Citizen's Rent 2005

It's Not that I Hate Christianity - It's the Bad Theology

Liberals are tarred on a daily basis as anti-religious. Those doing the tarring are generally conservatives, since the liberal religious actually spend time with liberals who aren't religious and know that they aren't bands of raving, hostile atheists.

I'm not particularly religious, though I used to be. And I harbor a deep respect for people of faith who live that faith. But I harbor antipathy for those who wear their faith as a cloak, as a get out of jail hell free card, as a trump card that's supposed to make a person's other qualities (like ethical lapses) irrelevant.

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) chooses "faith as a trump card" when he makes this comment about DeLay's continued ability to strong arm the Republicans in the House into supporting unpopular legislation.

"It's not popular to say, but one reason is that he knows Jesus personally. When the chips are down, you usually start looking up."

I read this and grimaced. Not only because it ignores DeLay's sins, which in my opinion includes abuse of power. I also grimaced because it's fundamentally arrogant to say that someone knows God personally.

Yes, I know he means that DeLay has "accepted Jesus as his personal savior". But that's not what he said. And it annoys me. It's like those Christians who say "Jesus is my best buddy". To me, it reduces the majesty and mystery of God, of God as man, of the resurrected Christ.

And it's bad theology. Christianity isn't a deal with God where you promise to follow Him, to accept Jesus as the savior, and God promises you a good life. There's no deal here, no promise that your faith will be rewarded with anything but the comfort of being loved by God and the promise of heaven. There's certainly no promise of temporal success. Instead, we're all promised that "rain will fall on the just and unjust", that we should "bless those that persecute you". Not that we'll get what we want.

I would have an easier time respecting the faith of these political leaders and their friends if they didn't beat me over the head with it, respond to criticism as though they've been truly persecuted, if they didn't act as though their faith was the equivalent of a secret password that gives them access to the halls of power and worldly success. And I'd respect it more if they actually held each other accountable to living up to the precepts of their religion:

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2)

Bless those that persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those that rejoice, and weep with those that weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Not minding the high things, but associating with the humble. Do not become wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil; providing that which is good before all men. If possible, as much as depends on you, keeping peace with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.   Therefore "If your enemy should hunger, feed him; if he should thirst, give him drink; for by doing this, you will heap coals of fire upon his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12)

That's not quite aligned with the "wanted dead or alive" or "hunt them down and kill them" .  And  the "knowing Jesus personally" just isn't enough.

Excommunication of Democrats Wasn't Politically Motivated

Readers of DailyKos have seen the story of the church in Waynesville, NC that excommunicated nine members because they voted for Kerry and wouldn't repent of their sin. I first read of the story here (great site) and now it's been picked up the AP state news service. You can read those stories for all the details.

What I find interesting is the pastor's insistence that this excommunication wasn't politically motivated. At first (and second and third) blush, this comment seems self-delusional. How in the world can excommunication because of your vote not be political? Seems impossible. But if you suspend your own perspective for a moment and adopt the pastor's, it's feasible.

This is a guy who has been rabidly preaching against abortion and homosexuality as great evils that must be fought. I suspect he sees the hand of Satan there. And he sees Bush as the guy fighting the forces of darkness and Kerry as, at best, the unwitting dupe of the dark lord. So of course siding with the dupe is standing against God. It's not personal - in other words it's not about Kerry. It's not partisan - it's not about Republican or Democrat. It's not political - it's not about who is the president. It's spiritual - it's about siding with light or darkness. And if you sided with darkness then you've sinned and you better repent. If you won't, then you are standing in opposition to God.

Yep. That's how I think it went.

The good news here is that 40 congregants walked out in protest over the excommunications. Good for them. Faithful attendance at church and a religious commitment aren't synonymous with turning off your mind and turning over your judgment to whoever fills the pulpit. At least it shouldn't be.

National Day of Prayer

 I missed the National Day of Prayer. Darn. I missed seeing Bush pray in front a bunch of people in the East Room. I missed his explanation of why we pray (hint: it's all about freedom). I missed Tom DeLay's call for humility. I missed seeing a bunch of politicians kneel as James Dobson led them in prayer for all the cabinet members (ugh). I missed hearing Dobson's prayer lamenting the fact that so many couples cohabitate and have children outside of marriage. I missed the prayer meeting led by Dobson and DeLay in a caucus room at the House where they prayed for the government, military, media, schools, churches and families. (I'm guessing it was something like help our government fight the evil homosexual agenda and put your servants on the bench, help our military kill the enemy, give reporters the strength to fight liberal bias, give our educators strength to fight the evils of evolutionary theory... or something like that.)

I missed every single one of the 40,000 events across the country. I missed seeing where the $1.5 million budget got spent.

Bummer. If I hadn't missed the national day of prayer, I would have prayed for truth to  be louder than sanctimony, for prayers that  beseech God instead of prayers that are speeches in disguise, for real humility in the hearts of our leaders, for grace, for wisdom, for the ability to see beyond our own narrow filtered views of the world, for leaders that care more for the poor than for their ideology. I would have prayed for hope, for intervention in the rise of religious fundamentalism across the globe, for peace, for national days dedicated to living the teachings of the world's religions that call us to care for those around us.

I would have prayed for all that - benefit of the doubt and all. But I missed the national day of prayer.

More Whining from that Oppressed Minority - the Extreme Religious Right

There's a Washington Post op-ed column today by a former reporter for that paper and self-proclaimed born-again Christian. The writer counts up the opinion pieces recently published that raise the specter of theocracy and decry the rising influence of the extreme religious right.  To me, it's one more "aren't we the oppressed minority" whine that doesn't ring true.  Sure, there have been a lot of pieces written since we found out that Frist was participating in "Justice Sunday" which declared that support for the filibuster was a direct attack on people of faith. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. This slew of articles comes after  bluster and threat and judgment and preaching that those who disagree with far-right conservative positions are secular hedonists going to hell.

• It comes after an Alabama judge flouted the law and was hailed for doing so, all to put religious laws in the center of the courthouse.
• It comes after an election that pitted the people of God against Kerry supporters, in which Catholic cardinals warned Catholics not to vote for Kerry and suggested Kerry should be denied communion because he didn't let the Vatican determine his stand on American issues.
• It comes after we were told that Bush won because people with values voted for him, meaning those of us who didn't mustn't have any values. It comes after the real value vote - Iraq - was morphed to mean that having values means opposing gay marriage, opposing a woman's right to choose, opposing an independent judiciary.
  
• It comes after far right religious groups like the Traditional Values Coalition and Family Research Center used the threat of gay marriage to get voters to the polls, took credit for the Bush win, and then threatened political retribution on the Bush administration if he didn't work on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
• It comes after hearing religious words like "wonder working power" in a past state of the union speech.
• It comes after the government established centers in the White House and 13 federal agencies whose job is to help funnel money to religious groups.
• It comes after somehow, HHS funds going to religious groups under that initiative only went to Christians.
• It comes after the Republicans co-opting of God as a campaign tool. After church members got in the game and sent their church directories to the Bush/Cheney campaign.
• It comes after Jerry Falwell started a new moral majority with the slogan "I Vote Christian."
• It comes after the Republican National Committee sent a direct mail piece to West Virginians declaring that Democrats are in favor of banning the Bible.
• It comes after Bush said in an interview with the Washington Times that religious people are more patriotic.

Liberals have been accused of being God-haters, of denigrating Christianity, of looking down on people of faith. It's not a new charge but the charge load has increased from the occasional BB pellet to a bunker busting bomb. I won't sit quietly when I run into the self-righteous insistence that I have no values unless I adopt those of the religious right, that if I disagree with the leaders of the politicized religious right that I'm denigrating Christianity, that if I call out the leaders and their followers for inconsistencies in their positions they use to condemn me that I'm attacking them, that when I show disdain for the use of faith as a political weapon I'm looking down on them. My values include respect for truth, for an open mind, a willingness to listen to those who disagree with you, a commitment to building a community without requiring conformity. I have a deep respect for people's search for meaning and purpose, which often leads to faith in God. I have a deep disdain for those who use faith as a weapon in a battle for secular power. I'll speak up as so many others are. Not in an attack on faith. But in an attack on those who use it. They don't get a free pass because they label themselves as God's children.

Far right religious conservatives don't own God, Christianity, values, faith, Jesus, morals, or principles. They aren't this country's moral arbiters. They are one group in a pluralistic society. They can't beat us over the head with their righteous indignation, partner it with rabid condemnation, and then whine when we call attention to their growing influence on the Republican leadership and the fears that raises in us.

They should stop and realize that if their politics really embodied the  teachings of Christ, we wouldn't be afraid of their influence.

Conservative Bloggers' Views on Justice Sunday

I haven't posted for a couple of days for two reasons. One is that the last post by Marjo zinged my brain and I wanted everyone to read it - I didn't want it pushed down the page or diluted by a bunch of new posts. The second reason is that the post I've been working on turned out to be much more difficult to write. I though it would be insightful to see what conservative bloggers were saying about Justice Sunday ( the extremist religious right anti-filibuster telecast) and Frists's participation in it.

So I began reading conservative blogs. And I continued to read.

I read about how sad liberals are, given that we're morally bankrupt and all.
I read about the estate tax and how if we only understood it we'd repeal it.
I read about the socialist takeover of American universities (that cabal of leftist professors).
I read about the filibuster and the Democratic hypocrisy in loving it now when they've hated it in the past.
I read about the borking of Bolton and the indignity that will be visited upon the left if his nomination isn't approved.
I read about the vast left wing conspiracy led by Hillary and funded by Soros.
I read about the value of politicians expressing their faith and the emptiness of the charge that we face a theocratic takeover.
I read about the religious bigotry of Democrats exposed in their opposition to "good Christian" judges.

I read a lot. But what I didn't read was one single damn thing about Justice Sunday and Frist's participation. Some mentioned it as the launching ground to discuss the need to get rid of the filibuster (or in the rare instance to keep it), but none directly addressed the telecast, the charge that opposition to the filibuster is equivalent to opposition to people of faith, and the credibility on the whole thing that Frist bestowed by his participation.

No, I didn't read every conservative blog. No, I didn't read all the archived posts of the ones I read. But I read a lot and found nothing.

What does it mean? They don't think it matters. They think it's awful but don't want to criticize their party. They think adding to the discussion gives legs to the issue and highlights the liberal response. They're embarrassed. They're thrilled. Who knows? I don't because they aren't telling. But if I had to guess, I'd say they think we're making a mountain out of a molehill and fear that it could hurt golden boy Frist. They hope the whole thing will go away. I hope we don't let it.

Have You No Sense of Decency, Sir?

I call bullshit.

Sen. Frist , supposed reluctant champion of the "nuclear option" to end filibusters of judicial nominees, is declaring that Democrats are against people of faith because they don't support every damn judge nominated by the President.

The Family Research Council, that tax-exempt non-profit, is organizing a telecast from a tax-exempt church, to host Republican politicians and their supporters in a national condemnation of Democrats as anti-Christian. I guess all those Democratic Christians aren't really saved, didn't really accept Christ as their savior. Because, you know, Christ didn't command his followers to feed the poor, clothe the hungry, visit those in prison, or be love their neighbors as themselves. No, those aren't indicators that these alleged Christians actually believe in and follow the commands of Christ. Not all.

These fake Christians, haters of real Christians, Democrats, aren't reallly following Christ's call. You see, what Christ apparently commanded his followers to do is

• to cut taxes (that "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's" is so misunderstood),
• to execute minors (just ignore that "do not kill" commandment),
• to bring freedom at the end of the sword (really, turn the other cheek?),
• to protect the wealthy (the "rich man in heaven is like a camel through the eye of a needle" was a  parable, people),
• to condemn gays (it really is okay to "cast the first stone"),
• to force everyone to sit through prayers at public events (He didn't really mean pray in secret when He said to, um, pray in secret),
• to establish a theocracy  (the kingdom of heaven starts here you know),
• and apparently to stack the courts (when the Bible says to submit yourself - for the Lord's sake - to every authority instituted among men, to show respect, it surely doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to control that authority, excuse violence perpetrated against it, condemn all participants in it as heathen secularists who hate God).

Above all, it must be clear that God calls us to condemn those who disagree with us on matters of state, to call out their obvious hatred for God-loving people because of a disagreement on the institutions of man. That's the real meaning behind the message of Christ.

I'm sick of love for God being aligned with support for Republican policies.They are NOT one and the same. To cynically use what is the truest part of a person - their search for truth, meaning, God - and to manipulate  it and say that unless you support ending the filibuster on judicial nominees then you obviously do not love God or His people, in fact you hate them, is vile. It trivializes faith. Do they really mean that I don't love God and I hate His people if I don't support a change in Senate rules? Apparently, they do.

Members of mainstream religions in this country must speak out and declare that the Republican party and their far-right religious supporters are not the arbiters of true faith. It is an insult to God and all that Christians hold dear to allow faith to be used, trivialized, and manipulated in the struggle for secular power. It is the antithesis of Godliness. Really, it has to end.

UPDATE: For a full round up of coverage of this issue on the blogosphere, check out this post at The Moderate Voice. The  Politburo Diktat has a roundup of responses from the conservative side of the aisle.
 

UPDATE II: The Clergy and Laity Network is organizing a prayer vigil on the 24th in protest against the Family Research Council/Frist telecast. I hope there's also some organized response for those who don't pray.

UPDATE III: The Judicial Confirmation Network is launching an  campaign on cable TV stations with similar religious themes. Here's one of their advertisements.

Ad script:

American values. They make our country great.
But some want to take them away.
They want God out of the pledge of allegiance.
They say child pornography is protected by the Constitution.
Who are these people.
Arrogant judges ignoring the Constitution and writing their own laws.
The President believes judges shouldn't impose political views yet his nominees are blocked by a minority of liberal Senators.
Contact your Senators. Tell them to support a fair vote on judges.

The initial ad purchase is for $250K with more committed "if needed". A second ad is in production. In their press release, they specifically state that the liberal agenda is " removing God from the Pledge of Allegiance and protecting child pornographers." Gary Marx, the executive director of this group, last served as the coalitions director for the national Bush/Cheney 04 campaign. Before that, he was a lobbyist and development director for The Family Foundation, a Virginia state affiliate of Focus on the Family. Before that, he worked in Ralph Reed's political consulting firm where his primary client was Pres. Bush (pre-election).

UPDATE IV: Apparently, this telecast is modeled on telecasts used in the 2004 election to oppose gay marriage.

A Little Piece of Instant Karma

Because this representative of a small publishing company was so incredibly rude, even vile, in her efforts to get a reviewer to remove a bad review from her web site, I feel almost obligated to bring attention to it (review at top, emails below). It boggles the mind that any person purporting to represent a God of love could write such harsh, judgmental, unfounded, and just plain mean things. Not only does the bad review deserve more attention, but the conduct of the woman from the publishing house deserves full exposue. It's time for a little "you reap what you sow".

The bad news is that this is the perfect example of the unthinking radical religious right with whom we have no hope of ever opening a dialog. The good news is that the more the public hears them, the less sway they'll have.

A curtsy to Kathy at What Do I Know for the link.

They're Eating Their Own

Conservative Republican Judge Greer, who did his job and applied the law and not his or other's opinions to the Terri Schiavo case has received death threats. That's pretty bad but not surprising. And it's not surprising that he find protesters when he walks out of his front door. What is surprising is that his church kicked him out. That's vile. He's got to be feeling isolated at best. Here's hoping he finds a church that respects the law, recognizes that its members aren't experts in it, that this country is not one that places natural or moral law above civil written law, and that this man did his job and his decisions have subsequently been affirmed by multiple courts. This utter disregard for our system, for our laws, for people, is representative of the movement in this country that makes me afraid for our future. We cannot allow people who would eject a man from his community of worship for doing his job and refusing to disregard the fundamental laws that make this country strong, we cannot allow those people to run our country.They'll destroy it.

Curtsy to Loaded Mouth for the info.

UPDATE:

It appears that the church Greer belonged to distributed its newsletter in a  magazine,  the Florida Baptist Witness, which printed editorials and articles highly critical of the judicial response to the Schiavo case and strongly advocating continued care for her. James Smith, the executive editor of the magazine, claims not to have known that Greer was a Southern Baptist at the time of his first editorials. After receiving the magazine with articles critical of him, a magazine which his church clearly endorsed, Greer maintained his membership in the church but discontinued his financial support. And not surprisingly, his attendance at services waned. After an article in the local paper quoted Greer referencing his membership in the church, his pastor contacted him to discuss "what kind of relationship he wanted with the church". Greer's response? An email withdrawing his membership.

Smith, the magazine editor commented:

“It appears that Judge Greer has chosen to remove himself from the loving care of a biblically sound church rather than to submit to the biblical obligation to exercise his public duties in a manner that is consistent with his Christian faith. This is regrettable for Judge Greer because he could not be better served than to be under the teaching of Dr. Rice. Dr. Rice is to be commended for his courageous defense of Terri Schiavo in spite of the difficult circumstances related to his now-former church member’s involvement. I believe that other Southern Baptist churches would be well-served to follow the model of Dr. Rice in the manner in which he has dealt with this difficult situation.”

The choice offered here is make sure your judicial rulings meet the church's expectations or get out.(Note the irony here that the requirement is that he become an activist judge.)  When the judge chose the path of integrity - to uphold the law and his oath to do so - he signed his own eviction notice. Of course, his pastor gets the big pat on the back for "defending Terri Schiavo" despite Greer's attendance at his church and then sending the message "shape up or ship out". Yup. That was brave. And Christ like.

Excerpts from the pastor's letter:

"I am not asking you to do this, but since you have taken the initiative of withdrawal, and since your connection with Calvary continues to be a point of concern, it would seem the logical and, I would say, biblical course."

"But you must know that in all likelihood it is this case which will define your career and this case that you will remember in the waning days of life. I hope you can find a way to side with the angels and become an answer to the prayers of thousands."

 

Commander in Chief of the Culture War?

Mick at Arran's Alley has an interesting post, highlighting the growing rift between Bush and the religious right as well as the religious right's complete disregard for the law and the courts.

In reading his post and the article he refers to, I found the following excerpts particularly intriguing (emphasis mine).

his zeal to fight the monsters that reside abroad, George W. Bush appears to have forgotten the very monsters that have set up camp in his own presidential backyard. Abortion, euthanasia, explicit obscenity, and homosexual marriage all encompass a cultural war in which this President was drafted to fight.
....
But with 4,000 unborn children perishing daily, Jack Kevorkian knocking on the doors of countless elderly persons, and the celebration of the sexuality explicit on the airwaves of our nation, this question must be posed: where is the Commander in Chief whom this country elected to fight the cultural war?

When did the president become the Commander in Chief of what unknown army fighting a culture war? When did civil war break out in this country? Pat Buchanan tried to declare war, a holy war, at the ?? Republican convention. The backlash was immediate. Despite the backlash, it's clear that they think they're at war, that they're fighting the enemy - which I guess includes me.

There's a problem here. The president wasn't "drafted to fight a culture war". (He's pretty good at avoiding drafts, after all.) And he wasn't elected to be Commander in Chief of an army of cultural war-mongers. That's not his job. I'm sure plenty on the far right would argue the point, but they should take a look at the Constitution.  It clearly states that the  president is  required to "take care that all laws are faithfully executed". It also designates him as Commander in Chief. But it doesn't anoint him to head a cultural war and gives him no powers to do so.  It particularly doesn't give him the power to ignore the law as defined by Congress and interpreted by the courts.

The bottom line is that the president's job is to enforce the law, not flout it. He can't create new law or negate the law as is stands. That's what this column-writer is advocating. That's unconstitutional. The president does set policy and that's the arena where he can address cultural issues. He's done so by prioritizing the funding of abstinence-only education, marriage initiatives, faith-based social service groups, etc.  He can advocate for specific laws and propose constitutional amendments. As the head of his party, he can use the bully pulpit of the presidency to sway public opinion. He's certainly done so with his endless references to a "culture of life". Sure, he could go further by proposing legislation to Congress and he does. That's the one thing he hasn't done to the satisfaction of this columnist. But the columnist wants Roe vs Wade overturned and no legislation can do that. So what exactly does this guy want? He wants Bush to flout the law and thereby break his vow to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.

I'm beginning to believe that the "strict Constructionist" approach of the far right is a convenience embraced by the religious elements of the far right, that they'll happily ignore when it's to their advantage. The Constitution is designed with  a system of checks and balances to prevent a single person from imposing their will on the country. Executive, legislative, and judicial powers belong to three separate bodies. The religious right may not like that. They may despair of the fact that it's Congress that has the authority to create the law,  that  the judiciary has the authority to interpret the law, and that the president only has the authority to enforce the law. But that's the way our country works. We can't let them change that.

Religion Today: Infusing Faith into the Super Bowl

The second article in Sunday's online NYT National section that dealt with faith was all about efforts to infuse faith into the week of Super Bowl celebrations in Jacksonville, FL. Now obviously, anyone is free to use the attention focused on Jacksonville and the Super Bowl to promote their interests. Certainly the beer companies make the most of it so it's perfectly fine for Christians to do the same. My own opinion is that the energy and effort going into the multiple events - the Super March for Jesus, the Convoy of Hope, the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration, et  al - could be put to better use, could be channeled towards helping people in need. But the focus here is evangelical, which despite my criticism is a common focus for these folks.

BUT, the NFL rules explicitly exclude evangelism in connection with sanctioned events. This doesn't seem to bother the "First Down, First Coast" group which is working with the NFL Host committee in some way. I don't have a problem with religious groups working with the Super Bowl committee, but this is a group explicitly formed to use the Super Bowl to evangelize the crowds. There's something wrong with this picture.

Here are some excerpts I grabbed from the First Down, First Coast web site. I have to admit, this is the kind of thing that creeps me out and makes me want to run screaming in the other direction. I think the thing that really bothers me is that it feels manipulative and seems to trivialize what should be one of the most important things to a person - their faith. It feels like an ambush on the unsuspecting Super Bowl fan. Ugh.

• First Down First Coast has been organized by the Jacksonville Baptist Association to strategically use the Super Bowl as an opportunity to share Jesus .
• There will be singing and prayer as we proclaim to Jacksonville how “Super” our Savior is. (That trivializing thing.)
• The Body of Christ in Jacksonville will come together across denominational lines to share food, haircuts, music, fun and the love of Christ. (Haircuts???)
• Other churches like Neptune Baptist Church are planning several small, intimate parties in member’s homes, where neighbors are invited to watch the game and also to respond to the claims of Christ. (What, a half-time altar call?)
• We are currently creating a witness tract in the form of a collectable (sic)Football Trading card that guests will want to keep. (How much money is being spent here that could help people in need?)

Okay. Maybe I'm being petty. Maybe it doesn't matter and my reaction has everything to do with my own issues. But hell, it's my blog and this got under my skin. So I won't give in to the small temptation to delete this post.