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When they pray to a different god, and come from exotic places, the Right Wing loves to make them the bogyman and frighten Americans into spending billions of dollars to line the pockets of defense contractors in an effort to feel safe in our own homes.
But when they sit only a few pews away in the same fundamentalist church that instructs the Republican politicians that America is a Christian nation, and that abortion is the greatest sin of the modern age, well than that is a little too close to home for these wing nuts.
It's just amazing that these people can't see that the Muslim extremists and terrorists that they hate so much use the EXACT SAME REASONING for their actions! They see the United States as the "abortion doctor" that is responsible for the killing of their people. I am not justifying any terrorists acts, but just pointing out that it's really all the same thought processes underneath it all.
ReplyDeleteExcellent commentary, Gryphen. And thank you, Rachel Maddow, for standing up to domestic terrorism in this unholy domestic war against American women, American doctors, and all Americans who believe private and often complex decisions involving women's health should be left to the individuals involved.
ReplyDeleteGryphen, if you're referring to Moslems, they pray to the same God as Christians; "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "god." Moslems also believe in Moses, Abraham, and the virgin birth of Christ. As strict monotheists, they simply do not believe that Christ was the son of God, seeing him instead as the last great prophet before Mohammed.
ReplyDeleteTall tales and people who believe them are curious things. David and Goliath--okay--let's think about this story for a moment. Please stay with me--this will take a little background information.
ReplyDeleteFor those who have somehow never heard the story
--long ago, and far away, there was a man named Noah. Okay? Well, one day, God got honked off at nearly every earthling. He was particularly annoyed with the "giants." You see, there were nephilim hanging out on earth and they were, well just call it, "messin' around," with the earthling women. As a result, there were many unwanted pregnancies. Apparently God didn't approve of abortions, even in the cases of uhmm--rape and as a result, these women ended up giving birth to "giants."
To make a long story short. God played favorites. He gave Noah, who was apparently a highly educated engineer, a hammer and the blueprint for a boat. A short time later, God started dumping water everywhere. The story goes that this plan of action, on God's part, drowned all the "giants" and every other single ne'r-do-well on the planet. Once all that water evaporated, Noah, being happy that he had "weathered the storm, proceeded to get drunk and pass out--but then, that's another story. Anyway, only Noah, his family and a few odds-and-ends animals were left to tell the story.
Now, fast forward to another time--still long ago and far away--when a young lad named David, whose greatest athletic abilility, as a young boy, was with a sling shot. This enabled him to smack a "giant" (Goliath in this case) in the forehead with a rock and knock him flat, thereby finally ending any further problems with "giants."
[Okay, forgive me, but here I have to stop and wonder: Did Goliath's ancestors somehow sneak on to Noah's boat? Maybe "giants" were experts at treading water. Or, maybe, God just somehow missed a couple of them, so that a couple of "straight giants" survived that day's environmental disaster and ultimately reproduced--even down to David's day. Don't look to me for a logical answer to this Biblical conundrum...I have none.]
Fast forward, again--Whoa! I'll give you a second or two to get over any dizziness....are you better, now? Okay, let's go on with the story:
Many generations have passed since Noah and David made their places in Biblical history. We are 1000s x grandparents and generations away from Noah, yet there are those who take these stories literally and believe these tales are absolutely true. At the same time, many of these same people deny that climate change exists--but then, so did Noah's neighbors, I suppose. I can think of several other problematic and erroneous beliefs that they hold that can be attributed to their belief in these myths--but none as distasteful and psychotic as their ignorant connection between their seeming preference for murder and mutilation over understanding and compassion. In this respect, they have certainly missed the boat...and I would hazard a guess that, if they were to have lived in "Noah's Day," their's would be, in large part, the bodies floating face down on the flood waters. End of story.
As a democrat, a gun-owner, Midwestern, and Christian, I believe Maddow is making too much out of nothing. Pretty much what she said there we lump me and any of my friends in that. I don't believe I am like that nor are my friends.
ReplyDeleteI like Maddow as an interviewer because she can do a real quick 1, 2 punch with her wit. But this type of reporting she is doing is off base.
I can't believe Gryphen is doing this too. You can be a lot of things associated in that video but have the R switched to a D and people would look at it differently? Lets be reasonable to people who may share some of those beliefs, qualities, and traits.
I would extend Maddow an invitation to small town America for a week to see if these views are what she has. I know Gryphen lives in small town Alaska, so this piece caught me off-guard. A little disappointed as well.
I get lumped with the right a lot when I tell people I am Christian. I just think it isn't fair to myself and even my friends and family who may be on the rightside to associate them as right wing religious fanatics.
The murderer of Dr Tiller is constantly being hyped by the christian right as some sort of New Age Christian Martyr. Roeder is a pawn in an elaborate game. He was part of a circle of believers who think that it is justifiable to disobey the laws of the land if they happen to get in the way of your own mindset. The very same groups of people who set up compounds and collect guns and ammunition and who build bombs in order to defend themselves against today's society.
ReplyDeleteRoeder is lauded for having taken the ultimate step, egged on by the likes of Bill O'Reilly who didn't actually pull the trigger but who are just as responsible for Tiller's death.
But this isn't all. Until we accept in this country that the decision to carry a pregnancy through to term is a matter of conscience for the woman concerned and not that of any other individual then this argument will never end and it will continue to be used by the christian right as a justification for their own violence.
I don't care what Bill O'Reilly thinks. He will never have to make that choice because he does not possess a uterus. Sure he's entitled to his opinion but he cannot tell me how to think or act. Our laws in this respect have to reflect that right. Why should women have to travel half way across the country in order to receive such proceedures? Laws need to be passed extending women's rights to abortion in this country and more doctors need to be trained to preform the procedures that Tiller provided.
That is the answer that the law of the land needs to send out to the christian right and to people such as Roeder.
I just hope that Dr Tiller did not die in vain.
It's not even a different God, it's the same God by a different name. Crazy.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gryphen for sharing, and kudos to Rachel.
ReplyDeleteThat is why I am a strong advocate for the separation of church and state. Folks like that are narrow-minded and dangerous.
James 2:10
-For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
@9:35, as a Christian born in the midwest to Democratic parents with a dad who taught us how to shoot, I feel your pain. But today I drove past a church marquee which defended Fox News. A CHURCH MARQUEE STATED FOX NEWS WAS "FAIR AND BALANCED" AND THEY SUPPORTED IT. This is what has happened to the "Christian brand," and those of us who still want to self-identify as Christians in this radical rightwing climate are going to increasingly find this to be a confusing era and culture. I support Rachel Maddow. I think she is brave.
ReplyDeleteJust like most of the other comment posters, I applaud and agree with both Rachel and Gryphen.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the information they present, the situations they expose, or the views they voice may make us feel uncomfortable, but that's what makes them so valuable. They don't spout dogma; they express outrage while challenging us to do our own research and think for ourselves.
However, I am no longer sure this or many of the other right-wing "causes" are really about just Palin's sort of fundamentalist Christianity (aka Christian Taliban mentalities) after reading The Family by Jeff Sharlet. Rachel has had him on her show several times. There is a lot more going on than we thought, and it makes the Palinistas and the anti-abortionists look like small fry nuisances.
Jeff Sharlet infiltrated The Family and lived in its C-street residence (Ivanwald) in D.C. which is registered as a church but serves as a short-term home and training center for Senators, Representatives and Leaders-in-Training. Sharlet learned their mission first-hand and followed his experience up with in-depth research.
Though The Family has roots in dominionism to which Palin has been tied, these men would only support her to further their own ends. They do not like populist fundamentalism or even Christianity though they call themselves followers of the Christ. They do not like women (aren't “rational,” not “competent.”), minorities, or any religious faith. Means justify ends for them. Period.
The believe Christ has several sets of rules depending upon who you were/are. The masses were given guidelines we all know. The elite (aka The Family) follow Christ's Inner Circle rules. They are above our laws, scoff at our ethics and morals. They are Christian Warriors and as long as they further His path and prepare His kingdom, they can do pretty much what they want (Senator Ensign, anyone?)
The Family embraces many familiar names: Senators Grassley, Brownback, Inhofe, Coburn, Thune, Thurmond, Bill Nelson, Domenici, Ensign, DeMint amongst others; Supreme Court Justices Alito, Roberts, Thomas and Scalia have been welcomed and nurtured by The Family at its main headquarters near Ivanwald. Those lists merely scratch the surface, but are familiar villains to progressives. Think about other right-wing politicians at all levels and chances are you will find their names in this book. Not an accident and not a scheme – just facts carefully researched.
When you heard Justice Thomas this week berate the Nominating Process (which is in the Constitution) or asking questions during oral arguments, you were actually hearing some of the beliefs of The Family.
BTW, the organization that was evangelizing in Texas, that somehow just found poor little W and helped him find Jesus -- that organization is an offshoot of The Family and, oh, lest I forget – Jim Baker who kept bailing W out of financial trouble is a member. The Family started as the International Christian Leadership before it decided to adopt the Soviet secret cell hierarchical system during the Cold War period and go underground. President Reagan acknowledged it in 1985 , but said it was working because it was private and couldn't be talked about.
So even though Rachel may bring up uncomfortable issues or contentions, don't turn away for long. Rachel, Keith, Jeff Sharlet, Gryphen and AKA Muckracker amongst a few others are not overstating the issues. They've only begun to alert us to the need to wake up, look and listen for ourselves.
If you decide to read The Family, do take the advice of one reviewer (and me) - “just don't read it alone at night.” It you think you've been unnerved by the far right thus far, just read this book. You really “ain't seen nothing yet.”
Anon @ 5:40
ReplyDeleteExcellent synopsis of Jeff Sharlet's, book.
Anyone interested in delving a little deeper into this subject might want to Google:
Council for National Policy.