#4
Challenging the Christian Right The Activist's Handbook
There were originally posted at
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
as Msg #1763
Challenging the Christian Right
The Activist's Handbook
Frederick Clarkson & Skipp Porteous
To go along with the "What others are doing" thread I am offering some
posts from the above workbook.
The workbook is dated a bit since it was published in the 90s but
there would still be worthwhile things in it that I can post that
might trigger some discussions and give others ideas for things they
might do in their own particular areas, as well as give us ideas for
things to try in this area.
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WHAT TO DO
The first thing to do is to find other people who are concerned about
the Christian Right with whom you can work, preferably people that you
know well.
Second is for you and/or your group to get educated, so you have a
more or less common understanding of what's going on. Share
interesting news clips and magazine articles. Become conversant with
the main players, institutions, and tactics of the Christian Right,
locally and nationally. Keep good files. You will probably find that
the various organizations of the Christian Right intersect and that
they usually (but not always) work closely together. (Forming a study
group can be a good way to begin.)
Third, subscribe to The Freedom Writer and Church & State magazine for
ongoing political coverage of theocratic political movements. Contact
the various research groups listed in this handbook and be sure to
sample their publications.
[ The Freedom Writer no longer exists. Church & State is the members
Magizine put out 11 months a year by Americans United. ]
What happens after this depends on who you are and why you are
concerned about the theocratic Christian Right. Obviously, mainstream
Republicans, who find that their local party structure has been taken
over by the Christian Right, will probably have different interests
than a gay rights group, or defenders of the public schools. However,
there is no reason why
alliances cannot be built among people of diverse interests. Other
likely allies might include mainstream churches and synagogues,
non-traditional religious groups, Planned Parenthood or other pro
choice groups, women's organizations such as the National Organization
for Women, arts and arts advocacy groups - and many more.
The articles enclosed in the handbook provide an overview of what's
going on around the country, and can used as the basis of your own
education packet for the press or the general public.
One useful book of action suggestions is 50 Ways to Fight
Censorship & Important Facts to Know About the Censors by Dave
Marsh, which contains action suggestions appropriate for more than
just anti-censorship work. (See "Useful Books" section.)
[ I have this book if I can find it for anyone ho would like to borrow
it ]
MEDIA POWER
Whatever your interest, since the Christian Right's key to success is
its stealth tactics, and slipping quietly into power, it becomes
important to peel back the layers of deception, and to alert people to
the significance of these new political phenomena. Naturally a key to
both finding out what's going on, and getting information to large
numbers of people, is the media. However it will probably be necessary
for you to become well informed yourself, before you will be able to
persuade reporters to delve into this. It is usually (but not always!)
the case that political reporters neither understand, nor report well
on, religion. Similarly, religion reporters don't usually report well
on politics. Some media outlets are also reluctant to get into certain
areas of controversy, particularly if powerful local interests are
involved. So be prepared, and think through who you are going to
approach, and how you are going to
approach them. The media have generally been more responsive
since the televised spectacle of the 1992 Republican National
Convention - which seems to have served as a national wake-up call
about the dangers of the Christian Right. Nevertheless, awake is not
necessarily well informed, nor necessarily responsible, courageous,
and serving the public interest.
It is likely that whoever the leaders of the local Christian Right
are, they have a track record. There is likely to be more information
about them locally than you might think, including in the local
newspaper and the library. If you need help in getting started, some
of the groups listed in this book may be able to direct you to other
sources of information or activist groups.
PLACE BOOKS
One project that almost anyone can do with some time and a small
budget, is to get books and magazines (such as those mentioned in this
handbook) about the Christian Right into local and college libraries
where reporters, students, and activists can use them. The cumulative
impact of making books available in this way can be large. Similarly,
if you have, or are forming a group to research or oppose the
Religious Right, bookstores might want to stock some of the books
mentioned in this handbook, since local interest is being generated.
START A NEWSLETTER
Another effective project is to start a newsletter. Both the
Mainstream Voters Project of San Diego, California and the Citizens
Project of Colorado Springs, Colorado, publish newsletters for ongoing
information and analysis of the political activities of the local and
regional theocrats. (See "Resource" section of this handbook.) A
newsletter ensures that with or without the newspapers, theinformation
and analysis you think is important gets out to people who need it,
and helps to shape the thinking of the political community. This is
particularly important if the local press is reluctant to cover the
story on an ongoing basis. There is another form of media that might
work as a forum for the expression of a variety of
democratic values from your community. And that is public access
television. The beauty of this is that it is generally doable at low
to no cost. There may already be locally produced shows that would
dovetail nicely with efforts to challenge the Christian Right. If you
have difficulty locating community access cable centers, contact the
Alliance for Community Media, 666 11th Street NW, Suite 806,
Washington, DC 20001-4542. (202) 393-2650.
http://www.alliancecm.org/
RESULTS
As we have written elsewhere in this handbook, if the majority across
the political spectrum becomes well informed about who the Christian
Right is, the nature of its agenda, and how it operates, its
significance will diminish, but it will not go away.
CHALLENGING THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT THE ACTIVIST'S HANDBOOK 107 - 109
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You are invited to check out the following:
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and the discussion group for the above site listed below]
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members]
For people in Hampton Roads you are also invited to join
NORFOLK/VA. B. SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE MEETUP GROUP
http://churchandstate.meetup.com/47/
Virginia Chapter Americans United for Separation of Church and State
http://au-va.org/
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.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
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THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
"Dedicated to combatting 'history by sound bite'."
Now including a re-publication of Tom Peters
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE HOME PAGE
and
Audio links to Supreme Court oral arguments and
Speech by civil rights/constitutional lawyer and others.
This site is a member of the following web rings:
Freethought Ring--&--Freethought, Religion & Beliefs Ring
The First Amendment Ring--&--The Church-State Ring
American History WebRing--&--The History Ring
Let Freedom Ring--&--Religious Freedom Ring
Law Issues Ring--&--Legal Research Ring
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