Rick Warren Refuses To Condemn Proposed Ugandan Law To Execute Gays

UPDATE: On MSNBC's "Rachel Maddow Show" Monday night, The Family author Jeff Sharlet tied efforts to make homosexuality a capital crime in Uganda to a Christian organization belonged to many members of Congress. Both the president of Uganda and the legislator who introduced the bill are members of the secretive group.

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Meanwhile, on his Twitter page, Warren seemed to question the fuss. "Globally last yr 146,000 Christians were put to death because of their faith. No one, except Christians, said anything," he wrote.

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Rick Warren, the pastor who delivered the invocation at President Obama's inauguration, is once again on the defensive -- this time for his work with a Ugandan pastor who would like homosexuality to be punishable by death.

Newsweek tried to get Warren's reaction to the anti-gay work of Martin Ssempa, a Ugandan pastor who has come to his Saddleback Church multiple times. (Warren has distanced himself from Ssempa in general terms, saying the Ugandan minister does not represent him or his church.) Warren wouldn't reject the idea:

But Warren won't go so far as to condemn the legislation itself. A request for a broader reaction to the proposed Ugandan anti-homosexual laws generated this response: "The fundamental dignity of every person, our right to be free, and the freedom to make moral choices are gifts endowed by God, our creator. However, it is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations." On Meet the Press this morning, he reiterated this neutral stance in a different context: "As a pastor, my job is to encourage, to support. I never take sides." Warren did say he believed that abortion was "a holocaust." He knows as well as anyone that in a case of great wrong, taking sides is an important thing to do.

Ssempa has also burned condoms "in the name of Jesus," helping roll back a highly successful anti-AIDS campaign in Uganda.

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Comments

[Jonathan Moore]

01:18 PM on 03/11/2010

not surprised, rick. but guess what, no gays will be legally killed here in the states buddy. sorry2 ruin your fun

[JessJess]

11:58 AM on 12/15/2009

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/12/rick_warren_antigay_uganda_law.html?ft=1&f=103943429

Actually, Rick Warren did condemn the law. Here is the link.

This article is simply not true.

[DannyGee]

07:10 PM on 12/10/2009

historically and factually not accurate

[JaCar]

10:17 AM on 12/12/2009

Very accurate historically and factually.


Danny style again. Whew, this is easy.

[williampmcg]

02:02 PM on 12/10/2009

report is wrong... here is an excerpt of a letter written by Warren condemning the law: "the potential law is unjust, extreme and un-Christian toward homosexuals," Why are you so quick to condemn Warren without checking the facts?

[JohnBryansFontaine]

05:58 AM on 12/09/2009

The Truth is becoming clear: Rick Warren and his fellow Dominion1st Fam1ly want to k1ll as many gays as possible. He and they are insidious TheoFasc1sts.

[DannyGee]

07:08 PM on 12/10/2009

except that is exactly opposite of the truth as outlined in this article.

[JaCar]

10:16 AM on 12/12/2009

I'll go Danny style on this: not it's not.

[JohnBryansFontaine]

05:53 AM on 12/09/2009

Here is the report on Jeff Sharlet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfaiLki3WEg

[LeaderofMen]

12:02 AM on 12/09/2009

No wonder Warren can't do the right thing. He's a pathological liar. He actually believes this. To wit. His words from the article:

"The fundamental dignity of every person, our right to be free, and the freedom to make moral choices are gifts endowed by God, our creator."

The man has no business making public statements about anything. His premise of the fundamental rights of humans is based solely on Bronze Age mythology, not modern day knowledge or law.

[DannyGee]

07:09 PM on 12/10/2009

was our country founded during the bronze age? interesting concept. completely wrong, but interesting.

[JaCar]

11:50 PM on 12/10/2009

What are you talking about Danny? LeaderofMen didn't say we were founded during the bronze age. He is pointing to Rick Warren's ignorance regarding the foundation of this country. As with most bigots on the fringe of the crazed religous right he has little understanding of the importance our founders put on freedom of and from religion. We are a nation of laws.

"Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the Common Law." -Thomas Jefferson 1814

"The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."pery that we find in Christianity." -John Adams

"I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology." -Thomas Jefferson

The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason." -Benjamin Franklin

"Lighthouses are more helpful than churches." -Benjamin Franklin "

"The study of theology, as it stands in the Christian churches, is the study of nothing; it is founded on nothing; it rests on no principles; it proceeds by no authority; it has no data; it can demonstrate nothing; and it admits of no conclusion." -Thomas Pain "

Take this knowledge back to your people. Tell them the dawn of enlightenment is approaching.

[JaCar]

11:50 PM on 12/10/2009

Here's another:
"Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half of the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we call it the word of a demon than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind." -Thomas Pain

[darthmaul]

09:19 PM on 12/08/2009

"He knows as well as anyone that in a case of great wrong, taking sides is an important thing to do. "

Interesting isn't it? On one hand he says that he doesn't want to "interfere" with another nations laws....and that he doesn't take sides." But if it's important enough, like say with abortion then it's a different matter. I guess executing someone for being gay isn't "important" enough for him to bother.

[arries]

10:37 PM on 12/06/2009

What does the death of Christian's have to do with the Uganda issue of killing Homosexuals? Or any other issue for that matter, these where not the questions. He teaching the people over in Africa to kill people, it's plain and simple as that. He doesn't need to down play the issue by bringing up their other problems, it doesn't justify killing people who don't follow your traditions.

Christian's have a long history of killing people who do not believe in their faith, and they've been fighting Muslim people just as long, both kill each other, and that is nothing new.

Perhaps if they would stop advocating the constant theme of killing people just because prefer to interpret the bible in such an evil way, maybe the killings would stop on both sides. As it stands it doesn't appear that they will stop attacking people for their beliefs.

[arlandbaee]

09:47 PM on 12/04/2009

Isn't insane that the worst people in the world are those who have a faith which champions compassion, generosity and forgiveness. Diversity encourages discovery. Difference stimulates creativity and imagination. There would be no wonder in the world if everything was the same and everyone thought the same way. Why is this so difficult to believe and accept? Exploration of our world and it's inhabitants is so invigorating because of the "newness" of it all.

[Carpetbagger 68]

08:43 AM on 12/03/2009

What Dick Whore'n failed to point out is that large numbers of those "146,000 Christians put to death because of their faith" last year were killed by other Christians.

[fr33d0mhawk]

07:21 AM on 12/03/2009

One look at Warren and its obvious he is gay. Why doenst Warren start with himself if that is what he believes? Its Haggard all over again.

[1differentdrummer]

05:58 AM on 12/03/2009

How about a law to execute pastors who misrepresent any part of the Christian gospels? Would that be okay?

[BeauRadley]

06:59 AM on 12/03/2009

That'd get my vote.

[ProudMilVet]

03:28 AM on 12/03/2009

I suppose that Concentration Camps & Pink Triangles would not be a Big Deal with him . This is a good Christian ?

[JaCar]

02:08 AM on 12/03/2009

Warren is like Ted Haggard and other religous bigots that seek to demonize the gay and lesbian community. They preach that homosexuality is a choice, a desire that needs to be denied because it is sinful, because for them that's what it is. It's my opinion that they truly believe that all of us desire members of the same sex and that a conscious choice is made to reject that temptation. To them it is a constant battle between their own desires and the will to adhere to their religous principles. It's this fundamental lack of understanding that not all of us are tempted by members of the same sex. Some naturally are and others naturally aren't. When I hear religous figures talk about "overcoming homosexual urges" I realize that they seriously believe that we all struggle with these conflicting desires, because that is the struggle they are experiencing within. How sad, to hide within a religion because you fear who and what you are. Unfortunately this self hatred finds an outlet in demonizing those who do what is in their nature. Warren and Haggard are cut from the same satin sheet.

[Carpetbagger 68]

08:41 AM on 12/03/2009

Fanned.

My thoughts exactly. And since most people "choose" to be Christians, maybe it's ok, in his mind, for the slaughter of over 100,000 Christians per year. I mean, come on, they could just resist the urge to accept Christ, right?

[LeaderofMen]

12:04 AM on 12/09/2009

Yes, fanned.