According to the group’s press release, this was done “as a result of Apple’s decision to remove an app in support of traditional marriage and pro-life from the iTunes store.”
Here is the rest of the National Organization for Marriage’s press release, verbatim:
The app was created by the Manhattan Declaration, an organization of Christians who support traditional marriage, life and religious liberty. The video, found here, called “The Iconic Steve Jobs” will be emailed to Christians across the country, including NOM’s own 800,000 supporters, as well as be widely distributed through social media.
“Steve Jobs built his reputation as an iconic marketer in the famous 1984 commercial for the MacIntosh computer in which Apple promises to take on ‘Big Brother’” said Brian Brown, president of NOM. “Jobs has made billions taking on ‘Big Brother’ yet the irony is that in refusing to allow citizens to support pro-life and traditional marriage positions he’s become the very ‘Big Brother’ he has decried.”
The Manhattan Declaration has been signed by nearly 500,000 Christians who pledge their support for pro-life, traditional marriage and religious liberty. Launched in Manhattan in November 2009, the Declaration – called “A Call of Christian Conscience” – enjoys the support of prominent Christian clergy, ministers and scholars. The app was developed to facilitate other Christians to sign the Declaration. The app was approved by Apple reviewers and rated 4 plus, certifying that it contains no offensive content. Despite this, Apple pulled the app from the iTunes store when gay marriage advocates mounted an online petition. An Apple spokesperson defended the action saying that the Christian app was “offensive to large groups of people.”
“Apple happily allows all kinds of apps for pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage groups, yet when Christians develop an app to support traditional marriage and life, it is called offensive and is pulled from the iTunes store,” Brown said. “What is offensive is that Steve Jobs has targeted Christians for discrimination and religious bigotry, censoring our basic right to speech. Steve Jobs has become Big Brother and we call on Christians across America to contact Jobs to express their outrage at his unfair, discriminatory decision. Apple should immediately restore the Manhattan Declaration app and apologize to all Christians for their actions.”
Source: National Organization for Marriage
MacDailyNews Take: We’re a little faklempt… Talk amongst yourselves… We’ll give you a topic. In the last U.S. presidential election, neither Biden nor McCain nor Obama nor Palin supported “same-sex marriage.” Discuss.
[Attribution: The Mac Observer. Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
If Apple is going to have sole control over the app market, it’s going to have to treat people even-handedly. There are apps from Planned Parenthood, apps supporting gay marriage – how come an app like this is any more “offensive” than those?
This is pure bias on Apple’s part, and might have far-reaching consequences.
MW: price, as in “Lack of bias is the PRICE you pay for control.”
The difference is that the gays etc. don’t tell the Christians that they can’t get married.
Fsck ’em. Theist bullies have had their time. Their sad delusions and claims for authority glow from superstitious nonsense.
…what did he do? He killed it!
Just like he killed all those babies. Steve Jobs…baby killer….
Give me a break, you crazy christian zealots! LOL
…oh yeah
and what about us atheists? When do we get a say?
Nobody’s telling anyone they can’t get married. Any man can marry any woman, and vice versa.
In case you didn’t notice, the parts don’t fit any other way.
We’ll I’ll say here what I had said at the TMO (The Mac Observer), where discussion on this issue took place earlier today.
I have carefully read that “Manhattan Declaration”. It is very, very carefully written to include noble, emotional language. Majority of it is in fact inspiring for every decent person, straight or gay. Here is the offending piece:
We acknowledge that there are those who are disposed towards homosexual and polyamorous conduct and relationships, just as there are those who are disposed towards other forms of immoral conduct (emphasis mine). (…) we pay tribute to the men and women who strive, often with little assistance, to resist the temptation to yield to desires that they, no less than we, regard as wayward. We stand with them, even when they falter. (…) We call on the entire Christian community to resist sexual immorality, and at the same time refrain from disdainful condemnation of those who yield to it. Our rejection of sin, though resolute, must never become the rejection of sinners. For every sinner, regardless of the sin, is loved by God, who seeks not our destruction but rather the conversion of our hearts.
And another paragraph, near the bottom of the Declaration:
…Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family.
By all common standards that define the concept of discrimination (as it is commonly interpreted today), the quoted text clearly discriminates against certain group by denying them certain rights and privileges the rest of the society has.
[Apologies about previous comment – finger malfunction]
@MacDaddy
Nobody’s telling anyone they can’t get married. Any man can marry any woman, and vice versa.
In case you didn’t notice, the parts don’t fit any other way.
Im glad he did that.. We are humans for f sakes. GO STEVE!!!
That’s just not true, whatever Steve thinks, Apple can not take a position on such an issue. Stop trying to suck him into your perspective
@Predrag
So because we support “traditional” morality (which, btw, BECAME tradition because it WORKS, long-term and in the general case), we’re discriminating because we profess, proclaim, and – as best we can – live our beliefs.
Yet those who call us bigots and haters are simply exercising their right of free speech, and are NOT discriminating against us – even though they’re doing PRECISELY what we’re doing, which is professing, proclaiming, and living their beliefs.
I don’t know that Steve had anything at all to do with this. Some pro-gay group just made a big deal about it. If the Manhattan people make a bigger deal (like maybe a commercial w/Steve as Big Brother), it’ll go backup.
I am married and, frankly, no one else’s marriage has an affect on ours. Talk about big government – telling people who to love is really the epitome.
These people want government to dictate the very fabric of how people live their lives and they are calling Jobs “big brother”? Motherfucker, please.
I agree, FSCK these guys. They are a bigoted hate group masquerading as a political action organization. NOM has vilified the gay community for years, pushing lies and distortions that have only fueled the fire of intolerance and hate.
Dinosaurs !
The App Store is Apple’s. They can sell or not sell whatever apps they want to sell. It’s that simple.
@emmayche
Let me clarify things for you. You are not solely “living your beliefs” when you try, through legislation and smear campaigns, to force YOUR beliefs on someone else. You are free to have your beliefs and I’m free to have mine, but you don’t see ME trying to deny you rights, full equality, and equal citizenship. When someone is intolerant of their oppressors they are not being intolerant, they are showing self respect. When a battered wife hates her husband and walks out the door, she is not being hateful.
So live your beliefs and let me live mine.
None of the other applications (in favour of same-sex marriages, for example) in any way promote selective discrimination (i.e. denial of certain universally-accepted human rights) against any one specific group.
Some hundred years ago, very many Christians were very passionate in their defense of anti-miscegenation laws. They argued with great conviction that unions between whites and blacks went against the core of their beliefs. It wasn’t until late 60s that the Americans finally completely eliminated those laws.
It wasn’t until the 40s that most churches in America begun abandoning their pro-segregation position. Further back, in 19th century, Southern Baptists had no issue with slavery and have passionately defended it at the time.
Religious dogma has always tended to lag far behind the rest of rational, progressive thinking. It might take Christianity a very long time to find ways to interpret their scripture in a way that would allow marriage to everyone. Until them, Christians will, most likely with the best of their intentions, continue to traipse all over other people’s basic rights.
I somehow think this is NOT what Jesus had in mind…
“Christians.” Sheesh.
DRMSSB
I second that remark. That about sums it up perfectly.
It’s ludicrous that they call Jobs Big Brother.. For what, not tolerating discrimantion against a minority? for believing in equality and human rights for all?
Apple has many gay employees including the company’s second in command, Tim Cook. Apple also supported No on prop 8 last year in California.
It takes a forward thinker to be a great leader.. Jobs is a forward thinker and a great leader, and not just when it comes to technology.. He is also helping to lead the way for equality and human rights.
Gay marriage is simply inevitable.. We are close, it will happen in our lifetime.
It simply can not remain legal to discriminate against two consenting adults who love each other and cause absolutely no harm to anyone or anything by marrying and forming a legal union.
Saying you support traditional marriage is essentially discrimination. Glad it was pulled.
@emmayche
More than 50% of marriages end in divorce (Christians included). Doesn’t work so well after all.
Perhaps if you pray hard enough, god will force Steve Jobs to put the app back in the store. Unless of course others pray harder to keep it out….
I’m getting rather tired of the whole “X company is trampling on our basic rights to free speech” thing. Last I checked, Apple was a private institution, NOT the government. They can approve or remove any apps they please, and have no obligation to uphold the free speech rights outlined in the Constitution.
Come back to me when appstore.gov removes your bigoted garbage.
(side note: go Steve! Thanks for using your powers for good.)
Enjoy a nice big cup of capitalism, haters.
i like how they didn’t even get his email address right.