Am I The Last One Left?
As I noted here a few weeks ago, I recently registered myself as an Independent, essentially removing myself from the Republican party. I am not so invested in my political identity that I am willing to remain aligned with a party that proudly flaunts its embrace of ignorance, intolerance, greed and corruption. When the voice of the Republican party was put in the mouths of people like George Bush, Dick Cheney, Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, and their overcompensating, pompous, painfully unattractive allies in the media like Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity, it ceased to speak for me. When I recognized that my most vocal fellow Republicans were more concerned with winning than doing the right thing, and that the situation was unlikely to change, I saw no reason to continue to align myself with them. A quick trip to the DMV, and problem solved.
I bring this up because it is a stark contrast to another conflict I've been struggling with lately. Unlike my political identity, which easily changes with time, education, wisdom, and societal fluctuations, my spirituality is not something I am willing to abandon. This becomes a problem when, much like my Republican identity, identifying myself as a Christian means aligning myself with people whose vocal opinions I hold in absolute contempt. When people like James Dobson, Pat Robertson, and Rick Scarborough are allowed virtually uncontested control of the voice of Christianity, I feel isolated and angry. Oh, sure, there are a few exception, and thank God for them. I can't say enough positive things about people like Jim Wallace, Chris Hedges, John Spong and others who speak out publicly against the tide of pseudoChristian fanaticism. As a whole, however, moderate and progressive Christians have been shamefully quiet about the rise of the fanatic Christians who dare to speak for us. Yes, we are characteristically tolerant, and I think that has a lot to do with the silence, but tolerance of intolerance is not a virtue. I truly believe that the vast majority of Christians in this country believe that clothing the poor and feeding the hungry is far more relevant to the values of Christianity than worrying about who marries whom and what music is played at Wal-Mart during the Christmas season. How then, can we tacitly condone the public hijacking of our faith by egotistical boors and corrupt politicians? How can we let them claim that Christians are the persecuted minority, while allowing and even supporting their persecution of true minorities like gays, Hispanics, and Muslims?
Let me put a few numbers on the table here, because they're important to keep in mind when discussing this issue. These statistics come from census data and a 2004 AP poll. Fully eighty-five percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. Thirty percent of these Christians are white evangelicals - about twenty-five percent of the entire population. However, seventy-five percent of polled evangelicals believe that Christians are a minority under siege. Now, there are many ways to read this, and none of them are pretty. Either evangelical Christians are so separated from reality that they honestly believe that Christianity is no longer the dominant religion in America, or they do not consider the other seventy percent of us to be Christians. Either way, I assure you that these are not people I want speaking for my faith. In fact, they are incapable of speaking for my faith, which is one of philosophical contemplation and nonjudgmental tolerance, things totally alien to the hypocritically unquestioning, self-righteous, morally ignorant Christian fanatics.
Recently, Pastor Rick Scarborough, Christian extremist and writer of the unabashedly hysterical book "Liberalism Kills Children", hosted a two-day conference in D.C. called "The War on Christians and the Values Voter in 2006." The conference title may seem a bit over the top, but it should be noted that Rick himself, while talking as a guest on the Rachel Maddow show, admitted that the purpose of the title was simply one of marketing, and it was developed to get free publicity for the event by stirring up the media. He conceded that the name was "definitely hyperbolic," but noted that, thanks to the clever use of hyperbole, he was now being invited to radio shows like Rachel's. How nice for him that he is able to manipulate Christianity for his own gain, and so few are willing to condemn such blatant blasphemy. Christ overturned the tables of the moneychangers outside the temple in a rage, but now it seems the vendors are marketing inside the church itself, gaining fame and fortune under the guise of spreading spirituality. It is ironic that Christ himself lived in poverty while many of his most widely respected representatives today live in sickening opulence. Yes, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and James Dobson, I'm talking about you.
So who attended Pastor Scarborough's Celebration of the Christian Persecution Complex? About 400 people, which is a disappointing turnout to be sure, but still enough to get the event covered in the National Media, something that never happens, for example, at events sponsored by the Network of Spiritual Progressives, despite much more impressive attendance. Some of the names are ones you might recognize, however. Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) were all in attendance. Tom DeLay was even invited to give the luncheon speech, in which he said, "We are after all a society that abides abortion on demand, that has killed millions of innocent children, that degrades the institution of marriage and often treats Christianity like some second-rate superstition. Seen from this perspective, of course there is a war on Christianity." There you have it. An actual U.S. Congressman claiming that war has been declared on eighty-five percent of Americans by, I don't know, the remaining fifteen percent, and that unless drastic measures are taken, Christianity might be outlawed in this country. I'll certainly admit that a small percentage of Americans, smaller even than the fifteen percent who aren't Christian themselves, treat Christianity as a 'second-rate superstition,' but nowhere near the number of evangelical Christians who consider every other major religion to be, not even second-rate superstitions, but godless barbarian heathen cults. It seems likely to me that Mr. DeLay's real issue isn't so much that too many Americans consider his Christianity a "second-rate superstition," but that they consider it a "second-rate excuse for his abuse of power and lack of ethics." Regardless, what I have the most trouble with is that some of the people DeLay is referring to are people deeply involved with charity work, peace activism, social programs, and a multitude of other endeavors that represent - if not in name, in spirit - the values taught in the Gospel, while this group of supposed Christian leaders spent profane amounts of time and money, both of which could have been better spent on actual charitable causes, to get together and whine about how difficult life is for them. It is absolutely shameful.
Michael Horowitz, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, told the crowd that had it not been for the "Christian decency of this country" he would have been rendered "a bar of soap" by the Nazis. He then went on to say that "You guys have become the Jews of the 21st century," evidently competing for the coveted 'Most Anti-Semitic Comment by a Jew' award. Comparing the systematic imprisonment and murder of millions of Jews in Europe to Betty Smith of Denver, Colorado, having to explain the concept of creationism to her children because it isn't covered in public elementary schools is beyond insulting. Somehow, I don't imagine that, had young Anne Frank been told that in the early twenty-first century American children would have to pray quietly in school because teachers wouldn't be allowed to lead them in prayer, she would have happily skipped off to the gas chamber, relieved to have it so easy. Call me a cynic if you must.
Similarly batshit self-important was Navy Lt. Gordon James Klingerchmitt, a military chaplain, who claimed to have been punished by a commander for offering sectarian prayers at a sailor's memorial service. (It was not made clear whether or not the fallen soldier was Christian, but given my knowledge, limited as it may be, of military protocol and regulations, I think safe money says he wasn't. The military is not one of those organizations often called out for being anti-Christian.) He then showed a slide of himself, followed by a slide of Abdur Rahman, the Afghan man who was originally sentenced to death for converting from Islam to Christianity, and asked, "What do these two Christians have in common? Perhaps we are persecuted. Perhaps we are no different than most Christians throughout history." Mr. Rahman was unavailable for comment, as he was hiding for his life from an entire nation of people who quite literally wanted him dead and had the will to carry out the task. Lt. Klingerchmitt was available for comment because, evidently, his punishment from the navy did not involve the removal of his head, though he has evidently, at some point, been relieved of any sense of shame.
So this is how we Christians are being represented. I know that many of you who pass through here are not Christians and probably can't muster up a whole lot of sympathy, and I understand that. I understand how you would feel betrayed by the largest block of activism in the country that claims to have a moral obligation to do charitable works and strive for peace and brotherhood, and yet continually votes against those very principals in favor of intolerance and judgmental arrogance. But please believe that while our most vocal branches may be reprehensible, they are in no way representative of all, or even most, Christians.
To my fellow Christians, I suggest that it's time to get mad and start demanding that our representatives disavow the ranting of these fanatical pseudoChristians. When the moneychangers profited at the expense of the church, Christ angrily overturned their tables and cast them out. Why have we let them back in, and given them voice to speak for us? They shame us on a daily basis, and bastardize our faith with self-importance, intolerance, hatred, and apathy towards suffering. They get away with this only because we let them, out of our own misguided tolerance or desire to avoid conflict. We need to speak up against this profane use of our faith, not only for ourselves, but also for generations that follow who might otherwise be presented with no other aspect of Christianity but hatred and ignorance.
(For another take on this article, visit The Radioactive Quill. Amy's a bit hard on us, but we've got it coming.)
I bring this up because it is a stark contrast to another conflict I've been struggling with lately. Unlike my political identity, which easily changes with time, education, wisdom, and societal fluctuations, my spirituality is not something I am willing to abandon. This becomes a problem when, much like my Republican identity, identifying myself as a Christian means aligning myself with people whose vocal opinions I hold in absolute contempt. When people like James Dobson, Pat Robertson, and Rick Scarborough are allowed virtually uncontested control of the voice of Christianity, I feel isolated and angry. Oh, sure, there are a few exception, and thank God for them. I can't say enough positive things about people like Jim Wallace, Chris Hedges, John Spong and others who speak out publicly against the tide of pseudoChristian fanaticism. As a whole, however, moderate and progressive Christians have been shamefully quiet about the rise of the fanatic Christians who dare to speak for us. Yes, we are characteristically tolerant, and I think that has a lot to do with the silence, but tolerance of intolerance is not a virtue. I truly believe that the vast majority of Christians in this country believe that clothing the poor and feeding the hungry is far more relevant to the values of Christianity than worrying about who marries whom and what music is played at Wal-Mart during the Christmas season. How then, can we tacitly condone the public hijacking of our faith by egotistical boors and corrupt politicians? How can we let them claim that Christians are the persecuted minority, while allowing and even supporting their persecution of true minorities like gays, Hispanics, and Muslims?
Let me put a few numbers on the table here, because they're important to keep in mind when discussing this issue. These statistics come from census data and a 2004 AP poll. Fully eighty-five percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. Thirty percent of these Christians are white evangelicals - about twenty-five percent of the entire population. However, seventy-five percent of polled evangelicals believe that Christians are a minority under siege. Now, there are many ways to read this, and none of them are pretty. Either evangelical Christians are so separated from reality that they honestly believe that Christianity is no longer the dominant religion in America, or they do not consider the other seventy percent of us to be Christians. Either way, I assure you that these are not people I want speaking for my faith. In fact, they are incapable of speaking for my faith, which is one of philosophical contemplation and nonjudgmental tolerance, things totally alien to the hypocritically unquestioning, self-righteous, morally ignorant Christian fanatics.
Recently, Pastor Rick Scarborough, Christian extremist and writer of the unabashedly hysterical book "Liberalism Kills Children", hosted a two-day conference in D.C. called "The War on Christians and the Values Voter in 2006." The conference title may seem a bit over the top, but it should be noted that Rick himself, while talking as a guest on the Rachel Maddow show, admitted that the purpose of the title was simply one of marketing, and it was developed to get free publicity for the event by stirring up the media. He conceded that the name was "definitely hyperbolic," but noted that, thanks to the clever use of hyperbole, he was now being invited to radio shows like Rachel's. How nice for him that he is able to manipulate Christianity for his own gain, and so few are willing to condemn such blatant blasphemy. Christ overturned the tables of the moneychangers outside the temple in a rage, but now it seems the vendors are marketing inside the church itself, gaining fame and fortune under the guise of spreading spirituality. It is ironic that Christ himself lived in poverty while many of his most widely respected representatives today live in sickening opulence. Yes, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and James Dobson, I'm talking about you.
So who attended Pastor Scarborough's Celebration of the Christian Persecution Complex? About 400 people, which is a disappointing turnout to be sure, but still enough to get the event covered in the National Media, something that never happens, for example, at events sponsored by the Network of Spiritual Progressives, despite much more impressive attendance. Some of the names are ones you might recognize, however. Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) were all in attendance. Tom DeLay was even invited to give the luncheon speech, in which he said, "We are after all a society that abides abortion on demand, that has killed millions of innocent children, that degrades the institution of marriage and often treats Christianity like some second-rate superstition. Seen from this perspective, of course there is a war on Christianity." There you have it. An actual U.S. Congressman claiming that war has been declared on eighty-five percent of Americans by, I don't know, the remaining fifteen percent, and that unless drastic measures are taken, Christianity might be outlawed in this country. I'll certainly admit that a small percentage of Americans, smaller even than the fifteen percent who aren't Christian themselves, treat Christianity as a 'second-rate superstition,' but nowhere near the number of evangelical Christians who consider every other major religion to be, not even second-rate superstitions, but godless barbarian heathen cults. It seems likely to me that Mr. DeLay's real issue isn't so much that too many Americans consider his Christianity a "second-rate superstition," but that they consider it a "second-rate excuse for his abuse of power and lack of ethics." Regardless, what I have the most trouble with is that some of the people DeLay is referring to are people deeply involved with charity work, peace activism, social programs, and a multitude of other endeavors that represent - if not in name, in spirit - the values taught in the Gospel, while this group of supposed Christian leaders spent profane amounts of time and money, both of which could have been better spent on actual charitable causes, to get together and whine about how difficult life is for them. It is absolutely shameful.
Michael Horowitz, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, told the crowd that had it not been for the "Christian decency of this country" he would have been rendered "a bar of soap" by the Nazis. He then went on to say that "You guys have become the Jews of the 21st century," evidently competing for the coveted 'Most Anti-Semitic Comment by a Jew' award. Comparing the systematic imprisonment and murder of millions of Jews in Europe to Betty Smith of Denver, Colorado, having to explain the concept of creationism to her children because it isn't covered in public elementary schools is beyond insulting. Somehow, I don't imagine that, had young Anne Frank been told that in the early twenty-first century American children would have to pray quietly in school because teachers wouldn't be allowed to lead them in prayer, she would have happily skipped off to the gas chamber, relieved to have it so easy. Call me a cynic if you must.
Similarly batshit self-important was Navy Lt. Gordon James Klingerchmitt, a military chaplain, who claimed to have been punished by a commander for offering sectarian prayers at a sailor's memorial service. (It was not made clear whether or not the fallen soldier was Christian, but given my knowledge, limited as it may be, of military protocol and regulations, I think safe money says he wasn't. The military is not one of those organizations often called out for being anti-Christian.) He then showed a slide of himself, followed by a slide of Abdur Rahman, the Afghan man who was originally sentenced to death for converting from Islam to Christianity, and asked, "What do these two Christians have in common? Perhaps we are persecuted. Perhaps we are no different than most Christians throughout history." Mr. Rahman was unavailable for comment, as he was hiding for his life from an entire nation of people who quite literally wanted him dead and had the will to carry out the task. Lt. Klingerchmitt was available for comment because, evidently, his punishment from the navy did not involve the removal of his head, though he has evidently, at some point, been relieved of any sense of shame.
So this is how we Christians are being represented. I know that many of you who pass through here are not Christians and probably can't muster up a whole lot of sympathy, and I understand that. I understand how you would feel betrayed by the largest block of activism in the country that claims to have a moral obligation to do charitable works and strive for peace and brotherhood, and yet continually votes against those very principals in favor of intolerance and judgmental arrogance. But please believe that while our most vocal branches may be reprehensible, they are in no way representative of all, or even most, Christians.
To my fellow Christians, I suggest that it's time to get mad and start demanding that our representatives disavow the ranting of these fanatical pseudoChristians. When the moneychangers profited at the expense of the church, Christ angrily overturned their tables and cast them out. Why have we let them back in, and given them voice to speak for us? They shame us on a daily basis, and bastardize our faith with self-importance, intolerance, hatred, and apathy towards suffering. They get away with this only because we let them, out of our own misguided tolerance or desire to avoid conflict. We need to speak up against this profane use of our faith, not only for ourselves, but also for generations that follow who might otherwise be presented with no other aspect of Christianity but hatred and ignorance.
(For another take on this article, visit The Radioactive Quill. Amy's a bit hard on us, but we've got it coming.)
posted by Zafrod at 11:33 AM
2 Comments:
psuedoChristians in America are certainly not alone in their overdevelopment of a persecution complex; it appears to be the official passtime of most people who are insecure in their faith throughout the entire spectrum of religions.
My observations are that the more insecure someone is in their faith the more persecuted they feel by everyone and everything around them. I believe this tends to happen because of a lack of structure within their faith, the presence incoherent or contradictory principles (both being espoused and practiced), and a weak sense of personal identity all combine to form a person who wishes to feel special in some way and so develop a sense that the entire world is preventing them from achieving whatever grandiose goals they set for themselves.
In my time I have met many an insecure Christian, Buddhist, Wiccan, Pagan, and even a few atheists who simply wear their religion as an identifying mark on their external surface, and continue to behave as they always did, or worse, as they believe that belonging to a group somehow makes them special enough to bend the rules any way they wish. The only people who are dogmatic about their respective faith to the point of insensibility (and insensitivity) are the people of the weakest faith.
By contrast, the people with the strongest faith are always among the quietest about it, as they have no need of constant affirmation of their faith from outside sources. Nor do these people have the necesity of creating an enemy to combat aside from their own personal evils. The struggle within is more than enough to keep one busy for a lifetime. (or many lifetimes, as the case may be for some)
There are six and a half billion people on this planet, a full four billion identify themselves as religious in some fashion; even as they commit great evils. Within that four billion you will find probably about 1 million who really live up to what their faith demands of them; these great sturdy folk understand that the rest of the world still judges them by the actions of those of the greatest number of their religion. This leaves us with only one in 6,500 people; (most of which do not live in the United States (4% of the world's population)) who might stand up to this over the voices of the other 3,999 people who are in various states of spiritual disarray, and a full 2,000 who haven't a care about it.
I believe however that even these folk will not speak up, for they cannot save us any more than we may save ourselves- religion is a personal quest of improving one's character that takes more effort than any undertaking that has ever existed. These people are steadfastly committed to this and cannot assist us until they reach their ultimate goals.
Until enough of us all come into our ultimate incorruptable goodness through the same efforts that these brave folk attempt, we cannot take back our faiths from them in any lasting fashion. Until that time we should lead the best lives that we can according to our own faiths. Tend to the development your own personal faith first and the rest will follow and you shall not be troubled, of this, all faiths do agree upon.
"Like the elephant who endures arrows in battle, I too shall endure the harsh words and actions of other people. For I know that most people behave badly."
-The Dhammapada
I don't really disagree with you in theory, anony. You're right, there are persecution complexes everywhere. Very few people are capable of turning their persecution complexes into legislation, however. If someone, for whatever reason, feels that insecure about their faith, well, I wish them the best and hope they'll do a little more thinking about it, and let them be on their way. When that insecurity causes the powerful to tyranize the weak, however, doing nothing becomes a moral choice in itself. All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing, and ignorance is the same as evil if you judge by the results.
My issue isn't with the fact that some Christians are poorly informed and woefully insecure, but that we allow those same people to do harm to others in the name of their religion. The personal faith of others is their own business until they make it ours, but by bringing their version of Chrsitianity into the political sphere, they have done just that.
The current state of Christianity in America certainly didn't come about by my choice. Regardless, like everyone else, I'm forced to deal with it now, and as a Christian myself, I've got a little more stake in the game, because I will inevitably be judged on the actions of others.
I don't quite draw things in stark black and white... I don't think it takes sturdy, perfect people to do good. It just takes people who can recognize evil and care enough to do something about it. I need to believe the majority of people fall into that category.
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