The Warped and Twisted America of Fundamentalist Christianity
By: Hrafnkell HaraldssonSep. 18th, 2012more from Hrafnkell Haraldsson
The Warped and Twisted America of Fundamentalist Christianity was written by Hrafnkell Haraldsson for PoliticusUSA.
© PoliticusUSA, Sep. 18th, 2012. All Rights Reserved
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Mark L.
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 7:33 am
I’m still a little hazy on this “Judeo-Christian” thing here: Do the Jews approve of some Christian denominations hitching their fundamentalist-evangelical trailers to their religion?
Donna
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 3:13 pm
Mark, I saw a Jewish Rabbi speak of the connection of the Jews and Zionist Christians once. I don’t know if he spoke for all Jews, but it made sense to me. He said that basically Jews tolerate the Christians who give millions of dollars to them which allow them to buy up land on the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. It also helps them fund their occupation of the Palistinians, for the last 45 years.
He said the thinking of the Christians, that some day when the supposed return of Christ happens and that all Jews will see the light and suddenly become Christians is ludicris to them. They don’t see Christ the way Christians do.
To them Jesus was a Rabbi who liked women. Nothing special.
They are basically using the Christian zealotry to their advantage, laughing behind their backs.
BiBi is using them now. There are a handful of BiBi’s ex campaign advisors on Romneys team. He is doing his usual warmongering cry at the most opportunistic moment once again. Right in the midst of more of Romneys gaffes.
Sarah t
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 4:09 pm
Dear Israel,
I know these people send you money and seem to be Sooooo nice and excited about your life.
However, Fundamentalist Christians are NOT your friend, they may be funding you and patting you on the back, but they’re also plenty happy to stir up trouble between you and your neighborhood to start WWIII/Armageddon.
End of the World, doesn’t sound like a fun thing to me. YMMV.
thanks.
Sarah t
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 4:04 pm
Generally, No…
There’s an awful lot of stuff being tagged “Judeo-Christian Heritage” that is actually very very contrary to Jewish philosophy and interpretation of the laws and concepts of how people are supposed to treat each other.
A good example, is that (and though there may be some variation in mileage) among even ultra-orthodox Jews, there doesn’t seem to be any issue with Evolution. It’s like “so OK, we get a glimpse of G-d’s processes, that’s kinda cool actually.” or even “well, you know, there’s this idea of Creation as a continuing process and that humanity has an important role in not mucking it up…” or even “It’s not ‘dominion’ over creation, but more that humanity is supposed to be a caretaker for it…” (um oops)
Also, perhaps weirdly, is the idea that reproductive health (Birth Control/Abortion) is a personal issue between the family and their medical providers. And that concern for the family/ mother’s health, mental well being etc, are her’s to manage. (If there should be an emergency just have the issue taken care of without concern that the medical provider has to get approval, or that medical provider can just decide that the fetus has precedence and ignore the mother’s needs. Talmudic conclusion is that the mother’s well being takes precedence and has priority. )
Since this is NOT my personal community, but one I’m in contact with regularly though peripherally (relatives) so there may be other groups within the same type of community that has differing opinions.
Reynardine
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 8:21 am
It’s hard to comment. As a product of mid-Twentieth Century America, I still have a problem understanding why they can’t just go handle snakes in the corner, like their ancestors used to, instead of trying to cram their viperous faiths down our throats.
mediabeing
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 2:07 pm
We’re still in our ‘terrible two’s’.
We’re slowly getting smarter.
We used to worship the sun.
Religion comforts…and cripples.
Sally
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 8:45 am
I am part of a Brethren congregation. We are one of the ‘peace churches,’ along with Mennonites and Quakers. But there are huge cracks in our facade as half the older members think homosexuality is a sin and we should not have gay preachers, with the rest of us trying to follow Christ and love our neighbor. Barber is a bully using God to line up his followers, er, marks. All these men want is money and power, and if the easiest way there is through misinterpreting the BIble and our founding documents, they are more than willing to lie, cheat, make people hate and distrust each other, as long as the cash keeps rolling in from the flock. Sickening, and God is NOT pleased. No one’s God.
Steve
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 8:46 am
Here’s a link to a documentary that shows how these people think.
Waiting for Armageddon – Evangelical Documentary
www.youtube.com/watch?v=r...
Keith Walsh
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 8:59 am
One big problem I see in Barber’s CONSTANT argument, is that he calls Non-Christians and Atheists “Anti-Christian”….The truth is that most believe in LIVE and LET LIVE, even among LIBERAL CHRISTIANS!…Yes Barber has proven time and time again to be the ASSHAT spoken of! Get off the AIR!!..TRASH talk is HATE TALK and certainly is not Christ-Like!!
fedded-up
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 10:04 am
I’m an older fart, and I’ve been saying it for decades, and it’s actually worse now – at least since that nasty Moral Majority shit from Reagan’s time (which is really what started THIS), organized religion is, hands down, the most murderous barbarity ever invented by MAN. It is the root cause of the most wars, the most misery, the most hate, the most division, the most ______ (fill in the blank) ever. Its ugliness is unparalleled. Its pervasiveness and perniciousness is unmatched. You can only watch in slack-jawed astonishment how a “religion” can take the entire concept of Jesus, turn it on its ear, and use it to try to condemn entire swathes of humanity as “evil.”
A Walkaway
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 2:48 pm
Ditto. I belonged to the cult that the Moral Majority came from back in the late 70s and early 80s, and what the MM spouted was a lot of what I heard in the Assemblies of God.
You should read Frank Shaeffer’s discussion on how the Moral Majority stuff started… he was centrally involved, and the actual basis (contrary to what they spewed) was racist hatred. They didn’t want anyone telling them that African Americans should have the same right to go to their schools as anyone else, even though they were getting public funding.
Mary
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 10:27 am
This warp twisted sick man is not a christian. A person this sick should be in a mental health facility.
SinghX
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 10:41 am
Someday, Mary, “we” will be trying to turn them, like cold war spies, as they try to flee. We will have to find out where they run covert operations, who provides the secret money, who runs their “operatives” are, etc…just like after WW2.
SinghX
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 10:35 am
I agree with “Fedded-Up”…
In the late 60′s early 70′s there was a huge out-cry against all this “ugliness” and it’s many forms that had permeated our culture…and it died as a “radical” rebellion. Life actually got harder and harder for the middle-class after that (we forgot how much crap Carter ‘inherited’ and how he tried to get us on the right path) even though no one really “felt” it all the time/too much.
I recall the old song sung by Grace Slick; she was singing about the “uprising” against Nixon’s Moral Majority by the youth…
“We are all outlaws in the eyes of America
In order to survive we steal,cheat,lie, forge,fuck,hide and,deal…
We are obscene,lawless,hideous,dangerous,dirty, violent and, young….
All your private property is
Target for your enemy
And your enemy is “We”
We are forces of chaos and anarchy
Everything they say we are we are
And, we are very proud of ourselves!
Up against the wall
Up against the wall motherfucker…”
It seems they’ve stolen this message; the second generation Moral Majority are now using the 60′s rebellion against the rest of us…they want revenge and blood for their elders before they all die off…
A Walkaway
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 11:49 am
(Sigh)
As all walkaways say “I told you so!”
They are monsters. Think about what they say in public and then imagine how they treat people in private (or in secret).
Tony P
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
And interestingly enough Yahweh, God and Al’Lah are the SAME god. I think Barber misses that one too.
Melusine1979
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
These people are so insufferable, I don’t understand how hard it is to get along with your fellow man and respect their beliefs. I get along with just about everyone I meet regardless of what their faith is (that is everyone except fundamentalist christians who have told me that I’m evil and that I am damned to burn in hell [my grandmother, btw]) I turned away from christianity because of hypocrites and self serving a$$holes, and you know what I say to them…
I believe in God, just not your god. I’m not a bad person, it just means my beliefs are a little bit different than yours
molly malone
Sep. 18th, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Fundamentalists like Barber claiming that atheists hate God makes about as much sense as to me as saying “Barber hates Quetzalcoatl.”
Can’t hate something that you don’t believe exists.
Eddie Powell
Sep. 19th, 2012 at 6:56 am
The greatest authority man tries to exert over another man is his religion. Never mind following it right in the first place. These fire breathing, damnation speaking types tend to be so narrow-minded that it is a waste of good God time to try to educate them on this “love thou neighbor” or “I am my brother’s keeper” thing….
robyn ryan
Sep. 19th, 2012 at 12:36 pm
Just as rape is not about sex, religion like this has nothing to do with a moral code or a path to understanding. It’s about power, pure and simple.
After Barber explains his understanding of the 7 Deadly Sins, perhaps he could explain why just the idea of a woman controlling her own body makes Christians violent.
AverageJoe
Sep. 19th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
You had me at “Asshat”…..
Richard White
Sep. 24th, 2012 at 11:15 am
As my Dad, an American Baptist minister, used to say:
“Too many Americans believe that the ‘freedom of religion’ in the Constitution really means ‘Americans have the right to be whatever denomination of Protestant Christian that they choose’.
sickandtired
Sep. 24th, 2012 at 11:57 am
True Grace comes from God not the church. Alot of people either forget or have not recieved the memo.