TEXT OF SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONFERENCE "DISNEY" RESOLUTION

Passed on 1996-JUN-12 by an overwhelming vote of the delegates

• WHEREAS, Southern Baptists and their children have for many decades enjoyed and trusted the Disney Co.'s television programming, feature-length films and theme parks which have reinforced basic American virtues and values; and
• WHEREAS, The virtues promoted by Disney have contributed to the development of a generation of Americans who have come to expect and demand high levels of moral and virtuous leadership from the Disney Co.; and
• WHEREAS, In recent years, the Disney Co. has given the appearance that the promotion of homosexuality is more important than its historic commitment to traditional family values and has taken a direction which is contrary to its previous commitment; and
• WHEREAS, In recent years, we have watched the world's largest family entertainment company with growing disappointment as Disney Co.'s moral leadership has been eroded by a variety of corporate decisions, which have included but are not limited to:
  1. Establishing of an employee policy which accepts and embraces homosexual relationships for the purpose of insurance benefits;
  2. Hosting of homosexual and lesbian theme nights at its parks;
  3. Choosing of a convicted child molester to direct the Disney movie Powder through its subsidiary Miramax Productions;
  4. Publishing of a book aimed at teenage homosexuals entitled Growing Up Gay: From Left Out to Coming Out through its subsidiary Hyperion, connecting Disney to the promotion of the homosexual agenda;
  5. Producing, through its subsidiary corporations, objectionable material such as the film Priest which disparages Christian values and depicts Christian leaders as morally defective;
• WHEREAS, These and other corporate decisions and actions represent a significant departure from Disney's family-values image, and a gratuitous insult to Christians and others who have long supported Disney and contributed to its corporate profits; and
• WHEREAS, Previous efforts to communicate these concerns to the Disney Co. have been fruitless; and
• WHEREAS, Boycotts are a legitimate method for communicating moral convictions;

• BE IT RESOLVED, We as Southern Baptist messengers meeting in annual session on June 11-13, 1996, go on record expressing our deep disappointments for these corporate actions by the Disney Co.; and
• BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we affirm the employees of the Disney Co. who embrace and share our concerns; and
• BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we encourage Southern Baptists to give serious and prayerful reconsideration to their purchase and support of Disney products and to boycott the Disney theme parks and stores if they continue this anti-Christian and anti-family trend;
• BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we encourage the Christian Life Commission to monitor Disney's progress in returning to its previous philosophy of producing enriching family entertainment; and
• BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we encourage state Baptist papers and national Southern Baptist publications to assist in informing the Southern Baptist family of these issues; and
• FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Convention requests the Executive Committee to send a copy of this resolution to Michael Eisner, CEO of the Disney Co., and to encourage the Southern Baptist family to support this resolution with our purchasing power, letters and influence.

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