Illinois Family Institute

Illinois Family Institute Tries to Rewrite History

Submitted by Kyle on January 21, 2010 - 9:00am

Last August, we wrote a post about a piece penned by Laurie Higgins of the Illinois Family Institute entitled "Christians Should Fight Homosexuality Like It Did Nazism" in which Higgins argued exactly what the title stated:

We reassure ourselves that if we had lived during the age of slavery or in Germany during the rise of Nazism or during the post-Civil War era when virulent racism still poisoned American life, we would never have stood idly by and done nothing, but I'm not so sure. Look at the church's actions today when homosexuality and gender confusion are affirmed to and in our nation's children through our public schools using our hard-earned money. Where is the church? Where is the outrage? Where are the church leaders who rejoice in being persecuted?

I've asked this question before and I will ask it again: How depraved does the behavior have to be and how young the victims before the church, starting with those who have freely chosen to assume the mantle of pastor or priest, will both feel and express outrage at the indecent, cruel, and evil practice of using public money to affirm body and soul-destroying ideas to children?

Will the contemporary American church rise to this occasion to defend children and biblical truth, or will we become like the acquiescent church that failed to help William Wilberforce battle slavery, or the atrophied "moderate white church" that failed to help Martin Luther King Jr. battle racism, or the apostate Protestant church in Nazi Germany that failed to help Martin Niemoller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer battle Nazism?

Now, Higgins has contacted us saying she never wrote a piece with such a title and demanding that we correct our "error":

You have stated that I wrote an article entitled "Christians Should Fight Homosexuality Like It Did Nazism." I have never written any article with that title. The title is now and always has been "Anger and the Church." Please correct your error.

Of course, when I wrote the initial post, I put the title of Higgins' piece in quotes because that was its title, and the URL we provided in the post proves it:

http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-church-should-fight-homosexuality-like-it-did-nazism-r-1248637577

That link now redirects to the same piece, though it now carries the new title "Anger and the Church."

If that has "always been" its title, then maybe Higgins can explain to us how the original URL we used ended up with "church-should-fight-homosexuality-like-it-did-nazism" in it.

UPDATE: Higgins wants it made clear that her article was originally entitled "Anger and the Church," and that it was Opposing Views which picked up and retitled it without her permission until she contacted them and asked them to use the original title.

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Illinois Family Institute

Huckabee Hearts the Illinois Family Institute

Submitted by Kyle on August 25, 2009 - 8:14am

Until just last month, the Illinois Family Institute had been listed as an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Just days after the organization was removed from the SPLC list, IFI's Laurie Higgins penned a piece entitled "Church Should Fight Homosexuality Like It Did Nazism" (see this updated post for Higgins' explanation about why she was not responsible for this title and insisted that it be changed):

We reassure ourselves that if we had lived during the age of slavery or in Germany during the rise of Nazism or during the post-Civil War era when virulent racism still poisoned American life, we would never have stood idly by and done nothing, but I'm not so sure. Look at the church's actions today when homosexuality and gender confusion are affirmed to and in our nation's children through our public schools using our hard-earned money. Where is the church? Where is the outrage? Where are the church leaders who rejoice in being persecuted?

I've asked this question before and I will ask it again: How depraved does the behavior have to be and how young the victims before the church, starting with those who have freely chosen to assume the mantle of pastor or priest, will both feel and express outrage at the indecent, cruel, and evil practice of using public money to affirm body and soul-destroying ideas to children?

In October, IFI is holding its "Family, Faith and Freedom Banquet" and guess who has been tapped as the keynote speaker:

Family, Faith and Freedom Banquet

Crowne Plaza O'Hare
5440 N. River Road
Rosemont, Illinois

Tuesday, October 6 at 6:30 p.m.

Dinner tickets are $100 each.
Tickets for dinner and a private reception with Gov. Mike Huckabee are $250.

Jeremy has the audio of the announcement in which Huckabee urges activists to attend because "I've got a lot to tell you about what I see happening as I travel across this nation and how, together, we can bring back the values that we all share: family, faith, and freedom. More importantly, by attending this banquet, you'll be helping the Illinois Family Institute continue to stand strong in promoting pro-family values across this great state. More than ever, we need to support organizations like IFI who boldly stand for the sanctity of life, religious freedom, and natural marriage."

This event comes just days after Huckabee is scheduled to appear at the How To Take Back America Conference, which features another SPLC hate group, MassResistance, and raises anew the question of just how radical an organization has to be before Huckabee will refuse to be seen with them. At this point, there is seemingly no limit.

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Right Wing Hate Crimes Lies Now Available in Convenient Video Form

Submitted by Kyle on July 15, 2009 - 10:14am

With hate crimes legislation moving towards a vote in the US Senate, I was thinking of pulling together a blog post cataloging all of the various lies the Religious Right has been spreading about what passage of such legislation would do.

But it turns out that I don't have to, because the Family Research Council has more or less already done it for me by producing this video featuring Reps. Mike Pence, Sen. Jim DeMint, Bishop Harry Jackson, and David Barton of Wallbuilders that pretty much covers them all.

Pay special attention to lies spewed by Barton and DeMint, who don't seem to understand the difference between hate crimes legislation and legislation pertaining to things like marriage equality or employment discrimination:

It seems as if the Religious Right is going all out to spread as many lies as it can in trying to ramp up opposing to this legislation as the deadline nears, with Focus on the Family warning that "gay activists have and will continue to use these kinds of laws to silence Christians who speak publicly about God's design for human sexuality – and make them pay if they stand up for their beliefs" and is therefore "encouraging Christians everywhere to stop and pray that the Lord would intervene."

And Good as You catches the Illinois Family Institute making even more absurd claims [PDF]

Miss California, Carrie Prejean, could have been charged with a “hate crime” for her views on same-sex marriage if S. 909 was already law. What could constitute a “hate crime” under this bill is a homosexual man or woman claiming they were discriminated against and hurt by what was said.

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IFI to Ensure Public Schools Adhere to “Biblical Truth”

Submitted by Kyle on September 8, 2008 - 1:14pm

The Illinois Family Institute, former stomping grounds of militant homophobe Peter LaBarbera before he launched his own Americans For Truth About Homosexuality, has unveiled its new Division of School Advocacy program designed to ensure that public schools do not teach anything about homosexuality, religion, socialism, abortion, or any “immoral, unhealthy, and dangerous ideologies” that might conflict with what the IFI considers “biblical truth”:

The Illinois Family Institute helps to fight against pervasive secular humanism that exists in our public schools. Through the newly developed Division of School Advocacy, parents will be able to find answers and resources to help identify areas where the school curriculum strays from Biblical Truth and to recognize the influence from outside organizations such as Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which pressures administrators and educators to present this organization's views and agendas.

The purpose of the Illinois Family Institute's (IFI) new Division of School Advocacy (DSA) is to protect children from immoral, unhealthy, and dangerous ideologies and agendas in public schools. In the service of that critical goal, the DSA is committed to assisting Illinois residents to address issues related to the breakdown of Judeo-Christian family values and community standards in public education.

In addition to assisting each citizen who contacts IFI regarding school issues, Illinois Family Institute's Division of School Advocacy will continue to work tirelessly toward affecting morally sound legislation in Illinois public schools.

The DSA will provide constituents with the training, resources, and counsel needed for positive changes in public schools. Through this training, resources, and counsel, taxpayers will become better equipped to address administrators, faculty members, and school board members in appropriate and effective ways. The Division of School Advocacy will address such public school problem topics as Human Sexuality, Religion/Atheism, Race/"Social Justice", Marxism/Socialism/Income Redistribution, Gender/Feminism, Environmentalism, Abortion, Fetal Stem Cell Research, Population Control, and Miscellaneous Political Topics.