Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Is it theocracy yet?

Rob over at Realitique has been following moves being made to turn the United States into a theocracy. Time permitting, I have a post coming up based on the evangelical movement in Colorado Springs - the "evangelical Vatican" - based on the May issue of Harpers. Until then, Rob recently covered the story of Rev. Chan Chandler, pastor at East Waynesville Baptist Church in North Carolina.

Chandler resigned last week following a scandal in which he made good on a promise to kick out of the parish members who voted for John Kerry unless they repented their sins or resigned from the church.

Note to Democrats: leave your party membership cards behind when you head for the pearly gates.

Calling himself "merely the spokesperson" for "the most high," Chandler charged that Kerry was an unbeliever. Is he receiving direct communication from God? Because if he is, I want to ask him what he really thinks about people like Benny Hinn taking people's money under the charade that he can heal the sick.

Here's a precious quote from a Chandler parishioner who drank the Kool-Aid:

Chandler supporter Rhonda Trantham, 27, saw no problem with his approach. "If it's in the Bible, I believe it should be preached," she said.

Amy Sullivan at the LA Times thought that it's possible she missed the line "Thou shalt not vote Democratic" in her quick read of Leviticus, but she suggested it might be in the New Republican Standard Version of the Bible, editorializing that:
No political party gets to claim God.

What's more, Christianity teaches that no one — not Pastor Chandler or the Catholic bishops, Bill Frist or me — has the standing to judge the state of someone's soul. Jesus made this abundantly clear in the Sermon on the Mount when he warned, "Judge not, lest ye yourselves be judged."

Meanwhile, Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) has introduced a bill (for the sixth time) called the "Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act of 2005." Now before the House Ways and Means Committee, the bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow houses of worship to engage in "religious free exercise and free speech activities."

Of course, non-profit organizations have always had the right to free speech of any kind, but the instant they endorse a party or candidate, they get to pay taxes just like the rest of us.

When the United States does become a Republican theocracy, only Churches of the Republican Redeemer will get tax breaks. Until then, the rest of us will follow Jesus' counsel to "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, give to God what is God's."

Finally, have yourself one last laugh before the Rapture comes and condemns all Democrats to fire and damnation for all eternity (courtesy of The Fishbowl):

1 Comments:

At 5/18/2005 08:52:00 AM, Blogger Schroeder said...

Do I have to? Again?

Allow me to number among the first to quote what is sure to become one of the most memorable lines from the forthcoming "Revenge of the Sith": "Only a Sith thinks in absolutes."

Or, how about the revolutionary era Samuel West:
"For the civil authority to pretend to establish particular modes of faith and forms of worship, and to punish all that deviate from the standards which our superiors have set up, is attended with the most pernicious consequences to society. It cramps all free and rational inquiry, fills the world with hypocrites and superstitious bigots--nay, with infidels and skeptics; it exposes men of religion and conscience to the rage and malice of fiery, blind zealots, and dissolves every tender tie of human nature."

Dartmouth, MA, Election Sermon, 1776

Was Barry Goldwater a radical leftist when he proclaimed in 1981:
"Religious factions will go on imposing their will on others unless the decent people connected to them recognize that religion has no place in public policy. They must learn to make their views known without trying to make their views the only alternatives."

You see Mr. Dr. Truth (or small "t" truth as you prefer), it's not just large case "D" Democrats who oppose the introduction of religious iconography adorning the public square, it's small case "d" democrats of all ages and stripes and lots of good Christians too who oppose the self-righteous ideologues borrowing God's domain to justify imposing their self-interested POLITICAL will on the many, thus turning God's domain into a sewer of greed, vanity, and power.

I agree that the "media," in particular commercial media, likes to use self-promoting talking heads who spin all political discussion into two ideologically opposed, irreconciliable corners.

I do not agree that big "D" Democrats are (choose your words carefully Mr. Dr. truth) all pro-abortion (pro-choice), pro-same sex marriage (pro-family), anti-defense (anti-imperialist), pro-big government and pro-welfare state (the biggest part of the tax code deals specifically with tax exemptions for...yes dr. truth, it's true...BIG BUSINESS. We're talking corporate welfare!!!

The economic pie is not finite, it is growing. The question ought to be, how should that pie be distributed. We have at present in this country, indeed, a system of laws that enslaves the working man and woman, redistributing the fruits of people's labor to the wealthy, not the poor.

Why do we have poor, dr. truth. Why do people work 2 and 3 jobs in this country - work hard - and still they're poor?

Could it be that the system is rigged against them? Could it be dr. truth, that the system is rigged against average folks like you and me, and it's people like Tom Delay waving a red flag of Christianity and self-righteousness at us, while holding a sword behind their backs with which they intend to strike us.

Who benefits more from the system of laws that regulate our economy? Labor? Or big business?

How can you possibly explain a change in the tax code that allows pharmaceutical companies to re-patriate $75 billion in profits from overseas banks while paying a fraction of the normal tax. There are a number of choice words I could use for that sort of unpatriotic behavior. It's okay for those companies to enjoy all the privileges of United States society, but not to pay into the system to keep it going.

As for big "D" Democrats demeaning people of faith--let's be honest dr. "t" truth--they're demeaning people of a particularly hypocritical, hateful, notably UN-CHRISTIAN faith.

True Christians are humble in their beliefs, but bold in their gestures. Jesus was meek, but his acts were thunderous.

Beware those who claim to know and speak the big "T" Truth, dr. truth, because they're going for your wallet and your freedoms.

 

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