“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.
I went ahead and carefully read the entire Declaration before coming back here to voice my comment (I doubt anyone above, strongly voicing their own opinion, did that).
The document is very carefully written. Huge effort was made to make sure the tone of it sounds as conciliatory as possible. However, in my reading of it, I couldn’t help but come away with very powerful discriminatory undertones. It tries hard not to, but repetitively succeeds in passing judgment on those who “live in sin”. I can very easily see how this document, as mellow as it was written to sound, would be deeply offensive to quite a few people. It unambiguously tells groups of people how their lifestyle “choices” are sinful and wrong. It continues on to patronisingly “embrace” them (“God loves everyone”), but never does it leave it to interpretation: sinners are clearly sinners, and sinners make them extremely uncomfortable.
There is only one reason for which an app with this specific content should be removed: it is obvious to me that such content can hurt many people.
In the end, the decision will hinge on the interpretation of the person who is to make it. My own reading of it was fairly unambiguous; others may not see what I saw.
@ montex: But then they will hypocritically accuse you of being hateful when you call them on their hate (see Halibut Clubber).
Conservatives are hilarious. They live for finding something to wet their pants over.
And to comment on Quotes from the Article:
Massive amount of the text of declaration was used to state universally positive ideas (support of family, helping disadvantaged, positive social values, etc). However, I couldn’t help but get the impression that all that positive text was no more than thick padding for the core of it, which was restriction of women’s choices and discrimination against a group of people with specific sexual preferences.
Keep in mind, the document was written by very high-ranking professors and Christian intellectuals.
Well, one the one hand I’m gay, so I should feel elated that my corner is being fought for. On the other hand though, I am a libertarian – so I really believe as I always have, that Apple has no place in deciding matters of content – what is or is not appropriate, what is or is not offensive etc.
I wholeheartedly support them in rejecting apps which are poorly put together, or pose a threat to the system, but I do take exception to them being judge of what is moral, or judge of offensiveness.
If I were to, for instance (as an atheist) come up with an app which systematically showed someone how to shoot down every religious argument there is, which would necessarily include content which the huge bulk of religious people might be confronted by, I think it should be available, and I’d hate to think it would be blocked.
MDN Magic word: feet, as in ‘vote with your feet people!’
“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.”
Paging Doctor Mengele…paging…nevermind.
Even though I can’t get worked up enough about this to care, I’m sure there will be pages of enlightened MDN commenters weighing in. Or something like that.
Can’t help but think about the Manhattan Project. Silly name this for a silly declaration based upon an even sillier collection of fairy tales and antiquated laws. Grow up and live in the present- that’s my declaration.
Is there a “Flying Spagetti Monster” app?
I tend to agree with you. But PLEASE NOTE that this was written by three CONSERVATIVE high ranking professors/intellectuals. There is a huge portion of intellectual Christianity that does not agree with the tenets proposed here. For example, look at what the Episcopal church in the US passed a few years ago
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_epis.htm
and what the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) just passed last year.
http://www.elca.org/Who-We-Are/Our-Three-Expressions/Churchwide-Organization/Communication-Services/News/Releases.aspx?a=4253
“Quotes”
@Macinfo
“whether you elect to believe it or not. They do not have to live that lifestyle.”
I have one question for you then… when did you choose to be straight? You’re honestly going to say that one day you sat down and though… hmm.. gay or straight?
“Apple has no place in deciding matters of content – what is or is not appropriate, what is or is not offensive etc.”
——————————-
Of course they have a right to decide what is appropriate for their very own store..
Apple are a very liberal company with many gay employees including Tim Cook, the company’s COO and second in command. Apple also donated 100k to the no H8 campaign in support of gay marriage last year.
If they feel that an app is discriminatory or harmful to segment of the population which many of their employees are a part of, they certainly have a right to pull or reject that app..
Apple has become the evil that everyone was afraid of with the App store, that is, deciding on content. Who’s to say that some other group will be offended by an app or a book or a song that I like and Apple will cowardly acquiesce to the politically correct. Man up, Steve!
Isn’t there a ‘Free Speech Zone’ they can go in, where the rest of us don’t have to endure their drivel?
That’s quite the Master Plan they’ve worked out for themselves.
My god is bigger than your god! He will kick your god’s puny little ass.
If god did exist, he would have far better ways of giving us his Rules than letting a backward bunch of goat-herders write them down for him, in some odd corner of the world.
Writing in the sky, maybe? So everyone can read it, simultaneously, even if their Hebrew is a bit shaky. Or maybe voices, or high-tech screens?
For an entity which could create the universe, the papyrus or parchment roll seems a little low-tech, frankly. Which is why I doubt its authenticity.
“a four-question poll on same sex marriage and abortion”
What on earth does abortion have to do with same sex?
For God so loved the world that he sent his only son that who ever believes in him shall not perish but have ever lasting life. John 3:16
That is a message that many of you think is a fairy tale as I did until it changed my life and made me “think different “
I found Predrag’s take pretty much my own. I believe it , the document, is anti gay, choice and freedom of being who you are. As for takeing it out of the App store, well, freedom of speech is a right, as is Apples decision, they are not stopping it’s desemination in other media, just the App store.
And for the record I don’t believe in Santa Clause either.
Does anyone actually give a fsck?
@ Macinfo
Absolute rubbish spoken by a person without the faintest clue on the subject.
I’m gay, I’m not anti-family – I came from and therefore have one after all.
You don’t choose your sexuality, it just is.
My right to fight for equal rights is not a quest for special rights.
I have the right to live without fear.
I have the right to live free of discrimination.
I have the right to love the consenting man I choose and yes, the right to marry the man I love.
These are not special rights but what every free citizen would expect. It’s just that gay citizens often do not have all these rights.
So obviously I support Apple banning fundamentalist religiopolitical hate speech dressed up as ‘enlightenment’.
Typical liberal mindset. There should be freedom of speech and expression, but only as long as that speech and expression is completely in line with the leftist agenda.
Nambla members make the same statements… This is how I was born. The nature nurture argument is unproven and shallow
Maybe these Manhattan Declaration people should rename their app The KKK App?
if everyone agrees on this- ( which I doubt ) then why do they need the app
Ya and hetro marriage is a wonderful example? When half of all marriages fail, most child molesters are white hetero males, the xtian right fsckin wingers force women into carrying babies even if she were raped or molested. Btw seems that most problems are caused by straight people, VD included. But no u pick n choose bcause of ur hatred and wanting to keep certain classes of people down. Xtians are the scourge NOT women n gays, so shove ur gospel