At this time in our nations’ history, we all need to be aware of any persons who demonstrate Un-American tendencies. I’m not sure it’s true that all Christians hate America – but it certainly looks like it. Can anyone explain the following:
Christians favor an overlapping of their faith and our government in clear violation of our Constitution. Is this god belief more important to them than the clearly defined separations that the Constitution demands? When they demand that the 10 Commandments be placed in our public arenas are they elevating these in importance over our Constitution?
Christians demand that our entire country stop its energetic activities and pay homage to their religion at specific times that they hold as holy and obviously more important to them than the welfare of the nation.
Christians list god as the most important thing in their lives – even more than their country. Can we depend on the patriotism of people like this?
Christians only want to Pledge of Allegiance to our flag if it includes “under god”. Again, they put an imaginary being over the country of their birth.
Christians only want to use American money that says “In god We Trust” on it. American currency isn’t good enough for them without the word “god” on it? Would they exchange their dollars for Euros if “god” came off the dollar?
Christians want American schools that say prayers in them. Worse, they have to be prayers to a specific god - demonstrating that it isn't some veneration of value of religion in general.
Christians only vote for a Presidential candidate who declares himself as being with their god. Will they turn traitor if a good American who is non-Christian gets elected? I don’t see how we can be sure.
Christians want to teach creationism in our classrooms. Since all biological science is completely dependent on the underlying Theory of Evolution, our children will fall hopelessly behind the rest of the world.
Christians want to prevent crucial medical research utilizing stem cells from fertilized eggs. They think a zygote with a few dozen cells is equally sacred to a human being with trillions of cells. This could lead to the unnecessary death and disease for millions of truly patriotic Americans.
Christians will only defend our country in times of war because they believe god is on America’s side. Can we trust these people? What if they decide that god is on the side of some other country? Will they fight against us?
I have given 10 very serious charges of potential and actual unpatriotic activities on the part of these cultists. When people put superstitious belief ahead of patriotism, the rest of us can never sleep easy. There will always be doubts about their true loyalty. Is it to us, their fellow countrymen, or to some imaginary being that the rest of us can’t see?
Until we have Congressional hearings into potential Christian traitors, I will suggest that anyone who insists that something called “god” is the most important thing in their lives not be permitted to serve in any position in the United States Government that requires a security clearance.
The utterly ironic fact is that, knowing that they should be the ones under suspicion of hating America, they attempt to turn the tables on true patriots who put the Constitution ahead of a make-believe sky-daddy! I can only guess that they do this to avoid the scrutiny that they so richly deserve and have managed to avoid up until now.
17 comments:
Very nice argument, Evo! I'd even point to some other anti-American actions by Christians:
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution grants the power to Congress To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.
Christians, though, have impeded, rather than promoted, science and the useful arts. They have striven to censor authors who do not cater to their narrow Christian "values;" they have falsely redacted the findings of scientists so as not to conflict with a specifically Christian political agenda; and they have worked tirelessly to control the research of scientists when such research may lead to a conclusion that conflicts with their specific collection of mythologies.
Excellent post, especially #8 and #9. One might also add that the real hard-core Christians, the fundamentalists, mostly display (and are required by their beliefs to display) profound hostility to atheists, homosexuals, neo-Pagans, Mormons, feminists, abortion-rights supporters, believers in evolution, people who have sexual relations without being married, and the secular way of life in general. It's hard to see how anyone can claim to love America while despising 80% of the American people.
My first reaction to that fucking billboard was with full hot blood pulsing in my temples, so all I could think of were equally obnoxious, although not much of a stretch, counters like:
• Why do catholics want to sodomize our children?
• Why do christians want our children either knocked up or infected with STDs?
• Why does the pope want all Africans to die of AIDS?
• Why do christians want our children's educations destroyed?
But you kept your head and presented far better responses and DIRECTLY on point with their fucking charge. Bravo.
The hard core fundies LOVE America, just not the one we live in. They have a vision which is, well, singular.
Not long ago I heard a guest preacher at a church I was playing at opine that what would be good for a "godly" America would be another St. Bartholomew's Day. Admittedly, most of the people present had no idea what he was talking about, but I still wonder.
Peicing together what I've heard over the years, Their ideal would be something like Calvin's Geneva or what is discribed in A Handmaid's Tale. They think that would be nice.
That book is frightening
The America that the hard-core fundamentalists, dominionists and christianists love is one that has never existed. If Iran was a christian nation, rather than muslim, it would be exactly what the christian right wants: superficially a democracy, but with a cabal of clerics ruling on who can run for office and whether a law adheres closely enough to scripture.
Excellent article. I'm definately saving this one for the next time some right wing batshit crazy fundamentalist domininist whacko (George Bush?) starts harping about the anti-Americanism of atheists.
Great post, Evo. Such a resounding rejoinder to that idiocy that emanated from that billboard.
If you don't receive a Stermy Award this month for that, then some high placed shenanigans are suspected, and a congressional investigation will be in order. We'll also have to put you in contact with Susan Lucci.
I've been out of town all weekend and have no idea what billboard you guys are talking about? Can someone provide a link or picture?
Evo, I love this post. My only criticism is that not all Christians hold the views you've enumerated. Many are as appalled as you are by the extremists. Having said that, there are enough Christians who do hold views like those you've listed that your post has merit.
The Jim Wallis-style moderate Christians need to speak out much more than they have been. Until they do so, they will continue to be lumped together with the extremists, generally represented by James Dobson and his ilk, that you described. If the Wallis's want the lumping to stop, they'll have to do more about it than they've done thus far. If they want me to do it for them, they'd better put me on their payroll.
Mm, that billboard annoyed me, too. Somebody needs to point out that statements like that are exactly why 'under God' has to come out of the pledge of allegiance. "Ceremonial deism" means that the government will endorse the position that there is a God. The result of repeated endorsements by the government of the existence of God is that those who do not agree with that religious proposition are accused of not liking America. Isn't that exactly the sort of effect that the extablishment clause is supposed to prevent?
I like it, Lynet. Great point.
I smell a "Philly-post" brewing.
I also want to point out in response to those fuckers' billboard that there's a very clear statement made, that atheists hate America. It wasn't "do atheists hate America?" but rather "why do atheists hate America?". The question begged is to the motivation for the action which implies acceptance of the action, that atheists hate America. I think they overstepped the question mark loophole. Am I wrong? Where are the lawyers? Couldn't there be a case made for defamation?
I think you are right. If the question had been "Do Atheists Hate America"? it would be different.
Though by the same principle, is my post "hate speech"? Obviously, you and I know that I have simply parodied their billboard, but then I went further and demonstrated ways that could be perceived as hating America! Does it make it any less hateful that I did it in response to theirs?
I think the billboard is reprehensible, but probably should not be illegal. I'd rather do battle with that kind of thinking in the intellectual arena than in a legal one.
But it can be a fine line. What if Some Christian thugs in Chambersburg beat and kill a local well-known atheist shortly after this sign goes up? Is that "yelling fire in a crowded theatre"?
I believe Congress did not vote to add religious speech to the hate crime list so none of this is hate speech. Defamation maybe. I don't think you would be held to the same standard as them because of the impact:
1. You wouldn't reach as many people Evo, sorry
2. As a majority, the christians are hardly in danger of repercussions from the statement (although they'll go into victim mode and cry otherwise)
Also, you gave reasons. They didn't in the billboard.
Still waiting for the lawyers to chime in
Excellent! I really have nothing else to say. Weird, I know.
This is a generalisation of all Christians. Generally this is an inaccurate assumption, while points are valid, they'll mostly only attribute to fundies. Which I'm glad to say, does not constitute the majority of Christians in the US.
while points are valid, they'll mostly only attribute to fundies
Mostly, eh? I say if ANY of that applies to you, then perhaps you're a hater, too. Anyway, none of that majority you're talking about is doing anything to reel the fundies in, so to steal a Bushism, "you're either with us or against us" and by "us" I mean loyal Americans.
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