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ratliff

NAACP Leader Resigns Over Gay Marriage Support

The NAACP may support gay marriage, but that doesn’t mean all its leaders do.

In fact, the Rev. Keith Ratliff, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Iowa-Nebraska conference and pastor of Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church in Des Moines, Iowa, has resigned from the organization "due to the NAACP’s position and support of same-sex marriage."

The NAACP released a resolution on May 19 supporting marriage equality. At a meeting of the 103-year old civil rights group’s board of directors, the organization voted to support marriage equality as a continuation of its historic commitment to equal protection under the law.

"I want to thank the NAACP for the privilege to humbly serve in such an organization and thank all those I had the privilege to work with in the states of Iowa, Nebraska and throughout the country," Ratliff in a statement.

President Obama announced in May that he believes same-sex couples should be allowed to get married, setting off a firestorm of criticism in the African-American church community.

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  • drmdellis

    God bless Pastor Ratliff. Three Hebrew children refused to bow down even when an entire Kingdom bowed down to a wicked King. But in the fire they found themself protected and walking in the present of the Lord. I am so thankful for pastors who will not bow down and for the few men we still have in Congress who are statesmen and not polititions.

  • http://www.sargee5.blogspot.com The Watchman

    Bravo Rev. Ratliff on sticking to your Christian principles!!!

    • Evermyrtle

      I can only honor you for your stand because it had to take a lot of courage to stand your ground and give such a prestigious job. and standing against all of the homosexual activity.. They will look down on you and try to make you pay. Don't worry they looked down on JESUS and HE did not falter in HIS stand for what GOD sent HIM to do and paid with HIS LIFE. for HIS choices.

    • Telling' It Straight

      Hate is a Christian principal? I think we get our bibles at different stores.

      • Ken

        Or else you simply haven't read what the Bible has to say on the subject, or have read it and chosen not to believe it.

        And I wasn't aware that disapproval and hatred are equivalent….where is the hatred in Ratliff's statement?

      • http://rationalresponses.blogspot.com/ Jeff Dixon

        If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26

        Your bible must not contain this verse then.

        • Vladimir

          "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Does that help you understand Luke better, Jeff Dixon? The scriptures must be so confusing to atheists. If I were a confirmed atheist, I wouldn't even try. It would be like trying to disassemble a car engine without tools.

          • http://rationalresponses.blogspot.com/ Jeff Dixon

            Loving someone more is not the same as hating someone. The scriptures are not hard to understand, although Christians have been killing each other over the meaning for centuries.

  • SATCitizen

    Thank you Pastor Ratliff for not bowing down to the faux god. . .it's unfortunate that many willing to compromise and fortunate that there are still Godly men like you standing firm. Thank you for standing with your convictions and principles and not waivering to political correctness. May God continue to bless you for this courageos stand.

    • Telling' It Straight

      Are you people for real? Shame on you. I say If he hurries on out quickly, the door want hit him on the way out.

  • great-grandma

    There is only one correct answer to the question: Should we serve God or man? Pastor Ratliff got it right. Wish there were more with his wisdom.

    Unfortunately, with Planned Parenthood, our black sisters and brothers have been willing participants in their own genocide. When I was a girl, blacks were about 25% of the population. A few years after Roe v. Wade I heard they were 15%. The most recent statistic I heard places them at 11%. It makes me want to cry.

    • Telling' It Straight

      So let me get this um…straight: you're equating your wish to perpetuate a bigoted, unequal stance against one community, to the abortion rates in your own community? Bizarre sister, truly.

      • The Toddibear

        What it looks like, is that she is showing how our unwitting willingness to live in rebellion to scripture based on popular culture is leading to our demise on all fronts. We act as if our stance against abortion and our disagreement with homosexualism (not, homosexuality, that's different – One is a personal choice, the other is a political movement) should be addressed in the context of popularity. Her question was, Do we serve God or Man? Your response is to indicate confusion about the question, lack of understanding regarding the answer, and disdain for anyone with the audacity to ask. Let me clear it up for you. Her bigoted, unequal stance, is biblical. Popular or not, it is what God requires. It is not directed at a community, it is entirely self-directed. Our faith does not teach us that we are to mistreat homosexuals, but that they are not to be emulated. Your idea is to conclude that my enjoyment of Al Pacino's portrayal as Scarface should not be misconstrued as a desire on my part to become the worlds biggest cocaine dealer. Incorrect conclusion given the evidence presented. The abortion rates in her community are driven by a long term pervasive attempt by racist to eliminate blacks in America. This is not some rampant conspiracy theory, it is documented. The Executive Members of the American Eugenics Society were all director of the American Birth Control League when it changed its name. Look it up. It all started because someone wanted to commit a sin, and instead of being stopped from doing it, were allowed to sell it to you as your own idea. Rebellion against scripture has costs. Long term, far reaching, multiple target striking costs. And by the time you realize it, you are older, wiser, and truly saddened, to watch the next generation drown in the muck and mire of your mistakes, simply because you didn't realize the long term implications. I weep for the future. Telling It Straight? Not so much. The Apostle Paul told it straight, you might want to check with him before drawing your line in the sand.

  • Kalev

    Why are there not more resigning? Hypocrisy is rank in the NAACP.

    • Telling' It Straight

      Are you in the NAACP? Cause there's a whole lot of hypocrisy all up in your head.

      • http://zionica.com Steven

        Are you black cause there is nothing all up in your head….

  • pcsrocky

    Pastor Ratliff deserves to be praised highly by his congregation. Now if only people of other religions would stand up with as much strength of conviction. Do people not realize that gays do NOT promote family building? How can they? Unless they adopt or use atificial means they can't have children! How do you have a family without children? How do you get children without BOTH sexes beinginvolved? Does the NAACP not realize they are killing their own people with gay marriage and abortion? For such "smart" people, why are they so dumb on basic truths?

    • Telling' It Straight

      Say what? Put down the crazy pills.

      • http://zionica.com Steven

        Say what?Put down the rocks…..

  • Stephen

    I don't know. I have read were members of the NAACP have gone both ways on this issue. It just depends on who you are pointing fingers at. I do know of 2 or 3 blacks who have left the NAACP after getting save.

    • Evermyrtle

      In this issue the NAACP is like most other groups some believe in it, others can see that it is evil and a great honor to be able to stand against it.

      • Stephen

        True

      • Telling' It Straight

        Blind hate and willfully ignorance, not town room perverting the lord's words to justify your own hateful, backward attitudes…now THAT'S evil.

  • keyboardshark

    Or as Rush says, the NAALCP, the National Association of Liberal Colored People. If you think about it, the idea of having a race-based group that claims to speak for everyone with a certain skin color simply because of their race is utterly ludicrous. I happen to be white, and I would be insulted if there were a group that claimed to speak for me simply because of my skin color. All persons with black skin are no more monolithic in their views and ideas than are all people with white skin.

    Just because the NAALCP supports gay marriage does not mean that all black persons support it. My hat is off to those who will leave this corrupt organization because of their hard left, anti-biblical stance on many issues. In fact, the whole organization should be disbanded because of its racist underpinnings.

    • Glen S

      Yes, Rush is a fine example of Christian values and should be held up as a shining star of the Christian faith. (Sarcasm is intended.) Seriously, the individuals some Christians hold up as examples of our faith is astounding and disappointing.

      • keyboardshark

        Who said I was holding Rush up as "a shining star of the Christian faith"? I was simply quoting his (accurate) portrayal of the NAACP as a liberal organization, using his renaming of it as the NAALCP. Not sure where you got the idea I was "holding him up as an example of our faith". You are reading waaaay too much into my post.

        • Glen S

          Simple deductive reasoning. By quoting a source for any specific topic that indicates that you trust the source for that particular area. Using Rush Limbaugh as a source in a discussion of marriage is like asking an evolutionist to comment on the merits of Intelligent Design.

          Never mind that like most political talk show hosts, Rush has an opinion about many areas for which he is ill qualified to comment.

          • Wayne

            Where in the world do you get the idea that a person, any person can not make accurate statements? I could reference statements from Hitler that were absolutely accurate, but your disdain would not allow you to hear the truth that underlies it? That is prejudice of the first degree, and I reject it. You would do well to listen to all sources and grasp for the truth within whether or not you agree with all of the rest of a persons' belief system.. And indeed, the NAACP is tailored for the liberal at heart just as Rush says. I think Rush is well qualified to make a judgement call concerning politics and liberalism. That is what he studies daily, current politics and events. I would say Rush is better qualified than 99% of the politicians in office today to make judgement calls concerning political organizations like the NAACP.

          • keyboardshark

            You are going way beyond "deductive reasoning". Here is exactly what I said: "Or as Rush says, the NAALCP, the National Association of Liberal Colored People." Where do you see any mention of me upholding him as some kind of Christian icon? I simply mentioned his name once, and you go off the deep end about how I am proclaiming him to be a shining example of Christianity, when I said nothing even resembling that.

            I understand why liberals don't like Rush–he hits them with many inconvenient truths, and since they cannot refute him with facts, their only recourse is to attack him personally. I understand perfectly. All I have to do is simply mention his name, which is all I did, and voila! an irrational reaction.

        • Evermyrtle

          Don't let it bother you, they do not want to see the truth and in such a case it is useless to try to show them the truth. In many people the following statement is true,"everybody has to have somebody to look down on"! I don't understand it it seem s to be true, very often.

      • Telling' It Straight

        Amen

        • http://zionica.com Steven

          All your trash talk and you say amen…..

    • Telling' It Straight

      See? White people can be ignorant #%@&!s too. Amen for equality!

      • keyboardshark

        Telling\' It Straight says: "See? White people can be ignorant #%@&!s too."

        A person can be either ignorant or learned regardless of their skin color. A person should be judged on their merits, not their skin color. The color of their skin does not determine the contents of their mind, which was my point.

      • http://zionica.com Steven

        White people can choose to be ignorant, but you are born to be ignorant!!!

        • Evermyrtle

          Evidently your were, too, because you are not willing to allow others to have a chance to make their own mistakes, like you have the right to make yours, no matter what color you may be.

    • Telling' It Straight

      Limbaugh's first, second, third, and fourth wives were unavailable for comments about his righteous stance on the sanctity of marriage.

      • keyboardshark

        Wow, all I have to do is say the word "Rush" and like magic the predictable personal attacks come out of the woodwork.

      • Evermyrtle

        I thought this was about Keith Ratliff, how did Limbaugh's sins get into it.

    • Evermyrtle

      You are right, I don't want to bear the sin of all white people and I don't want the white race to take the blame for what I do, because I don't do anything because I am white but because I am a Christian and with that I miss the mark badly, at times. But blame me for what I do, nobody else.

  • jim

    our prayers are with you on this strong stand with scriptiural and Biblical standards. I am hoping that other Christian people can and will have the courage,stamina, and will-power to follow your decision and will likewise follow your example. Again, my prayers are with you and with God's help may WE help our brother in Christ follow through with this coruageous stand.

  • DavidE

    Well done Rev. Keith Ratliff! Finally, someone who will lead be example.

  • The Toddibear

    Digging past the drivel of personal attacks and all mentions of Mr. Limbaugh as they are so polarizing nobody hears the rest of the story….

    Back to the issue at hand. What actions are we personally taking?

    It is a difficult tightrope to walk when one attempts to rebuke anyone in love. Married people have a difficult enough time trying to find teachable moments with their spouses when one or the other runs afoul of scriptural understanding. Now we have strangers trying to rebuke a group of people who are not interested in their faith and beliefs to begin with.

    Our country was thrilled at the invention of the birth control pill, we flocked to movies with graphic sexuality and we openly accepted homosexuality into American culture. We invited the sexual revolution, and nobody won. We ALL lost. Now we find ourselves at a precipice of spiritual decision making. We have reached a fork in the road where we will need to make a choice to either choose to side WITH God, or AGAINST God. We were warned about walking with sin and standing with sin. We were told how we would essentially sit with sin, and get comfy. Less than 1 century ago, children out of wedlock were a tragedy, not a commonality. Less than fifty years ago, the idea of killing a child in its mothers womb was considered grotesque. Less than 25 years ago, homosexual was a word used to describe a very small group of people who wanted nothing more than the live freely in the society they were born into,

    So go ahead…let's keep giving in to every special interest sin that pops along. But when do we stop?

    When the man-boy-love contingent wants it to be legal to molest your thirteen year old son?
    When men start marrying men and women start marrying women to bypass immigration laws?
    When certain religious groups challenge the 1-to-1 ratio on the basis of the challenge to the gender argument in order to legalize polygamy?
    When Christians are banned from fostering children in a loving environment because they refuse to teach "Gay is Godly"?

    Go ahead…make fun.

    Each of those four examples is pulled from a European newspaper where this is already happening. It is Prague where the Man-Boy-Love group is trying to legalize sex with young boys. Mexico is reporting the increase is homosexual marriage interest in Latinos, incommensurate with the actual size of the Latino homosexual community. Certain groups in Eastern Europe are using this change in the definition to argue for polygamy (thus making the continued misuse of women even more systemic – wives being unable to testify against husbands), and the family no longer allowed to care for children due to their faith lives in England.

    We need to keep doing what we have always done. We need to teach our children what is right, even when it is not popular. We need to raise our children to be salt and light. We need to continue to be the example of what we want our children to be when they grow up.

    Our parents apparently failed miserably, because all our generations wants is its hedonistic desires filled as soon as humanly possible. But we know better. We have learned from their mistakes. We can raise our children to know better. No matter how bad one group of special interest raconteurs screw up America, the rest of us can always fix it again.

    Remember…prohibition passed by a very large majority….but not as large of a majority as its repeal.

    And we will never go thirsty…again.

  • http://zionica.com Steven

    You mean to tell me that colored people are the same as african americans?…..Do these people really know who they are???Looks like they use a play on words to get a pay on words!!!!

  • http://zionica.com Steven

    Even if he resigns, it doesn't so me much about him or his Association…..neither one means squat about anything….much like all the black associations!!

    • Evermyrtle

      How in heaven's name can you say such a mean thing? You have no idea what this man is, unless you know him personally and know that he is an unrepentant sinner. I am sure he is glad that you are not GOD, because everyone of us is given the right to repent for our sins and it is necessary for every ne to repent because we are all sinners.

      If you say you have no sin, you lie, and the truth is not in you.

      Romans 2:1 Therefore your are inexcusable, O man, whosoever you are that judge: for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you that judge does the same thing.

  • MontieR

    Anyone calling them self a pastor man of god or reverend that condones homosexuality is an outright fraud and a liar. Anyone who has read the bible knows full well that the word condemns the act as an abomination. Love the sinner HATE the sin.
    These people were referred to in the bible as FALSE prophets.

  • Evermyrtle

    There are blacks who are true Christians, there are blacks that are Christians in name only, there are blacks that do not claim to be Christians, and there are blacks that are anti-GOD, anti-JESUS CHRIST. The fact is of the matter is, that you can find white people in every one of these groups. Blacks are not responsible, by any means for all in these groups.

    If you have a black friend you have a friend for live, can you say the same thing about the white race.

    Romans 2:1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man whosoever you are that judge: for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you that judge do the same things.

    There is an old saying that fits this: Clean up around your own front door before you start on another's to clean.

    It is so sad black is still a dirty word to many when it is connected to people. Instead of believing in getting right wit GOD we just love to sling mud at others.