“The Manhattan Declaration is an over 4,000-word statement of beliefs signed by over 400,000 people described as ‘a call to Christian conscience’ crafted in 2009. The app version, which includes a four-question poll on same sex marriage and abortion, launched in mid-October,” Martinelli reports. “A spokesperson for the Christian organization told the Daily Caller that the group is appealing Apple’s decision. ‘We’re making the argument that if [Jobs] would take a look at the Manhattan Declaration himself, he’d see it’s not written with any rancor. It’s written on a very even keel..] It’s just appealing to things that people want to come together on, that millions of Americans agree on.'”
Full article here.
Billy Atwell blogs for The Manhattan Declartation, “There are moments in non-profit work, if your goal is to spark social change, when you feel comfortable knowing that your methods are effective. One of those moments is when your radicalized opponents lambast you as homophobic, anti-choice, anti-woman, or something similar. I do not find comfort in these words, or find them in any way accurate, but appreciate that the message of truth is at least reaching their ears.”
“The Manhattan Declaration iPhone application was released October 14, 2010 as a resource to our loyal supporters,” Atwell writes. “But to a radicalized blog dedicated to promoting abortion, denigrating the dignity of women and the unborn, and supporting unnatural unions, this application is the scourge of human existence. What does that tell me? It tells me that we’re doing something right.”
Full article here.
The Manhattan declaration can be read in full here.
Nuke a gay whale for Jesus!
“…It’s just appealing to things that people want to come together on, that millions of Americans agree on.'”
Just because millions of Americans agree with hate speech doesn’t make it right. Lots of Germans agree with the Nazi’s.
iCulture War.
As a country, let’s get beyond this.
If MILLIONS of Americans already agree on it then why do they need the Manhattan Declaration?
” We act together in obedience to the one true God, the triune God”
Well, right there they’ve cut their own throats. They can’t even really get started before they insists their religious tradition is the only religious tradition that matters and their god is the only real god. The rest is demagoguery disguised as pious appeals to their twisted form of reason. The sooner the US discards these bigots and crazies, the better.
So no, fsck em’. It’s all childish prattle based on fairy tales and lies. Religion poisons everything, especially when religious twats want to lay claim to freedoms and rights that are purely secular in nature, and where hard won in spite of religious authority.
Get your own pulpit!
Religious nonsense has no place in the app store
while millions of Americans may agree, far to many ignore that a minority of people, with a lifestyle that many do not care for are dictating to the majority what should be said, and receive preferential treatment. These people have a choice.. whether you elect to believe it or not. They do not have to live that lifestyle..
Liberals (or “Progressives” or whatever name the socialists are cloaking themselves under this week) are all for free speech as long as it’s exactly what they want to hear. Otherwise, they’re all for censorship, suppression, and worse.
You probably won’t read anything more factual anywhere for quite some time, especially not in the rest of this thread.
WWJD
@MacInfo….you really need to do educate yourself….
Can you say free publicity ala greenpiece( intentional). Anti- female, anti-gay, anti-choice went away long before Apple removed floppy drives. Good for Apple for standing up to thes freaks
What a wonderful world it would be if religion would just realize it has become an arcane, unnecessary, and regressive existence, defined by profoundly immature philosophical and speculative concepts built eons and eons ago upon the superstitions and fears of neanderthals.
To me, refusing to allow religious nuts to shove their lies on other people is no more wrong than telling leprechauns they can’t sell pots of gold at the end of rainbows. Censorship, as a concept, applies more generally and appropriately to government. Self-censorship, which applies to Apple, is perfectly acceptable. I wish more religious people would practice it, honestly. Perhaps, to avoid controversy, Apple could add this app to the comic or fiction section of iBooks. Or to the next to Pocket God (which I love) in the Games section of the App Store.
It’s an app that isn’t violating Apple’s Terms. Leave it in the app store.
If someone doesn’t like it, they don’t have to install it or they can delete it.
Freedom of Choice people. Quit catering to the whiners.
As a gay Apple customer and fan, thank you Apple.
Wow! After reading all these vitriolic comments, it seems obvious who the real haters are.
Censoring your opponents views, words and ideas doesn’t further your cause. It only makes you look intolerant. Debate your opponents using facts, statistics and reason…unless you can’t; then just call them names.
Them people ain’t Christians. What part of love one another don’t they understand?
I think George Takai said it best:
“You’re a douche bag”
There are intelligent, educated people who are Christians. Christianity does not equal stupidity nor ignorance. Whatever your basic position is on these issues, if you’ve given it sufficient thought and educated yourself your position will be nuanced. It is the stupid and ignorant who paint in black and white with a broad brush on either side of each of these issues.
These are moral questions. There are no easy answers whether you are a Christian or not.
“whether you elect to believe it or not. They do not have to live that lifestyle.”
————————
I suppose it’s easy for a heterosexual to say that a gay person has a choice to deny themselves their very own nature and to live a hetersexual lifestyle. But as a gay man, I can assure you that being gay is not a choice.
And whether you elect to believe it or not, you do not have to live a lifestyle that disregards my lifestyle.
“I like your Christ.
I do not like your Christians.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
— Mohandas Gandhi
The app in question is not embedded into the iOS. Apple taking it down just shows that their political agenda is far greater than their desire to make money. In this case, I wish they were more greedy for money than moral power, but it appears they’re going for both.
I find many apps on the app store offensive, yet they remain available for download. I simply choose not to download and use them. Why can this app not also be ignored if it does not reflect someone’s values or sense of morality, fairness, or justice?
Hallibut Clubber, you are spot-on with your observation.
It amazes me that christians will do everything they can to stigmatize and discriminate against gays in any way they possibly can, but then turn around and claim their actions are not hateful. Hope Apple doesn’t cave.
@Billy Bob Buddha – right on bro!
Quotes to think about.
1. A culture of death inevitably cheapens life in all its stages and conditions by promoting the belief that lives that are imperfect, immature or inconvenient are discardable.
2.To strengthen families, we must stop glamorizing promiscuity and infidelity and restore among our people a sense of the profound beauty, mystery, and holiness of faithful marital love.
3. In recent decades a growing body of case law has paralleled the decline in respect for religious values in the media, the academy and political leadership, resulting in restrictions on the free exercise of religion. We view this as an ominous development, not only because of its threat to the individual liberty guaranteed to every person, regardless of his or her faith, but because the trend also threatens the common welfare and the culture of freedom on which our system of republican government is founded.
I do not agree with the Manhattan Declaration. However, that there is a group that is so passionate (and frankly, diplomatic) about these issues concerning life, justice and the state of the world is a GOOD thing I think. I mean, come on. It doesn’t take a genius to see that the “family” is in a death spiral in this country. And please note, the whole gay marriage issue is 1/3 of what they’re addressing. Really, at the root of it all, they’re concerned with what they see as the destabilization and destruction of family/community.
There is a lot more here than a theology you may or may not agree with. Even if you are not a person of faith, you have to appreciate their desire to better society. You may be pro-choice, or pro-gay marriages or anti-religion, or whatever but we can all agree that increasing poverty, violence and dysfunctional families and decreasing educational opportunities and jobs is a bad situation. If you don’t believe that “religion” is the answer then join a different group that is working to improve communities.