Religion is the glue that keeps the masses in line. But absent a recent major tragedy, religious fervor – particularly the rightwing flavor – tends to fade with time due to its foundation on sand. The “sand” is fear which generates intense hatred. The religious right is indeed moved by fear, not by love. While the Republican Party is Robin Hood in reverse, the base – the religious right – is Jesus Christ in reverse, i.e., antichristian or antichrist for short.
So, the right is anxious for another 9/11. Without religious zeal, the base evaporates. Reason and logic gradually regain prerogative over impulsive emotionalism. Of course, reason and logic are in direct conflict with Republican stratagem. The two virtues are vilified by the religious right as the cornerstones to “secular humanism” – manifestations of satanic influence.
Either the right artificially ignites a conflict with Iran, or some other major terrorist event is allowed to proceed. The first 9/11, of course, is suspicious. There are links with the Bushes, Cheney, Rove and PNAC. The business alliance between the Bushes and BinLadens for 30 years before 2001 raised no eyebrows on the right, and the left was somewhat speechless due to aftershock combined with its nauseating passive nature. Only a few progressives spoke truth to power in the months following. This columnist was one of the few.
The second 9/11, if allowed or covertly schemed, will be no coincidence either. Remember the Maine? The Spanish-American War required pretext. No WWII without Pearl Harbor; no Vietnam without Bay of Tonkin; no Iraq-Afghanistan without 9/11; no new war against Iran without an Iranian-blamed false flag. It follows the night the day. The military-industrial complex (MIC) has almost full control and aims to flex its muscle in the days ahead. Eisenhower was no dummy; MIC has America by the balls.
Neocons are eager to reclaim power via Romney. But a national tragedy must precede further military adventures beyond the regaining of power – given especially the state of the economy. A platform must be set for pretext through a false flag operation, or Israel will be issued a green light to initiate hostilities, as Romney’s adviser so clearly implied on the campaign’s recent visit.
Hate for Obama not only stems from his color but his notable accomplishments. The right’s world view cannot visualize an intelligent black man, much less one that’s elected President and leader of the Free World. Barack Obama is a major contradiction to everything they were taught to believe since infancy, and therefore in their view, he must be eliminated.
To win, Republicans must stoke the fires of fear. Fear, not love, is what motivates the religious right. A neocon 501(c)(4) non-profit called “Secure America Now” is distributing a new ad with the false claim the Obama administration hasn't been Cheney enough in the hunt for terrorists.
What they’re actually hoping for is another 9/11 to rekindle the hate, fear, ignorance and irrational emotion.
This election is not only a contest between two men, but between two starkly opposing worldviews. The right would drag us into another major conflict, more tax cuts for the wealthy, wider income disparity, a permanently depressed economy, and religious zealotry. “Dominionism” they call it; theocracy (old-school).
But the only way this can be accomplished is for another 9/11 to discharge. “Get ‘em all back in church so they can talk trash about another targeted minority. That way we can recruit their kids to join and fight our wars.” Undoubtedly, ignorance runs deep in the religious right. They’re but pawns of unseen elite spinmeisters who’ve craftily reversed Jesus’ teachings and made them to seem righteous to the dumbed-down.
Unfortunately, millions of Americans can’t see beyond skin color. More unfortunate is the mesmerizing power of religion, no matter how cultic, destructive, and counter to the authentic teachings of Christ.
If Romney and the right win, heaven help us. Because they’ll turn the world into hell.
“Obama is a Muslim.” Except the right later uncovered some embarrassing flaws in his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, which they exploited on-air ad nauseam. Naturally, they made him a “Christian” to fit the revised lie. The inconsistency was irrelevant. Rightwingers’ hate runs so deep, they buy all falsehoods about their object of revulsion, including conflicting lies .
“Obama is a socialist.” Except a later lie paints him as an inexperienced community organizer with no political understanding, a total imbecile. The multitude of contradicting lies gives them a choice.
“Obama was born in Kenya.” Except the State of Hawaii has been verifying his birth records for years and Honolulu newspapers hold microfilm archives of birth announcements including his from 1961.
Rightwingers’ hate for Obama trumps truth. It doesn’t matter how many facts dispute their lies; they’re going to spread them anyway.
The latest lies are more proof the right has gone totally crazy.
Meanwhile, Mitt Romney visited London where he attended a fundraiser for his campaign. Foreign political contributions are no problem if you’re a Republican.
If Obama had done the same, imagine the outcry from the right? What if Obama had flown to Indonesia or Kenya to attend a fundraiser? Impeachment would certainly be on the table. Republicans are unabashed hypocrites.
Not only is “Citizens United” undermining our democracy, but foreign political contributions. The floodgates are open. And who’s behind this corruption? Republicans.
Starting his British visit, Romney’s adviser addressed the English on behalf of the candidate: "We are part of an Anglo-Saxon heritage, and he (Romney) feels that the special relationship is special," the Telegraph quoted the adviser as saying, "The White House didn't fully appreciate the shared history we have."
The religious right will again ignore these many ethical inconsistencies. By doing so, its motive is exposed. There’s nothing “Christ-like” about compromising principle. I guess situational ethics is okay if the desired final result is achieved. The end justifies the means.
The Christian right will continue to accept and tolerate lies because it’s in their best interest to do so politically. But spiritually?
This is the element that could push America off the cliff. Because there are over 100 million of them.
Record-breaking heat across the states this summer invites a retrospective question: What if a conservative, like Reagan or some other revered rightwinger, had prophesied climate change before Gore had a chance to be crowned forerunner? Before Al became their object of derision with climate science butchered as collateral damage, what if a Reagan or even one of the Bushes had sounded the alarm? From the day climatologists (i.e., “intellectuals”) and Democrats (i.e., reviled “liberals”) heralded the cause, Republicans, rather than getting onboard to solve the crisis, have dismissed climate change as a hoax perpetrated by the left to influence redistribution of wealth.
The issue isn’t climate change, but conservative insolence. Unless they think of it, it can’t be done (or won’t be allowed to go forward in any practical manner). And even if they originally propose ideas (if the left agrees and attempts to follow through as the right advises initially), Republicans reverse course forthwith.
The nation’s crumbling condition is a casualty of rightwing immaturity coupled with leftwing passivity.
Nothing of crucial importance can be solved in America today due to the right’s spoiled-child syndrome. This statement sums up why the nation is sliding into the Third World and why the world speeds to catastrophe. Republicans today are children unwilling to play fairly with others while vandalizing the playground if not granted full control. If not leading, they’re destroying.
It was interesting one day at the dentist’s to observe a mother and her young son. Two seats were empty: a bigger chair for an adult and a smaller one child-size. Immediately, the spoiled son impulsively flung himself into the bigger seat, then threw a loud tantrum when his mother asked him to move. Mom (the Democrat) finally gave in and squatted awkwardly into the little seat, almost breaking it in the process. (Moral: Conciliatory Democrats reinforce bad behavior on the right which leads to the worst possible outcome for all.)
That’s the current picture of America and how Obama has repeatedly attempted to appease the spoiled child at the expense of the country’s best interests. Republicans will never cooperate but are willing to sacrifice the country for control. Their constant refrain is “Party and politics above people.”
Why don’t’ we have the Dream Act? Why can’t jobs bills be passed? Why no practical, affordable health care system like other industrialized nations? Why do we pay more than any other nation and get less? Why is the government in total gridlock and the country reeling from a bad economy?
These are actually questions with one simple answer: rightwing obstruction. If the spoiled brat can’t get its way, it’ll throw a tantrum and destroy the whole playground.
All Democratic presidents are demonized, no matter what race, sex or regional background. Clinton was scoffed as a barefoot hick from Arkansas until they found ammo in womanizing – enough to impeach. (As if they never indulge in similar secret escapades.) Obama has dark skin. The right doesn’t need much more than that to inflame bigots, their base. The lies about the man never cease.
If Hillary would have been elected, anti-women themes and chain emails would be floating around about the first female president (and will, as soon as she’s elected in 2016). These are trademarks of the Republican Party’s never-ending campaign. It’s war, actually. They exist to destroy, not construct. Thus, America is caught in the crossfire. Banana Republic USA is not far away.
Meanwhile, it gets hotter and hotter with no relief in sight. Obama’s hands are tied. Congress is just a sounding board for religious fruitcakes (hypocrites) and fake patriots that can only pass meaningless, repetitive resolutions. Republicans had rather see the nation lose than Obama win. He gets credit for nothing good, blame for all bad. They openly promise to sabotage the economy as part of their campaign.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reaffirmed recently, “The Republican Party’s number one goal is to deny Barack Obama a second term.” How more straightforward can it get?
The only tool to accomplish this is economic sabotage, meaning damage to America. How patriotic is that? Republicans attempted similar in the Great Depression with FDR. If only Democrats studied the past. Republicans historically are partisan schoolyard bullies. That should be uppermost in Democrats’ minds when dealing with them.
Maybe if one of their own would have suggested solutions for climate change, more would have been done. Perhaps we’d be on the road to saving the planet. Only the spoiled brat can lead America. Otherwise, he ruins it for everybody. Republicans can’t play second fiddle.
On the other hand, the problem becomes more than climate change, fabricated wars, deficits, or a depressed economy. It’s a singular crisis brought on by poor attitudes and mythical world views.
The child needs an ass whoopin’, and the weak mother that caves into every one of the child’s selfish fits of rage needs some serious corrective action. If that doesn’t work, progressive punitive action should be issued (including suspension, then removal).
Obama’s campaign is being run by political lunatics. Their whacky philosophy, if not corrected, will ultimately lead to defeat or a near- loss which would spell the forfeiture of both houses of Congress – since a weak incumbent carries no coat-tails. Moreover, the Senate is on the edge, even in the case of a big win. Obama must win by 7 or 8 points to hold the Senate 51-49.
A nation in total gridlock and shutdown will materialize if he barely squeaks by. On the other hand, a race to plutocracy will ensue if Republicans take all. Congrats, we’re back to Square One. The lesser of two evils is on our plate again.
My view is – Obama, the candidate, is an excellent product, but his salesmen and handlers aren’t. Who advised Obama to stay out of Wisconsin? Who told him to distance himself from labor? Who suggested Obama announce support for gay marriage – risking the loss of swing states in the Bible Belt? (Workers and the Middle Class are the heart and soul of the President’s support. Without them, there would be no Democratic Party. Are Dem political leaders nuts?)
They may excuse themselves from potential loss by singling out CITIZENS UNITED and billionaires’ billions. But the fact that Obama’s base is the largest political party in the world gives them no cover.
The manner in which the campaign is being poorly managed is putting progressives between a rock and a hard place. The bottom line – we MUST get on board but we sure as hell don’t feel like it; and Obama’s political advisers are to blame.
David Axelrod and David Plouffe’s campaign philosophy is heresy for several reasons.
(1) DETACHMENT FROM THE BASE. Distancing the President from his political base in an effort to win independents does nothing but drive them away while at the same time suppressing the party faithful. Swing voters tend to vote with the party more energized. So, they are not impressed when the President appeases the right while breaking rock-solid promises to supporters now disappointed and disillusioned. Only when the base is revitalized (from either party) do so-called “independents” gravitate to the more passionate (thus the term “swing-voter”). In other words, there must be movement and life to attract non-affiliates. A party discouraged is a party defeated.
(2) MESSAGE CONTROL. How many surrogates must go off the reservation before campaign heads roll? First it was Biden, then Booker, then Ford, then Rendell, then Patrick, then Bill. Who’s next? They’re making Obama look the fool.
Karl Rove definitely wouldn’t run such an undisciplined campaign.
Bain Capital certainly is an issue since Mitt Romney made it one – claiming he knows how to conduct business since he ran one for 25 years –cannibalizing manufacturing and shipping what was left overseas.
He ended up with $250 million while workers got pink slips, lost their pensions plus savings, and whole industries relocated outside the US which were the lucky few survivors that weren’t closed down altogether. The government had to step in with taxpayer money to supplement lost pensions. In this way, Romney got rich off the taxpayers.
The question remains – Who’s controlling the message? Is there no one coaching surrogates?
3. MAJORING ON MINORS. Tangents seem to always block Democrats’ path to victory. Although the issue of same-sex marriage may be a valid, ethical one, the timing couldn’t be worse. That’s what is mystifying about the President’s advisors. Obama’s re-election depends on states like Iowa, Virginia, North Carolina, and Ohio – swing states predominantly evangelical.
The math doesn’t add up. Advocating same-sex marriage to a national audience does nothing but inflame religious right passions in crucial states that will determine the election in the fall. White evangelicals already see Democrats as evil allies of Satan. Now fuel has been tossed on the fire.
Other side issues are aired to the campaign’s detriment – while the economy, jobs and infrastructure should be at the heart.
The colossal disappointment in Wisconsin sent shockwaves across the country, especially in union households. They now see Obama as weak on labor, too intimidated by big money to take a stand for working folk.
His speeches, of course, are masterpieces. But without substance, his words ring hollow. Surely Obama recognized the necessity of his presence in Wisconsin. He made campaign stops in every state surrounding Badger country; so why not there? I suspect he accepted poor advice. What else could it be? After all, Scott Walker’s confrontation with labor began January 2011, but Barack Obama didn’t make an appearance to counterattack Walker’s war during that whole period.
Union folk are pissed. They may not vocalize it on rooftops due to the campaign season, but they feel betrayed nevertheless. Obama’s base has been defecated upon by the party elite that forgot how their bread is buttered.
Labor and progressives will vote for Obama, but not with the enthusiasm held in 2008. And without that enthusiasm, independents won’t be as inclined to vote Democratic – no matter how inferior the Republican slate may be.
If Romney gets in, the Supreme Court will be stacked forever to the right, at least for a generation. The country will return to the George W. Bush policies that got us into this mess, and Democrats will retreat into obscurity.
Tax cuts for the wealthy will be made permanent. Voter suppression laws will be a national obsession. Health care, gay rights, unemployment, Social Security, Medicare, and most social safety-nets will be undermined or repealed. Austerity will be for the poor only while the 1% enrich themselves further off the redistribution of wealth – Robin Hood in reverse. The nation will go into a full-blown depression while Republicans trick us into more unnecessary, venturous wars costing trillions. Their hypocritical concern for national debt will evaporate faster than morning mist at summer’s sun.
So, it’s another DAMNED election – DAMNED if Obama wins, more DAMNED if he doesn’t. At least, that’s the way progressives see it. They will vote for Obama, not out of zeal, but of need. God help us if he doesn’t.
Imagine what life in the United States would (or will) be like without unions. To conjure up such an image, one needs only to go back in time when unions didn’t exist… back to the Dark Ages and feudalism, back to injustice, slavery, indentured servants, and castles surrounded by rat-infested thatched-roof shanties housing the starving, uneducated paupers.
Yes, picture what it would be like to try to survive without a union. It’s a journey, if braved, one cannot simply forget.
Wisconsin went down in flames tonight (June 5, 2012). Labor in this country suffered a major blow. The general election is next. As labor goes, so goes the Democratic Party. Are its leaders that obtusely ignorant? Labor is the base of the Democratic Party as are white fundamentalists the base of the Republican Party. DNC leadership needs a swift kick in the ass right now. They have a history of defecating on their own base while appeasing enemies in the other party, a party pledged to destroy us.
The blame lies at the feet of Barack Obama who showed no courage in standing up against poor advice dished out by his spineless political staff. He promised in 2007 to put on walking shoes to demonstrate with labor if collective bargaining was ever challenged. Where was he?
Although the Chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party did not blame the national organization for the colossal defeat tonight, party and union members (for the most part) do. I hate to break it to DNC leaders: Wisconsin Democrats will not be very inclined to vote for Obama in November. They feel betrayed, stabbed in the back. After such a long, expensive and bitter battle, Wisconsin Dems cannot be energized to vote party-line in November so soon after this heart-wrenching defeat that could have been a victory if only the national leadership would have done its job. A traditional Democratic state in general elections, Wisconsin is now a swing state – thanks to Obama’s broken promises.
On the other hand, Republicans nation-wide sense a license to bash unions more. The impact was predictable. Only the DNC couldn’t foresee.
Wisconsin Democrats were outspent 8 to 1 – thanks to George W. Bush’s Supremes which unleashed billionaires to buy Wisconsin. The Citizens United decision will go down in history as one of the worst, on a par with Dred-Scott. But that does not in any way excuse Democratic Party leaders who were AWOL from the Wisconsin war. As a result, Wisconsin may be lost to Romney in November, thus sweeping the entire election for the right. The DNC blew it.
When in Wisconsin March 2012, I heard most union members voice support for a general strike in response to Walker’s killing collective bargaining. The DNC and AFL-CIO national officers quickly jumped in and advised Wisconsin Dems to take the more “civil” course: recall elections. They claimed we would have success that way, but a general strike would be counterproductive, they said.
Unfortunately, Wisconsinites accepted their advice. Where were the national leaders and national money when needed most after they advised recalls? It was pure BS.
Without an ounce of shame, rightwing extremists over the country now call union members “thugs.” I personally heard that derogatory remark several times on my visit to Wisconsin March 2011, and now I hear it like a cascading avalanche from politicians, governors, and so-called “Christians” (the white rightwing derivative). Without question, anti-unionism is on a roll. Union members are the “Jews” of the neo-Nazi movement which we politely call the U.S. Republican Party today. Every cult requires a scapegoat to justify its existence; unionists are currently the rightwing’s.
Apparently there’s a lot of hate and animosity out there for folk that bargain with their bosses to achieve better working conditions, benefits and pay. Is that wrong? Many rightwing Americans think so. Unfortunately, they’ve been brainwashed by the right’s noise machine. Plus, the Democratic leadership has a major messaging problem. They’re blinded by ivory palace comfort and isolation from the core grassroots.
Labor unions have a long and challenging history in the United States. To some people, they conjure up thoughts of organized crime and gangsters like Jimmy Hoffa. To workers who actually know first-hand, labor unions represent solidarity among the working classes, bringing people together across many levels to lobby for better rights, wages and benefits. Unions are also an important and fundamental part of the history of United States commerce and the country’s growth into an economic powerhouse.
Without unions, there’d be no Middle Class, no 40-hour week, no weekends, no over-time, no child-labor laws, no pensions, no healthcare, no workers’ comp, and no job safety regulations.
Without unions, everyone beneath the 1% would be making less than minimum wage. Without unions, workers would be fired for no reason with no one to represent them in case they wanted their jobs back.
So what do unions do and why are they still important? Labor unions help ALL workers today – including those in a non-union shop. Without unions, employees at places like Wal-Mart or Target would have no rights or benefits whatsoever. The union movement gave birth to it all (including Social Security and Medicare), and without its influence, places of employment would return to patterns dating back of pre-labor history.
In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution produced a rapid expansion in factories and manufacturing. As workers moved away from agriculture to factories, mines and other hard labor, many faced terrible working conditions: long hours, low pay and health risks. Many children worked in factories, and women and children generally received lower pay than men. The Republican-controlled government did little to limit these injustices, and in the United States, along with much of the industrialized world, labor movements developed which lobbied for better rights and safer conditions.
In the evolution of the Union Movement, labor leaders were imprisoned, beaten, assaulted and even murdered. Mother Jones experienced prison several times, although the only crime she ever committed was defending workers. Thousands were arrested for simply picketing or passing out information pamphlets.
Without a collective bargaining network, union workers would be just as well off flipping burgers at fast-food joints or waiting tables at the greasy spoon.
Think what it’d be like without unions. No Social Security, Medicare, over-time pay, safety regs, weekends, child labor laws, worker protections, workers comp, EEO, etc. Of course, that’s where some would like to take us – back to the bad-ole-days when folk were mostly slaves.
Now imagine what Republicans will do to us in the fall when they take over both houses of Congress and the White House. After all, that’s where we’re heading – thanks to the poor leadership of the Democratic Party. Their elitism is killing us. With such friends, who needs enemies?
“Pride comes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:17
Pride bubbles up in the Rogers family (Hank, Mary Lou, Billy and Lou Ann) as they march into Muskogee’s Victory Family Worship Center. Heads held high with Bibles smugly tucked under their arms, they enter the lobby to greet smiley faces of like-minded parishioners who see themselves as “true patriots,” unlike the damned liberals supporting Obama that want to bring the country to its knees – replacing Judeo-Christian values and codes of justice with Sharia law.
In fact, VFWC members are proud to have influenced the Oklahoma Legislature to put a constitutional initiative on the ballot banning Sharia law. The successful drive, supported by 70% of Oklahomans, is meant as a pre-emptive strike against the impostor Muslim President from forcing his undisclosed religion on them.
How’d they arrive at such a crazy concoction? Was Obama or some other left-leaning federal judge actually trying to impose Sharia? Again, chain emails planted by extreme rightwing operatives did the trick. Plus FOX and right radio fueled the fallacy. It’s all part of the plot to keep the principal base (religious right) in line for bigger battles ahead. Keep them stirred with absurdities so when crucial conflicts arrive, they’ll provide a knockout blow to the other party. It’s all a game to those behind-the-curtains, and evangelicals are but silly putty in the master wizard’s hands.
They’re simply a part of Karl Rove’s scheme to establish a permanent Republican majority insurmountable at any point in the future. In addition to relying on the religious right as base, Rove practices his impish talents to engineer voter suppression in 33 states. Nearly 10 million voters in 2010-12 are unknowingly thrown off the rolls. After all, it’s not the objective of conservatives to increase the vote but to subdue it in order to win.
Unfortunately, the religious right cannot see because it has no desire to do so. Like shopping for merchandise, followers buy what they want and reject what they don’t. They claim their decisions come from the Word and voices from “God.” But are they?
In truth, their “Bible-based” beliefs are not Bible based. Where in the Bible does it state the planet is merely 6,000 years old? Most evangelicals have not read the Bible, much less studied it along with the required history and various translations dating back to the Septuagint and Torah. It’s too tedious and time-consuming to do the homework, isn’t it? They’d rather get their religious and political “nutrition” from evangelistic cheerleaders that serve delicious fast-food which coincidentally goes along with their eating habits at McDonald’s. Little do they realize they’re being served poison. “So what?” snidely asks the faithful. “If it feels and tastes good, do it.” Fast-food religion kills like dogs attracted to anti-freeze.
“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross,” – Sinclair Lewis, 1935.
Driving the Muskogee Turnpike, one cannot miss the three giant crosses and the over-sized American flag floating above Victory Family Worship Center (VFWC). The new glass-enclosed sanctuary alone seats 10,000 – a large edifice considering Muskogee’s population is only 39,000.
On one wall inside the VFWC’s high-rafted glass lobby hangs an enormous painting rendition of Jesus Christ carrying the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Behind Jesus are the nation’s founders and politically selected leaders from 200 years, depicted as mere side-line spectators to the creation of divinely inspired sacred documents.
The picture speaks more volume than a thousand words – how America and its founding documents were not crafted by mere mortals, but by divinity. Thus boosts American “exceptionalism,” another trigger term evoking nation worship.
The painting further depicts liberals (to Christ’s left) as attempting to crush democracy and Christianity.
Nationalism is a form of idolatry for which America has succumbed through its massive and growing evangelical and Mormon movements. The cross, Bible, flag and national documents are forms – as is Mount Rushmore where millions pay homage rather than honor four of our great leaders. We are humans like all the other billions on God’s blue planet. Yet the right would have us see Americans (principally WHITE ones) as special and “exceptional” – not dissimilar to Hitler’s anthems of praise to an Aryan Nation long dissolved.
Oklahoma should have learned from Timothy McVeigh – extreme right religion and politics lead to disaster. McVeigh had attended a rightwing “Christian” cult compound in eastern Oklahoma before his climatic day of April 19, 1995 when bombing the OKC Murray Building – sending 168 souls to eternity. Tim was obsessed by guns, the Bible, government-hate, Turner Diaries, and Waco – how federal agents had ransacked a religious compound two years prior. He was possessed by righteous indignation when taking it out on Oklahoma innocence that fateful day. Yet, he expressed no remorse before execution and to the very last breath felt his actions patriotic.
The Tea Party movement 15 years later mirrors McVeigh’s delusions. Oklahoma is dominated politically by the same spirit that destroyed so much of it in 1995. How could this be? Religion.
The giant crosses, enormous flag, and mammoth painting of Jesus holding the Constitution somehow boosts the spirits of the Rogerses, a family barely making it on slim incomes (although all are working including the kids). Their home is on the verge of being foreclosed.
Voting against their own personal interests is common with the religious right like the Rogers family. Because dogma trumps individual need; plus the false prophets indoctrinating the sheep have an agenda of power and wealth. Who can forget Jim & Tammy Faye’s $50,000 doghouse, Richard Roberts redecorating his house 11 times, or Swaggart’s whores? America’s short-term memory span allows these and other tell-tale incidents to be long-forgot. Corrupt manifestations are simply dismissed as liberal, secular influences.
Who knows what VFWC’s wealthy ministers are doing in secret? Who cares? They drive limos, fly private jets, and make $300,000 plus perks. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. But aren’t the chosen immune from such?
Churches in America weren’t always so flashy back in the day when substance meant more than surface and humility was a Christ-like virtue, not a weakness. And the topic of politics was verboten from the pulpit [not by government edict, but by ecclesiastic ethic]. Now rightwing politics dominate; no one misses the message. The Gospel has been bastardized for the sake of rightwing politics and power. Prosperity theology replaces Christ’s directives.
In addition, these external symbols pollute church culture. Waving the flag, sporting crosses, and Bible-bashing somehow make one more “Christian” and “patriotic.” On the other hand, those refusing to adorn themselves (and their properties) with these symbols are suspected of disloyalty or worse, treasonous.
When Hitler’s hordes stole Germany, they stormed town-halls across the Fatherland carrying their sacred symbols of nationalism reinforced by a distorted form of Christianity that lent moral credence to mob rule. In fact, Nazism could not have risen had it not been for German evangelicals and fundamentalists embedded within the various religious sects and denominations. German Christians were seduced by the allure of national pride, and in doing so, the flag, eagle, and swastika became select idols of that time – images so sacred anyone caught desecrating them were put to death.
The pageantry, lively music, and massive torch-bearing ceremonies were spectacular – even by today’s standards. Joseph Goebbels and Albert Speer were the Fuhrer’s designers, serving as Minister of Propaganda and Adolf’s Chief Architect, respectively. Commissioned by Hitler in 1934, TRIUMPH OF THE WILL, the propaganda film of all time, displayed seductive pageantry and overt symbolatry (idol worship of symbols). German evangelicals who succumbed to this idolatry comprised the base of the right-wing movement, same as American evangelicals are the base of the right-wing today in the U.S.
Yes, there are parallels between Nazi Germany and 21st Century right-wing America determined more than ever to recapture the government after managing to destroy Obama and congressional Democrats. Let no one deviously persuade otherwise: Fascism was never a left-wing movement, only a right, and America’s right-wing is again on the march – using white evangelicals (seduced by symbols and “Christian” idolatry) to do its bidding – advocating and condoning violence, preaching the gospel of the “free market” (corporatism/fascism), and promoting militaristic monarchial/theocratic rule. The symbols mean more than mandates Christ issued to the Church: caring for the needy, feeding the hungry, and healing the sick. Where’s love when hateful self-righteousness dominates?
If the U.S. is to succeed to a fresh Renaissance, evangelicals (that comprise one-third the population) must return to the Christ of the Gospels.
NOTE: The Oklahoma church described in the article does not exist but is a parody of the hundreds, if not thousands, of rightwing megachurches that have sprung up over the nation.
