"Falwell and His 'Christian Right' Have It Wrong"

[RedEarth]

Not sure if many of the folks who post in this group have had the opportunity to read this article, so if not, here it is......

Falwell and His 'Christian Right' Have It Wrong
by Rev. Jan Linn et al

Enough is enough. When Jerry Falwell declares on national television that Mohammed was a terrorist and Christians believe there will be no peace in Jerusalem until the second coming of Jesus, the time for silence on such religious arrogance is over.

Put bluntly, the Christian right that Falwell represents is neither.

It is not Christian in attitude or actions because both represent what Jesus spoke and acted against. Those who lead the Christian right are the Pharisees of today's Christianity. They play the role of moral and thought police, condemning to hell anyone whose actions they consider wrong and whose views are different from their own. Their religiosity runs a mile wide but their spirituality is an inch deep.

............

Through the years we have tried to ignore this man and others like him who are an embarrassment to many of us who claim the Christian tradition as our own. But their views have won a large following among Christians who either refuse to think for themselves or who have been duped into believing that Christian right leaders speak from understanding.

They don't. Their views represent religious prejudice that draws lines in the sand that separate people into opposing camps and sow the seeds of hatred, suspicion and war.

Those of us who are the Christians whom the Christian right loves to hate have been silent for too long. In the name of tolerance we have allowed Christianity's most radical believers to turn faith into a cover for self-righteousness and love into a sword for divisiveness. It is little wonder that Christianity is in decline in America.

http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/views02/1019-03.htm

Jan Linn has recently written a book(available through Amazon if interested) called "What's Wrong With The Christian Right". I'm about half way through reading it and it sure rings true for me. I also have had the opportunity to see him speak several times(once at church and again at an Interfaith Alliance meeting) and would strongly recommend going to see him if he is in your neck of the woods. Currently he is a pastor of a church in either WI or MN.

[GOPBasher]

1. That is a really nice read. Thanks for posting!

:bounce:

[RedEarth]

2. Thanks....Jan Linn seems to be one of the few pastors I'm aware of that

is speaking out publicly against Falwell and some of the others of the Christian right. If interested, here's a link for a free download of the first 25 pages of his book "What's Wrong With The Christian Right.

http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581124244

[GOPBasher]

3. Thanks for the link. You know what I find most ironic, RedEarth?

To me, the people in the Christian Right are exactly like the Pharasees whom Jesus condemned. They're incredibly self-righteous, flying the face of Jesus' admonishments never to be like that. They are much more concerned with the "speck in others' eyes, rather than the log in their own." And just like the Pharasees, they love to point fingers at others for not sticking to the exact letter of the law, but they're guilty of breaking the general spirit of the law, which is more important. Jesus warned the Pharasees against patting themselves on the back too much, because they were hypocrites who weren't following his basic two commandments: Love God and love your neighbor.

If Jesus came back today, I don't think the Christian Right would recognize him.

[RevCheesehead]

4. I agree.

Not only that, these people make the conservative Catholics look far moderate in comparison (and that's saying a LOT, isn't it?).

[RedEarth]

5. Yep, and I imagine Jesus would have something to say to the

Christian Right....and it might not be pleasant.

[RevCheesehead]

6. "brood of vipers..." perhaps? n/t

[RedEarth]

7. Sounds appropriate.....the Christian Right's hypocrisy and divisiveness

would certainly make them worthly of such language.