"Jesusless: The Church of Conservatism" ... and of Coulter

[bobbieinok]

http://marty-center.uchicago.edu/sightings/archive_2006/0630b.shtml

Sightings


June 30, 2006

Jesusless: The Church of Conservatism
— Robert S. McElvaine

....

The Church of Coulter — and that of the loudest "Christians" today — should be called what it plainly is: Jesusless: The Church of Mammon. Coulter makes millions by calling others treasonous and Godless and saying, "We should invade countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity." Conversion should start at home, and Coulter first needs to convert herself from Mammonism to Christianity.

Like many others in the increasingly dominant and totally misnamed "Christian Right," Coulter has a persecution complex. Upon the publication of Godless, she used her syndicated column to write a self-review of her book, saying it would be ignored: "If you find Godless without asking for assistance, it's considered a minor miracle." This from a woman whose new Jesusless book was at that very moment rising to Number 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. (That such a patently anti-Jesus book could become the best-selling book in America tells us just how far removed from being followers of Christ most of today's self-proclaimed Christians are.) She's lamenting all the way to the bank, her house of worship.

In my opinion, those who complain about a "War on Christianity" are right. The generals conducting that war include, in addition to Kill-a-Muslim-for-Christ Coulter, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Ted Haggard, James Dobson, and the whole Unheavenly Host of televangelists and megachurch moneychangers and wolves in sheep's clothing who have expropriated the moral assets of Jesus and turned them to their own purposes. They never met a dollar they didn't like. They prefer profits to prophecy and pretend that Jesus did, too. They favor the rich over the poor and invert Jesus to contend that he did, too. They favor war over peace and lie by saying that Jesus did, too.

Coulter and millions of her fellow adherents to ChristianityLite — a "religion" that is the equivalent of a "Lose weight without diet or exercise" scam ("Easy Jesus! Be saved without sacrifice or good works!") — have aborted Jesus and rewritten his teachings to suit their own selfish desires. Their revision of the Beatitudes — what we might call the Be-Ann-itudes — goes something like this:

Blessed are the haughty in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who exult over others, for they shall be further rewarded.
Blessed are the arrogant, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for domination, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are those who show no mercy, for they shall obtain the wealth of others.
Blessed are the hard in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the war-makers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who persecute for their own sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when you revile others and persecute others and utter all sorts of evil against them falsely on my account.

Onward Jesusless "Christian" soldiers, marching others into war.

----

Robert S. McElvaine teaches history at Millsaps College and is the author of Eve's Seed (McGraw-Hill). He is currently completing a book manuscript entitled ChristianityLite: Getting to Heaven without the Hassle.

[CAG]

1. I like that term; I think I'll start using it to describe fundie pharisees

[Ringo84]

2. bobbie

I guess that's OK if you want to get the crap in Godless off your chest. But when you come right down to it, you're obviously just trying to copy Coulter's idea. That'll come across more as desperation than a glib answer to her bullshitty claims.

No offense; I'm just giving you my ".02 cents".
Ringo

[Reckon]

4. I agree, Ringo.. Let the Cult of Coulter fade into the past... n/t

[bobbieinok]

5. found the essay interesting and thought other DUers might also

Although I certainly do understand your point.

[grannylib]

9. It is interesting, and I thank you for sharing it. We need more modern-day

prophets, remembering that biblical prophecy was not so much about telling the future as it was calling attention to the current condition and for repentance, renewal of faith, and adherence to what God truly wants...doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God...

[peacebird]

3. I have been amazed at how easy it is for the rightwing to claim they are

"Christian" while spewing hatred, bigotry, racism, sexism and homophobia.

Ignoring Jesus' teachings and words while claiming to be "Christian"

Jesusless "Christians" like their sacrifices to be handles by others, just like the neocons like their wars to be fought by others.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. This is literally true, in Coulter's eyes

The companion article notes:

"Christians," Coulter writes, "include everyone who subscribes to the Bible of the God of Abraham, including Jews and others." How very gracious of her! But there is a catch: These "Christians" may not include members of the Episcopalian Church — which, she writes a few pages later, "is barely even a church." Hmm...

http://marty-center.uchicago.edu/sightings/archive_2006/0630a.shtml

Of course, Judaism developed a lot more beyond the Old Testament writings, producing the modern Jewsish moral system. But I suspect Coulter rejects that just as much as she rejects the teachings of Jesus. I wonder if she counts Islam as subscribing to the bible of the God of Abraham. I suspect not. When Coulter says "Christian", she obviously means "free market capitalist with a nominal religion".

[Mr_Spock]

7. That is SO on target - I'm in total agreement

How can we get supposedly "common sense" Americans to see the obviousness of this situation?

[grannylib]

8. This is SO true. The so-called Christian Right is anything but. I rarely

even hear those on the right talking about Jesus at all; Robertson recently went on TV and pretty much said he was reverting to Old Testament faith of Abraham, since he's so fond of merciless legalism and judgmentalism. No gospel allowed. (That Jesus was SUCH a liberal; best to ignore him beyond claiming your 'personal relationship' with him, which will save you, and never mind how one should live in response to the life, ministry and sacrifice of the man who gave the religion its name...)

There is nothing Christian nor right about these people (and I use that term pretty loosely too).

[OnionPatch]

10. Wow. Does he ever get that down.

That was the best critique of modern, right-wing Christians I think I've heard to date.

[gully]

11. Awesome response.

:toast: