchanging picture of the gospel through the union of one man and one woman. The gospel announces that the story of Jesus is greater than the sum total of our sexual desires.

Among the event's sponsors are Alliance Defending Freedom, Focus On The Family, Concerned Women For America, Christianity Today, numerous Christian colleges, and the Manhattan Declaration, whose signees vow to disobey laws that protect LGBT people from discrimination. The event's title host is the Southern Baptists Convention.

VIRGINIA: Hate Groups To Pray Against Gay Marriage Outside Fourth Circuit Court

Tomorrow the Virginia Family Association will gather supporters outside the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond to ask God to stop same-sex marriage.

A terrific lineup of speakers will address the rally. You don’t want to miss this exciting day as we proclaim to Virginia and beyond that marriage matters and God’s design of one man and one woman for life is the definition of marriage and cannot be changed. Our speakers include: Join Brian S. Brown, President of The National Organization for Marriage; Dean Nelson, Chairman of The Frederick Douglass Foundation; Eric Teetsel, Executive Director of The Manhattan Declaration; Josh Duggar, Executive Director of The Family Research Council Action; Jeff Caruso, Executive Director, Virginia Catholic Conference; The Family Foundation’s own President, Victoria Cobb; and others as we Stand and Pray for the union of one man and one woman as the definition of marriage.

NOM, which very curiously has not yet publicly commented on Arkansas, is promoting the prayer rally on their blog.  Watch the promotional clip below.

National Marriage Week USA Is Coming

Via press release from the anti-gay Manhattan Declaration:

Dear Friends of Marriage, Here’s a vibrant opportunity for you to turn the tide of public thinking and behavior about marriage! National Marriage Week USA (Feb. 7-14) provides a positive way to actually help reverse the alarming decline of marriage in your church or your town during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day. WHAT CAN YOU DO? You can ask your clergy to preach and teach about marriage on Sunday, February 9th, and use the week to gather a new team who would bring a Sunday School marriage class or home group to your church or town—even host a special speaker or class at a YMCA or public library, a great way to reach out to your community!

Signees of the Manhattan Declaration vow to disobey LGBT rights laws. The number of signees stalled at around 500,000 about two years ago. Since then the site does not list a number.

Manhattan Declaration Declares National Fasting Day For Home Schooling

The organizers of the Manhattan Declaration are calling for a national day of prayer and fasting to convince God to make the Supreme Court take a case about home schooling.  Via press release:

In Romeike v. Holder, Home School Legal Defense Association is asking the Supreme Court to uphold the principle that the United States is a land that will offer protection to a German family who faces certain persecution and violation of their fundamental human rights if they are forced to return to their homeland. The Manhattan Declaration says that “under no circumstances will we render under to Caesar what is God’s.” Do children belong to Caesar? Doesn’t God give children as gifts to parents and assign them the right and responsibility to raise and educate them? Will you join me and thousands of others for a day of prayer and fasting on November 17 to ask God’s favor on behalf of religious freedom and this precious family—Uwe and Hannah Romeike and their seven children?

RELATED: For those unaware, signers of the Manhattan Declaration avow that they will "civilly disobey" laws that protect LGBT people from discrimination. The Manhattan Declaration was cited last year in the RICO lawsuit filed against numerous anti-gay groups alleged to be accomplices in the kidnapping of the child of a lesbian mother. Some of the parties named in the lawsuit have signed the Manhattan Declaration.

From The Manhattan Declaration

Manhattan Declaration: We Should Focus On Voters With Shallow Commitments

"Here’s what we must not do: sacrifice our principles. Better to lose a thousand elections than win in sycophantic appeals to the lowest common denominator. Christians, at least, can rely on the long view of God’s redemptive story. We have already read the final page of human history; we know how the story ends. How utterly meaningless is the next election cycle viewed from this perspective?

"Until that final chapter comes to pass, the responsibility is ours to be active in the present. And since we aren’t about to gain a slew of celebrity endorsements, we have to make ourselves and our ideas as attractive to the 'persuadables' as possible. Forget beating the entrenched opposition. When we debate in the public square and in social media, our goal should be to win those silent observers whose commitments are shallow and subject to change.

"This week, the Supreme Court will issue decisions in two cases involving the meaning and purpose of marriage. Whatever the results, our work to rebuild a culture of marriage and family will continue. Restoration will require that we better brand ourselves and make our case more attractive." - Manhattan Declaration head Eric Teetsel, writing for the Witherspoon Institute. 

Manhattan Declaration On SCOTUS

Via press release:

Should the Supreme Court affirm the meaning and purpose of marriage, we will breathe a sigh of relief. But we won't be satisfied. If the Supreme Court rejects the time-honored purpose of marriage, it will be because the court -- like many of our friends, neighbors and colleagues -- has lost the meaning of marriage and its civic importance.

We will have no one to blame but ourselves. It will be our fault for failing to nurture and protect marriage, for looking the other way as rampant divorce, infidelity and sexual impurity chipped away at our moral authority. It took generations to erode marriage and family, with disastrous consequences. Restoration may take just as long.

No matter this week's rulings, we will rededicate ourselves to renewing in American culture the profound beauty, mystery and holiness of faithful marriage. We will be patient in the light of any setbacks. And, in the end, we will succeed -- if we do not give up.

NOTE: Much like the statement issued last week by over 200 anti-gay and religious groups, signers of the Manhattan Declaration vow to disobey laws that grant civil equality to LGBT Americans.

Manhattan Declaration Has The Sadz

VA Pastor Sentenced To Prison For Aiding Kidnapping Of Child Of Lesbian Mom

Pastor Kenneth Miller has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for his role in the kidnapping of the child of a lesbian mom whose former partner "renounced homosexuality" and fled with their child to Nicaragua in violation of a court-ordered custody sharing arrangement. Miller spent 30 days in jail for contempt earlier this year after refusing to name his accomplices, telling the court, "If I were to bring testimony against a fellow member of Christ’s kingdom, for honoring Christ’s kingdom’s laws, I would be disloyal to his kingdom and to Christ."

Mr. Miller was convicted last fall for helping to arrange the covert flight to Nicaragua of Lisa A. Miller with her daughter, Isabella Miller-Jenkins, in 2009.  Ms. Miller, who is not related to the pastor, had won support in conservative Christian circles for refusing to permit court-mandated visits with Isabella by her other legal mother, Janet Jenkins, Ms. Miller’s former partner in a civil union in Vermont. After the couple split up, Ms. Miller moved to Virginia, said she was a born-again Christian and denounced her former lesbianism as a sin. In 2009, as an exasperated family court judge threatened to transfer primary custody to Ms. Jenkins, Ms. Miller and her daughter, then 7, disappeared and a warrant was issued for Ms. Miller’s arrest.

The pastor remains free as his attorneys plan an appeal.  You may recall that the case also involves Liberty University and law professor Mat Staver, the head of the virulently anti-gay Liberty Counsel, whose secretary is alleged to have assisted in the kidnapping. In August 2012 Liberty Counsel and numerous other parties were named in a civil suit filed by Janet Jenkins.  The suit notes that the named parties have signed the infamous Manhattan Declaration, whose supporters vow to disobey laws that protect LGBT people.  At the time the suit was filed, Staver threatened to retaliate and sue Jenkins for defamation, but it's not known if he ever did. The whereabouts of Lisa Miller and the child remain unknown. (Tipped by JMG reader Blair)

Happy VD From The Haters

And by signing to "support true love," they actually mean "signing our vow to disobey laws that protect gay Americans from discrimination."

Manhattan Declaration Files DOMA Brief

The backers of the Manhattan Declaration, whose signees vow to disobey laws that grant discrimination protections to LGBT Americans, have filed a Supreme Court brief against the overturn of DOMA. Because...JESUS.

The Manhattan Declaration reminds the Court of the critical role of believers in Jesus have had in America’s positive social achievement. It recounts advances because of Christianity through history saying that, “History confirms that Christians have, precisely because of their faith: defended innocent life; tended to the sick and dying during plagues…; extirpated slavery; tended to the poor and imprisoned…; toiled in the women’s suffrage movement; led the civil rights movement; fought to end human trafficking and sexual slavery; and brought compassionate care to the AIDS sufferers in Africa.”

Photo Of The Day

Jeremy Hooper asks: "How long do we think the folks behind the anti-LGBT Manhattan Declaration (which has no real connection to Manhattan) drove around looking for an HRC sticker to park beside?"  As I've noted here a couple of times, the Manhattan Declaration people are hilariously proud of their new logo, hence the posting of the above photo on their Facebook page.

Eric Teetsel Vs George Will

"As the 28-year-old executive of the Manhattan Declaration, I join my 20-something colleagues Ryan Anderson and Andrew Walker of the Heritage Foundation in echoing Twain's famous line, 'the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.' Both the polling and the voters have demonstrated time and again Americans' strong support for marriage. What future voters may decide obviously remains to be seen; however, beating a retreat because the victory of the anti-marriage movement seems inevitable is a sure-fire way to guarantee precisely that result." - Eric Teetsel, responding to George Will's claim that the opposition to same-sex marriage is "literally dying."

NOTE: Signers of the Manhattan Declaration vow to disobey laws that protect LGBT Americans from discrimination.

RELATED: In September the administrator of the Manhattan Declaration's Facebook page lamented that a flood of people had requested to have their names stricken from its list.

Press Release Of The Day

From an email blast by the Manhattan Declaration:

Earlier this week, I was boarding a flight bound for home when the gentlemen seated beside me politely informed me that I would have to stand once more. "My husband is coming," he said. As the plane taxied, I imagined myself explaining to these men what I did for a living and the conversation that would ensue (or not). I felt hopeless. I had planned to spend the flight writing my review of an important new book titled "What is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense." That plan went right out the small circular window. Instead, I got out a crossword and prayed. After awhile (through overhearing) I learned that the men attend a local church. I couldn't help but smile. No matter how feebly I navigate through life, the LORD is working. And who knows - maybe they will Google the lapel pin on my carry-on.

The note is unsigned but presumably comes from their executive director Eric Teetsel, who recently bragged about the Manhattan Declaration's fly new lapel pin.

NOTE: For those unaware, signers of the Manhattan Declaration avow that they will "civilly disobey" laws that protect LGBT people from discrimination. The Manhattan Declaration was recently cited in the RICO lawsuit filed against numerous anti-gay groups alleged to be accomplices in the kidnapping of the child of a lesbian mother. Some of the parties named in the lawsuit have signed the Manhattan Declaration.

PhoboQuotable - Eric Teetsel

"Symbols still matter. When I moved to Washington I noticed these small blue stickers with two yellow lines permeating the city. They were on cars, t-shirts, and lamp posts. It wasn’t long before I Googled 'blue sticker yellow lines' and discovered it is the logo of the Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation's largest gay rights organizations. As a signer of the Manhattan Declaration, you are part of a movement of 532,000 individuals whose faith in Jesus leads you to stand for life, marriage, and religious liberty. We are a massive movement! Yet, how often do you encounter fellow Christians who have never heard of us? Or have never 'gotten around' to signing? Frankly, we punch below our weight. It’s time for that to change." - Manhattan Declaration executive director Eric Teetsel, in a press release launching a new lapel pin so that homophobes can identify each other in public.

Signers of the Manhattan Declaration vow to disobey laws that protect LGBT Americans from discrimination. Here's their description of the lapel pin:

Three stripes in a stylized “M” symbolize three core issues of life, marriage, and religious freedom and our diverse coalition of Catholics, Orthodox, and Evangelicals. The increasing size of stripes shows momentum – the building of a movement. Gradient orange invokes a flame, for truth, and the wildfire of enthusiasm for our cause. My hope is that soon this symbol – and the movement it represents – will be immediately recognizable nationwide.

UPDATE: Rob Tinisai points out the below sad sad new message from the administrator of the Manhattan Declaration's Facebook page.

This morning I'm returning phone calls to some who wish to have their name removed from the Declaration. It's quite deflating. It seems a handful of signers don't wish to be affiliated with an ecumenical movement. How they missed that part when they first signed is anyone's guess. At Manhattan Declaration, we don't color over the distinctive characteristics of any Christian tradition; rather, we seek to be united despite those differences, in faith in Jesus Christ, to accomplish a mission we can all agree is of the utmost importance. Thank you to the vast majority of you who have signed your name and left it there.

Diocese Of Brooklyn Sponsors Manhattan Declaration Meeting On "Religious Liberty"

Via press release:

Join Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn, for a religious liberty forum at St. John's University, Queens Campus. Speakers include: Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony List; Dr. Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University; Alan Sears, President, CEO and General Counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom; and Eric Teetsel, Executive Director of the Manhattan Declaration. Sponsored by the Diocese of Brooklyn, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, Knights of Columbus New York Council, and Priests for Life.

For those unaware, signers of the Manhattan Declaration avow that they will "civilly disobey" laws that protect LGBT people from discrimination. The Manhattan Declaration was recently cited in the RICO lawsuit filed against numerous anti-gay groups alleged to be accomplices in the kidnapping of the child of a lesbian mother. Some of the parties named in the lawsuit have signed the Manhattan Declaration. Note that NOM co-founder Robert George will be attending the Brooklyn meeting.

Anti-Gay Group Responds To FRC Shooting With Request To Sign Anti-Gay Pledge

Backers of the Manhattan Declaration have issued a press release about the FRC shooting. The message closes by asking for more signatures on their anti-gay pledge, whose signees vow to disobey any laws that protect LGBT Americans.

Today, the news broke of a shooting at the Family Research Council, a think tank in Washington, D.C. that promotes faith, family, and freedom. The FRC has been a friend of the Manhattan Declaration from our very first day. Though the details remain unclear, it seems a security guard prevented the shooter from venturing beyond the lobby. At some point in the intervention, he was shot. Initial reports are that the guard will be okay. Such heroic action warrants a thanks beyond mere words. But, for now, words will suffice. Thank you for your bravery, Leo. And for the part you play in the pursuit of a more free, more faithful nation. Sign the Declaration.

The Manhattan Declaration was launched in 2009 and was co-authored by late anti-gay activist Chuck Colson. To date it has over 530,000 signatures. Among those signees is FRC president Tony Perkins. Below is an excerpt:

Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's.

Manhattan Declaration Issues Advice: How To Troll Obama's Marriage Equality News

Last month Manhattan Declaration co-author Chuck Colson went to that great Watergate prison cell in the sky, but his legacy of avowed civil disobedience against same-sex marriage lives on. Via press release, here's their advice on how to troll web articles on the story:

At a time when most Americans’ primary concern is their ability to work to provide for their family, as crippling debt, record deficits, and fragile global markets loom over the economy, the President seems intent on having a national conversation about life, love, and religious liberty. So be it. Below is a list of ten articles and videos on the subject of marriage. Take an hour to skim them. Don’t try to memorize the data or recite the arguments verbatim; rather, reflect on them. Allow your mind to absorb the broad principles. As the national conversation on this topic reaches a fever pitch in the next few days, you will be primed as a witness to the truth. One final thought: this is not a war to be won in the blogosphere or on Facebook. We are teachers, co-workers, family members, and friends in relationship with those who have yet to see. Be gracious, be patient, and be kind.

The alert ends with this: Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. (Matthew 5:11)

Anti-Gay Activist And Watergate Felon Chuck "Enemies List" Colson Dies At 80

Richard Nixon's infamous "dirty tricks" henchman, the notorious Watergate felon and anti-gay activist Chuck Colson, has died at the age of 80 after lingering for days following a brain hemorrhage.

Charles W. Colson, the Republican political operative who boasted he would “walk over my own grandmother” to ensure the reelection of President Richard M. Nixon and went on to found a worldwide prison fellowship ministry after his conversion to evangelical Christianity, died April 21 Inova Fairfax Hospital. He was 80. Mr. Colson’s reputation as a “dirty tricks artist” overshadowed his achievements as a darkly brilliant political strategist.

He had helped lay the groundwork for the Nixon landslide of November 1972 by appealing to disgruntled Democrats and blue-collar minority voters. A self-described “hatchet man” for Nixon, Mr. Colson compiled the notorious “enemies list” of politicians, journalists and activists perceived as threats to the White House. And most fatefully, he helped orchestrate illegal activities to discredit former Pentagon official Daniel Ellsberg, who was suspected of leaking a top-secret history of the Vietnam War to the New York Times and The Washington Post.

Colson was the co-author of the Manhattan Declaration, a landmark anti-gay document whose Christian signers pledge to willfully disobey laws regarding same-sex marriage.

We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence. Through the centuries, Christianity has taught that civil disobedience is not only permitted, but sometimes required.

Earlier this year Colson was named by GLAAD's Commentator Accountability Project as an anti-gay leader whose past should be considered before being invited to speak on LGBT issues in the national media. Colson responded by comparing GLAAD to the terrorists of the Irish Republican Army.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG

1. Chuck Colson says anti-bullying laws are actually meant recruit children into homosexuality.

2. Chuck Colson says that if gay people get any more civil rights, it will be time for Christians to revolt against the government.

3. Chuck Colson says that homofascists are repressing the religious freedom of Christians to oppress gay people.

4. Chuck Colson says that all school children need to be taught that God hates gay marriage.

5. Chuck Colson says if you'd only obey God's moral laws, you wouldn't be a dirty and eternally damned homosexual.

6. Chuck Colson says Apple is run by communists because they deleted the Manhattan Declaration app from the iPhone.

7. Chuck Colson says that if all Christians don't sign the Manhattan Declaration, the Nazi party will take over America.

NOTE: Please be aware that your comments on this post may be harvested for republication on anti-gay and Christian websites.