I’m an atheist who believes nationalism and zealotry are the roots of many of the world’s problems. So, you can imagine how horrifying it is for me to see bible-thumpers wrapped in flags, proclaiming Jesus as our true President. The formerly benign “god bless amerika” now gives me the creeps.
During channel surfing, I often linger over a Christian channel. I see things I like, especially the theatrics of T.D. Jakes. (I went through a brief period where I enjoyed Christian music videos — much more so than country.)
It is especially interesting to see the “Christian nation” propaganda that is always present reach a peak near the Fourth of July. There was a sermon on the wicked effort to misrepresent the Founders as Deists. I saw a special on His Holiness, George Christ Bush. Several times, I saw part of a concert held in the White House that seemed to feature only Christian music. It is especially chilling to watch the leader of the non-denominational US watch 5 youths jump off a Hitler Jugend poster and into the White House to sing about Amerika and the freedom we all enjoy, “thanks to that one man.” I know they don’t mean Jefferson, but I can’t tell if the mean Jesus or Duhbya. That room held 50 to 100 people. How many of them thought, “I can’t believe this is happening in the White House.” Any? It made me think of good times at Bergesgarten.
The White House is no longer the People’s House. It is a Christian Compound. We are one election away from Evangelicals demoting the rest of us to second-class citizens. Ironically, they will do this as part of a Religious Freedom Act, to protect them from persecution from secular humanists.
I think I’ll go burn a bible for the Fourth. mjh
For evangelicals, a bid to ‘reclaim America’ By Jane Lampman | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor | March 16, 2005
An energetic pastor who built Coral Ridge into a 10,000-member megachurch with far-reaching radio and TV audiences, the Rev. Dr. Kennedy regularly calls the US a Christian nation that should be governed by Christians. He has created a Center for Christian Statesmanship in Washington that seeks to evangelize members of Congress and their staffs, and to counsel conservative Christian officeholders. …
Christianity and patriotism are interwoven throughout the gathering, from Christian and American flags marched into the sanctuary, to red, white, and blue banners festooning the church complex, to a rousing “patriotic concert.” Several speakers emphasize the idea that America’s founders were largely Christian and that their intent was to establish a biblically based nation. (No mention is made of other influences on the Founding Fathers, such as Englightenment thinkers or issues of freedom of conscience.)
David Barton, a leading advocate for emphasizing Christianity in US history, deftly selects quotes from letters and historical documents to link major historical figures such as George Washington to a Christian vision, and to suggest that the courts and scholars in the last century have deliberately undermined the original intent of the Founding Fathers. …
Coral Ridge’s Center for Reclaiming America is building a grass-roots alliance around five issues: the sanctity of life, religious liberty, pornography, the “homosexual agenda,” and creation vs. evolution.
The Center aims to increase its 500,000-strong “e-mail army” to 1 million, and to encourage Christians to run for office. It has plans for 12 regional offices and activists in all 435 US House districts. And a new lobbying arm in Washington will target judicial nominations and the battle over marriage.
“If they don’t vote our way, we’ll change their view one way or another,” executive director Gary Cass tells the group. As a California pastor, Dr. Cass spearheaded efforts to close abortion clinics and recruit Christians to seek positions on local school boards. “We’re going to take back what we lost in the last half of the 20th century,” he adds.
“Taking back” is a major theme – taking back the schools, the media, the courts. …
[I]n a recent Barna survey of American pastors about their choice for “the most trusted spokesperson for Christianity,” Dr. Kennedy made the top 10, sharing the final spot with three others, including Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson and President Bush, each winning the vote of 4 percent of the clergy.
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Rolling Stone : The Crusaders by BOB MOSER | Apr 07, 2005
Meet the Dominionists — biblical literalists who believe God has called them to take over the U.S. government. As the far-right wing of the evangelical movement, Dominionists are pressing an agenda that makes Newt Gingrich’s Contract With America look like the Communist Manifesto. They want to rewrite schoolbooks to reflect a Christian version of American history, pack the nation’s courts with judges who follow Old Testament law, post the Ten Commandments in every courthouse and make it a felony for gay men to have sex and women to have abortions. … Their ultimate goal is to plant the seeds of a “faith-based” government that will endure far longer than Bush’s presidency — all the way until Jesus comes back. …
The godfather of the Dominionists is D. James Kennedy, the most influential evangelical you’ve never heard of. A former Arthur Murray dance instructor, he launched his Florida ministry in 1959, when most evangelicals still followed Billy Graham’s gospel of nonpartisan soul-saving. Kennedy built Coral Ridge Ministries into a $37-million-a-year empire, with a TV-and-radio audience of 3 million, by preaching that it was time to save America — not soul by soul but election by election. After helping found the Moral Majority in 1979, Kennedy became a five-star general in the Christian army. Bush sought his blessing before running for president — and continues to consult top Dominionists on matters of federal policy.
“Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever the cost,” Kennedy says. …
In the conference’s opening ceremony, the Dominionists recite an oath they dream of hearing in every classroom: “I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands. One Savior, crucified, risen and coming again, with life and liberty for all who believe.” …
Cass urges conference-goers to stack school boards with Dominionists. “The most humble Christian is more qualified for office than the best-educated pagan,” says Cass, an anti-abortion activist who led a takeover of his school district’s board in San Diego.
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