New Times Broward-Palm Beach: United States of Jesus

[T Roosevelt]

This is very scary stuff, and something most of us here have recognized for quite some time...


United States of Jesus
The folks who are "reclaiming America for Christ" are pushing an agenda for a Taliban-like state where Scripture is law
BY WYATT OLSON
[e-mail]

What a difference four years makes.

In 1999, some Christian conservatives were so demoralized at having failed to remove Bill Clinton from office that they were ready to drop out of politics. Moral Majority co-founder Paul Weyrich went so far as to declare that Christian conservatives had lost the culture war and should withdraw from secular society.

But defeatism seemed barely a distant memory at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale one blustery Friday morning last month at the opening of the Rev. D. James Kennedy's national Reclaiming America for Christ conference. In a ceremony that subtly blended religious and patriotic rhetoric, six young men clad in dark-green military uniforms, carrying flags and faux carbines, marched reverentially up the center aisle of a sanctuary decked out in red, white, and blue bunting. Two theater-size video screens flashed a recurring montage of a rural, steepled church, the Statue of Liberty, and the U.S. Capitol. The roughly 500 men and women rose to their feet from the pews and pledged allegiance to the American flag and then to the Christian flag. A robust-voiced woman belted out the national anthem, and the recorded strains of God Bless America wafted in the air as the color guard marched out.

The restless crowd of mostly white, would-be activists rustled excitedly in the church's wooden pews in anticipation of seeing some of the stars of the Christian right.

Supporters of the movement have never seemed more hopeful of realizing its goal, which is nothing short of establishing a Christian theocracy in the nation's courts, schools, state legislatures, Congress, and the White House. For them, as 2003 nears an end, victory appears oh so nigh.

"If you listen, you can hear the rustlings of the long-slumbering giant called the people of God," proclaimed one speaker brimming with the spirit.

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[asjr]

1. religion

Am I wrong? Isn't this forced religion why the Puritans and others left Europe? This is indeed scary.

[leftwingpunkrocker]

2. Well......

Of course, though, if you told this to a Christian Right person, they'd say the exact opposite,that the even though the Puritans sought religious freedom, that they were Christians and therefore we still live in a Christian nation. That's how they throw around their point of view.

[KoKo]

3. A very scary article, if you have time to read all of it. I think these

people who have "winged out" are watching too much television and it's distorting their minds that they see "Godlessness" everywhere and are still focusing on Bill and Hillary. But, then that's what the media is pumping. Turning people against each other by having the RW Hate Mongers like Joe Scarborough (FLA) and others pump hate and diviseness into our homes leading to total frustration by some people who think forming "God Militias" will solve their problems while the Corporatists steal them blind and Bush's endless wars feeds their "evangelistic religious fervor."

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Yeah, well...

this Christian is pretty well pissed that these people are trying to hijack my religion. There aren't really all that many of them, but they are loud.

Somebody has to take the microphone away from these people.

A large part of the problem is that most of us obey the rules about no politics from the pew or pulpit. The wingnuts have found that no one calls them on their "voter guides" and other explicit politicking, unlike, say, the firestorm we'd see if a Catholic bishop in New York endorsed a candidate.

We also have differing views on quite a few issues, and don't have a unified voice like they do on the hot-button stuff. And we don't wear our religion on our sleeves.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Hijacking indeed

"He instructs conference-goers: "The major political issues that you should teach the biblical positions on are abortion, homosexuality, capital punishment, income tax of citizens, affirmative action, right to bear arms, and public school prayer." "

Well, I think the final (ie after the New Testament had been written) position on capital punishment would be 'against it'. Anyone think that's these people's position? No:
"Listen, God is 100 percent for capital punishment," Dozier pronounces slowly and emphatically. "Oh, yeah, God knew some were going to slip through, a few innocent ones. He knew that. But you cannot have a society without capital punishment."

As for biblical positions on "income tax of citizens, affirmative action, right to bear arms, and public school prayer"? What planet is this guy on?

[kimchi]

5. Scary, indeed, but not surprising.

I'm bringing this article to my Christianity board and see how they interpret it. Should be good fun-I get along with most of them famously.

[T Roosevelt]

7. Keep us posted on this

I think what comes out of that will be very interesting indeed...