2014: Expecting The SOS From The Christian Right

2011: Same Ole Sh*t, 2012: Same Ole Sh*t, 2013: Same Ole Sh*t

2014?

You Guessed It!

So what's in store for liberals/progressives from the Christian Right in 2014? You guessed it. Because change and originality are not the Christian Right's strong points. As in the past, the emphasis will be on evil homosexuality, but guns, freedom of religion, abortion and Obama as the Anti-Christ will persist throughout the year.

1. Homosexuality is a choice, and reparation therapy works. The big CR keeps telling us that there are "thousands upon thousands" of ex-gays out there. The last time those "thousands" got together for a much-publicized rally, however, only a dozen showed up, presumably the "thousands" were afraid of the incredibly vicious "homosexual mafia," the scions of Scott Lively's gay storm troopers.

2. Republicans who veer from our Biblically-based agenda will be made to pay for their sins... at the ballot box. Family Research Council's Tony's Perkins has more than hinted at a separation from the Republican Party, whining that it has not paid the fervent respect the CR thinks it should have by voting for some gay rights issues, for example. This, of course, smacks of a nose cutting/face spiting stance: the Tea Party isn't powerful enough (does it have any actual leaders except for maybe RINO Ted Cruz?) and Republicans are their biggest asset in the legislature. True, Republicans are getting tired of fostering born-agains among their ranks, but they show no signs of going completely "secular."

4. Obama is still the Anti-Christ who will make Christianity illegal and take away all freedom and guns.

Right Wing Watch:

        After arguing that President Obama tried to kill him — along with 90% of Americans — Jim Garrow issued a warning to his followers today that if they do not join his anti-Obama guerrilla war then they will end up as just “a statistic and the memory of you being wiped from the face of the earth.”
Back in 2008, during the Prop 8 brouhaha, Tony Perkins reached out desperately to his donors, telling them that if Prop 8 passed, religious freedom would cease to exist and Christian would be jailed for their faith.

In 2013:

"We're already seeing bakers and florists and photographers forced to participate in same-sex marriages under the threat of law and in some cases even jail." Politifact disagreed.

5. The new Pope is a Marxist. While this is a relatively new meme of the CR, give it time: FOX News, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin have given it enough traction to last through the year and beyond, or as long as Pope Francis lives to regret it (which, in their compassion, they hope isn't very long).

6. Russia is proof that Christianity is the way out of horrendous atheism... and into horrendous bigotry and homophobia. Like the Marxist Pope, the Russia as a Great Christian Nation is relatively new, but you can see that every step Putin makes will be awarded with sainthood.

7. America is still Christian (only) nation. David Barton prevails (under the patronage of Glenn Beck et al), even though reputable publishers won't touch him. We will continue to hear how God personally blessed every founding Father with foresight and made sure that He was enshrined in the Constitution forever (even though He is never actually mentioned - except in the date "In the year of our Lord"). We will also hear how every living thing (and the chair you're sitting on) was mentioned in the Bible.

8. Anti-bullying programs simply promote homosexuality. Sally Kern, the venerable Representative from Oklahoma, insists that gays - through HIV - are worse than terrorists (related bullying coverage and Kern's statements below). With demonizing like Kern's, it's quite easy to see how kids can tell a gay teen that they're "going to hell." To counteract anti-bullying programs, the meme that telling kids not to bully gay teens is promoting "acceptance."

9. "You can't be Christian and not own a gun" were the words heard round the world's gun shows uttered by Pastor Gary Cass. And as the CR gets in on the protection racket (protecting our children, our neighbors, our pets, our lawns and our right not to abide cell phones in a theater), it will continue to rail against silly progressives who think that taking guns off the street will bring down violent crime.

One such (CR) Congressman, Paul Brown of Georgia, who has a rabidly pro-gun constituency just tweeted this:


Of course, the year won't be entirely boring.

Pat Robertson still has lots to say.

2011: Same Ole Sh*t, 2012: Same Ole Sh*t, 2013: Same Ole Sh*t

2014?

You Guessed It!

So what's in store for liberals/progressives from the Christian Right in 2014? You guessed it. Because change and originality are not the Christian Right's strong points. As in the past, the emphasis will be on evil homosexuality, but guns, freedom of religion, abortion and Obama as the Anti-Christ will persist throughout the year.

1. Homosexuality is a choice, and reparation therapy works. The big CR keeps telling us that there are "thousands upon thousands" of ex-gays out there. The last time those "thousands" got together for a much-publicized rally, however, only a dozen showed up, presumably the "thousands" were afraid of the incredibly vicious "homosexual mafia," the scions of Scott Lively's gay storm troopers.

2. Republicans who veer from our Biblically-based agenda will be made to pay for their sins... at the ballot box. Family Research Council's Tony's Perkins has more than hinted at a separation from the Republican Party, whining that it has not paid the fervent respect the CR thinks it should have by voting for some gay rights issues, for example. This, of course, smacks of a nose cutting/face spiting stance: the Tea Party isn't powerful enough (does it have any actual leaders except for maybe RINO Ted Cruz?) and Republicans are their biggest asset in the legislature. True, Republicans are getting tired of fostering born-agains among their ranks, but they show no signs of going completely "secular."

4. Obama is still the Anti-Christ who will make Christianity illegal and take away all freedom and guns.

Right Wing Watch:

        After arguing that President Obama tried to kill him — along with 90% of Americans — Jim Garrow issued a warning to his followers today that if they do not join his anti-Obama guerrilla war then they will end up as just “a statistic and the memory of you being wiped from the face of the earth.”
Back in 2008, during the Prop 8 brouhaha, Tony Perkins reached out desperately to his donors, telling them that if Prop 8 passed, religious freedom would cease to exist and Christian would be jailed for their faith.

In 2013:

"We're already seeing bakers and florists and photographers forced to participate in same-sex marriages under the threat of law and in some cases even jail." Politifact disagreed.

5. The new Pope is a Marxist. While this is a relatively new meme of the CR, give it time: FOX News, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin have given it enough traction to last through the year and beyond, or as long as Pope Francis lives to regret it (which, in their compassion, they hope isn't very long).

6. Russia is proof that Christianity is the way out of horrendous atheism... and into horrendous bigotry and homophobia. Like the Marxist Pope, the Russia as a Great Christian Nation is relatively new, but you can see that every step Putin makes will be awarded with sainthood.

7. America is still Christian (only) nation. David Barton prevails (under the patronage of Glenn Beck et al), even though reputable publishers won't touch him. We will continue to hear how God personally blessed every founding Father with foresight and made sure that He was enshrined in the Constitution forever (even though He is never actually mentioned - except in the date "In the year of our Lord"). We will also hear how every living thing (and the chair you're sitting on) was mentioned in the Bible.

8. Anti-bullying programs simply promote homosexuality. Sally Kern, the venerable Representative from Oklahoma, insists that gays - through HIV - are worse than terrorists (related bullying coverage and Kern's statements below). With demonizing like Kern's, it's quite easy to see how kids can tell a gay teen that they're "going to hell." To counteract anti-bullying programs, the meme that telling kids not to bully gay teens is promoting "acceptance."

9. "You can't be Christian and not own a gun" were the words heard round the world's gun shows uttered by Pastor Gary Cass. And as the CR gets in on the protection racket (protecting our children, our neighbors, our pets, our lawns and our right not to abide cell phones in a theater), it will continue to rail against silly progressives who think that taking guns off the street will bring down violent crime.

One such (CR) Congressman, Paul Brown of Georgia, who has a rabidly pro-gun constituency just tweeted this:


Of course, the year won't be entirely boring.

Pat Robertson still has lots to say.

If Ann Coulter Were A Mother

I saw The Bad Seed the other night - a movie some have called the scariest movie ever made: a movie with no blood, no gore, no hideous phantasms, which never seems to lose its horrific appeal upon those who first see it. It is the story of a little girl born without a conscience - and without any redeeming qualities in her soul. She is totally in control of her environment because she puts on a face of innocent perfection, while plotting her next piece of vengeance.

The Bad Seed was very controversial for its time, taken directly from Maxwell Anderson's play, it brought to the fore the theory of nature versus nurture: can evil be inherited? Can it skip a generation or two? Is it, somehow, buried in genetic makeup?

Several years ago, right win pundit and FOX darling Ann Coulter posited in her book Mugged: Racial Demagoguery From The Seventies to Obama that most illegitimate children wind up to be criminals.* And while she seemed to be on the nurture/environment side of the argument, some people (like me) couldn't help but think that she could have been hinting at the nature possibility.

So it makes one wonder: what would a child of The Coultergiest be like? What would the little darling inherit? What "virtues" would be instilled  AC? Think of Ann Coulter as a mother (before breakfast, please).

Comments, please ...

...and try to keep them (relatively) clean.




*I have a confession to make here which might make me slightly biased: I was born in an orphanage - a place called St. Vincent's Infant Asylum and Maternity Hospital in Chicago. I was born illegitimate - a bastard - but to Ann Coulter I'm still a bastard whatever the circumstances. After all, I'm a liberal.

Andrew Cuomo As Queen Isabella? The Exile Of Right Wing Extremists From New York!

     "Their problem is themselves. Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon, anti-gay? Because if that's who they are and they're the extreme conservatives, they have no place in the State of New York, because that's not who New Yorkers are."

Andrew Cuomo decried extremist conservatives in a recent statement and all hell on the Right broke loose.

Sean Hannity Responded:

     “I want you to know that and I can’t wait to get out of here,” he said. “I really can’t. I don’t want to pay their 10 percent state tax anymore. I live in the second-highest property-taxed county in the entire country in Nassau County. I can’t wait to sell my house to somebody who wants it. I can’t wait to pay no state income tax down in Florida or Texas.”

So did Glenn Beck and Ted Cruz:




Of course, Hannity's friends far and wide, decried Cuomo's "vile" statement.

    "State GOP chairman Ed Cox demanded Tuesday that Cuomo, a Democrat, apologize. Cox accused Cuomo of "poisoning New York's politics with divisive rhetoric at a time when New York needs to be united to address its continuing economic problems."

"Divisive rhetoric" is, of course, something the GOP knows wholeheartedly, since they have enabled Right Wing extremists (aka the Christian Taliban) for years. In fact, after Beck became dismayed at the comments, he said that he might expatriate to another country. Thereafter he had on John Hagee, the pastor who told atheists to take the first plane out of the country. Right Wing Watch: Hypocrisy, Thy Name Is Glenn Beck.

New York's Sigh of Relief

New Yorkers, both City and State, deal with bombast in their own way: while tsk-tsking Cuomo for being so intolerant of narrow minded conservatives, they are breathing a collective sigh of relief. The reaction to Rush Limbaugh's exodus was one of "Thank goodness, now maybe someone with taste will redo his godawful apartment!" so the reaction to Hannity's possible departure was "Let's help you pack, Sean!" Of course, Hannity is not quite as big as FOX News (an admirable target for emigration), but his absence will quiet the skies over the empire state, giving the people a rest from the righteous arrogance they distrust: their conservatism has always been more quiet and moderate, giving them the feel of dignity ... and honesty.

     "The governor was making the point that he makes often: New York is a politically moderate state and an extremist agenda is not politically viable statewide," said Cuomo's counsel, Mylan Denerstein.  "New York has a long history of electing Democrats and Republicans statewide who are moderate rather than on the extreme ends of the political spectrum. That is an unarguable fact."

Which One?

It's doubtful that Hannity will follow through with his threat, however, seeing that his $20 million-a-year at FOX can't be matched and for that amount, anyone would deal with high state income taxes. After all, $2 million in taxes can't mean much to someone who lives in this:




Hannity's worth is estimated at $35 million, but he won't be able to afford his lifestyle's upkeep on less than that $20 million. So if he does upchuck New York, whither will he go? Both Texas and Florida have way too many illegal immigrants for a staunch Irish-American to feel comfortable. And although Glenn Beck has promised to set up Hannity in his own media fief, it's doubtful that he can guarantee a lifestyle that, to say the least, would be greater than his own. Florida may have Limbaugh, but there have been no offers yet. Nevada? Too much money on casinos and not enough on media. Arizona? Too close to John McCain. Iowa? He'd have to go in as a "start up". Michigan? The ghost of Detroit is too depressing. Hawaii? Think of the cost of all those private jet jaunts!

Alaska! That's it! The state having the smallest population, but the largest land mass and certainly no one to call him an "extreme conservative." He'll be king!

And except for the Mrs. Moosburger, he'll be practically alone!

Thank God.

Twitter Truth, Mark Driscoll, Hell and The Righteous Arrogance Award

Pastor Mark Driscoll loves firestorms. He's that kind of preacher. He likens himself to Chris Rock.

wikipedia;

     "In a Crosscut.com article, his style was described this way: "Pacing the stage at the main Ballard campus, he delivered a sermon on marriage roles as he saw them set forth in the Song of Solomon. He told stories from his own marriage, offered statistics, and dropped jokes without their feeling forced. Every few minutes he would sniff in a thoughtful, practiced sort of way. This untucked, down-to-earth demeanor was the opposite of a huckster televangelist, but polished in its own way. It makes the guy easy to listen to."

But his tweets are not easy to read.





There is no humility about Driscoll: his writings and sermons may seem "down-to-earth" but they are like Rick Warren's Hawaiian shirts: casual dressing on a Southern Baptist theology. And whereas Warren is Southern Baptist, Driscoll is Calvinist (with a capital C): everyone is called, but few are predestined. And Mark Driscoll is predestined. Definitely.


Bludgeoning People With "I Am The Way, The Truth, and The Life"

Driscoll may, however, suffer from the kind of righteous arrogance many evangelicals have about Christianity: we are the ONE, the ONLY way to heaven. We are RIGHT. EVERYONE else is either WRONG, MISGUIDED, or simply OF THE DEVIL. But because of this attitude, WE ARE SO PERSECUTED! Too many evangelicals have taken one passage from Scripture and made it into a sword/mantra, smiting sinning souls while repeating it endlessly to themselves as a balm for any wounds encountered.

Ironically, it is the one thing that is causing most young people to leave their churches (and religion) altogether. Such righteous arrogance has become abrasive. And Driscoll's tweet has caused similar reactions.

Here are some of the reactions thus far:



Hell Exists - For The Righteously Arrogant

The world's biggest guilt trip was done by God: "I created you, but you sinned against me. Then I came down to earth in your form and died an agonizing death in order to absolve you of those sins because I love you." Yes, God as Jewish mother. And this particular guilt trip has endured throughout centuries. The guilt trip also comes with a penalty from a stern father: hell.

Scholars and theologians doubt the existence of hell - the fiery place where a vengeful God sends people after they die. While Jesus mentions a fiery place (often thought of as Gehenna), his focus is more on love and forgiveness than vengeance and control. For the only purpose of such a place is control, a carrot or stick approach to the human condition: without the prospect of hell, man's sins would overcome him. The promise of heaven isn't enough. Bishop John Shelby Spong has some good thoughts on the man-made concept of hell (see below).

For the righteously arrogant, however, hell is heaven-sent (sorry): it gives them authority (and a bit of sadism) while it covers them in heroism: battling evil while saving everyone else.

Mark Driscoll's tweet puts him on a pedestal while dousing him with radiant heroism. "It's unloving not to say that." How noble. How righteous ... ly arrogant. In a sense, Driscoll uses a hypocritical slash and burn tactic against everyone not Christian. And friends of non-Christians don't like it. If Driscoll wants an even bigger firestorm, he should address the Dalai Lama directly. Or Mohammed.

I'm thinking about instituting an annual Righteous Arrogance Award to be voted on by readers (and, yes, I'll include myself as a nominee, for even bloggers about RA can be R[ly]A at times). I will, of course, post all the nominees and the winner towards the end of the year in a full article (on OpEdNews as well).

Driscoll, of course, is the first nominee.

Not Quite As Classic As The Santorum Pic, But ....

Remember this?

FRC Strategy 2014: To Continue Battling The Evil Homosexual Activist Empire!

FRC Action's Strategy For Victory: Harp On The "Religious Liberty" Theme ad infinitum. 

Dear Dan,

     I come to you today with a very straightforward -- and very serious -- request: Please renew your support for FRC Action for this New Year of 2014.
The House of Representatives is where we have the greatest potential to make the greatest impact -- to secure your religious liberties ... and keep America from descending into a quagmire of self-destructive socialism.
      This is urgently important because President Obama and his allies in Congress appear to be on a search-and-destroy mission when it comes to religious liberty. This administration has expressed its hostility to religious freedom at every turn: in the workplace, in the military, everywhere.
     It's critically important because of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a dangerous bill that would destroy the religious liberties of Christian employers and employees.
     I ask boldly for two crucial reasons: the past, and the future.
The past is our rock-solid track record of highly effective work on Capitol Hill and across the nation representing your values, fighting for faith, family, and freedom.

In a nutshell: Socialist (read: Pinko/Nazi/Anti-Christ) Obama wants to destroy religious liberty by advancing the "homosexual agenda." And homosexual activists (the scourge of the universe) will be able to get their way by having every truly faithful Christian thrown in jail for saying the name of "Jesus" and the word "homosexual" in the same sentence.

Or something like that.

The money-beg focuses on the mid-term elections, and while it doesn't mention revenge on those putrid politicians who dared to cast a tolerant eye on "teh gays", it leaves no doubt that heads will roll. 

Perkins' "rock-solid track record" includes Republican Party members who are devolving into Tea Partiers in suits, headed by Ted Cruz and the ne'er-do-well Rick Perry. Wielding his  media people at FOX News (principally Sean Hannity and Mike Huckabee), he hopes to counteract the Christian Right's embarrassingly bizarre defeat in Virginia of Cucinelli and E.W. Jackson. He also hopes to garner support for the CR's main export (homophobia) in Russia, Uganda and all countries willing to go against the Declaration of Human Rights. 

All of these things under the umbrella of "religious freedom." 

To win 'em over, just make 'em paranoid. 

Republicans Devolving: It Goes Beyond Creationism

There is new evidence that the Republican Party is devolving - dragged down to the state of neanderthal by Evangelical Fundamentalist Christians.

PEW Research:

     "There are sizable differences among partisan groups in beliefs about evolution. Republicans are less inclined than either Democrats or political independents to say that humans have evolved over time. Roughly two-thirds of Democrats (67%) and independents (65%) say that humans have evolved over time, compared with less than half of Republicans (43%).

"The size of the gap between partisan groups has grown since 2009. Republicans are less inclined today than they were in 2009 to say that humans have evolved over time (43% today vs. 54% in 2009), while opinion among both Democrats and independents has remained about the same."

     

The below PEW chart shows who are the culprits in this move backwards:






White and black evangelical protestants contribute so much to the cause of Creationism that it is hard to separate them. The groups populate the entirety of Southern Baptist Convention (16 million) as well as all other Fundamentalist Christian denominations (e.g., Assemblies of God). They are also the most vocal in (conservative) politics and have recently challenged the separation of church and state so as to openly preach politics from the pulpit.*

It is ironic that while Republicans claim a rise in Creationist beliefs, their support from the Christian Right has waned in regard to other issues like marriage equality: they have found out that when pandering to the Christian Right, you must hold strong on ALL its beliefs ... or else. They have also found out that the problems of teaching Creationism must be tackled at the local and state level first, since America's diversity counterbalances Fundamentalism: America may indeed be a Christian-majority nation, but it is fast becoming a nation of "no particular affiliation."

Andrew Sullivan:

     "An alarming study by the Barna group looked at the mass exodus of 20-somethings from evangelicalism and discovered that one of the major sources of discontent was the perception that “Christianity was antagonistic to science.” Anti-evolution, and general suspicion of science, has become such a significant part of the evangelical identity that many people feel compelled to choose one or the other. Many of my most talented former students no longer attend any church, and some have completely abandoned their faith traditions.

Whither go the youth, so go conservatives and the Republican Party. William F. Buckley would not be amused. 

The Turn-Off Point

When the Republican Party will become tired of being a pawn of the Christian Right and capitalism remains to be seen: indeed, it may never recuperate from the devolution (and never get tired of capitalism). Some pundits think that it has already reached the turn-off point with its growing (but grudging) acceptance of gay rights. This, however, is an illusion: Christian Right hold-outs like North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas will uphold the banning of same-sex marriage and the right to proselytize with Creationism (as a kind of science) until their cows come home.

They continue into the darkness willingly. Will they ever be seen again ... as intelligent homo sapiens?


*Although Catholic priests and bishops have been vocal, the emergence of Francis' doctrine of reaching out to the poor and not to politicians will definitely have its effect.

No "Duck Dynasty" In A Skirt: The Saga Of Linda Harvey, Amazon And "Maybe He's NOT Gay"

No Mystery, Just Bad Reviews and Inept Publishing

The saga of one of the shortest book lives on Amazon is: "Maybe He's NOT Gay" by Mission America's Linda Harvey was pulled from Amazon less than week after its debut. In what seemed to be a possible "Duck Dynasty" censorship hitting the book world, the MSM took to the laptops and declared that Amazon had pulled the book because of cries from the LGBT community.

One comment:

"That Amazon.com would sell such a potentially dangerous book full of anti-gay propaganda to an already at-risk group of LGBT youth and their parents by a well known radical hate group leader is beyond disgusting."

But in this corner:

Illinois Family Institute

        "Linda is one of my heroes in the pro-family Christian movement. She is a former journalist and media executive who now is a sought after speaker and hosts a national radio show based out of Ohio. Hidden within this attractive, professional woman, is a real stick of dynamite. She has more courage in one pinky finger than many people have in their whole body. She isn’t easily intimidated and doesn’t back away from a debate over truth with anyone. Linda chose to pull her book from Amazon. Homosexual activists have quickly twisted that into a lie that Amazon pulled the book because of its harmful or inaccurate content."

Unfortunately, Ms. Harvey seems to have backed away from a debate over truth" with this book. She didn't have the courage to stick things out long enough for good reviews from her fans.

Christian Post

       "Harvey, author of the book and head of the Ohio-based conservative organization Mission America, told The Christian Post on Friday that it was removed from the website at her request.

"I saw the rotten reviews, a smear campaign by those who had not read the book, and the publisher attempted to get Amazon to pull the ad hominem reviews, but they were not immediately responsive," said Harvey.

"So, since the book is brand new and I didn't want it to be harmed by this uninformed and vicious campaign stimulated by 'gay' bloggers, I decided to pull the page for now."

And on other sites:

     "And these hysteria-generators dredged up every fabrication about Mission America that’s ever been written, and then the pink mob descended on the book page on Amazon and without having read the book, wrote vicious, insulting reviews."

Mystery Solved: Harvey Is Totally Inept At Publishing

So was Amazon really at fault for the book being pulled, torpedoing the book by publishing (purposely) the worst reviews? Who were those ad hominem reviewers/bloggers? Was Micah Clark of the Christian Post (above) right in saying that homosexual activists "twisted ...into a lie that Amazon pulled the book"? This episode in anti-gay/anti-Christian animus raises a lot of questions.

But the biggest question for this former author and publisher is: does Harvey know anything about publishing a book? All the signs of ineptitude are there:

• Maybe He's NOT Gay is self-published. Googling Penrhyn Press turns up zilch. It has no website to promote its one title. The only promotion, in fact, for the book seems to be on Mission: America's webpage. This gives rise to the assumption that Harvey may have tried to get the book published by a (reputable) publisher, but didn't find one - not even a Christian book publisher. Couldn't she have enlisted someone like Pat Robertson to help her find a publisher? 
• There is no publication date for the book. (!?!) WTF? Are copies in print without this info? Standard procedure for a publication is that a copy be sent to the Library of Congress, but it must have a publication date. It must have a publication date for reviewers. It has an ISBN # (9781629030104), but no publication date? Weird.
• Few (if any) legitimate book reviewers received review copies of the book (or manuscript pages). The only statement of future publication came from Harvey herself. 
• Asking Amazon to pull the bad reviews is bad form. Pulling the book because of bad reviews on Amazon is worse. Citing a conspiracy from any group to trash the book is absurd. 

Another possibility: Harvey couldn't fire up enough "good" reviewers/friends for Amazon reviews. Just wait: her second Amazon page will have gobs.

Her friends are very slow readers.

Hey 2014! Wait up! OK, Don't - The CR Won't Change Anyway!

More on  this later...