Why Anti-LGBTQ Beliefs are Intrinsically Toxic — Pt1
Anti-LGBT religion doesn’t have an extremism problem, it is an extremism problem.
Why does anti-gay religion poison all that it touches? Why does it seed so many tumors that spread as malignant cancers? Because religious-fundamentalism and biblical literalism is inherently toxic and evil. It is no coincidence that the leaders of the most anti-gay churches and groups sleep with despots such as Putin: they are perfect matches for each other.
There are several basic key elements of their toxicity: first: God’s chosen people plus the in/out group bias. Second, absolute obedience to absolute authority and absolute doctrine. Third, discrimination prejudice. Fourth: willful ignorance and conspiracy theories. Fifth: insincerity and deflection.
All of these elements overlap, and all are the cause of much of the pain and suffering we see in the world from poverty, violence, authoritarianism, to the insurrection that seeks to destroy our democracy.
The Devil’s Best Trick
There is also a deeper spiritual element here that explains all of this, and a friend who I call Thomas summed it up very nicely: the devil’s best trick was not fooling the world into thinking that he doesn’t exist, it was fooling the world into thinking that he is a man of God and all should believe his doctrine as absolute truth; and to maintain this lie, he has his followers attack queers and other scapegoats for if the sheeple are distracted, they never see the real deceiver.
Now let us address each element individually. First, their doctrine claims that God has a chosen people, and therefore that some lives are more valuable than others. This inevitably creates the in-group, out-group bias where people in the in-group are seen as holy and can do no wrong, while people on the outgroup are seen as intrinsically evil and up to no good.
This intrinsically causes hatred and prejudice, because it is necessary for the leaders of these churches to maintain control. This is why so many in the “pro-life” crowd are so apathetic and downright sadistic to others because if they were to empathize with LGBTQ people and others and treat people in the outgroup with genuine empathy and compassion; it would cause said members to question the story and worldview that such churches and church leaders have constructed.
“The world and culture are becoming anti-Christian!”
Also this in-group/out-group bias is a key element in brainwashing and manipulation. The leaders know that the doctrines of their churches are both absurd and repugnant, and that most people in the outside world would reject such doctrines with animosity, as they should.
Knowing this, they send their members into the world and have them preach these repugnant things. As the leaders expected, the real world rejects the preaching and the repugnant doctrines. Because the members have internalized these beliefs so much, they take it as a personal attack on them and as “we are being mocked by the anti-Christian world and culture because of our faith!”
They come back to the echo-chambers of the church where they are treated as heroes and they feel vindicated, as if they are fighting a real evil. What they do not realize is that their churches have millions to billions of dollars in assets, or are connected to larger churches that do; and that their churches have great power and influence.
They don’t realize that they are not the one’s who are persecuted or marginalized. But the out-group, the true persecuted, are seen as the villains so that the members and the leaders of the in-group can keep their persecution illusion working.
Hating someone and claiming to love them is creepy
If you look at the belief system of these anti-gay churches, you see that their beliefs are not predicated upon objective truth or treating others well. In fact, many of these anti-gay churches are down-right creepy in the way that they portray themselves as loving and compassionate when they are anything but.
Instead, their churches are rigid and are all about absolute obedience to absolute authority and absolute doctrine. There is a reason why the homophobes and the bigots are often of the same parties and churches: because this absolutism is right out of nazi and authoritarian playbooks, and is precisely what Orwell warned us about.
These churches put more emphasis on didactic letters from Paul that they toss the way Jesus treated others right out of the window. In these churches you are not allowed to question their version of scripture, their doctrines, or the way that they treat others.
This is why these bigots can sexually torture and abuse children and act like what they are doing is holy. To restrict the rights of LGBTQ people and others is to give the state more and more power, power that it should not have. No wonder bigots boast about the World Congress of Families being backed by Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, the Vatican, the Southern Baptist Leadership, the Mormon Leadership; and boast about how this organization writes Russia’s laws against gays.
The reason why these bigots get along with despots such as Putin, Duda, and the “president” of Uganda is because these bigots are didactic authoritarian nazis like they are. Putting bigots like these has always lead to dictatorship and always will. That is why they were so drunk on power when that cancerous orange-gold calf won; and so insincere when they distanced themselves from him only after he had lost the election.
Remember, these churches exist for money and power. The Mormon Church, the Vatican, the Southern Baptist Church, the Alliance “Defending Freedom” (who the hell named that), Focus on the Family, all have millions to billions of dollars and pay zero taxes. They have millions of voters that will vote the way they are told. These bigots will not give up this power and wealth so quickly.
