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From arguewithsigns.net
True left paranoia
Monday, May 2nd, 2005 @ 6:47 am in [ Politics - Religion ]
I tire easily these days of the leftist cries of a coming “theocracy”
in the U.S. And so you can imagine my reaction to this little
conference (Washington Times):
Secular humanists and leftist activists convened here over the weekend to strategize how to counter what they contend is a growing political threat from Christian conservatives. Understanding and answering the “religious far right” that propelled President Bush’s re-election is key to preventing a “theocracy” from governing the nation, speakers argued at a weekend conference. “The religious right now has an unprecedented influence on American politics and policy,” said Ralph White, co-founder of the Open Center, a New York City institution focused on holistic learning. “It is incumbent upon all of us to understand as precisely as possible its aims, methods, beliefs, theology and psychology.”
The Open Center, founded 21 years ago, played host to the two-day conference at City College of New York called “Examining the Real Agenda of the Religious Far Right.” People for the American Way, a liberal advocacy group that opposes religion in the public square, co-sponsored the conference, which drew about 500 participants. “This may be the darkest time in our history,” said Bob Edgar, general secretary of the left-leaning National Council of Churches and former six-term Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania. “The religious right have been systematically working at this for 40 years. The question is, where is the religious left?” (emphasis added)
The darkest time in our history? Please. As compared to any day during the CIVIL WAR!?!?!?
As Dr. Joyner notes, American society is more secular today than it’s ever been. And, the suggestion that the religious right has “unprecedented” influence is ludicrous as well.
President Bush is, like it or not, much closer to the middle on values issues than Open Center or People for the American Way. Further, the idea that Christian religious forces are more powerful now than they were at earlier points in our history, especially our first century and a half, is absurd. Indeed, for years after the passage of the 1st Amendment, Virginia and Massachusetts had official state religions.
That is not to say that there are not elements of the “religious right” who are bent on political power for the sake of achieving moral ends. And? Isn’t that what all political actors have in mind? Don’t homosexual activists, environmental groups, civil rights groups and unions all have the same ends in mind: imposing their agenda upon the populace?
Methinks groups like this do themselves more harm than good by spending so much time obsessing over their enemy.
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One Response to “True left paranoia”
Foucault's Buddy Says:
May 2nd, 2005 at 3:42 pm
sounds pretty reasonable to me….
thousands dead in Afghanistan and Iraq on the back of a theological
‘crusade’ to eliminate ‘evil’?
it may not be *your* darkest time…. but for a lot of non-US
citizens it is.
wake up
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