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Evangelical Leaders Using God Like a Hired Gun
They tried branding Obama the anti-Christ. They tried linking him with Islamic terrorists. They've implied that unknown powers bought his allegiance by financing his education at Ivy League universities. They've used their pulpits to endorse McCain, hoping to spur a fight with the I.R.S. that would rouse their troops.
None of these tactics has brought their errant minions under control.
So using God like a hired gun to terrorize the town's people, the evangelical Christian mullahs are declaring that Obamageddon is at hand, using that very word and asking as the Religious Right/Republican Townhall magazine did in a September headline, "Could We Survive a Barack Presidency?"
Evangelical publisher James Strang answers the survival question by warning his readers that people who hate Christianity will take over the country once Obama is elected.
In fact, "life as we know it will end," Strang writes.
Last week Focus on the Family's James Dobson added his own doomsday predictions with a 16-page rant about evils that will befall the United States by 2012 if Obama is elected. A British commentator dubbed Dobson's list of a parade of horrors.
As a warm up Dobson blames misguided young evangelicals for putting Obama in office. It's them he's hoping to scare most. But they and emergent church leaders such as Brian McLaren, who endorsed Obama, have broken ranks and won't be coming back. He's truly delusional if he thinks they're listening to him.
A great mass of other evangelicals, who never followed the evangelical mullahs and never will, are also going for Obama. Maybe Dobson thinks they'll listen to him.
Not likely. They're using tried-and true-evangelical tactics on behalf of their own cause.
Seattle's Jim Henderson, a former Pentecostal preacher and head of Offthemap.com, is trying guilt.
He recently sent a mass email urging his friends to support Obama because he has the character and bearing to be president, and because his election gives Christians the opportunity to transform historical wrong.
The enslavement of Africans contributed greatly to our nation's wealth and has never been addressed directly and concretely by our leaders, Henderson wrote. Linking that lack of repentance to the country's $13 trillion of debt, he told his friends that our current troubles are a matter of reaping what we've sown. He then cited the chance to elect Obama as an example of "God's mercy - as a way through this historic dilemma and one that will do for our national character what reparations never could."
He and his ilk won't be convinced by Dobson's scare tactics. They're more likely to agree with a new bumper sticker popular in Colorado, where Focus on the Family is based.
It reads, "Focus on your own damn family."
So which evangelicals are left? Oh, I know. How could I have left them until last? The true faithful. The ones who always listen to Dobson.
He's going after evangelicals who may stay home on election day because they paid too much attention to his reasons for refusing to support McCain earlier in the year.
At that time, thinking that he was powerful enough to quash McCain's nomination, Dobson chastised fellow evangelical Gary Bauer for supporting the senator from Arizona.
"The Senator," Dobson said in a press release from Focus on the Family, "is being touted by the media as a man of principle, yet he was involved with other women while married to his first wife, and was implicated in the so-called Keating scandal with four other senators. He was eventually reprimanded by the Congress for the 'appearance of impropriety.' The Senator reportedly has a violent temper and can be extremely confrontational and profane when angry. These red flags about Senator McCain's character are reminiscent of the man who now occupies the White House."
The man who now occupies the White House? Oh yeah. That guy. Isn't he the last president the Religious Right elected?
But let's forget about that. Many of God's men have fallen. God's people move on.
Dobson's jeremiad against McCain also noted the senator's love of alcohol and gambling, as well as his acceptance of support from Log Cabin Republicans, a gay group.
Pretty strong stuff. All true. But let's forget about that.
The Republicans anointed McCain anyway.
When Dobson saw that threats to take his toys and go home didn't keep McCain from winning the nomination, he forgot his previous scruples. Now Dobson sees McCain as God's man. It's Obama who's the devil. And under God's direction, as he always is, Dobson is speaking out again. But this time he is no longer dealing in truth.
As he notes in the letter's preface, Dobson is now imagining things, things that could happen if Christians don't unite behind McCain and give that adulterous, profane, violent, scandal-tainted, bought-out-by-the-homsexuals drinker and gambler the most powerful elective office in the world.
In the letter Dobson imagines Boy Scouts disbanding rather than allowing gay scout leaders the complete license they will get if Obama is elected. He imagines the Pledge of Allegiance being banned in schools. He imagines Communism gaining new power. He imagines doctors killing children just minutes before birth. He imagines Americans forbidden to own guns. He imagines television and radio stations forbidden to preach the Bible. He imagines ministers, lawyers, doctors, social workers all being punished for following their consciences.
Dobson may have gotten his letter idea from Christian radio's Janet Porter who wrote an imaginary "Letter from a Future Prisoner" last year. She was fear mongering over the idea the Hillary might be elected. If that happened "thought crimes" would be instituted. Christian books would be banned. Christian speech would be called hate speech.
Porter, an even bigger drama queen than Dobson, imagined herself in prison doing hard labor merely for defending her faith. And who does she imagine in the cell next to her?
No, no. Not Jesus. Don't be ridiculous.
It's a home-schooling mother weeping inconsolably because her innocent children have been put in foster care.
All because they loved Jesus.
All because that adulterous, profane, violent, scandal-tainted, bought-out-by-the-homsexuals drinker and gambler didn't win the presidential election.
It's enough to make Mickey Rooney weep.
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In regards to Boy Scouts:
1. According to this source, Obama actually was a Cub Scout at one time:
http://www.boyandgirlscouts.com/international/barack-obama-was-a-boy-scout/
2. And about "using" scouts as props for political rallies (i.e. McCain in Ohio when introducing Palin):
"Scout uniforms shall not be worn to political events or rallies, protests or demonstrations where its appearance could reasonably be used to imply BSA support for a particular political cause or candidate." (source: BSA uniform policy)
It struck me as I read part of this that religion is supposed to "save" and in some ways "protect", and yet the fear of "people who hate Christianity will take over the country once Obama is elected" is still touted, or fear of an even MORE popular religion of Muslim would take over seems to be dictated. I don't get it. Why would it matter? IF your religion is ALL THAT, then it should not matter who is commanding the country and dictating politics. Right? Right? Shouldn't it be in their god's hands? I just fail to understand the mentality I guess. Politics and religion should not go hand in hand, because frankly, religion seems completely delusional to me, but "heavens" I wouldn't want to offend the masses that have this delusion...
I am an evangelical Christian and am appalled at actions of some high profile republican Christians. I am voting for Obama even though I am pro-life. He represents most of my political positions and I admire his intellect, self control and compassion.
These people prey on the weak-minded who either can't or don't look for facts. They are the people who actually fear their own god. A "good" god who they still have to fear. So crazy and tired. They're the ones who've been left behind while the people they listen to rake in the millions scaring them all the time.
"Porter, an even bigger drama queen than Dobson, imagined herself in prison doing hard labor merely for defending her faith."
And what a great test of her faith it will be.
Evangelical hypocrisy drives me nuts. If they really believewhat they are saying ... TRULY BELIEVE.., all Evangelicals would welcome an Obama Presidency with Alleluias! This would bring about the return of Jesus Christ and their ultimate salvation. So why the fear? I suspect their outright fear of an Obama Presidency proves they are of little faith.
Amen brotha, I was just thinking the same thing. They say that they can't wait until Jesus returns, well an Obama presidency is their chance to prove it, if we are to believe that an Obama presidency is the beginning of the end! They are such liars and hypocrites, LOL!
Exactly!! Christ in all His Glory stands for the highest that Man can attain, not the lowest. His fearless and miracle-filled life proved to His followers that faith makes us whole, and treating others as we would have them treat us is the Golden Rule. That forgiveness is the answer, and hatred and fear are the sick cause of sin and death, and can be overcome in acknowledging us all as One in God, and One with each other, to love our neighbor as ourself, and to truly love one another as He loves us that our joy may be full. This is Christ's glorious message. He knows nothing of faithlessness and hatred, of division and warfare, of relying on fear and terror to motivate us to change. No, He stands for what is true and beautiful in Man, that perfect love casts out fear, that to move ahead, we must leave our 'bitter history' ie. satan, behind, and sin no more.
Let us reach for the highest messages of all faiths, everywhere, and cease this senseless and failed approach of attacking our neighbors instead of forgiving them, for forgiveness is God's gift to us, that we may again join in the Oneness and Love He created as His One Son.
Giblatsai = God is but Love, and therefore so am I (it is our name, as His Son)
"None of these tactics has brought their errant minions under control. "
I loved that phrase. I can almost frame it and hang it on the wall.
These "christians" believe Jesus is coming, well they are right, but He is coming to kick their collective heretical, hate-filled misuse His name asses (Lord forgive me for saying "asses") whoops did it again (Lord forgive me for saying asses) whoops did it again..................
Britney? Is that you?
LOVE JESUS- MY WAY- OR I'LL KILL YOU!
Surely it is finally time that churches PAID TAXES like everyone else!
50 percent of American businesses don't. So your "like everyone else" isn't entirely accurate.
Nevertheless the point is that those who would otherwise be taxed, you know those multi-mmillion dollar mega churches should pay their share. Give Caesar what's his...
It seems that what we refer to as the far right--the evangelical, pentacostal, born-again Dobson sect-- has become the migratory camp for the mentally ill. Any of the behaviors or claims bantered about here as evidence of right-wing Christian stupidity would under rational analysis likely suggest pernicious levels of emerging psychosis and inclination for self-destruction. To me, that's no laughing matter since the United States, as we know it, is in fact hanging together by tattered threads. It's these identical circumstances that helped merge the politics of cruelty and quest for world domination (aka vindication) in the German psyche in the early 20th century. For more on this, read the analysis of German psychotherapist Alice Miller.
This article is p r i c e l e s s !
Is there a link to send this to friends?
Dobson and Porter should probably concentrate instead on re-writing their bibles. (Again)
Send it to Dobson and Porter so that they can see that they are naked and that their time is coming to an end.
Deliberately delusional... as usual!
Faith or reason. You live by one or the other.
In my experience, reason has a better track record, but a smaller following.
"Faith or reason. You live by one or the other."
That simple, huh? Sounds like a platitude to me, along the lines of "Always do good" or "Avoid mistakes."
Life is always simple when we reduce it to simplicity. Or, rather, life always SEEMS simple when we do that. It never really is.
They are mutually exclusive. That which you surrender to one, you deny the other. In this, it is that simple.
In order to have faith, you have to sacrifice reason. That's just reality. And I concur that reason works better.
Morally speaking, these "so called Christians" are no better than the Manson family.
Here's some unasked for advice to such hypocrytical authoritarians..."judge ye not lest ye be judged."
AAAMEN, AAAMEN, AAMMMEEENNN, AAAMEN!!! SO MUCH FOR THOSE SO CALLED "CHRISTIANS".............
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