Southern Baptists (Don't) Support Gay Marriage: Website Hoax

By Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service

(RNS) Officials of the Southern Baptist Convention say they were the victims of a hoax in which a group claiming to be the denomination's Executive Committee announced it had started to support gay marriage.

A website of the "Southern Baptist Convention of America" features a "'welcoming and affirming' resolution on homosexuals" that it claims was drafted by the committee in an "extraordinary emergency session."

The supposed resolution concludes that "the sanctity of marriage for all unions joined in love under God's grace is holy and should receive marriage rights by the Southern Baptist ministry regardless of sexual orientation."

Roger Oldham, a spokesman for the official SBC Executive Committee, said Tuesday (June 28) the statement is a hoax.

"This is clearly not an action of the Southern Baptist Convention or the Executive Committee," he said. "It is a hoax and we do not know who is perpetrating the hoax."

The sham extended to a phone number listed on a press release that was answered by an "intern" of the "Executive Committee Press Office." An email sent in response to a phone inquiry announced a press conference at the real Executive Committee's address in Nashville, Tenn. Oldham said the committee did not host such an event.

Gay rights activists met in an unprecedented meeting with SBC President Bryant Wright during the Southern Baptists' recent annual convention in Phoenix. They reportedly had a civil discussion but Wright maintained the Baptists' stance that homosexuality is a sin.

Brent Childers, executive director of Faith in America, one of the groups that met with Wright, said his organization had nothing to do with the hoax.

Childers called the hoax "not very productive" and said he was trying to determine who was responsible for it.

Comments

[AntithiChrist]

11:04 AM on 07/05/2011

Sometimes you just have to laugh a god-inspired bigot onto a bus.

The irony is that after 30 years or so this same godly bigot claims his god-inspired group were driving the equality bus the whole time, and that that previously discriminated group of folks' struggles bear no relation to their and their god's currently targeted group's struggles for equality under the law.

Bizarre. How their wrathful little gods keep agreeing with them on so many things. And that with every advance in human equality and real morality that how these gods keep getting smaller.

[bobojack1]

10:41 PM on 07/02/2011

Ah, people who still believe in the book of fairy tales but soon it will be overtaken by The Lord of the Rings. Religion is dead.

[deb0]

03:05 PM on 06/30/2011

Refreshing to see that there are some churches left that actually live by the bible instead of trying to re-interpret it.

[Bystander]

04:34 PM on 06/30/2011

I agree. There are too many apostate churches and preachers (e.g., Rob Bell) that don't preach the entire Gospel and selectively ignore or deny the Word of God.

[JohnFromCensornati]

05:13 PM on 06/30/2011

LOL! Eaten any pork or shellfish lately? You xians are such hypocrites.

[bbriani3842]

05:22 PM on 06/30/2011

Stoned any uppity teenagers lately?

[wrrd up]

07:56 PM on 07/01/2011

I used to have a job that made me work on Sundays. And yet somehow I haven't been stoned to death. Why don't we actually live the bible instead of trying to re-interpret it.

[casjane1]

02:59 PM on 06/30/2011

I will never again set foot in another Baptist church.

[Jenni Rose]

02:31 PM on 06/30/2011

Look how stupid this picture is, My God, it's enough to make you sick......what fools they are. They can smile all they want.....for now, while they're here, in this life.....but sooner or later....well, they'll see.................and yes, so will I, but NOT for this.

[JohnFromCensornati]

03:14 PM on 06/30/2011

Actually, you are enough to make me sick.

[bbriani3842]

05:22 PM on 06/30/2011

This life all you know that really exists ...

[sergal stew]

11:46 PM on 06/29/2011

I wish marriage was not recognized by governments(local,state,federal) and no benfits given..that would solve all the debates..a person could marry his sister and it wouldn't matter since no one has to recognize it..

[Dosadi]

11:00 PM on 06/29/2011

“My definition of democracy is the right to be in a minority and not be suppressed!" James Madison – Bill of rights.

[deb0]

02:49 PM on 06/30/2011

James Madison was not speaking of a behavioral minority. But you knew that already....

[JohnFromCensornati]

03:16 PM on 06/30/2011

We know what we know. You believe fairytales.

[Dosadi]

04:35 PM on 06/30/2011

Says who?

[eddy joe]

10:59 PM on 06/29/2011

Keep defending homosexuals, and denying God. It's good to see people as they really are. Then, if you will not listen to us, we are to "knock the dust from our shoes."

[dgaisior08]

04:07 AM on 06/30/2011

Judge not lest ye be judged. It may come back to bite you.

[eddy joe]

08:46 AM on 06/30/2011

For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid on me; yes, woe is to me, if I preach not the gospel!

[JohnFromCensornati]

06:29 AM on 06/30/2011

Hush now baby, baby, don't you cry.
Mama's gonna make all of your nightmares come true.
Mama's gonna put all of her fears into you.

[eddy joe]

08:35 AM on 06/30/2011

Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.
Where have you been? It's alright we know where you've been.
You've been in the pipeline, filling in time,
provided with toys and Scouting for Boys.

[Cori527]

08:52 PM on 06/29/2011

Website hoaxes aren't very effective and I'm not sure what the point would be even if it were effective. Sounds like some misguided souls having some fun at the Baptists' expense. I can't say that I personally approve of that. But then again, I don't personally approve of Baptists either.

[Abnormal Wrench]

08:31 PM on 06/29/2011

The religious version of the Yes Men. They need to do a lot more of this.

[garylloyd]

07:27 PM on 06/29/2011

Call me crazy but I'm going with the Southern Baptists on this one.

[Cameron Huff]

08:59 PM on 06/29/2011

Crazy.

[mflorian]

10:51 PM on 06/29/2011

You're crazy.

[Vardi]

06:53 PM on 06/29/2011

Seriously WHO CARES....No one cares about gay or straight. People are people, treat them as such. The church is scared of same-sex marriage. It means people are happier, which means less go to church, and the church gets less money.

[jerzeytpk201]

02:32 AM on 06/30/2011

Now you do realize that the pews have been emptying out ever since the 1500s don't you?

[deb0]

02:51 PM on 06/30/2011

wow! And of course, I'm sure you have reliable sources to support your outlandish assertions....?

[eddy joe]

06:51 PM on 06/29/2011

I have been trying to get this question through all day, and it keeps getting blocked on another Blog. Homosexuals say they are born that way...that they have no choice. The prisons are full of homosexuals. Were they all born that way, or did they choose to be that way? Or are homosexuals more likely to committ crime?

[jec143]

06:57 PM on 06/29/2011

Prisons are not full of homosexuals. That is plan BS and you know it. The true number is just the same ratio as seen in the general population. Lastly, many closet homosexuals are however prone to violence out of frustration of dealing with people like you.

[eddy joe]

10:30 PM on 06/29/2011

You had better check your sources. Everyone knows there are more homosexuals in prison, than out. Do you think every movie, and every book written by someone that has done time mentions homosexuality because it DOESN'T exist?

[deb0]

02:54 PM on 06/30/2011

Please stop with the lies. Prison population percentage of gays is by far, larger than outside of prison.

If a homosexual is in the closets, it's because they are ashamed of who they are. It's not societies job to make them feel better about their choices in life.

[StillIRise]

07:03 PM on 06/29/2011

The prisons are NOT full of homosexuals. There are some men and women in prison who're willing to have sex with other men/women simply for the sake of having sex, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're homosexual!

[eddy joe]

07:27 PM on 06/29/2011

So, they are "choosing" to act as homosexuals?

[garylloyd]

07:28 PM on 06/29/2011

Right ...

It means there heterosexual!

[subzero288]

06:35 PM on 06/29/2011

WHO CARES??

[EmmaDarian]

06:27 PM on 06/29/2011

Oh, gosh, I hope the hackers didn't remove the link to the Southern Baptist Convention's apology for their support of slavery.

They were once at least as much for slavery as they are against homosexuality.

[garylloyd]

07:29 PM on 06/29/2011

Let me see if I have your logic right:

Because they were wrong about slavery, they're wrong about same sex marriage.

Is that your logic in a nutshell?

[EmmaDarian]

07:37 PM on 06/29/2011

Oh, they're wrong about it for other reasons, too. It's more that they believed what they did because of the Bible, just as many Christians have been on the wrong side of every civil rights issue because of the Bible. And they were so sure and would tell you how very clear it was, on both sides of the issue.

Marriage equality is just the latest example.

[deb0]

02:59 PM on 06/30/2011

Slavery is a civil rights issue. Homosexuality is not, inspite of what the moder Gay lobby has propagandized.