California State Assemblyman Mark Leno and the World Can't Wait have come under criticism for their statement and protest against the concert that "Battle Cry" held in San Francisco the weekend of March 24th and 25th.
"The devil can quote scripture for his own purposes".
He can also hide behind the Constitution.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Yes, it would seem almost self-evident that protesting a Christian youth group's decision to hold a rally and concert is a violation of the spirit, if not the literally intention of the first amendment. And California State Assemblyman Mark Leno and the World Can't Wait have come under criticism for their statement and protest against the concert that "Battle Cry" held in San Francisco the weekend of March 24th and 25th. In their March 28th editorial titled "Intolerant City" the San Francisco Chronicle accused the protesters of overreacting to the point of hysteria.
http://sfgate.com/...
"We can safely report that the politics of San Francisco suffered no discernible shift in ideological alignment from the convergence of 25,000 Christian teenagers listening to rock 'n' roll music and words of inspiration. There was no evidence of any surge in support for the Iraq war, affection for President Bush or oil drilling off the California coast. The medical-marijuana clubs were still doing business as usual, public dancing was still legal, the petition gatherers were still working Market Street for the latest save-the-planet cause."
Were Battle Cry just the run of the mill Christian or Jewish youth group, the San Francisco Chronicle would be more than justified in their criticisms. But it's not. Battle Cry and its parent company "Extreme Teen Ministeries" is essentially a front group for Jerry Falwell, Charles Colson, and Pat Robertson and for an extremist political agenda that goes far beyond even the Catholic Church's opposition to abortion. Where the Catholic Church opposes abortion and various Jewish groups actively lobby for Israel, they still accept the separation of church and state and operate largely within the confines of existing political and cultural institutions. Battle Cry, on the other hand, is a slick, well funded organization designed to recruit teenage kids into a "movement" that will train them to operate as "shock troops" in a coming war for a theocracy based on the principles of what is commonly known as "Dominionism", a system of government where the Christian religion controls every part of a person's life and where you cannot even hold office unless you're a practicing Christian. Essentially it's just Iran with a cross instead of the moon and crescent.. This is why World Can't Wait labels them as "Christian Fascists" and this is why we protested them.
Indeed, to visit the Battle Cry website and look through their pamphlet "Lift the Banner" is to enter a bizarre, totalitarian world view that bears very little resemblance to the Lutheran youth organizations I remember from my childhood.
http://Battle Cry.com/resources.php
"Without being detected, an enemy has quietly infiltrated our country, leaving in its path the ravished hearts and minds of America's youth. Corporations, media conglomerates, and purveyors of popular culture have invested billions of dollars to seduce and enslave our youths, hearts, souls and minds. And so far they are winning."
"The enemy is no longer at our doorsteps--it is in our homes. It goes to school with our teens and fills their free time. This generation is about to be lost, and we are being called to take action. It is time to answer the Battle Cry".
Leaving aside for a moment the jarring site of a right-wing Christian youth group employing an almost Maoist aesthetic (Once again, nobody had us waive red flags in formation in the Lutheran youth groups I remember from my childhood.) or the sheer absurdity of the idea that Kelly Clarkson or the Backstreet Boys could be a sinister, stealthy force that's enslaving the soul of America's youth, it's important to look at the intentions behind their language. "An enemy has quietly infiltrated our country." There's nothing quiet about 50 Cents, Gwen Stefani or Eminem. On the contrary, popular culture tends to be loud. What Battle Cry assumes here is that there is some hidden agenda behind the obviously mindless drivel that comes out of the culture industry that goes beyond simply making a profit. Limp Bizkit isn't just dumb. It's sinister. It's mind control.
Battle Cry attributes its own motives to the culture industry. It's Battle Cry, not Geffen or MTV with the hidden agenda behind the slick front. That this does in fact work is easily confirmed simply by looking through the discussion forum on the Battle Cry website. Paid adult moderators guide their readers into various right-wing Christian websites that serve up the Falwell/Robertson/Colson party line on abortion, gay marriage, the separation of church and state and the study of evolution in public schools. Talking points are rehearsed and instructions on how to hide your real agenda are spelled are carefully spelled out. The objective is to "quietly infiltrate" yourself into the lives of your peers.
http://forums.BattleCry.com/...
"Also, if he turned it into a fight on those two matters, then that would not be able to draw people into Battle Cry. Think about it...he's on national TV. He has a chance to get the message out to a lot of people. Now, if there is a kid who hasn't come to Christ yet, and he is either pro-homosexuality or pro-choice, seeing that broadcast where basically the spokesman for Christianity (in the kid's eyes) preaching about that stuff, it will drive the kid away. Lets get people to come to Christ first. We can worry about the rest after they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Isn't that the important thing?"
So it was important, therefore, for us to protest this group (loudly not quietly) and point out to their potential converts that there's more to Battle Cry than the concerts, the rallies, and the photos of various airbrushed, rather creepily sexualized teenagers in their literature. There are no real teenagers in Battle Cry's literature, only idealized clones of various figures from that same popular culture they claim is "enslaving" American youth. It was important at least to try to reach some part of that crowd of 25,000 teenagers who came to San Francisco and let them know that it's not wrong to be gay, that abortion should be legal, that women should have the same rights as men, and that there's an alternative to the elderly right-wing extremists pulling their strings.
http://worldcantwait.net/...
Hopefully some of them got the message.