(This is not a nice post. I wrote it after I read about African gay men are being murdered and their bodies dug up for further debasement. At the same news site, I read Oklahoma is trying to repeal hate laws, making it OK to attack gay people, based on religious expression and freedom.)
“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.” – Anne Lamott
One of the greatest tragedies of mankind is the unconscious projection of Shadow onto another person. “I have no faults, but he does.” The process gets more ugly when a society projects its collective Shadow onto a group. This ageless exercise varies only with the projectee – who is the new ‘them’ to the ever constant ‘us’. You would think we would learn, but we never do.
While it is no longer allowed to demonize Jews and Blacks (at least not publicly) it is OK – yeah, it is promoted – to demonize gay people. As I write this, gay people are being killed in Africa. Their bodies are being dug up by the righteous in order to desecrate them. African poverty and the lack of food are attributed to homosexuals; all ills are caused by their presence. So they must be destroyed. And to do so is God’s will.
At least in 1940 some people thought the extermination of the Jews bad enough to do something about it. I doubt no one will stand up in a similar way for gays in Africa. This is because most people secretly like the notion of eliminating gay people.
Question; when all the godless queers are burned like the faggots they are, who will be left to demonize? I suppose Mexicans, but there are too many of them. Besides, The Catholic Church won’t cross the Latinos lest they leave; the LDS can’t say too much as they want new recruits. Both churches are happy to see gay people destroyed though.
In “The Christmas Carol” by Dickens, The Ghost of Christmas Past reveals to Scrooge (who doesn’t want to hear it) The Children of Man, named Ignorance and Want. The Ghost tells him to beware both of them, but most of all beware this boy (Ignorance) for on his brow is written Doom.
There is the grim satisfaction when gays are eliminated by a united sky-god the comglomerate of Catholicism, LDS, Moslem and Right wing Protestants, and the world’s problems are NOT solved, they will turn on each other and blow each other up.
Spo-Reflections 
22 comments
April 11, 2010 at 12:34 AM
Tai
Amen!
April 11, 2010 at 3:36 AM
Cubby
Straight supremacy is on the rise all over the world, not only in public rhetoric but in instances of violent crime as well. What can we do about it? One simple thing: Don’t go back into the closet. Come out and stay out. Make yourself known. It’s harder to demonize us if they become familiar with us and lose their ignorance and fear of us.
April 11, 2010 at 4:10 AM
Sean
Let our anger be our sword
April 11, 2010 at 4:46 AM
A. Lewis
2010 ?? Really ?? Is it ??
April 11, 2010 at 5:08 AM
Raven~
And then, dear brother, they’ll breed another generation of us …
April 11, 2010 at 5:39 AM
Doug
“When all the godless queers are burned like the faggots they are, who will be left to demonize?”
This is the crux: in order to control their followers, the leaders of these organizations fan the flames of hatred and direct that hatred toward their target du jour. The only way out of this is for the followers to wake up and realize they’re being manipulated, and if they really sat down and thought about it, to realize it wasn’t their idea to hate.
April 11, 2010 at 6:41 AM
Ultra Dave
Sometimes Spo, the truth is ugly. Great post. Maybe one day the human race will learn. It can’t be soon enough.
April 11, 2010 at 7:15 AM
theportablehobbit
It’s in times like this that I think most strongly on the Hindu concept of Maya. Surely this chaos is a dream immaterial. Surely this is a nightmare from which we must awaken.
April 11, 2010 at 7:23 AM
Chris (in Philly)
Great post, Spo.
April 11, 2010 at 8:33 AM
D. Dave
To try to figure out logically the apportioning of hate is a losing battle. However, in sheer desperation, once I tried to reason that it finally boiled down to “the organism”, that something at the animal level cannot abide that which cannot reproduce. This idea actually works if you make the assumption that the stupider the person is, the more likely s/he will defer to animal instinct and hate homosexuals. I probably ought to use “ignorant”, but I’ll stick to “stupid”.
April 11, 2010 at 10:26 AM
Lemuel
It took many years for those who resisted such things in Germany to rise, to find their voice, their hand, their will. By then many Jews, gays, unionists, and mentally and physically challenged had been murdered. Even so the Germans did not want to acknowledge it and there are those today who will deny it.
I think of the long, but marvelous poem written by James Russell Lowell as an argument against American enslavement of Africans (from which the words to the hymn “Once to Every Man and Nation” are taken):
New occasions teach new duties,
Time makes ancient good uncouth;
They must upward still and onward,
Who would keep abreast of truth.
Those the cause of evil prosper,
Yet ’tis truth alone is strong;
Though her portion be the scaffold,
And upon the throne be wrong:
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow
Keeping watch above his own.
It will be a long journey until gays are accepted. Like others before us who struggled against human slavery, for women’s rights, or for the benefit of an oppressed class or people, we will see the ebb and flow of truth. We may never see it fulfilled in our lifetimes, but even so we strive for it, for it it right.
April 11, 2010 at 11:58 AM
BentonQuest
But I think the only way we will prevail is when the Heterosexual population get fed up enough to do something. As long as they can sit around and think that this dose not pertain to them, things will stay as they are.
April 11, 2010 at 1:33 PM
zeph
Oh my, you’re in a dark mood today. Be of good cheer, Spo. There is progress, and we SHALL overcome. There is light despite the darkness, and I do believe the dawn is coming.
April 11, 2010 at 7:17 PM
Urspo
I hold onto hope.
April 12, 2010 at 1:06 AM
Raybeard
Cubby (2nd post above) is right. It may be a depressingly long time before it actually happens in Africa but I do believe that in the ‘west’ the more people who realise that there are gays within their own friends, acquaintances, work-colleagues etc as well as among their relatives and even, maybe, within their own families, the weaker societal homophobia becomes. Of course there will always be those who would rather disown or disassociate from those whom they find out to be gay but I do think they will be increasingly outnumbered by those who turn round their previous anti-gay views into support. In the UK and in Western Europe, for instance, I think the tipping point has now been reached and even passed – and although there are, regrettably, occasional horrific gay-hate crimes, homophobia is becoming increasingly de-insititutionalised marginilised. With our own General Election coming up in 3 weeks time even our Conservative Party is tripping over itself to tell people how gay-friendly it has become – something unthinkable even a decade ago! Now when this happens in a leading country like the USA, then we’ll really be getting somewhere. As for Africa, we’re going to have to wait an awfully long time for the same thing to happen – and a large part of the responsibility for the present situation lies in British colonial rule which imported anti-gay legislation into so much of Africa, and indeed Asia, in the early 20th century, though one cannot absolve the current pernicious role of religion either. But overcome we eventually shall!
April 12, 2010 at 2:34 AM
Diederick
I thought it was a very nice post, an excellent post. It is quite a shame that humanity is still stuck on religion and I don’t think we need to argue that religion is the cause of this hatred of homosexuals, or at least gay men. That homophobia is a part of culture now, is only because religion made it so.
I can perfectly see why religious people enjoy the prospect of post-mortem justice from above, I used to toy with the idea of hell awaiting bad people. Strangely enough, the bad people are the ones condemning others to hell while claiming they are ‘saved’ and bound for paradise. If there is a God and his creed is indeed what we are preached on earth, then I really need to have a word with him.
It’s just so damn hard to get in touch with the guy.
But considering the unlikelihood of his existence, we’re still here together in this incredible mess of a world. If only people would be able to grasp the idea that everyone is just trying to get some happiness out of life and make enabling others to do that a part of their life, I think the world would instantly be a better place. How come religion never thought of that?
April 12, 2010 at 4:31 AM
tigeryogiji
“In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher. ”
-H.H. The 14th Dalai Lama
April 12, 2010 at 6:44 AM
Mary
The unflattering references to the RC church in this post: may I ask for a clarification? This amounts to laziness, as I could dig into your archives, but haven’t you identified yourself as Catholic, as in practicing, mass-attending, etc.? Did I imagine this? Or has my facetiousness detector gone bad.
April 12, 2010 at 7:08 PM
Urspo
First of all I am OK with your comment. It is my hope nothing is so bad or taboo it can’t be processed.
Yes, I am Catholic. I have never claimed to be a good one. By some yardsticks, I am a very bad Catholic. Trying to reconcile the puzzles and paradoxes of my life within the Faith is one of my life’s greatest task. But I would rather be a bad Catholic than a good Protestant, despite many invitations to join (and fellow Catholics who tell me to leave as it is their Church, not mine). I believe – despite everything – The Church holds the Keys to Heaven. I believe – despite everything – this is where I should be. After all, it was the Holy Spirit who called me, and He wants me here.
Yes, I am angry and ashamed of certain aspects of The Church. I am ashamed whenever somebody does something cruel or uncaring. I find it awful there is even one child who was abused. And worse – it was covered up. Another topic that angers me – In my parish the homilies I here about how we have to stop ‘the gay agenda’. I hardly ever here anymore about charity and love.
Lest you go have with the impression I am merely angry and doing nothing positive:
As a physician, I treat adults with depression and PTSD from the physical, sexual, and verbal abuse they received at the hands of men and women of the clergy. And yes, that process’ goal is working through the Victim complex to the ultimate treatment – Forgiveness.
I contribute regularly to a certain diocese now bankrupt from hundreds of lawsuits about sexual abuse from priests to Native American children. I do this as I pray the money will be used to heal wounds.
So I will stay – and work for justice and responsibility from all of us, including the hierarchy.
A final note –
“ [Christ’s faithful] have the right, indeed at times the duty, in keeping with their knowledge, competence and position, to manifest to the sacred Pastors their views on matters which concern the good of the Church”
From Canon 212 – The Code of Canon Law.
April 13, 2010 at 6:34 AM
Mary
It is difficult to tell from your generous reply whether my question has been misinterpreted 180 degrees. The Catholic Church has done immeasurable damage to mankind over the centuries and continues to do so. It appears that you are a very good person which far outweighs being a good Catholic, consequently it is my sense that if you are content to believe in God and the power of salvation through Jesus Christ you would be better served to be so outside this irrevocably rancid organization. This should not be interpreted as my joining in trying to pitch anything from Pentecostal to Episcopalian to you.
April 14, 2010 at 7:49 PM
Urspo
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner than this – I am swamped at work. Now that I put the pieces together, I believe you are right and I am wrong – I did misinterpret your question. I thought you were yet another Catholic telling me how dare I criticise the church and if I don’t like it than get out. I am sorry I put you in that camp.
This organization has quite a history of rancidness I agree. For better or worse I am part of it – kind of like being a member of a dysfunctional family one chooses to not kiss off. Despite everything, I think I am better to stay and be a nuisance than walk away. Perhaps not a good choice, but it is consciously done. Michael
April 14, 2010 at 8:02 PM
jason
I had read that very same article (about Africa) and was so upset I couldn’t sleep. It makes my blood boil with rage and sorrow.