August 30, 2010 09:58 PM UTC

First SpongeBob, Now Bullying-Prevention: Focus on the Family Attacks!

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• by: Colorado Pols

Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family was back in the news over the weekend, and not for a good reason. You’d think they would have learned their lesson after their silly accusation that SpongeBob SquarePants was trying to turn kids into homosexuals was widely mocked…but apparently not.

From The Associated Press:

The conservative Christian group Focus on the Family is accusing national gay advocacy groups of using bullying-prevention initiatives at public schools to introduce the viewpoint that homosexuality is normal.

Focus on the Family education expert Candi Cushman told The Denver Post in Saturday’s editions that the Christian group supports bullying prevention but that the issue “is being hijacked by activists.”

“We feel more and more that activists are being deceptive in using anti-bullying rhetoric to introduce their viewpoints, while the viewpoint of Christian students and parents are increasingly belittled,” Cushman said. The Colorado Springs-based group said conservative Christians are portrayed as bigots for their opposing viewpoints, while public schools increasingly teach students that homosexuality should be accepted.

So…is Focus on the Family saying that it’s okay to bully homosexuals? What about targeting kids who wear SpongeBob SquarePants backpacks? Is it cool to bully them, since they must be on the road to turning gay anyway?

As far as we can tell anti-bullying messaging has always been about stopping bullying in schools period — regardless of the reason behind it. It’s more than a bit ironic that in this latest tirade, Focus on the Family just comes off as, well, one big bully.