Christian Allegiance and the Future of America

[Starfury]

This is a very effective yet concise essay on what's wrong with our country from Seattle Reverend Rich Lang. There are so many possible answers (religious right, corporatism, imperialism, etc.) that have been discussed before, but he does (IMO) an excellent job of tying them together in an easily readable format. Maybe because I'm non-religious myself, I felt fascinated by his description of religion as the key determining factor deciding where our nation goes from here.

(...)

CONCLUSION:

The point I’m trying to make is that we are not dealing simply with politics either in the church or in the public square. We are dealing with a movement of the people not just a few elites. We are seeing today the emergence of a “Christian-fascist movement”. It is bankrolled by Corporations, politically organized around the ideology of imperialism and legitimated through the perversion of Christian rhetoric. It’s theology draws upon holiness/Holy War Biblical narratives, and is growing throughout the world and within our own country. This is not an abstract conflict between intellectual and institutional elites. It is far more intimate than that. It’s a conflict erupting in our homes, our families, our friendships, and our neighborhoods, and within our faith communities.

What’s at stake in this conflict is the future of democracy as well as the soul of the Church. The theology that the Religious Right both preaches and practices offer a very perverted understanding of Jesus. This Jesus makes demands on the poor blaming them for their poverty while assuming that “thems that gots” have received God’s blessing and favor. This Jesus makes distinctions between saints and sinners rejecting and excluding those who don’t pass moral righteousness tests. This Jesus celebrates imperial capitalism with its anti-labor, anti-environment and pro imperialism ethics even as this Jesus willingly straps on the helmet, boots, and guns creating a muscular spirituality of the divine, righteous warrior. The scripture of this Jesus is narrow and interpreted through a one-way lens that inspires the obedience of conformity: the like-mindedness of thought and values.

Let me make a rather audacious prophecy: WHOEVER CONTROLS THE INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE WILL CONTROL THE FUTURE OF THIS NATION. In other words it’s either the vision of Pat Robertson or the vision of Martin Luther King.

(...)

http://www.tumseattle.org/pictures/CHRISTIAN%20ALLEGIANCE%20AND%20THE%20FUTURE%20OF%20AMERICA.pdf

(There are quite a few other essays, etc. at their website. This one seems to be the main document, but the others are still worth reading to supplement.)

[StClone]

1. Jesus, last name Darwin

Religious Darwinist ideals guide them, weird.