God’s Own Party

Kevin Phillips, the author of “American Theocracy: The Perils and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century," had an Op Ed in the Bergen Record last Sunday, reprinted from the Washington Post, entitled “How the GOP Became God’s own Party.”

The title is a bit of a misnomer as Phillips devotes the majority of the article to what he sees as the dangerous coalition that exists between Christian Biblical Fundamentalist, the Oil Industry and the Finances of Dept as epitomized in the current Bush administration.

Phillips points out what he considers the merging of the Politics of Oil and Biblical Expectations in the Bush administrations Middle East Policies and the almost unbelievable seeding of scientific controversies including “Bible-based disbelief in Darwinian theories of evolution, dismissal of global warming, disagreement with geological explanations of fossil-fuel depletions, religious rejection of global population planning, derogation of woman’s rights and opposition to stem cell research.”

Phillips goes on to point out that while “No leading power in modern memory has become a captive of the sort of biblical inerrancy that dismisses modern knowledge and science,...the outcome of the eventual 21st century test is hardly assured.”

In other words we are going to be in deep yogurt if we don’t get our act together and keep fundamentalist assholes like Bush and DeLay out of office. My reaction to this is DUH, NO KIDDING! I seem to remember saying stuff like this for quite a while now. The problem is I’m uncertain if anyone is listening!

Most people, assuming they understand the issue enough to do more than stare at you blankly, would scoff at such alarmist concerns and go back to watching American Idol. The fear is that by the time people realize just how serious, and just how immediate, the danger is, it will be too late.

Allow me to explain what I mean. Phillips was also on Bill Maher last week pointing out the same dangers. On the panel was Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.) and I was struck by two reactions of Biden which struck me as dangerous. First Biden stated that he refused to believe that a majority of Americans believed in things like Creationism rather than science. Well Joe, perhaps it’s not a majority, but it’s a healthy minority that forms a consistent voting block and not recognizing this fact is simply denial.

Then Biden, criticizing the intellectual elitism in the Democratic Party, told a story about a Democratic colleague describing the fact that Biden’s mother says the Rosary every day as “quaint.” Biden explained that he considered this an insult and that people of faith simply want their faith to be respected.

Well Joe, while your mother is entitled to her faith, and I agree that describing it as "quaint" is more than a little insulting as well as arrogant, I'm not going to agree with the idea that faith should be unconditionally respected. This idea has been developed over the ages by religion as a defense mechanism and has developed into one of the most effective memes ever created. Allow me to refer you to the dozen or so posts related to this meme.

The problem is that people of faith view those without faith as a danger and feel perfectly free to criticize them, but insist that their faith be respected. My reaction to this is horseshit. You have the right to believe whatever you wish BUT don’t expect me to respect you for believing what I consider to be superstitious nonsense. If you simply practice your faith and allow me to practice my lack of faith, we'll get along just fine, but if you try to force that nonsense on me as the Christian Right tends to want to do by introducing Creationism and Bible Study in the schools, and the posting of the Ten Commandments in public buildings, then I promise you that I will most assuredly criticize and ridicule those beliefs loudly, and often, in defense of my rights.

The bottom line is that your religion ends where my rights begin and I will fight to defend that line. I'm not picking on you Joe, as a matter of fact I sort of like most of what you say, but I think we disagree slightly on this point.

Well, at least people like Phillips and Maher are trying to get the message out and even I’m doing what little I can. I’m just concerned that’s it’s not going to be enough and while the American public is distracted by scandal sheets telling of the latest movie star indiscretions and the latest reality television show, we’ll end up with a Biblical Theocracy, or worse, a global religious based war, or even worse, a religious based civil war.

Amsterdam or Copenhagen? Amsterdam or Copenhagen? So many decisions, so little time. Excuse me while I go check my stockpile of 7.62 mm ammo and oil my AKM.

Then again, given the proliferation of nuclear weapons, perhaps organizing a slow ride to Alpha Centauri would be a good idea.