Bush's Last Fans -- The Evangelical Right, the Facilitators of War and a Sadly Diminished McCain
President Bush was on my old stomping grounds this week. Back in the early 1980s I was also the keynote speaker at the NRB (National Religious Broadcaster's) convention.
According to the New York Times, (March 12, 2008):
President Bush delivered a rousing defense of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on Tuesday, mixing faith and foreign policy as he told a group of Christian broadcasters that his policies in the region were predicated on the beliefs that, freedom was a God-given right and 'every human being bears the image of our maker...' Calling freedom a 'precious gift,' Mr. Bush said: 'The liberty we value is not ours alone. Freedom is not America's gift to the world; it is God's gift to all humanity.' His words were punctuated by shouts of 'Amen.'When I spoke to the NRB I was introduced by Pat Robertson. I delivered a rousing take-back-America-from-the-godless-humanists speech. I was cheered too. I spoke shortly before I quit working as a "Professional Christian." I didn't quit as soon as I should have, because you can lose your faith and still pretend, because there are bills to be paid, because you are booked up for a year, because this is what you do.
I finally got out of the evangelical movement in 1985 when I belatedly outgrew my fundamentalist background. I wanted to be a writer, not of religious propaganda but of actual books. I also quit because I had slowly woken up to the fact that the religious right I was in bed with -- because my late father Francis Schaeffer was one of their leaders, and in the nepotistic evangelical tradition I followed in his footsteps -- were not conservatives. They were anti-American agitators for a thinly disguised theocracy.
On the same day as the NRB/Bush story quoted above was published the Times also happened to report that William J. Fallon, the commander of American forces in the Middle East whose outspoken public statements on Iran and other issues put him at odds with the Bush administration, is retiring early. Admiral Fallon upset the Bush administration with comments that according to the Times; "emphasized diplomacy over conflict in dealing with Iran, that endorsed further troop withdrawals from Iraq beyond those already under way and that suggested the United States had taken its eye off the military mission in Afghanistan." A senior administration official said that Fallon's comments, "left the perception he had a different foreign policy than the president."
As he has for the last eight years Bush disregards the advice of his military leaders when they don't agree with him. (Disclosure: My son volunteered for the Marines in 1999 and served in Bush's wars so this is personal.) As if answering admiral Fallon In his NRB speech Bush said; "The decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision... It is the right decision at this point in my presidency, and it will forever be the right decision."
These days most Americans would have booed Bush's statement, but not the right wing evangelicals at the religious broadcasters convention.
Don't get me wrong, not all evangelicals support Bush. For instance I have plenty of emails from evangelicals glad I'm rooting for Senator Obama. And I could write pages about all the good things evangelicals are doing around the world, often in places no one else will go. But there are still lots of evangelicals willing to believe Bush's lies. The broadcasters greeted him so enthusiastically that he laughed and called them, "kind of a rambunctious crowd."
The rest of us, including many moderate Christians, aren't laughing. We know that we've had eight years of failed Republican/Bush misrule-by-fear that's produced a war in Iraq without end, and that risks losing the war in Afghanistan, and that has given us an American president instigating -- and even defending -- torture.
After he was cheered Bush returned the favor. He praised the broadcasters and promised to veto any legislation that would reinstitute the so-called "fairness doctrine," which once required broadcasters to give air time to opposing views. Bush has also done what he can to slow a congressional investigations into the larceny that typifies the many "successful" religious broadcasters with their "nonprofit" twenty-thousand square foot homes, jets and fleets of luxury cars.
After Bush what next for the Republicans? McCain is also beholden to the right wing evangelicals. In fact he's courting them. He has to in order to win. A big man is becoming as small as his party's base.
Bill Buckley -- who opposed the war in Iraq and called it foolish -- is dead and so is the thoughtful conservative movement he recreated out of the bitter ruins of a bigoted dying 1950s-60s conservatism. Buckley pushed back against the right wing ideologues of his day, such as the John Birch society. By comparison those old Bircher anti-Communists were paragons of reason when juxtaposed to the broadcasters wildly cheering the failed president.
The irony is that the people McCain is appeasing these days in order to "unite" his party, are the same people who in 2000, spread (and believed) the racist nonsense about his black adopted child being illegitimate etc. The people he must suck up to now undid his candidacy then.
The sad truth is that the 2000 election was McCain's moment. The right wing evangelicals (and the Republican establishment) handed the presidency to Bush and the rest is history. Now McCain's moment has past, swept away by a river of needlessly shed blood and by the politics of fear.
Any group that--post-Iraq five years on, and post-our failure to secure Afghanistan six years on -- is still being willingly influenced by the likes of the religious broadcasters such as James Dobson etc., along with their secular fellow travelers such as Rush Limbaugh, William Kristol, Ann Coulter and the rest of the proponents of global war without end, should be beyond the pale. Any candidate that must cater to the fundamentalists (some of whom belong to the National Religious Broadcasters) who are saying that Barack Obama is a Muslim and/or that he might even be the Antichrist! -- should be repudiated. This is the company that McCain now must keep.
Independent voters, moderate evangelicals, other religious believers and nonbelievers, Democratic Party members and authentically conservative Republicans must work to make sure that either McCain stands up to the evangelical right or that he loses. It's long past time that McCain's old enemies and now his new "friends" -- inherited from Bush, and otherwise known as the "Republican base"--are sent packing.
The rest of us have a job to do: undoing the damage done to our country by the born-again president whose miserable presidency was brought into existence by and aided and abetted by the religious right. Barring some unlikely radical reform of the Republican Party before November, the best thing that could happen to the Republican Party is to lose. Then they might have a chance to repent and change.
The lesson is this: 4000 American war dead, 40,000 wounded, countless killed Iraqis and our country in hock to the Chinese (and other lenders) tells us that next time the religious right likes a presidential candidate vote for the other guy. And if you hear those religious broadcasters cheering be afraid, be very afraid.
Frank Schaeffer is a writer and author of "CRAZY FOR GOD-How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It
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"Christians" are KILLING the World!
Christian's use thier god's money to fund political action committees, have Lotto drawings, poker nights and bingo nights on tax free property to perpetuate war so long as it serves thier purposes which is to secure even more money from thier followers through wills and insurance. Christians want us all to follow them into hell in the name of god and what is righteous and moral so long as they set the standard. Christians want to deny others their equal rights as human beings all done in the name of god. Torture, wire tapping and lies are all ok by them so long as they are able to go to the White House, be seen and quoted on national news to further espouse that thier way is the only way. Tax paid "Faith" based iniatives will lead you to thier door with the help of your own government. Christians are "Taliban" - beware, Fight Back! No more tax free churches!
Many evangelicals are Taliban, and few in the religious right are Christians.
Now how would you know that, or I guess I should have said know either of those things. Are you hidding something we ought to know-?
"Then they might have a chance to repent and change."
The Republicans might, but what about Christianity? I would like to see American Christianity repent and change. They put Bush in power, and returned him even after the torture revelations. It wasn't just a fringe, it was the majority. They should repent and ask the rest of the world for forgiveness for what they have caused. Christianity will not be able to hear God until they can also listen to non-Christians.
Some evangelicals say they are changing to broaden their agenda and adopt the message of social justice found in the gospels. Jim Wallis who writes for the Huffington Post tells us so. I hope this change comes rapidly.
Some of them are starting to speak up here on huffingtonpost. When they start speaking up in their churches, then the rapid change can begin.
I was courted by Evangelicals in 6th grade in Colorado Springs. We were church-going Methodists and I went to school with some kids whose parents were in the Navigators. There was a field-trip to Glen Aeyrie which was fun, but I didn't know what was up until the religious interrogations and the tracts and the admonition to share Christ with others. There was nothing wrong with it, but it was embarrasing and awkward for me. The week-night meetings were boring and phony as well. Nothing at all to do with Christianity, everything to do with the bogus phony presentation. That was in the 60's. In the early 70's in L.A. my boss took me to a party - you guessed it, more Christian phony hilarity. A few years later I went to a fundamentlist church for awhile with my girlfriend. Still the same. They may be more vicious now, but aside from their good works they really put off a lot of people just by being so phony. Christian Rock? Give me a break.
Bloody spot on! Christian music is like Hallmark inventing a new holiday, and wow, does Jesus ever spend.
Everyone in the music industry knows that if you suck, go Christian. Then you'll have a captive audience of listeners who'll buy your shit just because you claim to have the same invisible friend. Cha-ching! Praise the lord! Dang, but doesn't our suck-arse band have a friend in Jeeeesuz!
"I also quit because I had slowly woken up to the fact that the religious right I was in bed with -- were not conservati
That allegation is just the last remnant of your denial. They are conservatives. You still need the security blanket of thinking that something of what you used to believe was right. Bush was put in office by conservatives. He has been maintained there by conservatives. Conservatives provided the apologia for each and every one of his moronic blunders, and the conservatives in Congress have enabled all of his assaults on the Constitution, our legal system, and ordinary decency.
Conservatives believe a bunch of idiot nonsense that has been refuted by history, such as that government regulation of the financial markets causes market inefficiency which is more harmful to society than unrestricted looting, corporations are equivalent to people, and lowering taxes increases federal revenues. None of that is any different from believing that if you send money to a televangelist, he will intercede for you with God.
Conservatism has driven this nation to the brink of the precipice. Stop denying it, and take responsibility for your part in it. I know it's hard, but as the religious tradition I think you still venerate teaches, there can be no redemption without confession of wrong.
Conservatism is supposed to desire and seek the maintenance of the status quo against the push of rapid change desired by progressivism and liberalism. The evangelical right tries to wear that mantle but are actually reactionary and radicalist in their approach and outlook. They seek radical change as an act of rebellion against the progressive agenda they perceive and fool themselves into thinking they're preserving reality when they're actually rewriting it. So, no, the evangelical right is not conservative.
There are two very different types of conservatives, fiscal and social, and they take very different approaches to politics. Fiscal conservatives lie to the social conservatives, and social conservatives lie to themselves.
Very good, but who was the last fiscal conservative to hold the presidency? The Republicans bring enormous deficits. Their tax relief for the wealthy creates enormous extremes of income, with the middle class getting relatively no better off. Their excessive deregulation hurts consumers and rapes the environments. Who do these policies benefit but a small cadre who are at the top economically and professionally anyway?
Can you distinguish 'conservative' from simply 'anal retentive'? I can't.
Thanks Q: My dad differentiated between what he called "active and passive morons". The religious right are active, enthusiastic and therefore dangerous idiots. They believe in the rapture and the invisible hand. And yes, they ARE conservatives. The Jeffersonian, Ron Paul, represents the legitimate American right. Conservatives don't have an ideology so much as a mythology. They hate democracy and fear liberty. The Republican Church is conservative, what it is not is Christian.
The press keeps calling McCain a 'straight-talker'. But I recall that last Spring when McCain went to Iraq, he blathered on about how safe the country had become with the advent of the siege. Pictures were taken of McCain in the market speaking with vendors and indicating that all was going beautifully.
Then, just a few days later, it was admitted that McCain was escorted by a phalanx of soldiers, was wearing bullet proof garments and that the entire episode was simply a photo opportunity - Iraq was not any safer for the average soldier or Iraqi.
This is 'straight-talk' or political opportunism? Why does McCain rate special deification? Seems just like any other kind of hack politician.
I sometimes wonder if I have somehow been transmuted to a distorted parallel world. People claiming to be "Christians" clambering for more bloodshed, torture, genocide and all the multitude of crimes so vividly described in the old testament.
"Preachers' claiming to be teaching Gods word by extracting self serving 'quotes' (usually out of context) from the bible and spewing this garbage to the masses! What ever happened to the basic morals most of us learned as children?
We have given up our faith to whoever screams the loudest, evoking gods name as often as possible and appealing to some dark chamber of our souls! We have become a nation of Lemmings following whoever claims to offer salvation while promising that our perceived enemy's (anyone that dares to disagree with us) will suffer Gods wrath!
Arrogance is now somehow considered to be a symbol of knowledge and strength while humility is seen as sign of weakness and lack of understanding!
Phony flag waving is in while being patriotic is scorned!
I'm as puzzled as your first paragraph indicates you are. Born an Orthodox Jew and arrived in UK on the Kindertransport, I was brought up by the daughter of a Particular Babtist Pastor ie in a seriously Christian household. Having long been a completely convinced atheist, I marvel at the illogicality of Christians with the blood lust exhibited by Bush and his 'born again Christian gang'. Their attitudes bear no relationship whatsoever to the Christianity I was brought up with.
Kind, generous, helpful to the poor and caring for the sick and disabled ? This lot seem to have no touch of any of these fine attributes. They're not even aware or interested in the number of innocent Iraqis and Afghanis they've brutally murdered for interests shared with very few, even of their own people and certainly achieving no recognisable purpose in the Middle East.
"War without end" - where have I heard that before ? Why weren't the hard lessons of Vietnam learned ? Probably because you took so long even to recognise the sacrifices your servicemen had made - all to no purpose !! And now you're repeating it !!!
The only thing I've ever 'learned from history' - is that we appear never to 'learn from history' !!
They are under a lot of pressure facing Bush's double edged economic sword. If they are with the program they might get a share of faith based tax dollars, and if they resist they might lose tax exempt status. Preachers have to make the tough decisions, so give them a break.
I used to think that McCain's chance for the presidency had passed him by, but with the Democrats squabbling and people busy ''stepping down'' from both campaigns, that party in total disarray, I now think that Sen. McCain might well become President McCain after all.
No way will McCain win the election. A chicken could run against him and win. After Bush who ever runs as a republican is wasting his time. The republicans are in the tiolet and you know what comes next.
Frank Schaeffer, you have a platform because you are a writer, which is and isn't any big thing unless your Black with anti-Christ morals and running office of Power and Control. But a former FREE and NON-PROFIT Book, Gospel Track, and Songwriter
I was a Bush supporter and yet so against our going into Iraq that I got cut of my ISP Internet Connection because what I was writing and sending out to our Elected hired People in Washington DC, including Bush. Not only did I sent my feeling about our not going into the Middle-East right after 9-11, I even wrote a Book of my feelings and what I thought would take place including how we would go into Iraq though we shouldn't, amazing how close I was and how much I turned against Bush and his ways.
It is a fact Christians have became cowards for the most part because of man's trying to change the Ways of a NEVER CHANGING God over a few hundred years, but nothing like over the last 50 to 100 years. If the War in Iraq was of God's devine order. We should have maybe went in and killed man, woman, child and animal to destroy and rid the Country of Evil. But it wasn't a War of God's order, but a War God who sees the past, present, and future knew would take place, again reliving Daniels 11:21-45 and the USA being the King of the South with the Great and Mighty Army which falls down SLAIN. (understanding there was no known King of the West in the time of those writing of over 3,500 years ago). Nostradamus wrote about the King of the West with a Great and Mighty Army which falls down SLAIN. Again there was no King of the West in 1503 to 1566 with a Great and Mighty Army. Nostradamus went on in his writings to say as much as there would be Fire OVER the New City at the 45 Degrees. Of course there was nothing back then which could cause Fire Over a City, and today we know the 45Degrees is Baghdad, Iraq.
I wanted Bush to Nuke those mountains in Afghanistan and tell the rest of the World we had lots more where those came from. Iraq was under control and Israel could of handled those problems in a flash. So I wanted Iran turned into glass, yet I knew God's Word says that would not happen. Iran is the Land of Persia found in Ezek. chapters 38 and 39. I'm sure you have the understanding of what WILL come to be and will happen as spoken by God in those verses.
This reads like the ramblings of someone who has 'completely lost the plot'. If I believed in a god I'd be saying "God help America if these off the planet views are ever allowed to influence policy" !!
Mr. Schaeffer - If you haven't already I hope you'll write a piece on the seriously scary Reverand Hagee and whatever his ties are to McCain.
You might be right, sir, but McCain is going to be our next President.
Just watch.....
and we go from a c-student to a d-student.
we don't need no education (and we surely got alot of thought control, don't we?)
every day i wake and see Obama vs mccain 52% to 46% all i can wonder is who out there really wants to vote for Mccain. I mean are there really that many Americans who wake up every day and want the government to be run the same way it has over the past 8 years. These conservative leaders should be ashamed for leading their followers astray. The country needs change and whenever some one hears some rightwing conservative nut back the Republicans it should be a clear sign to vote Democrat.
The following paragraph was taken off the Amnesty International human rights violations report!
“Policies of the US government have become increasing focused on tracking and persecuting individuals expressing their right to free expression, disregarding longstanding US and international law guaranteeing that right.”
The testimony by the two officials suggests that US authorities must already know the identity of the individuals responsible for inflicting these specific acts of torture. In such circumstances, the UN Convention against Torture requires States Parties either to submit the case to its own authorities for the purpose of prosecution, or to extradite the individual to another country who wishes to prosecute. A failure to do one or the other would be a serous violation of the UN Convention against Torture.
Furthermore, under international law any state may exercise universal jurisdiction over anyone suspected of torture no matter when or where it occurred. In particular, each of the other 145 States Parties to the Convention against Torture are under a similar obligation to extradite or submit the case for prosecution.
Finally, it is time for the USA to mean what it says. The government has repeatedly said that it does not countenance torture, but rather champions the struggle against it. In June 2003, for example, President George W. Bush said:
“The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all governments to join with the United States and the community of law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual punishment. I call on all nations to speak out against torture in all its forms and to make ending torture an essential part of their diplomacy.
This statement was made a matter of weeks after Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was taken into US custody. As has long been reported and now by the USA’s own admission, he was subsequently subjected to waterboarding.
Bob Egan : "President George W. Bush said:
"The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all governments to join with the United States and the community of law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual punishment. I call on all nations to speak out against torture in all its forms and to make ending torture an essential part of their diplomacy.
Only response to that that I can think of is "hypocritical bastard" ! I'd hope most decent Americans would agree with me !
ijgibson, I believe you will find the US High Court went against any type of Torture and such things as Waterboarding, etc. Bush was way wrong on that issue and McCain was against Bush on that issue. But when I was in the US Stockades back in 1961 or 2 and 3, I seen US Army Troops treated worse than Human Being should be treated, we also have the same things going on in many of or Jails against Americans in those Places of ours. But it seems to be different if it's against Americans labeled as Criminals and in our Jails and Pens right here in America. Have you every watched the show COPS. and the treatment of Americans including women, OH, that's OK, they are Americam Law Breakers most say. Well let me tell you there is a big differnce between COPS and Law Enforcement Officers, COPS are Criminals Oppress People's Soveraignty. I guess they could be called Storm-Troopers and Street-Gangs with Badges, Guns, and a lot of Back Up.
Evangelical Fundementalism: The Best Salvation Money Can Buy!
Go to an Evangelical sermon and count how many times the words, 'Foregiveness, Compassion Brotherhood and Love' are mentioned.
You'll be shocked when you go two, three four times and hear the owrds maybe once.
Nope...you hear 'Liberal and Democrat' about 100 times more often!
Their 'church' is simply a vaguely disguised business that has nothing to do with Jesus.
Kinda like being on here and hearing Democrats, Republicans, and OBUMA over and over, isn't it. At least in Church it is something your hearing good for your souls, not the same old lies trying to be refinded into news lies that sound as good for a short time and then having to be refind again. WOe unto those who call good eveil and evil good. Go and learn what that means
Why Why do people with a death wish mish-mash religion love bush so much?
Bush brings death across the land. His policies do not follow evidence, but are based on a pre-determined outcome like the biblical prophecy.
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Posted March 13, 2008 | 10:15 AM (EST)