Atlanta church gets schooled by community members for its homophobic Pride Month posters
By David Hudson · 31 comments· Updated on January 26, 2024
The church’s banners went up around Atlanta for Pride Month
A Church in the Atlanta Metro region has caused upset and disgust among local LGBTQ+ folk with its Pride Month campaign. Thankfully, media organization GLAAD has hit back with some messages of its own.
The banners and billboards are the work of the Worship with Wonders Church on Powder Springs Road in Marietta. Co-pastors Myles and DeLana Rutherford preside over the nondenominational church.
The posters feature a large rainbow flag. Over the rainbow run the words, “Proud to be delivered”.
The church’s stance is unequivocal. Gay sex is sinful and people need Jesus in their lives to save them.
Here are pastors Myles and DeLana Rutherford explaining the June campaign.
Their ProudToBeDelivered website carries testimonies from people who claim to have been freed from their same-sex attraction through prayer.
Here’s one guy who says his first queer inklings came from watching RuPaul’s Drag Race when he was younger.
It’s worth repeating (for those in the back) that so-called conversion therapy, whether connected to religion or not, has been found to more often cause psychological harm than benefit. No study has found it to have any true impact whatsoever on an individual’s sexuality.
Reclaiming the rainbow
Asked by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution why they chose to use the rainbow colors on their campaign, the Rutherford’s rebuffed the suggestion they were aping the rainbow flag. They said they were merely using the, “7 colors of the original rainbow, indicative of the covenant God made with man in Genesis 9:13, not the 6 colors used by the LGBTQIA+ community.”
The posters have now prompted a backlash. On Sunday, GLAAD sent a truck carrying a digital billboard to sit outside the church for eight hours. It displayed several messages. One featured a rainbow flag and said: “Proud to be delivered from oppressive theology.”
(Photo: GLAAD)
Another said, “Black families love and embrace their LGBTQ children.”
(Photo: GLAAD)
“Dangerous rhetoric”
Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, called out church leaders’ dangerous anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
“It is apparent the anti-LGBTQ extremists responsible for orchestrating this billboard are lashing out in a desperate attempt to claim moral superiority,” she said in a statement. “With GLAAD finding a supermajority (91%) of Americans in support of LGBTQ equality, this dangerous rhetoric not only repels those seeking connection to a higher power but fails to adhere to the most basic Christian principle—love thy neighbor.
“To assume that LGBTQ people need to be saved and are not already people of faith is the epitome of spiritual arrogance. LGBTQ people are your neighbors: we are your family, friends, colleagues, and fellow worshippers.”
(Photo: GLAAD)
Darian Aaron is GLAAD’s Director of Local News: US South. He’s been leading the campaign against the church’s message.
“With anti-LGBTQ legislation at an all-time high and aimed at erasing the existence of LGBTQ people, there is a refusal by this ministry to address real problems facing us as a nation: sensible gun reform — the real threat to American children. LGBTQ people do not require deliverance. Those choosing to inflict harm on others through religious bigotry require an examination of the heart and soul.”
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The conversion therapy kooks are just like flat-earthers and anti-vaxxers. They have zero education or experience in science, but they claim to know more than all of the experts.
Religion: the original scam artists paradise. Could they just find their own paradise island and stay there? I know alot of people find solace in heros of peace but Blanch, at the end of the day, you’re it.
Religion is as off base as conversion therapy, with damaged goods to match.
As a gay practicing Catholic and Christian it never ceases to amaze me how the gay community advocates and preaches tolerance and acceptance and people to be free to be themselves whoever they might be. On the other hand the gay community is one of the most intolerant and discriminatory groups of people with the attitude ‘to hell with you if you don’t agree with us or acceopt us’. Really the last time i heard this was America where everyone can have their opinion and be open with it without fear of a knock on the door in the middle of the night. Everybody here has the right to their opinion and to disagree yet some are disagreeable with those who differ from them
A couple of things. First of all, a “spirit filled” Protestant church like that is as likely to condemn you for being Catholic as it is to condemn you for being gay. Secondly, if you advocate for people like this to put out such messages targeting the LGBT community, why don’t you advocate for LGBT people, the subject of those messages, to put out their own counter messages? I’m confused. And what’s so different from the so called “intolerant and discriminatory” push back from the LGBT community to anti-LGBT messaging and YOUR push back right here against what you deem as “intolerant”? Please explain. It seems incredibly contradictory to me. And again, I doubt there is one pro-Catholic bone in either of those “pastors'” bodies.
I wouldn’t brag about belonging to a child r*ping sex cult with over a 1000 years of history of torture, r*pe, murder and graft.
Organized religion was started as a means to control the ignorant & poor, accumulate wealth & power, and to prey upon the innocent.
Anyone who subscribes to ANY organized religion has a mental health issue and by supporting an organized religion you are an accomplice to their illegal and immoral activities.
That goodness that younger people see organized religion for what it truly is and are either leaving it in droves or not participating at all.
You tried this EXACT same line when Mormons and Catholics were attacking the right to marry in Ca. It’s adorable that you claim that to be tolerant, we must tolerate voidance, hatred, racism and bigotry.
Sweetie, that Fox news sad B.S. didn’t work with mormons and Prop 8 and it doesn’t work now.
Being intolerant of a religion that wants me dead means murder. And the murders are happening today world wide. Intolerance barely describes how rightfully outraged gay people are with this evil devil born “Christian values” belief. Get real winemaker, you don’t have a case.
Go read leviticus then get back to us with a solution bc right now you’re nothing more than part of the problem.
As a practicing Catholic you should worry about the sexual abuse of children and stop making up ridiculous arguments about GLAAD supporting the gay community.
“A supermajority support LGBTQ equality.” Lol. I love how GLAAD really vagues it up for us. That’s a political flourish I learned as a Canvasser recently. Keep it vague. Well played, Sarah Ellis!
According to Forbes (not a liberal propaganda source, unlike the right wing propaganda you always site) 71% of Americans support LGBT people. That includes a large number of Republicans. So, it’s not vague, it’s true. But the fact that you were a “canvasser” should concern us all.
Let’s break that down. Do they support biological men competing on women’s teams? Nada. A clear majority doesn’t. Do they believe you can change gender? Nada, again. Ya’ll need to stop dropping vague statements.
Here are some more Pew Research numbers to clear up the vagueness.
1.) 60% of Americans think business owners should not have to provide services if it might signal support for beliefs on LGBT issues that they oppose.
2.) Around two-thirds of Black Democrats (66%) say that whether someone is a man or woman is determined by their sex at birth.
3.) More Americans say they would oppose or strongly oppose (44%) than say they would favor or strongly favor (27%) requiring health insurance companies to cover medical care for gender transitions, and 28% neither favor nor oppose this.
4.) At the same time, 60% say a person’s gender is determined by their sex assigned at birth, up from 56% in 2021 and 54% in 2017.
5.) Underscoring the public’s ambivalence around these issues, even among those who see at least some discrimination against trans people, a majority (54%) say society has either gone too far or been about right in terms of acceptance.
6.) Roughly six-in-ten adults (58%) favor proposals that would require transgender athletes to compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth (17% oppose this, 24% neither favor nor oppose).
7.) And a plurality of 46% favor making it illegal for health care professionals to provide someone younger than 18 with medical care for a gender transition.
8.) When asked about factors that have influenced their views about whether someone’s gender can be different from the sex they were assigned at birth, 44% say what they’ve learned from science has had a great deal or a fair amount of influence. About three-in-ten (28%) point to their religious views.
9.) Plurality of adults say views on gender identity issues are changing too quickly. Many Americans are not comfortable with the pace of change that’s occurring around issues involving gender identity. Some 43% say views on issues related to people who are transgender and nonbinary are changing too quickly.
Religion has convinced the world that there’s an invisible man in the sky who watches everything you do. And there are 10 things he doesn’t want you to do or else you’ll go to a burning place with a lake full of fire until the end of eternity. But he loves you! .. And he needs money ! He’s all powerful, but he can’t handle money! ..George Carlin
I’m so glad me and my family never bought into any of that looniness.
“Churches” like this make up the majority of places of worship nowadays. I put the word in quotes because these are not traditional churches that have a hierarchy and organization or higher level system that vets the doctrine and makes sure that everything is done properly. These churches ARE the pastor, it is HE who creates the doctrine, what he says goes, and he has no one over him making sure that he is correct and that tithing funds are being handled properly. The whole thing is ripe for corruption and most of these “churches” end up with the pastors in court for embezzling money for their own nefarious purposes.
Churches want “Tolerance” for hatred, violence and racism from a group people CHOOSE to belong to, but they have no tolerance for groups people are born into.
Religion is just an excuse to hate and harm others at this point apparently.
Talk about GROOMING AND INDOCTRINATION OF THE LITTLE CHILDREN! This is drilled into the heads of innocent little kids world wide. I beg anyone to tell us this is NOT A CULT.
The Lord’s Prayer (traditional words to the Our Father)
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
(Drink this in memory of me——yes, Father, it’s really delicious and I promise not to tell)
Well Abafab, it’s either some ridiculous sky p;ixie nonsense or some cult around gender or tranzies or some such shlt that\s getting you idiots all worked up
give it a fvkccing rest why dont’ you, we’re all bored with you and your silly antics
Ah, the Christianists’ rainbow. Their entire ideology reduced to a common wifebeater standing over a body they broke screaming, “Why do you make me hurt you?!?!” Hardest of passes on all of that.
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Brian
The conversion therapy kooks are just like flat-earthers and anti-vaxxers. They have zero education or experience in science, but they claim to know more than all of the experts.
Diplomat
Religion: the original scam artists paradise. Could they just find their own paradise island and stay there? I know alot of people find solace in heros of peace but Blanch, at the end of the day, you’re it.
Religion is as off base as conversion therapy, with damaged goods to match.
winemaker
As a gay practicing Catholic and Christian it never ceases to amaze me how the gay community advocates and preaches tolerance and acceptance and people to be free to be themselves whoever they might be. On the other hand the gay community is one of the most intolerant and discriminatory groups of people with the attitude ‘to hell with you if you don’t agree with us or acceopt us’. Really the last time i heard this was America where everyone can have their opinion and be open with it without fear of a knock on the door in the middle of the night. Everybody here has the right to their opinion and to disagree yet some are disagreeable with those who differ from them
DarkZephyr
A couple of things. First of all, a “spirit filled” Protestant church like that is as likely to condemn you for being Catholic as it is to condemn you for being gay. Secondly, if you advocate for people like this to put out such messages targeting the LGBT community, why don’t you advocate for LGBT people, the subject of those messages, to put out their own counter messages? I’m confused. And what’s so different from the so called “intolerant and discriminatory” push back from the LGBT community to anti-LGBT messaging and YOUR push back right here against what you deem as “intolerant”? Please explain. It seems incredibly contradictory to me. And again, I doubt there is one pro-Catholic bone in either of those “pastors'” bodies.
LegionKeign
I wouldn’t brag about belonging to a child r*ping sex cult with over a 1000 years of history of torture, r*pe, murder and graft.
Organized religion was started as a means to control the ignorant & poor, accumulate wealth & power, and to prey upon the innocent.
Anyone who subscribes to ANY organized religion has a mental health issue and by supporting an organized religion you are an accomplice to their illegal and immoral activities.
That goodness that younger people see organized religion for what it truly is and are either leaving it in droves or not participating at all.
JJinAus
You have a long way to go. Your religion hates you. PS, god and Jeebus don’t exist.
Manray
You’re a delusional mess. Stay in church and keep that toxic stupid to yourself.
Shut up whiner.
Cam
You tried this EXACT same line when Mormons and Catholics were attacking the right to marry in Ca. It’s adorable that you claim that to be tolerant, we must tolerate voidance, hatred, racism and bigotry.
Sweetie, that Fox news sad B.S. didn’t work with mormons and Prop 8 and it doesn’t work now.
As always, your trolling is sad and weak.
Diplomat
Being intolerant of a religion that wants me dead means murder. And the murders are happening today world wide. Intolerance barely describes how rightfully outraged gay people are with this evil devil born “Christian values” belief. Get real winemaker, you don’t have a case.
Go read leviticus then get back to us with a solution bc right now you’re nothing more than part of the problem.
abfab
VERY sad and VERY weak. Go whine some place else and take your corked wine with you. Swill!
abfab
Oh and WINO…one question. Does it take a lot of ”practicing” to become the way you are?
dbmcvey
As a practicing Catholic you should worry about the sexual abuse of children and stop making up ridiculous arguments about GLAAD supporting the gay community.
Seth
The boot heel thanks you for your service.
decrans
“A supermajority support LGBTQ equality.” Lol. I love how GLAAD really vagues it up for us. That’s a political flourish I learned as a Canvasser recently. Keep it vague. Well played, Sarah Ellis!
dbmcvey
According to Forbes (not a liberal propaganda source, unlike the right wing propaganda you always site) 71% of Americans support LGBT people. That includes a large number of Republicans. So, it’s not vague, it’s true. But the fact that you were a “canvasser” should concern us all.
abfab
dbmcvey, and all other people with common sence……please read in the Opinion page of the NYT
OPINION
FARHAD MANJOO
It’s Not Possible to ‘Win’ an Argument With Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
June 23, 2023
It will explain how men who are QAnons and like to hang with Gays (for some unknown strange reason) make their way in the world.
decrans
Let’s break that down. Do they support biological men competing on women’s teams? Nada. A clear majority doesn’t. Do they believe you can change gender? Nada, again. Ya’ll need to stop dropping vague statements.
decrans
Here are some more Pew Research numbers to clear up the vagueness.
1.) 60% of Americans think business owners should not have to provide services if it might signal support for beliefs on LGBT issues that they oppose.
2.) Around two-thirds of Black Democrats (66%) say that whether someone is a man or woman is determined by their sex at birth.
3.) More Americans say they would oppose or strongly oppose (44%) than say they would favor or strongly favor (27%) requiring health insurance companies to cover medical care for gender transitions, and 28% neither favor nor oppose this.
4.) At the same time, 60% say a person’s gender is determined by their sex assigned at birth, up from 56% in 2021 and 54% in 2017.
5.) Underscoring the public’s ambivalence around these issues, even among those who see at least some discrimination against trans people, a majority (54%) say society has either gone too far or been about right in terms of acceptance.
6.) Roughly six-in-ten adults (58%) favor proposals that would require transgender athletes to compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth (17% oppose this, 24% neither favor nor oppose).
7.) And a plurality of 46% favor making it illegal for health care professionals to provide someone younger than 18 with medical care for a gender transition.
8.) When asked about factors that have influenced their views about whether someone’s gender can be different from the sex they were assigned at birth, 44% say what they’ve learned from science has had a great deal or a fair amount of influence. About three-in-ten (28%) point to their religious views.
9.) Plurality of adults say views on gender identity issues are changing too quickly. Many Americans are not comfortable with the pace of change that’s occurring around issues involving gender identity. Some 43% say views on issues related to people who are transgender and nonbinary are changing too quickly.
decrans
New Gallup polling shows a 7-point dip in the share of Americans who believe same-sex relationships are morally acceptable. (NBC News)
Chrisk
Religion has convinced the world that there’s an invisible man in the sky who watches everything you do. And there are 10 things he doesn’t want you to do or else you’ll go to a burning place with a lake full of fire until the end of eternity. But he loves you! .. And he needs money ! He’s all powerful, but he can’t handle money! ..George Carlin
I’m so glad me and my family never bought into any of that looniness.
Mister P
A “knock on the door in the middle of the night” and “vague” that’s the best you two trolls have?
decrans
I have receipts from Pew Research and Gallup.
dario717
I realize it’s considered “metro area,” but Marietta is probably closer, if only just, to MTG’s district in Georgia than it is to Atlanta.
ggore
“Churches” like this make up the majority of places of worship nowadays. I put the word in quotes because these are not traditional churches that have a hierarchy and organization or higher level system that vets the doctrine and makes sure that everything is done properly. These churches ARE the pastor, it is HE who creates the doctrine, what he says goes, and he has no one over him making sure that he is correct and that tithing funds are being handled properly. The whole thing is ripe for corruption and most of these “churches” end up with the pastors in court for embezzling money for their own nefarious purposes.
Cam
Churches want “Tolerance” for hatred, violence and racism from a group people CHOOSE to belong to, but they have no tolerance for groups people are born into.
Religion is just an excuse to hate and harm others at this point apparently.
abfab
Talk about GROOMING AND INDOCTRINATION OF THE LITTLE CHILDREN! This is drilled into the heads of innocent little kids world wide. I beg anyone to tell us this is NOT A CULT.
The Lord’s Prayer (traditional words to the Our Father)
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
(Drink this in memory of me——yes, Father, it’s really delicious and I promise not to tell)
London_resistance
Ah you fukccing yanks and your obsession with religion!
abfab
Please return to your daily routine of yanking off to Camilla Parker and Sam Smith.
Diplomat
Abs,
That gave me a headache.
London_resistance
Well Abafab, it’s either some ridiculous sky p;ixie nonsense or some cult around gender or tranzies or some such shlt that\s getting you idiots all worked up
give it a fvkccing rest why dont’ you, we’re all bored with you and your silly antics
Seth
Ah, the Christianists’ rainbow. Their entire ideology reduced to a common wifebeater standing over a body they broke screaming, “Why do you make me hurt you?!?!” Hardest of passes on all of that.