LGBT Group Pressures PayPal to Shut Down Christian 'Hate Group' Accounts
All Out, a leading international LGBT rights organization, has been pressuring PayPal to shut down the accounts of “hate groups” who are against homosexual lifestyles since earlier this month.
The organization, which boasts of more than 559,000 members, claims the groups are using the online payment site to raise funds for a “dangerous cause.”
“Thanks to PayPal, it’s easier than ever to send and receive money across currencies and continents – but it is also PayPal’s responsibility to make sure this technology doesn’t fall in the wrong hands,” All Out asserted on its site. “Anti-LGBT extremists all over the world are currently using PayPal to fundraise for their dangerous cause.”
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The campaign has collected more than 37,000 signatures. The group has contended that “anti-LGBT extremist groups” “damage PayPal’s brand and credibility.”
Under pressure, the leading payment service has dropped several accounts, including that of Dove World Outreach Ministries, the infamous Quran burning pastor Terry Jones’ site, as well as Noua Dreaptă, a nationalist organization in Romania and Moldova.
Many of the groups All Out is targeting are religious, Christian organizations that speak openly about their stance on homosexuality, which they consider to be a sin.
Those include: Abiding Truth Ministries, New Generation Ministries, Faithful Word Baptist Church, Family Research Institute, Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, and American Society for the Defense of Tradition Family and Property.
“Every day brings more evidence that the Homosexual Lobby is all about kicking pro-morality people (mostly committed Christians) who disagree with homosexual behavior OUT of the public square,” Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality, said in a statement. “More and more observers are seeing this for what it is: homo-fascism.”
“Please help defend Americans For Truth from being dropped by PayPal in response to this anti-Christian pressure campaign... Urge them NOT to punish Christian and pro-family advocates-which could potentially alienate millions of potential PayPal customers.”
Pink News previously reported that initially, PayPal declined to immediately sever their ties with pro-family groups because of their belief in religious freedom.
“PayPal does not allow the use of its services for activities that promote hatred, violence or racial intolerance. We take very seriously any cases where a user has incited hatred, violence or intolerance because of a person’s sexual orientation,” the company wrote.
“However, we also take into account the rights of free speech and freedom of religion. Balancing these conflicting rights is often difficult, and so we assess possible infringements objectively against our Acceptable Use Policy.”
PayPal has contacted several of the targeted groups, asking them for more information about their accounts. Christian activist Julio Severo who posts on a blog called Last Days Watchman, was one victim of the campaign.
He was sent an email from PayPal announcing an investigation on his account, and was told later that his account would be shut down because of “legal and regulatory constraints,” according to World Net Daily. A link to the company’s user agreement was also included in the message that outlined their policy on “hate, violence, [and] racial intolerance.”
“PayPal says that it does not allow the use of its services for activities that promote hatred, violence or racial intolerance, but its actions against my account was spurred by a hate campaign by gay activists wanting to shut down my account,” Severo explained to WND. “I wonder if PayPal will shut down the accounts of homosexual militants who launched the hate campaign.”
While All Out described Severo’s blog as being an extremist hate site that promotes lies about gay people, Severo, hoping to clear the misunderstanding, told PayPal, “I want you to know that we Christians love homosexuals, but we disagree with their immoral lifestyles.”
LaBarbera also agreed with Severo and shared on AFTAH’s site, “Americans For Truth has from its inception condemned violence and (real) hatred against homosexuals. We believe Christians should reach out to homosexuals with the Gospel truth, in the love of Christ. We believe that ALL people have dignity as human beings, but that persons should not be defined by immoral, unnatural-and changeable-sexual and gender behaviors.”
AFTAH additionally stated that they condemned unbiblical and “nasty messages” like Fred Phelps’ “God Hates Fags” protests.
“Encouraged by media sycophancy and a lack of press accountability that feeds their success, homosexual militants are now working overtime to sell the public on the absurd notion that groups like AFTAH that adhere to traditional, biblical teachings on homosexuality are the hateful equivalents of racist fringe groups like the KKK or Neo-Nazis.”
“By labeling Christians as ‘haters,’ they cruelly demonize people of faith-and encourage the outrageous idea that longstanding Christian and Bible-based beliefs are ‘extreme’ and beyond the pale.”
It is no longer advisable to laugh off, dismiss or ignore the activist homosexual and liberal lobby’s escalating campaign to demonize Christians and punish groups like Americans For Truth, LaBarbera added.
“We must fight back with the Truth and engage our political enemies in a dogged, ‘house-to-house’ battle to preserve our liberties and our ability to operate freely in the public square.”
Counteracting the campaign by All Out, the pro-family news site LifeSiteNews launched an online petition of their own to defend Americans For Truth and other organizations being attacked by the campaign.
The petition reads, “I protest the attack by homosexual organizations on Christian activists Julio Severo, Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, and Tradition, Family and Property. I encourage PayPal to affirm the right of pro-family organizations to use its services and to reject attacks on the Christian faith and other religions that uphold sexual morality and defend family values.”
Nearly 6,000 people have signed the counter petition on ProFamilyFreedom.net so far. The site hopes to collect 40,000 signatures.
“I am a Christian and I firmly believe that homosexuality is a sin. As a Christian, it is my responsibility to spread the truth in love. Sometimes this responsibility involves speaking out against sinful lifestyles, but it’s all in love! The truth hurts sometimes right?!” Rachel from the United States commented.
“We all get that until the truth is pointed at us. We are trying to help them! We want them to go to heaven! Is there any hate in that? I will not be silence because their souls are important to me and even more important to God!”
