The Gay Agenda: The religious left
On this episode of The Gay Agenda, VisibleVote08.com’s Jennifer Vanasco and Jon Mallow talk religion and where it fits in with leftist voters. Is Obama courting the religious left in the right way or might they swing over to vote for John McCain? And is it possible to live with religion completely separate from public policy?
Dear Jon and Jennifer it is indeed an interesting debate. First I have to say that I find Evangelicals to barely be Christian. They purport such extremes that I find their beliefs to be far outside the values of the Christianity within which I was raised. I equate them with the fundamentalist Muslims, the sharia, whom have so distorted the original message of Islam as to constitute a completely different faith. Whether using the Bible or the Koran, both writings are used out of context of the periods and the social norms of the HUMAN authors. Additionally, translations have often been keenly distorted from the original message. If one accepts the writings as divinely inspired one must still look to understand the context in which they were written. And speaking of context, too often these extremist cults, (yes, I view them as cults), even remove the context of the very passage they quote, relying upon one or two sentences to make a point which is wholly wrong. As to the candidates investing their campaigns with endless religious dialogue I also hope for a Church free zone, Jon. Yet, I will concede that it’s unlikely we’ll have such a space. If, therefore, religion must be addressed as political issue the manner in which Obama presents his faith is far more acceptable than anyone else I’ve heard. Recently he was criticized by two elites of the religious right, who broadcast their voting instructions to the public via radio, explaining they were allowed to do so because the program was underwritten by a tax paying corporate entity owned by the evangelical ‘church’, and not by the church itself! (I’d love to hear your views on that little deception and what needs to be done) They then stomped all over Obama for stating the need to form our policies and laws not by the precepts of one faith but to remember that as a society we are many faiths and even no faith at all. A moderate statement wholly acceptable and rational, yes? The reaction by these neo-cons was one of outrage: they pummeled Obama for an hour declaring him unfit to be president. Which reaffirms the need to block the illogical yet frighteningly real beliefs these fundamentalist cults wish to perpetrate upon our society via rule of law. We must seek to have separation of Church and State, it is a constant battle which we must wage to keep some semblance of moderation in our laws. God forbid (PLEASE!) it be McCain whom appoints the nest two chief justices!
I don’t think that the issue of religion is one of either “left” nor “right”. It should always be one of right or wrong…and using religion in politics as a “litmus test” for a politician is just plain WRONG. The Christianity that Jesus lived and died and rose again for is NOT the kind that you see on Robertson’s 700 Club, nor on a “God Hates Fags” placard, nor in the pea-sized brain of “King Dubya” in the Oval Office. Even the original authors of American Christian fundamentalism, like Charles Hodge and Scoffield, had no problems with accepting the idea of human evolution. Puritains like Cotton Mather were treated just as harshly by their public for trying to help people fallen sick to diseases that some members of their churches claimed as being “God’s punishment”, just like this preacher’s mama was when she often cried on her TV show for the church to show compassion for those dying from AIDS. The kind of “Christianity” (better called “Church-ianity”) that is known in America today is more like the self-righteous Phariseedom that ran Judaism in Jesus’ times: hypocritical, self-serving and totally devoid of the love of God.
When I was talking about “this preacher’s mama”, I was referring to Jay Bakker, son of the late Tammy Faye Bakker. Sorry! I got my threads messed up!
I was referring to Jay Bakker, son of the late Tammy Faye Bakker. Sorry! I got my threads messed up!
Religion has absolutely no place in politics or government. As an atheist, I am very troubled by this vast majority of people who seem to think that their religion trumps everyone else’s rights.