Abiding Truth Ministries

Abiding Truth Ministries (ATM) is a United States nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded by Scott Lively in Temecula, California in 1997. The ministry has been based in Springfield, Massachusetts since 2008.[1] Lively, an American author, attorney and activist, is noted for his opposition to LGBT rights and his involvement in the ex-gay movement.[5] Lively has called for the criminalization of "the public advocacy of homosexuality" as far back as 2007.[6][7] Along with Kevin E. Abrams, he co-authored the book The Pink Swastika, which states in the preface that "homosexuals [are] the true inventors of Nazism and the guiding force behind many Nazi atrocities."[8] He is also directly linked to pending anti-gay legislation in Uganda, which would, if passed, make homosexual conduct punishable by a lengthy prison sentence or death. The Southern Poverty Law Center regards Abiding Truth Ministries as a hate group.[9]

Abiding Truth Ministries
Abiding Truth Ministries Logo
FoundedAugust 28, 1997 (1997-08-28)[1]
FounderScott Lively
TypePublic charity 501(c)(3)
33-0774765[2] (EIN))
Registration no.001031098[3]
Location
Key people
Scott Lively, President
Revenue
$88,389 (2010)[4]
Websitedefendthefamily.com

History

Abiding Truth Ministries was founded by Scott Lively, an American author, attorney and activist, noted for his opposition to LGBT rights and his involvement in the ex-gay movement.[5] Lively has called for the criminalization of "the public advocacy of homosexuality" as far back as 2007.[6][7] He is also directly linked to pending anti-gay legislation in Uganda, which would, if passed, make homosexual conduct punishable by a lengthy prison sentence or death.[10]

ATM has contributed to organizations including NARTH, American Family Association, Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, Parents' Rights Coalition, Family Research Institute a small group called "The Foundation for in-the-closet Americans and Mission: America.[11][12] Lively is the former state director for the California branch of the American Family Association[13]

Along with Kevin E. Abrams, he co-authored the book The Pink Swastika, which states in the preface that "homosexuals [are] the true inventors of Nazism and the guiding force behind many Nazi atrocities."[8] In fact, under Nazi Germany, gays and lesbians were sent to concentration camps and several historians have questioned the book's claims and selective use of research.[14][15][16][17][18] Lively is the former state director for the California branch of the American Family Association and formed Watchmen on the Walls based in Riga, Latvia.[19] According to a January 2011 profile, Lively "has not changed his view that gays are 'agents of America’s moral decline' but has refocused his approach to fit his flock in Springfield, Massachusetts" and "is toning down his antigay rhetoric and shifting his focus to helping the downtrodden."[20]

Positions and issues

ATM promotes its message via its Defend the Family website. The website's mission statement is to "promote and defend the Biblical view of marriage and family through... education, training, and funding." The "Resources" section sells books by Lively.[21]

ATM has influenced the upsurge in "politicized homophobia" in Uganda. In March 2009, Lively spoke on the ATM's behalf at the Seminar on Exposing the Truth behind Homosexuality and the Homosexual Agenda in Kampala. He suggested to the audience that the "powerful gay movement" would soon invade Africa and that the "'gay agenda' unleashes epidemics of divorce, child abuse, and HIV/AIDS wherever it gains a foothold". He added "you can't stop someone from molesting children or stop them from having sex with animals." He implied that the Rwandan genocide was caused by homosexuals.[22]

See also

References
  1. "Business Entity Detail - Abiding Truth Ministries". State of California. Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  2. "Nonprofit Report for Abiding Truth Ministries". GuideStar. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  3. "Corporate Filing". The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. June 23, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  4. "2010 IRS Form 990 Federal Tax Return" (PDF). Foundation Center. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  5. "Scott Lively's Bio". The Pro-Family Resource Center of Abiding Truth Ministries. Abiding Truth Ministries. 2002–2008. Retrieved 13 November 2008.
  6. "Letter to the Russian People". Abiding Truth Ministries. 15 October 2007. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  7. "Scott Lively Advocated 'Criminalizing Homosexuality' as Far Back as 2007". The Huffington Post. 13 March 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  8. The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party: Preface to the Fourth Edition, retrieved 2010-04-17
  9. Waddington, Lynda (November 23, 2010). "Groups that Helped Oust Iowa Judges Earn 'Hate Group' Designation; SPLC Adds American Family Association, Family Research Council to List". Iowa Independent. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
  10. Gettleman, Jeffrey (January 3, 2010), "Americans' Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push", The New York Times, p. A1, retrieved 2010-02-09
  11. "Grantees". Abiding Truth Ministries. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  12. "2010 IRS Form 990 Federal Tax Return" (PDF). Foundation Center. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  13. "Watchmen Not a Hate Group". Abiding Truth Ministries. November 7, 2007. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  14. Erik N. Jensen (January–April 2002). "The Pink Triangle and Political Consciousness: Gays, Lesbians, and the Memory of Nazi Persecution". Journal of the History of Sexuality. 11 (1/2): 319–349, pp. 322–323 and n. 19. doi:10.1353/sex.2002.0008.
  15. Dorthe Seifert (Fall 2003). "Between Silence and License: The Representation of the National Socialist Persecution of Homosexuality in Anglo-American Fiction and Film". History and Memory. 15 (2): 94–129, p. 94. doi:10.2979/HIS.2003.15.2.94.
  16. "The Other Side of the Pink Triangle: Still a Pink Triangle". October 24, 1994. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
  17. "A historian's analysis of The Pink Swastika, part 1". Wthrockmorton.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-16. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  18. "A historian's analysis of The Pink Swastika, part 2". Wthrockmorton.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-16. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  19. "Watchmen Not a Hate Group". Abiding Truth Ministries. 7 November 2007. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  20. "Shift in mission for religious firebrand – Antigay pastor refocuses on aiding Springfield". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  21. "A service of Abiding Truth Ministries". Defend the Family. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  22. Kaoma, Kapya (May 2012). "Exporting the Anti-Gay Movement". The American Prospect. 23 (4).
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