09/05/2007
Religious Right Leader D. James Kennedy is Dead at 76
Last week I reported that D. James Kennedy, who headed the south Florida megachurch Coral Ridge Ministries, went into retirement. The pastor died today.
The AP reports: "Kennedy's voice and face were known to millions through radio and television broadcasts, urging Christians to evangelize in their daily lives, while condemning homosexuality and abortion as assaults on the traditional family. His also preached on the major policy issues of the day, rejecting evolution and global warming."
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church hosted last year's Love Won Out "ex-gay" conference. It was also at the Center for Reclaiming America in Fort Lauderdale, which is tied to Kennedy's Coral Ridge church, where Ann Coulter reiterated her "faggot" remarks.
Kennedy is now learning the consequences of his hateful ministry.
Posted 4:55 PM EST by Andy Towle in Florida, News, Religion | Permalink
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I hate celebrating the death of anyone, but James Kennedy's passing is a good thing for those of us who are fighting for equal rights and for tolerance. His voice is now silent; his career of demonizing gays and lesbians is over.
We can only hope that with this death, as with the death of Jerry Falwell, another nail has been driven into the coffin of theocracy in this country.
Posted by: Jonathon | Sep 5, 2007 5:05:54 PM
Bartender! Drinks all around!
His megachurch, where Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Nutley often speaks, will struggle along but the main source of their river of poison has dried up. I'm praying James Dobson or Lou Sheldon is next.
Posted by: Leland Frances | Sep 5, 2007 5:14:20 PM
Martini for me. Later asshole.
Posted by: Marco | Sep 5, 2007 5:36:41 PM
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Posted by: Brian | Sep 5, 2007 5:42:02 PM
Children, it is a sign from the Goddess. Our enemies are dying off. And as Leland so wisely speaks, the "river of poison" is drying up. Our enemies are being caught in a web of lies and deceit of their own making. And they are being caught in the very traps they would prepare for us. So keep on working your juju, my children, whatever it may be so that we continue to fight the oppressors of our sexual freedom.
Posted by: the queen | Sep 5, 2007 5:44:02 PM
Hallelujah! Another bigot bites it. Rot.
Love,
zinc
Posted by: zinc alloy | Sep 5, 2007 5:49:32 PM
In additional GREAT NEWS, Ohio Repug Congressman Paul Gillmor was found dead today. Unless they've yet to announce they found him with a dead hooker of either gender or semen in his ________ [anyone seen Jeff Gannon or Matt Sanchez in Ohio recently?], you'll probably miss any mention of it if you blink during the evening news tonight.
But his voting record on all kinds of issues from gay equality to gun nuts rights to a woman's right to control her own body to rimming those causing global warming ad nauseum is almost identical to Craig's.
No, I will not be sending flowers.
Posted by: Leland Frances | Sep 5, 2007 5:56:21 PM
Not much of a retirement.
Posted by: ORS | Sep 5, 2007 6:06:02 PM
I knew this prick. He was in charge of running my high school, which he started. He wouldn't let us dance because he said in his far-off youth, he was a dance instructor, and he knew where the twisting of bodies led. He was phenomenally judgmental and stubbornly myopic, he pontificated, he was impassive and merciless, he shouted that the sky was falling for years and that the devil worked through evolutionists and homosexuals, and now he's finally silent. Let the damage he did be undone. America has no more room for evangelicals who insist on trying to force everyone to live just like them.
Posted by: PJ | Sep 5, 2007 6:34:51 PM
These right-wingers will do anything to stay in the news.
Posted by: David D. | Sep 5, 2007 6:34:59 PM
"Ding-dong" the witch is dead! This man was an unrepentant, money-grabbing, holier-than-thou, bigoted, ignorant, closed-minded, asshole. He doesn't even deserve a Christian burial. Good riddance!
Posted by: Alex Parrish | Sep 5, 2007 6:40:44 PM
Anydoby have a problem with the advertisment for CATHOLICMATCH.com up above?
A church that vocaly condemns us
Posted by: questionable advertiser on gay site | Sep 5, 2007 6:44:14 PM
Now its gone after reloading this page and replaced with real jock
Do those ads cycle through a set? what's up
Posted by: questionable advertiser on gay site | Sep 5, 2007 6:45:59 PM
"Kennedy is now learning the consequences of his hateful ministry."
He's dead. How can he learn anything if he is dead? Corpses don't learn, they rot. That's what they do.
Posted by: Tim in SF | Sep 5, 2007 6:57:20 PM
from Schmitz Blitz: schmitzblitz.wordpress.com
Kennedy marks the second death of a major figure in the religious right this year (after the May death of Jerry Falwell)–I wonder if this is making his followers and other fundamentalist Christians take a long hard look at the state of their faith, seeing as they generally consider earthly tragedies and misfortunes to be punishments from God (recall Robertson’s remarks on Ariel Sharon’s stroke, and the countless comments made by others with regard to Katrina).
Posted by: Elizabeth Schmitz | Sep 5, 2007 7:28:51 PM
from Schmitz Blitz: schmitzblitz.wordpress.com
Kennedy marks the second death of a major figure in the religious right this year (after the May death of Jerry Falwell)–I wonder if this is making his followers and other fundamentalist Christians take a long hard look at the state of their faith, seeing as they generally consider earthly tragedies and misfortunes to be punishments from God (recall Robertson’s remarks on Ariel Sharon’s stroke, and the countless comments made by others with regard to Katrina).
Posted by: Elizabeth Schmitz | Sep 5, 2007 7:28:58 PM
I hope he is burning in hell (along with Falwell, Merv Griffin, and Leona Helmsley) and pray that James Dobson, Nancy Reagan and Larry Craig are very close behind them.
Posted by: Jordan | Sep 5, 2007 7:39:47 PM
@jordan
Nancy Reagan? Merv Griffin? Wow - man you are just bloody clueless ...
sheeze... the hate in this blog today...
Posted by: yoshi | Sep 5, 2007 8:16:01 PM
Proof! Christian hate kills! Now, where's his grave, I feel like dancing...
Posted by: Robert In WeHo | Sep 5, 2007 8:16:50 PM
"Ding Dong The Witch is dead.
Which old Witch?
The Wicked Witch!
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.
Wake up -you sleepy head,
rub your eyes, get out of bed.
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead.
She's gone where the goblins go,
Below - below - below.
Yo-ho,
let's open up and sing
and ring the bells out.
Ding Dong' the merry-oh,
sing it high,
sing it low.
Let them know
The Wicked Witch is dead!"
Posted by: David Ehrenstein | Sep 5, 2007 8:35:59 PM
If there is a God and an after-life I hope He/She/It shows Kennedy more kindness and compassion than Kennedy showed others while he was on this earth.
That's the nicest thing I can bring myself to say.
Posted by: Zeke | Sep 5, 2007 9:52:40 PM
Yoshi,
You're the one who's clueless it seems.
My post makes perfect sense.
Posted by: Jordan | Sep 5, 2007 10:17:08 PM
Perhaps I should count myself lucky I've never heard of this man.
Posted by: anon (gmail.com) | Sep 6, 2007 12:17:49 AM
and to top it off, he killed mary jo kopechne! oh, wait..., that's a different kennedy. oops. sorry y'all.
Posted by: sean | Sep 6, 2007 1:20:18 AM
Good riddance, miserable bastard! Hell holds a special place for his kind.
Posted by: mike | Sep 6, 2007 5:31:24 AM