The more I think about it, the more I'm terrified of the religious right

[Rude Horner]

I begin with this quote from Kurt Vonnegut Jr., whom I find fascinating.

****
Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith. I consider the capacity for it terrifying.
****

I'm starting to think that a majority of Bush supporters - the 30+% diehards who still support him, and will always support him - have to be members of this group. I'm starting to draw correlations between the mindset of religious fanatics and Bush supporters. Both of them have faith in what they believe, no matter what. When I see a world with famine, poverty, suffering, natural disasters, etc...and I ask people of faith, "How can there be a God who let's this happen", I usually get a response like "Well, we don't understand God's plan but he loves us so we just have faith". Bush comes along and says that God told him to run for president, and God guides his actions. A lot of these religious right people latch onto that and no matter what horrible things Bush does, no matter what crimes he commits or wars he begins, these people just have blind faith that Bush knows what's best.

And like Kurt Vonnegut Jr., I'm just terrified that people like that can vote.

[Just Me]

1. Never allow yourself to think yourself into being terrified.

Okay. Just,...don't do that to yourself.

[kevinbgoode]

2. It isn't quite that big. . .Bush's asswipes include neo-cons too

who only pretend to be "christian" when they can use it to justify another temper tantrum.

You are certainly correct to fear these people - but that fear needs to be constructive. It's time to stand UP to these people. No one has appointed them the official interpreters of all biblical faith - nor have they shown themselves to be good examples for others to come to that faith. They regularly bear false witness, and do it repeatedly, and yet expect special privileges for that sin. And their obsession with gays and abortion is psycho. . .and you shouldn't ever be afraid to tell them so as well. Don't let them hide behind this crap that they are a "christian". . .they've offered no proof of those beliefs other than memorization of a few bible verses directed at persecuting others.

[Erika]

3. I joined the Interfaith Alliance tonight with a good donation.

The Religious Right claims to speak for every person of faith, But do they speak for you?

You say you're supposed to be nice to the Episcopalians and the Protestants and the Methodists, and this, that, and the other thing. Nonsense. I don't have to be nice to the Spirit of the AntiChrist...Pat Robertson, 700 Club

Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a Biblical duty, we are called by God to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want pluralism...Randall Terry, Indiana News Sentinel

Women are less equipped physically to "stay on course" in the brawling areas of business, commerce, and industry, and the professions... Pat Buchanan, San Francisco Chronicle ( He's been silent about the female deaths of our brave women troops in w's war)

One of the goal's of the Interfaith Alliance : Defend the rights of minority religions, atheists, and agnostics.

I proudly support The Interfaith Alliance.

[Just Me]

10. I LOVE the Interfaith Alliance!!!

:hug: I would characterize us as defending the dignity of individual worth and spirituality.

Every human being who accepts being a member of humanity can be allied.

I support the Interfaith Alliance. :hug:

[Erika]

12. Agreed. Interfaith Alliance knows good people exist among

those other than the RR. Even if they are atheists and agnostics. Interfaith Alliance is a breath of fresh air and American freedoms.

I hope it's not against DU rules to post their website at
www.interfaithalliance.org

If it is, I apologize and await my fate.

[DanCa]

4. We have got to start too actively stand up to these loons.

Hell thats what made them so effective because we dont counter protest against them. Note I am just talking about the Conservative Theocrats and not the good people on this page who attend church.

[Rude Horner]

6. I agree, there is a difference

between fanatics and people of faith who also have a mind of their own.

[nickyt]

5. I agree, Rude, this is a scary bunch of knuckleheads. I'll tell you what

really helped me: back in early Nov. when the Scanlon memo came out, I sent it around to several hundred Christian sites - I was on a mission from God, eh? I got verrrry few replies back, but I do believe some tiny chinks were made in that righteous armor, and that a few of these people saw the truth of how they're being manipulated, plus it's easy and it's fun and you can send it around, too, and maybe feel better about this whole.....thing.


Consider one memo highlighted in a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday (Nov. 2, 2005) that Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, R-TX, sent the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana to describe his strategy for protecting the tribe's gambling business. In plain terms, Scanlon confessed the source code of recent Republican electoral victories: target religious conservatives, distract everyone else, and then railroad through complex initiatives.

"The wackos get their information through the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet and telephone trees," Scanlon wrote in the memo, which was read into the public record at a hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. "Simply put, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them." (Oct 2001)


http://archive.salon.com/news/feature/2005/11/03/abramoff/index_np.html
http://indian.senate.gov/2005hrgs/110205hrg/110205exhibits.pdf
http://www.chris-floyd.com/jack/ page 119 "Mobilization"

[Rude Horner]

8. That's amazing.

And really really scary. The far right is reaching out to these "wackos" because of the very thing I mentioned in my original post: blind faith. People who don't pay any attention to facts/science/reason. They just believe what they believe and that's that. If you can get that group to vote for you, you've got it made because you can shit on them and shit on them and they'll keep coming back for more.

[DrBloodmoney]

7. Religious extremism...

... a great way to control the ignorant and the susceptible.

I wouldn't be too surprised if a couple of these nuts took a page from the Quran their brethren have been reading. Next thing you know they'll be blowing up gay bars, and planned parenthood.

[DanCa]

9. My biggest fear is that they'll turn this thing that they worship...

into the only legal branch of christanity. And that if you disagree with it youll be unable to practice any religion other than theirs.

[Erika]

11. Their goal is to turn this country into a Right wing theocracy

Period.

[Just Me]

13. Don't be afraid of that. It won't happen. I promise.

Those "extremists" have already reached their climax and are tripping down the mountainside towards the river.

:hug:

They've maxed out their exploitation. Trust me on this.

[Erika]

14. I think so also but McCain has even bowed to their extremism

Of course, I lost any respect for McCain when he hugged W after W slandered McCain's family. Masochism is not healthy, especially when you allow it to happen on your own family.

[DanCa]

16. Isn't that the truth about Mccain

If someone trashed my family like Bush trashed Mccains, I'll whack em with my baseball bat.

[Erika]

18. I sure wouldn't hug him.

Maybe McCain had more damage done to his psyche than we thought. You don't hug a man who kicked your family. The GOP seems to suffer from some sort of rot disease.

[Lib Grrrrl]

15. I Sure Hope You Are Right!!

as a out and proud member of America's GLBT community, I sure hope you are right, because these people scare the FUCK outta me!
I know, damn sure, that if these guys get their way, there will be another Holocaust. And it will be ME and MY brothers and sisters who will be fed to the crematoriums this time.

They will do it and feel RIGHTEOUS about doing it.

[Erika]

17. No, that won't happen

Many of us won't let it happen. Bushbots even. The RR religious zealots are a tiny minority who turned out in droves pumped up by Rove's anti-gay hate agenda. Yes, Hitler also hated and exterminated gays, all the time claiming he was Christian, and the Europeans let him get away with it.

We won't.

[Lib Grrrrl]

19. Well, I Hate To Sound Pessimistic Here, But

I can't see ANY Bushbot speaking up to stop the extermination of people like me...and there is far less tolerance for us among Democrats and progressives than I'd like to see.

There's a fair amount of 'phobes who are on the left side of the aisle, too, I'm sad to say, from personal experience.

A lot of them wouldn't lift a finger to save us, either.

[DanCa]

20. Hell these thugs wont let me walk because of their religious beliefs.

I don't want even to use the word religious or christian to describe the right wing whackos. I think the term theocrat best describes them. How dare that they tell us how we should live, who we should love, and what medical treatment we must take. If god were here today he'd tell it to their face the right are just hypocrital sinners.