For all those people wondering why the gay blogosphere was all up in Invisible Children’s grill, Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out has uncovered some damning evidence that makes it clear IC co-founder Jason Russell sees his group not as a nonsectarian human-rights group, but as an arm of militant fundamentalist Christianity.
In audio TWO discovered from a 2005 Christian conference in San Antonio, Invisible Children’s co-founder Jason Russell called his organization a “Trojan Horse” designed to infiltrate secular institutions and surreptitiously promote his group’s version of Christian fundamentalism. The audiotape reveals that that his organization is particularly focused on targeting youth in public schools.
According to Russell’s remarks (:44):
“Coming in January we are trying to hit as many high schools, churches, and colleges as possible with this movie.
We are able to be the Trojan Horse in a sense, going into a secular realm and saying, guess what life is about orphans, and it’s about the widow. It’s about the oppressed. That’s God’s heart. And to sit in a public high school and tell them about that has been life-changing. Because they get so excited. And it’s not driven by guilt, it’s driven by an adventure and the adventure is God’s.”
We already know IC has received money from anti-gay fundies like the Caster Family, the Call and the National Christian Foundation. Of course, some folks say that doesn’t mean IC’s stated mission isn’t still a noble one.
But as Besen explains, “This group is not simply about exposing LRA leader Joseph Kony, but engaging in stealth evangelism. Invisible Children sold themselves as romantic idealists, but the evidence suggests that they are more like fundamentalist [ideologues].”
With each revelation about Jason “masturbation meltdown” Russell, he comes off looking less and less like Bono and more and more like Ted Haggard.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Here’s the audio message in its entirety:
Photo: Invisible Children
dsp
soooo not surprised!
Pygar
“Trojan horse,” eh? So does this mean he’s doesn’t bottom bareback?
FunMe
Why is it those who want to hide what they want always hide behind religion. Meanwhile, he may be cute, but Jason appears to be a crystal meth closet queen for sure!
Henry Holland
[pops popcorn]
[waits for IC apologists/trolls to show up]
Bipolar Bear
I struggle with this in arguments with heteros (and the odd homo). “But [insert fundie church here] is so good because they’ve got so many people off drugs and out of jail”. Yeah, but they’ve simply replaced one drug with another. And this one has a rather nasty side effect: homophobia. Doesn’t affect you, so you don’t give a shit.
I make no apology for being anti-church: http://bipolarbear.co.nz/2012/02/14/i-make-no-apology-for-being-anti-church/
stevoj
wait a minute… Jason “masturbation meltdown” Russell
#dead
randy
These are the same evangelicals that complain that GLAAD and the Day of Silence and Gay straight Alliances are just stealth ways to recruit kids into homosexuality.
I guess they think that because that’s exactly what they themselves are trying to do.
Charles
It took me a long time to come to grips with the part of the public that feels the need to assign being Christian to the Marriage Defending, Sara Palin loving, loud mouthed people we see on TV because I know anyone who cannot see beyond their own needs is missing the point in Christ’s teachings. I listened to those who tried to tell me being Gay is a thought that was placed in my mind like some kind of seed, but then my mother reminded me about the plants that fill the garden around her home. In nature some plants are both parts of the reproductive process while others are male or female and need each other for the female tree to produce fruit…. I love my other half and I also love having sex with him, just like our Hetero counterparts love to stick things where God did not design them to go….it’s OK, but we cannot allow the ignorance to corrupt the true meaning of being a person of any faith which is love many, trust few and keep an open mind…… True people of Faith are never afraid of questions about the meaning of life’s path. I find it funny that we as Gay men condemn those who take funds from these groups that try to preach hate towards us because the joke is on them…. This guy is not using his charity to push religion, he is putting the focus back on empathy, which many of these mindless reality TV watching kids need in their heart. I also do not get the way our community lashes out at guys who they assume have a Public Image Marriage….get over it! Maybe he got tired of trying to live up to the extreme requirements of Gay male stereotypes….maybe he just wanted a house in the burbs, but couldn’t find a guy ready to settle down when he was ready….. If we ask others to stop judgement of us, we must do the same… Also if you ever feel like you betray being Gay by doing business with those we percieve as our enemies you are only holding us back…. It’s harder to hate those we know, it’s harder to hate your friendly next door neighbor who has a perfectly decorated home, but it is real easy to hide in our own custom designed segments of society…. The only problem with the easy route….it makes it real easy for evil people to place blame on us when the shit hits the fan. Sucking dick is not the reason for the decline in marriage, but we sure got blamed for it. I don’t need a piece of paper to declare my love, just want equal rights to apply to our laws. Last thought I want to share….Jesus is depicted as a very caring man who lived in kindness…one might ask themselves why people who call themselves Christian, but live in hate now consider these traits as sissy, weak or Gay? WWJD if he had to endure life in a public school? I bet he would be deemed a Fag, so that’s why I am happy to be seen as a Fag too…..May you have Peace, Love and Happiness
JJ
@Charles: Thank you for your post, it was truly the most intelligent post I have EVER seen. I hope and pray that we all can become as enlightened as you are. You have restored my faith in humanity simply by posting your personal thoughts ans feelings here and again I thank and applaud you.
John
@ Charles “This guy is not using his charity to push religion”. Yes, he is, that’s the entire point of the article. If you haven’t yet, you should think about reading Besen’s piece and the info found at the links therein.
Pygar
@JJ: You mean “most intelligent post” in spite of it’s atrocious grammar, right?
Rockery
How is his wife doing?
GreatGatsby2011
@Pygar: +1
Ogre Magi
Typical christian crap! I am soooooo sick of these people!
Patrick
Jason Russell is a big ole closeted bottom!
Shannon1981
@Bipolar Bear: You’re right. In fact, I view churches as nothing but cults.I don’t care how much so called good they do. All of that good can be done sans the wackadoodle nonsense and the cultlike creepiness. No matter what they do that is good, the #1 function and goal of a church is to fleece people into believing their version of the lie as the truth. I stand my ground on that one.
Shannon1981
oops, sorry html fail
wayne
I bet the other closet case at Invisible Children is an AbFab fan based on the way he swills the vodka while he talks about keeping the money for himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7UrWyjDqFE
Cheer up, world, Kony may never bloody happen!
Hal Duncan
Also, this: http://www.talk2action.org/story/2012/4/4/8029/40080/
Long story short, Invisible Children have extensive ties to The Fellowship aka The Family, including high-level Ugandan members who’re all about the “Kill the Gays” bill. David Bahati, sponsor of the bill, explicitly credits their influence, it seems:
“It was in the United States, Mr. Bahati contended, that he first became close with a group of influential social conservatives, including politicians, known as The Fellowship, which would later become a base of inspiration and technical support for the anti-homosexuality bill.
Mr. Bahati said the idea for the bill first sprang from a conversation with members of The Fellowship in 2008, because it was “too late” in America to propose such legislation.”
If I was a bit more paranoid, I’d be thinking that it’s not just a matter of IC being crypto-evangelist, not just that the Good Cause they’re selling (save the lambkins, bring the boogeyman to justice!) is part of that whole creepy “Fourth Estate” agenda. I’d be thinking that Kony2012 was not just indirectly linked to but *part of* an experiment in eradicationist politics in Uganda — i.e. that the same US religious ideologues who gave “inspiration and technical support” to Bahati with one hand (The Fellowship), created KONY2012 as a deliberate distraction with the other (IC).
But that would be a conspiracy theory, right?
Truthie
Thank you for keeping the focus on this scam!
People tend to snicker when they say the word “conspiracy”, but this organization is a perfect example of real life, very serious conspiracy.
One part Dominionist Christian power play and covert recruiting tool, one part alliance with politicians eager to put more US military in Africa in the region with the most untapped and contested natural resources, one part money making scam, and one part big gay musical making party except with all the gayness repressed with conversion therapy. This group and their friends are deeper than many realize – and it’s awesome that this site continues to ask the important questions.
Trojan/bareback almost made me spew coffee over my monitor btw….thanks for that too… 😉
Here’s another good piece on the “Trojan Horse” with links to an awesome piece from a REAL expert on Uganda:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-wilson/kony-2012-the-family_b_1408091.html