Ignore for a moment Gary Bauer’s predictably sneering suggestion that President Obama is a closet Muslim-lover. That kind of bigotry has become standard for the religious right. But check out these other passages from a new essay by the commentator and former Republican presidential candidate:
Progressives and Islamists are indeed on the same side. Their common disdain for Christianity explains why left-wing judges in America find any inkling of Christianity in the public square unconstitutional, while Islamist judges in the Middle East deem it executable. Their common view that life is expendable explains the left’s embrace abortion-on-demand and why the Islamists don’t hesitate to deploy their own children for homicide bombings. Their common totalitarian impulse explains why each group has as its governing objective to render its subjects entirely dependent on the state for everything in their lives, from education to healthcare.
More fundamentally, left-wing progressivism and Islamism both hold that religious belief and reason are at odds. Of course, Islamists embrace faith and reject reason, while progressives value reason to the exclusion of faith. Eventually these groups may have to address their basic differences. But there will be time for that later. For now, there’s a greater goal to achieve: the annihilation of moral accountability and individual liberty and the destruction of the Judeo-Christian philosophy that is the foundation of Western civilization.
One could be excused for hoping that the elections of 2006 and 2008 represented, at least in part, a rejection of the religious right’s agenda. But Bauer and others like him have simply increased the volume and viciousness of their rhetoric. When will mainstream conservative leaders finally call out their intolerance and extremism?
This is so much like pre-war, pre-Nazi Germany it isn’t even funny.
We’re going to have to go back and re-educate the country on that period of history.
I just read the tfn newsletter blurbs. Mainstream news is just now noticing what was obvious last year. The “tea party” is the evangelical, anti-abortion” wing of the GOP.
Most of what they talk about is cover.
David, agreed. Where in the world do these loonies get the notion that “Their common disdain for Christianity explains why left-wing judges in America find any inkling of Christianity in the public square unconstitutional.”
Uh, didn’t a religious Christian rally at the Lincoln Memorial attended by hundreds of thousands just take place? So how is it that “left-wing judges” [refused to allow] “any inkling of Christianity in the public square unconstitutional” when one just took place? I guess Mr. Gary Bauer missed out on it. Aw, too bad. But I’m sure there are and will be plenty more to find if you just look.
Gary Bauer wrote: “….while Islamist judges in the Middle East deem it executable.”
Uh, pinhead, this ain’t the Middle East. This is the United States of America.
“Their common view that life is expendable explains the left’s embrace abortion-on-demand and why the Islamists don’t hesitate to deploy their own children for homicide bombings.”
Uh, even conservatives send their own young people to invade countries that did not attack us. So they TOO believe “life is expendable.” Furthermore, it is debatable when life begins.
To the best of my knowledge, Islam does not permit “abortion on demand.” I also understand some extremist Christians are now beginning to advocate for Christian terrorism.
And in some states (increasingly MORE states) abortion does not happen “on demand.” Abortion is being more and more restricted, not expanded. Get updated on your facts, Gary.
Gary wrote: “….entirely dependent on the state for everything in their lives, from education to healthcare.”
Oh yeah, that crap again. The fact is, Gary, since religious organizations do not and cannot provide the needs of all U.S. citizens, it is up to us, the taxpayers, to fill in the gap – which is large and growing. But, of course, you wouldn’t want that, would you? You’re too selfish and greedy. Selfishness and greed: they seem to have become the pillars of Christianity.
And THAT’S just the first paragraph of his crap.
TFN asks: “When will mainstream conservative leaders finally call out their intolerance and extremism?”
Uh, never. Because there are no “mainstream conservatives.”
David wrote: “The “tea party” is the evangelical, anti-abortion” wing of the GOP.”
Well, actually the Tea Party consists of fiscal conservatives as well as social conservatives. In fact, from what I’ve heard, the fiscal cons outnumber the social cons. But maybe what I heard was wrong.
Western civilization is based on Enlightenment ideals, if I’m not mistaken. The ideas of fairness, equality, and liberty are found nowhere in “Judeo-Christian” philosophy.
What an incoherent bunch of blather. Thinking, conservative Republicans showed what they thought of him during his candidacy — not much.
A truly disgusting human being. I am at a loss to understand why he is allotted space in any venue.
Cytocop: If you go back to the beginning of the tea party phenomenon I think you’ll find a small, marginalized group of people griping about taxes.
Then when the two big “red-flag” events (health care reform and the Sotomayor confirmation) presented an opening to Fox News, Americans for Prosperity, and Freedomworks, (principly), the evangelical/anti-abortion/racist/gunworship coalition took on the teaparty mask.
Yes, they’ve milked the “fiscal” issues, but I don’t think that is the driving force. If they were really being honest about the “fiscal” issues they’d have more disdain for the GOP. There is some of that but mostly the economic concepts coming out of the tea party are gibberish. When someone talks real numbers to them they just clamp their hands over their ears and go “La,la,la,lalala..”
I’m not sure, but I think the televangelists, etc. have seen falling revenue, and they see the “faith based” gov. feeding trough likely to dry up, they see Supreme Court nominees who are not likely to overturn Roe V Wade, and they see youth losing interest in evangelical religion, (except in certain fortress enclaves like Texas), and that is making them the most ferocious and determined “cornered rat” conservatives out there.
Bauer doesn’t really believe that crap he is spouting. No sane person with a decent education would. That was just blather designed for and targeted at the millions of stupid people who are dumb enough to believe it so it will scare them into voting for a far right Republican in November. They play these people like musical instruments.
Charles, I agree with you. That’s why he didn’t come out and say anything at the beginning of the Obama campaign. They smell blood in the water, and they’re coming out with all this crap that they think they can get away with.
They will be judged by history as racists, as the inheritors of the KKK legacy, which of course did the bidding of Wall Street to pit poor against poor in the south.
It’s a fad.
“the destruction of the Judeo-Christian philosophy that is the foundation of Western civilization” Never heard of such a philosophy.
Religious tradition maybe, so long as one adds Islam to the mix as in Judeo-Christian-Islam, all religions traceable back to Abraham. Jesus is the sixth of seven “prophets” and only officially promoted to God status by the Emperor Constantine and his genius mother, St Helena. Between the two, the cross was adopted as the official symbol a part of which was “found” by St Helena along with other genuine memorabilia. The official doctrine of the Christian church was crafted at the Conferences at Nicea, with the added incentive to stay off star billing at the local circus vs lions, etc.
Having settled the Roman squabble over religion, Constantine moved Imperial headquarters to Byzantium aka Constantinople aka Istanbul, leaving the wobbly West to fend off sucessive waves of barbarians. There the home base of Christianity in Western Turkey lasted through the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, until the Greeks were driven out of Turkey in 1923.
Since Alexander the Great spread Greek civilization heretofore considered as Western as far as Pakistan in what is known as the Hellenic (no connection with St Helena) civilization, AND Rome absorbed the Hellenic world until the Hellenic World took Rome’s place, AND Islam conquered the Roman-Hellenic-Byzantine civilization, it is clear that East is West particularly since Islam includes Christianity and Judaism. That should be clear.
Afterall, the Battle of Marathon and it’s progeny in Thermopylae, Issus, Granicus, Gaugamela, Carthage, and a host of other philosophical debates did not include a significant input from Judeo-Christianity, it should also be clear that Western Philosophy as manifested by the Greco-Roman-Byzantine-Islamic synergy, excludes Glenbeckian effervescent pretensions to a religion not of his choosing.
The fringe fanatics should be denounced calmly and methodically everytime they speak. Most moderates/progressives I know are not of any particular mindset when it comes to Religion. What we all seem to have in common is the desire to see tolerance and acceptance rule the day. While I am not religious and find most fundamentalists to be delusional, I accept their faith and try very hard not to judge them for what I find to be illogical and rational beliefs. It is these nutjobs that seem determined to drive a wedge into society that concern me. Folks that are pro choice are not necessarily pro abortion, and the idea that Christians or conservatives are more moral and ethical is subjective at best. I think that everyone needs to get out of this mindset that we need to battle everyone who holds a different view than ourselves. As for wanting to make everyone dependant on the government, that is one of the oldest pieces of rhetoric in the book.
Christian/GOP leaders like Gary Bauer, Ralph Reed, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard, Larry Craig, George Reker, David Vitter, John Ensign, the guy in Ca.?, Mark Souter, …etc…. are more moral until they’re caught, then they cry, wait until their constituency is distracted by another shiny object, and then go at it again.
Over the weekend at the Glenn Beck shindig in DC a poll was taken among attendees. They were asked what the most important issues facing the nation are today. The answers, in order of importance, are 1. the economy 2. abortion and 3. gay marriage.
The Tea Party started out as a group of people really mad about increasing deficit spending by the Obama administration, although their taxes hadn’t actually increased. ( I don’t know where they were when Bush was increasing the national debt from $4.8 trillion to $9.58 trillion in 8 years.) But then the religious right made infiltration of the Tea Party a priority item and now the Tea Party agenda is dominated by the same old tired religious right issues. Roe versus Wade was decided 37 years ago, perhaps it’s time to move on……
Hi David, thank you for your insight.
That ridiculous phrase “Judeo-Christian” is long overdue for retirement. In fact, it never should have been used: the “Old” and “New” Testaments differ greatly on a number of key issues. It would be more accurate to just say “Jews and Christians” or “Jewish and Christian.”
When all three faiths are the subject, “Abrahamic” is a far more effective description.
Charles, just for the sake of playing devil’s advocate (excuse the pun): with the GOP, it’s the Far Right vs the Far Far Right. 😉