Two non-denominational Christian preachers calling for the repentance of gays attracted attention from hundreds of students on Tuesday, many of whom protested their presence.
Jim Deferio and his daughter Michelle, both from Syracuse, arrived on [SUNY Geneseo] campus shortly before noon and remained on the college green for over five hours: finally leaving at 5:30 p.m. Jim Deferio held a sign proclaiming that gays have been healed through faith and touted Web sites including exhomosexuals.com and hopeforhomosexuals.com.
Large numbers of students crowded around the demonstrators, in some cases insulting and denouncing their message. Many were offended by Jim Deferio's often inflammatory comments, such as his denial that there is a biological basis for homosexuality.
"All sex out of marriage is a sin," Deferio said. "Jesus defined marriage as between a man and a woman." He claimed that homosexuals are 40 times more likely than heterosexuals to molest children, and declared John Lennon an "evil person."
According to Michelle Deferio, she and her father are not affiliated with and do not receive any support from outside organizations, and have no political goal. They have held similar demonstrations at other SUNY campuses, including a Sept. 11 appearance at Brockport. She said that different cultures struggle with different issues related to the teachings of God, and that she and her father focus on sexual immorality when at college campuses because it is most relevant for that audience. "I want people to have a real relationship with God," she said.
53 comments
If sex outside marriage is a sin, then let gay people get married to those of their choice. No problem then.
As to the paedophilia claim, it is outrageously lying and dishonest. The stats are there for those with honesty enough to interpret.
Frankly I am not surprised to read that preacher chappies and other deniers of gay rights are often enough found flagrante delicto with another of his own gender. It seems to be par for the course for those so anti-gay. They are projecting something that they cannot face up to in themselves and therefore they demonize others to assuage their troubled inner-selves. It's akin to scapegoating.
Wy do University authorities allow such intrusions? They must be a great distraction to students.
"homosexuals are 40 times more likely than heterosexuals to molest children"
Citation needed, dickhead.
Why do these people care so much what other people do with their lives? Get a life on your own instead.
Don't like homosexual marriages? Don't have one then.
Can they provide scientific evidence for a homosexual being thoroughly and lastingly cured of his/her sexual orientation?
If you hold up signs with insulting and denouncing messages, you have to be prepared to take a bit of insults and denounciations in return.
How did John Lennon end up in the mix?
Sin is an arbitrary and outdated concept, which only has merit if you believe in it. Sex outside of marriages and sex with people of the same gender are both perfectly legal in almost all western countries.
"Jesus defined marriage as between a man and a woman." - - Chapter and verse, or you are a lying piece of shit.
homosexuals are 40 times more likely than heterosexuals to molest children - - Citation needed, or you are a lying piece of shit.
gays have been healed through faith - - Citation needed... you know the rest.
"He claimed that homosexuals are 40 times more likely than heterosexuals to molest children,"
Christians are 40 times more likely to be full of shit than Americans.
The Web has replaced the Bible as the most important wellspring of Jesus truth. Weblical scriptures are becoming more and more prominent and reflect God's deep love of people whose limbs suffer from Satanic impurities, such as the impurity of unequal length. God deplores a situation where a foot is a foot less than the other foot.
God's hatred of homosexuals stems from the fact that He has a penis but nowhere to put it. He did at one time think of creating a giant vagina, but it would have to be larger than a galaxy. And He didn't want nosy astronomers peeking on His love life. Therefore, the thought that some men were choosing to put their penises somewhere other than a vagina made God jealous, as usual.
Jesus defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
Jesus (according to the Bible anyway) was celibate. If we buy the whole god=Jesus thing then god allowed all sorts of marriages the most common of which is mentioned in the Bible is a polygynous marriage as in NOT one man, one woman but one man, MANY women. And he never said anything against gay marriage, just a passing comment about gay sex which he put in the same category as eating shrimp and wearing mixed fabrics.
He claimed that homosexuals are 40 times more likely than heterosexuals to molest children
I can make up bullshit statistics too if I'm allowed to pull them from my ass. Hey, did you know that Christians are 98% likely to bugger little boys and 87% likely to steal candy from babies?
She said that different cultures struggle with different issues related to the teachings of God, and that she and her father focus on sexual immorality when at college campuses because it is most relevant for that audience. "I want people to have a real relationship with God," she said.
As if they need to believe that there's some celestial peeping tom who watches them shower, have sex, and masturbate. And for what? So they can become just as insecure and repressed as these preachers?
"He claimed that homosexuals are 40 times more likely than heterosexuals to molest children,"
You'd think, if that was the case, that I would have been laid WAY BEFORE the age of 26
Hmm... Phelps wannabes. Don't see that very often.
Jesus defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
Which bible book, chapter, and verse? Oh wait, you're talking about Republican Jesus, aren't you?
"I want people to have a real relationship with God,"
Translation: "I want people to hate the same people I hate."
The really sad thing is that she's sincere in her desire to get people to God, but she's doing it in exactly the wrong way: proclaiming the Bible as the definite authority to people who don't necessarily believe that's so.
Also, by using it to claim BS statistics, of course. ;)
"He claimed that homosexuals are 40 times more likely than heterosexuals to molest children"
No matter how much you wish it were true, a lie is still a lie, Jimmy, and your Bible has a commandment against lying.
"... and declared John Lennon an 'evil person.'"
Yeah, you worship a stalker, genocidal serial killer of a fucking monster, and call Lennon, a man who promoted peace on earth, evil?
Fuck you. And your sister. And your mother. And your father.
Fuck all of you, hard, in the ass, with a splintery pole. With no lubrication. Oh, and dripping with battery acid.
"I want people to have a real relationship with God,"
Which is very nice, but one questions her methods if she believes the way to get me to come to God is to offend me.
"[...]she and her father focus on sexual immorality when at college campuses because it is most relevant for that audience."
How about you focus on your own damn lives, shitheads, and stay the Hell out of what I choose to do with mine. It's none of your f*cking business with whom I go to bed, okay?
I'm applying to two SUNY schools. If they come to one of my campuses next year, I will join the crowd in laughter.
Mind your own damn business. It's not your place to dictate others' lives.
I don't like anything this guy said, but John Lennon, an evil person?! Seriously? And besides that, what does he have to do with the subject stated here?
I know when Jesus defined marriage. It was right after he said, "Hey, Louie, I'll take the Giants and six points."
The colleges set a bad precedent by allowing these people to hang around and blather for 5 hours. If people want to come on campuses to preach, they should have to have to apply in writing first, and if accepted, be consigned to some far corner of the campus where anyone who wants to hear them can seek them out.
Eh. This is anti-gay, and repeats the lie that homosexuals are more likely to be pedophiles, but at the same time we've heard this all before from fundies, generally in much stronger language. This isn't a fundie quote per se. Meh.
Why is it that I can't lie for my Gods, lest I be judged for it when I die, but these idiots lie for Jesus and Yahweh EVERYDAY and still expect to receive a heavenly reward of some sort. Makes me sick.
Why all the hating on mister Deferio? He probably has walked by that campus for years, watching the nubile young students frolic in carefree abandon, all the while feeling the decay of his own aged body, each spring bringing him one step closer to his ultimate demise. Who can blame him for denouncing such cruel torture. Did he really have any choice but to call attention to the sinful nature of the thoughts these thoughtless students induced in him, the stresses placed on his beleaguered constitution? Did he have any alternative but to denounce such carnal wickedness, even while deperately hoping that at least one impressionable young student body might be entranced by the power of his rhetoric, to be taught firsthand about the weaknesses of the flesh? Haven't we all been there?
Is this an uncommon thing in New York? At my university, we get people like this around a few times a week, usually if the weather is nice you'll get at least one. Sometimes I forget that we're right in the Bible Belt, but then I realize that something like this is actual news elsewhere and not just "Tuesday."
Why do we never get this kind of thing to entertain us? Well, I guess a) no one wants to climb the hill, b) Boston, c) private campus, not state (though technically that's still private property), d) no one remembers a university with only 3000 students, and e)...well, Boston. I bet Harvard still gets assholes, though.
Come to think of it, over half the local churches have pretty rainbow 'safe here' flags flying.
they have the audacity to call themselves christians how shamefull
this is why I like moderate christians better at least they follow Jesus' example some even joined me in gay events to push for equal rights despite still believing it is a sin
oh and btw can someone please explain to me why they are allowed to disrupt the learning process at campuses? Im not american and this never happens to us Aussies (pretty boring come to think of it) I mean I'm all for free speech but really it has to be a big distraction.....actually this would be rather more entertaining than my classes
Wow, you people are still talking about this 2 years later!!!
The article was not well written and quotes were taken out of context and the citations that I gave over and over again while on campus were not reported. No surprise here as Geneseo is not known for academic excellence.
If anyone would like to debate me, let me know. Your ad hominem approach to argumentation is irrational and childish.
Try thinking above the waistline.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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