What’s Wrong For America Is The Christian Right
By Joseph Alberghini
This article has nothing to do with the Christian faith. It has everything
to do with the un-American religious right which has appropriated the word
“Christian” to mask the unmoral ambitions of its leaders; a Christian
practice centuries old. To the detriment of the believer, this mask, over
the centuries, has become the face in many cases. And nowhere in the world
is that more apparent than in the United States today.
“How very profitable this fable of Christ has been to us through the
ages.” These words by Pope Leo X (1513-1531) to his Secretary of State,
Pietro Bembo, a Venetian scholar who was quoting from the Gospel.
Times have not changed so much. Today, slick, high living TV evangelists,
and a surprising number of unpatriotic organizations and personalities
pervade certain sectors of our government as well as our political and
private lives with such nonsense as “God’s plan” and the Catholic need to
control man’s “sinful nature.” But God’s plan and man’s nature have nothing
to do with it.
What it does have to do with is power and big bucks that come through the
manipulation of those unwitting souls prone to swallow such rubbish. From a
1996 survey of the religious right, as much as 14% of the American
population are among these unwary souls. That is not an insignificant
number.
This religious right, exclusively Christian, gives rise to a Christian
nationalism which proclaims that “America’s political troubles can be
alleviated by bringing Christianity into the government” and “having the
state become the partner of the church in carrying out God’s plan.”
Whoa! Wait a minute. What that demonstrates is a colossal ignorance, not
only of the Bible, but of the history of western civilization. Worse, it’s a
total disregard for the American Constitution. Moreover, any observer of
affairs in the Middle East will note how “God’s plan” for the Jews, a plan
God revealed to Abraham 3,500 years ago is working out. It doesn’t take long
to get the picture.
Christians have been living by a creed of violence and betrayal since
Jesus himself was betrayed by one of his own 2,000 years ago. In Ireland
today, Christians kill Christian for political reasons. Hitler was a
Christian with a plan, as was David Koresh, and the minions of the
Inquisition. The 16th century Franciscan monk Diego de Landa destroyed
witness to the pagan Maya civilization by senselessly burning its priceless
art objects and manuscripts, all for God’s plan.
Today we report the violence of the Christian anti-abortionists, the Ku
Klux Klan, the exclusive “born agains” who call Christians of different
persuasion people of the “other world.” To what end, God’s promise of
Paradise? If His promise of Paradise is anything like His promise of land to
the Jews 3,500 years ago, wouldn’t you have second thoughts about His word?
If it hadn’t been for the English in 1944, those descendants of Abraham
would still be living in Diaspora.
It’s doubtful that any of these leaders of the Christian right are
adherents of any article of Christian faith, biblical or otherwise, that
inspires them to implement “God’s plan.” What does inspire them are the
books of their multi-million dollar enterprises, the power base not only for
political influence peddling, but for expanding their realms: Old wine in
new bottles.
THE HORRORS OF CHRISTIAN POWER
Regrettably, Christianity, whatever its stripe, has been inextricably
woven into the fabric of western civilization with a convenient disregard
for the unholy realities on which it was built. Centuries before the
holocausts wrought by the infamous and largely unsuccessful Crusades of the
Middle Ages, Rome, the seat of early Christendom under the aegis of Catholic
popes, was a sink hole of corruption, moral depravity, greed for material
wealth and political power at any price. The Crusades saw the wholesale
slaughter, Pillage and rape of the infidel and his lands.
Closer to home were the pogroms for those who refused to convert, the
horrific deeds of the Inquisition, torture of the most inhuman kind for
those Christians who dared to disagree, the burning of the “heretic” who
dared to suggest that the guardians of Christianity were forsaking their
spiritual mandate for pursuits too temporal. In fact, such was the show of
moral decay amid flashy opulence at the court of our Christian fathers at
Avignon that Patriarch, in the late 14th century, was to exclaim that here,
indeed, was “the ***** of Babylon” so vividly described by St John in the
Book of Revelations.
Not until around the mid 15th century did man begin to discern the
reality that for well over 1400 years his mind had been set to accept a
priori Christian theology as the total range of knowledge and truth.
Finally, in the early 16th century, the Reformation broke the hold of the
Roman Catholic Church, the only authority of scripture and doctrine, which
began to crumble under the weight of its own capital sins.
The Reformation, alas, didn’t change much. Change that did come of it
were in form, but not in substance. The Reformation was the same old rhythm
played on different drums. Although often the victim of the still virulent
Catholic Church, this new form of Christianity did not stop internecine wars
pitting Christians against Christians. Its new brand of Christianity became,
in itself, a major political factor in civil wars and alliances between
nations. In continental Europe, only since the French Revolution and
Napoleon did secular laws and ideals replace the tenacious grip of
Christianity on Europe’s western societies.
TO THE AMERICAS
The perverse use of sin as an instrument of restraining and manipulating
unsophisticated minds, we see, has not changed substantially. It
transmigrated to the American colonies which soon witnessed the horror of
the dunking stool and the pyre, not for burning the dead but the living: An
old Catholic practice, now Protestant. All in the name of God and in the
best Christian tradition.
In no other modern democratic Christian country is this blatantly
offensive sin thing preached with such zeal as in the United States;
preached by organizations and individuals protected by the Constitution,
which they seek to undermine.
Collectively called the Christian or religious right, it is an amalgam of
Christian militants attempting to use the democratic process to achieve the
same type of total religious oppression Medieval Christians tried to achieve
by force. There are even those among them who claim that Christianity finds
revolutionary violence justifiable, if peaceful means fail. (Charles Colson,
First Things).
Tainted by this virulent religious virus, we find a Republican Party
which, for an apparent paucity of thought, ideas, imagination and vitality,
has slipped to grabbing onto this litany of Christian babble as a direction
toward which to lead the country. Baal and Ashtart save us!
BACKWARDS, TOWARD THE FUTURE
With the third millennium less than two years away, we Americans find
ourselves face to face with attempts to lead us backward in time. The
backtrack is led by a Republican Party unduly influenced by the unpatriotic
fervor of an oustspoken Christian right, that mixed bag of self-styled
apostles building their own empires (Babylons?) on a wisdom not so different
from that of Leo X.
How Leo would drool over this polyglot of mutually supporting heretics as
he strikes the match to light the fire before confiscating their staggering
wealth to his treasury.
But this is not the I6th century and Leo is not around to do the job for
us. Besides, we are bound by the Constitution to tolerate the cheap
razzle-dazzle of the TV evangelists, the effrontery of Robertson’s Christian
Coalition, the pollution of our airwaves with Dobson’s Focus on the Family,
to say nothing of the maniacal babble of God’s Chancellor, Bill McCartney,
whose ministry, the Promise Keepers, would provide enough creepy material
and title for a Stephen King horror story.
And who can ignore the current Christian Right sponsored censorship
campaign against distribution of photography works by David Hamilton and
Jock Sturges. They are considered pornographic by agent provocateur, Randall
Terry (agent provocateur also of the violent confrontations of the ‘80s at
abortion clinics)? Aside from the evident nationwide effectiveness of the
Christian right network, the tone of the language alone is alarming but not
surprising.
Terry swears “to destroy” photographer Sturges whom he considers “the
monstrous public scourge incarnate” (Liberation, Mar 16, ‘98, Paris).
Undisguised expressions of biblical violence such as this, backed by the
Christian right megastructure, is a far greater danger to society than a
book of “dirty” pictures which can only disgust some and please others.
These are but a few of the lead drummers who have too many Republican
leaders in their sway on both national and state levels. It is claimed that
in 1994, 43% of the votes putting the Republicans in power were votes from
this religious right, giving the Republican Party infrastructure over to
them and a Republican majority in both houses.
Others head foundations and committees within the political system
itself, shaping policy and trends supportive of Christian right rhetoric
while little opposition to them is heard. Somehow God and His lobbyists
have gotten their foot in the door of that chamber where they don’t belong.
THE ROLE OF THE “GOOD BOOK”
Finally, this article wouldn’t be complete without a few words on the
Bible on which these paladins of Christ stand and often quote out of context
to give substance to their prattle. Such out of context quoting is either
manifest ignorance or purposeful abuse. I tend to believe the latter.
It should suffice to say here that there is no rational reason to believe
the Bible is a divinely inspired work, that it is “holy” or THE “good book”,
just because its authors say so. They used it as a means to their own ends
too.
Furthermore, written in a time when populations were small, communities
tribal, nomadic and horizons limited, the Bible has no global relevance to
today’s lifestyles whether you approve of them or not. Nor has it any
relevance to man’s monumental achievements in the arts, sciences, medicine,
technology, outer space, world peace.
More importantly, perhaps, is the Bible’s irrelevance to our concepts of
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness guaranteed by the greatest of
man’s achievements, the Constitution of the United States; the most sacred
contract between a people and its government. The constitution embodies a
far higher concept of man’s nature and values, vis-a-vis a creed which
attributes an evil and sinful nature to man, demands perpetual repentance to
assuage guilt, and engenders bigotry and exclusion not always without
violence in God’s name.
From the beginning, Christianity, as practiced by zealots such as those
who are the subject of this article, has always been an impediment to the
progress of man and society. Never an impetus.
<grub@internet.charitydays.uk.co> wrote in message
news:9kbee0dp16kkgj2f4572lrkbeocup2c2kp@4ax.com...
| >
| >
| ><http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1252944,00.html>
| >Bush poll campaign courts religious right
| >
| >Evangelical 'mega-churches' may hold the key to the White House
| >
| >Julian Borger in Fort Lauderdale
| >Saturday July 3, 2004
| >The Guardian
| >
| >No matter what happens in Iraq, and no matter what the American
| >economy does between now and the presidential election, Randy Bernsen
| >will be voting for George Bush. It will be an act of faith.
| >
| >Religious faith will be at the heart of the presidential election in
| >November. About a quarter of the electorate are white evangelical
| >Protestants, like Mr Bernsen. They represent the most powerful single
| >bloc in American politics, one that is more engaged in the battle this
| >year than at any time since the moral majority brought out the vote
| >for Ronald Reagan.
| >
| >In fact, the sense of loyalty is even deeper now. Reagan was seen as
| >an ally. In President Bush, the evangelicals recognise one of their
| >own. He talks their language. Their defining belief in salvation and
| >redemption is personified in his decision to turn away from alcohol,
| >nearly 20 years ago, and be "born again" in the faith. Unlike Reagan's
| >secular White House, the Bush White House starts the day with prayers
| >and Bible meetings.
| >
| >"I pray whoever is leading the country will be led by God, and I
| >believe this current administration answers to a higher calling," said
| >Mr Bernsen, a well-known jazz musician living in Fort Lauderdale,
| >Florida.
| >
| >"I don't wear the man's shoes, but there's enough fruit that falls
| >from that tree to tell me what I need to know. I believe George Bush
| >has surrounded himself with enough of the right people for me to know
| >he is a godly person."
| >
| >Almost 80% of the country's white evangelicals support the president -
| >a counterweight, in terms of sheer fealty, to African-American backing
| >for the Democrats.
| >
| >The support for Mr Bush appears to be virtually unanimous among Mr
| >Bernsen's fellow parishioners at the Calvary chapel in Fort
| >Lauderdale, a "mega-church" that boasts a congregation of more than
| >17,000.
| >
| >Calvary's pastor, Bob Coy, has been invited to meetings with President
| >Bush and has been impressed.
| >
| >"I don't think that with this administration we'll be concerning
| >ourselves with a Monica Lewinsky situation," said Pastor Bob, as he is
| >universally known. "He has restored honour to the White House, and
| >that morality is something I will always be proud to carry the banner
| >for."
| >
| >Pastor Bob's church is a sprawling grey concrete building which still
| >looks like the computer assembly plant it was before it was
| >transformed into a place of worship.
| >
| >The Calvary Chapel, part of a California-based evangelical
| >"franchise", offers its congregation a complete lifestyle.
| >Conveniently placed on a major road, the church has a well-equipped
| >school, cafeteria, bookshop and multimedia centre that produces music,
| >videos and CDs of sermons that are instantly available after Sunday
| >service. There is a support centre for people with cancer and those
| >recently divorced - even a diving club.
| >
| >"The bigger we get, the faster it grows," said Rod Pearcy, who runs
| >Calvary's media centre. "We are in the age of the superstore, like
| >Home Depot, Lowe's and Super Target. The reason people go to them is
| >there is so much more to offer. It is the same thing with
| >mega-churches."
| >
| >Protestant mega-churches are spreading exponentially. There are now
| >850 in America. They each have congregations of more than 2,000 and a
| >combined total of 3 million.
| >
| >John Vaughan, whose organisation Church Growth Today monitors and
| >encourages their expansion, says a new mega-church appears in America
| >every four days. Their success, he argues, lies in a simple formula:
| >"inflexible with the word of God, but flexible with their time and
| >space".
| >
| >The mega-churches are transforming the religious and political map of
| >America. They are bucking the trend towards secularism, taking
| >evangelism from the declining rural south to the booming suburbs of
| >swing states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, where, as the
| >2000 election proved, every vote counts.
| >
| >With that in mind, President Bush's meticulous election strategist,
| >Karl Rove, has made the evangelical vote a central plank of his
| >election strategy. His stated target is the 4 million evangelicals who
| >did not vote in 2000, which he blames for the close result.
| >
| >In the four years since that election, the administration has
| >assiduously courted its Christian base. The president has backed laws
| >banning late-term abortions and restricting stem-cell research, and
| >has declared himself ready to pass a constitutional amendment banning
| >gay marriage.
| >
| >But courting the evangelicals has also been about style. Mr Bush
| >regularly uses phrases that strike chords with his fundamentalist
| >audience. In his 2003 state of the union address, he spoke of the
| >"wonder-working power" of the American people, echoing a popular
| >revivalist hymn, There is Power in the Blood.
| >
| >Asked by Bob Woodward, the Washington journalist, whether he consulted
| >his father, the first President Bush, he replied: "There is a higher
| >father I appeal to."
| >
| >The Bush campaign is now calling in favours in the battleground
| >states. It has recruited Ralph Reed, formerly a central figure in the
| >Christian Coalition movement, to coordinate its work in the
| >south-east. It sent a mass email to evangelical pastors in
| >Pennsylvania, asking to use their church halls for party organising.
| >And, according to the New York Times, it has urged religious
| >volunteers to turn church directories over to the campaign, distribute
| >guides on political issues and persuade their pastors to hold voter
| >registration drives, with deadlines for each task.
| >
| >Critics of the administration have complained that this new level of
| >politicisation violates the separation between church and state, and
| >endangers the tax-exempt status of the churches.
| >
| >Pastor Bob chafes against such restrictions, arguing that they are
| >seldom raised against black, liberal religious activists such as the
| >Reverend Jesse Jackson.
| >
| >"I have a church and I'm supposed to have tape over my mouth," he
| >said. "I will go as far as I'm legally allowed to go. We will
| >encourage voter registration ... I can say I'm in favour of a
| >candidate, but I cannot tell people to vote for them.
| >
| >"The people's voice must be heard and we are the people."
|
.
|
