The Passing Of An Error...er, Era
Jerry Falwell's Nasty Contributions to American Political Life
Jerry Falwell began the process of ultra-conservative members of the Christian community--dare I say the ultra-conservative Baptists--involving themselves in the political process. Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, Jim Baker, Charles Colson, Tim and Beverly LaHaye and a few others followed suit, each forming their own version of a televangelist ministry and media arm for reaching out to those who don't want to think for themselves, don't want to be Americans, but do want to be led by theocratic ideologues and demagogues and do want to turn this nation into a pseudo-democracy based on an ultra-conservative--and dare I say absolutely incorrect and errant--version of Christianity.
What Falwell and those other folks want is a version of America where only their understanding of Christianity is allowed, only their sectarian views are valid, and only their version of the pursuit of happiness is reliable, regardless of what the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America, the various state constitutions, or even the Bible states is valid. What tickles my hypocrisy bone is the fact that these folks have a "pick and choose" approach to history, science, law, religion and the Bible. Ignoring the parts of the Scriptures that lead us to the teachings of Christ--love, compassion, empathy, forgiveness, sacrifice, community, acceptance of others, communication (effective communication), tolerance of others, etc.--from both the Old and New Testaments, they choose only the parts that suit their purpose and ideology. Ignoring the true history of our nation, they make a case for "family values" that are artificial and not even ideal, with the father of the family dictating the rules and procedures, even if he hasn't the psychological, sociological, interpersonal, intrapersonal, emotional or vocational aptitudes, attitudes, skills or abilities to be the leader of a family. The woman of the home MUST take a back seat to the husband's will and leadership, even if he has established a pattern of failure, wrong-headedness, stubborn bull-headedness, etc.
All the while these folks have ignored the over three hundred years of alcohol abuse, spousal abuse, child abuse, child labor abuse, incest and family member rape, economic hardship caused by political and workplace exploitation (often supported by their party of choice), etc., that have defined the American family since before the American Revolution. These folks use nostalgia and propaganda to misdirect our attention to the details of our lives. They use a hypnotic form of ministry--complete with music, false happiness and pretense--to convince people that life is wonderful no matter what load of crap is dumped into our lives.
There is a certain level of psychological brainwashing that goes along with being this type of Christian. There is a surrender to "God's will" in the form of the minister, preacher, reverend or iconic figure of the day. This brainwashing reaches into the pocketbooks of millions of people who contribute their hard earned dollars for "Christian projects" that are not really doing much good, but convert many from the deepest regions of third world nations to their version of Christianity. But Christ warned us of many false prophets and provided us a metric by which we can judge the truth of matters: the fruit they bear.
Have Falwell, Robertson, Roberts, Jones, LaHaye, Hinn, Baker, or any of the others done anything that has improved the world? The nation? The state in which they lived? The community in which they lived? Mind you, I am not talking about making the lives of their congregation better. Christ gave us the example of the father not giving his child a serpent when asked for a fish, or a stone when asked for bread. But I am talking about the whole of the community... the whole of the state... the whole of the nation... the whole of the world. Changing the world is the objective of true Christianity. It is not merely competing for the funds of contributors for the operation of the church and its "ministries," but for actually feeding the poor and helping them to learn how to feed themselves... whether they convert to Christianity or not. It is not merely praying for world betterment, but bearing the burden of producing change for the better.
But Falwell, et al, do not practice the Christianity offered by Jesus. They do not even practice the Christianity preached by Paul and spread throughout the Roman Empire. Instead, each of these people have offered an ego-feeding frenzy that made them rich beyond the means of many of their "flocks" and sought power over not just their converts and parishioners, but over the lives of others in terms of decisions involving medicine (i.e. abortion, stem cells), science (creationism and its afterbirth, intelligent design), family life and intimacy (seeking laws against unwed mothers [including punitive welfare policies], gays, divorced people, etc.), and, ultimately, trying to reduce, restrict and erode the authority of the Constitution and the rights therein.
The passing of any human being is a saddening event, regardless of the religious beliefs held (or not held). I honestly feel for Falwell's family and friends. But I am rejoicing that his voice is no longer expressing the hateful, discriminatory, un-Christian and un-American ideology he stood for most of his life. But I have to admit that I am wondering what kind of greeting and reception Jerry got at the gates of heaven... and whether or not Jerry was surprised at the list of his sins, the people that really are in heaven (i.e. gays, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, etc.), or the genuine forgiveness that is offered.
Jerry Falwell began the process of ultra-conservative members of the Christian community--dare I say the ultra-conservative Baptists--involving themselves in the political process. Oral Roberts, Pat Robertson, Jim Baker, Charles Colson, Tim and Beverly LaHaye and a few others followed suit, each forming their own version of a televangelist ministry and media arm for reaching out to those who don't want to think for themselves, don't want to be Americans, but do want to be led by theocratic ideologues and demagogues and do want to turn this nation into a pseudo-democracy based on an ultra-conservative--and dare I say absolutely incorrect and errant--version of Christianity.
What Falwell and those other folks want is a version of America where only their understanding of Christianity is allowed, only their sectarian views are valid, and only their version of the pursuit of happiness is reliable, regardless of what the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States of America, the various state constitutions, or even the Bible states is valid. What tickles my hypocrisy bone is the fact that these folks have a "pick and choose" approach to history, science, law, religion and the Bible. Ignoring the parts of the Scriptures that lead us to the teachings of Christ--love, compassion, empathy, forgiveness, sacrifice, community, acceptance of others, communication (effective communication), tolerance of others, etc.--from both the Old and New Testaments, they choose only the parts that suit their purpose and ideology. Ignoring the true history of our nation, they make a case for "family values" that are artificial and not even ideal, with the father of the family dictating the rules and procedures, even if he hasn't the psychological, sociological, interpersonal, intrapersonal, emotional or vocational aptitudes, attitudes, skills or abilities to be the leader of a family. The woman of the home MUST take a back seat to the husband's will and leadership, even if he has established a pattern of failure, wrong-headedness, stubborn bull-headedness, etc.
All the while these folks have ignored the over three hundred years of alcohol abuse, spousal abuse, child abuse, child labor abuse, incest and family member rape, economic hardship caused by political and workplace exploitation (often supported by their party of choice), etc., that have defined the American family since before the American Revolution. These folks use nostalgia and propaganda to misdirect our attention to the details of our lives. They use a hypnotic form of ministry--complete with music, false happiness and pretense--to convince people that life is wonderful no matter what load of crap is dumped into our lives.
There is a certain level of psychological brainwashing that goes along with being this type of Christian. There is a surrender to "God's will" in the form of the minister, preacher, reverend or iconic figure of the day. This brainwashing reaches into the pocketbooks of millions of people who contribute their hard earned dollars for "Christian projects" that are not really doing much good, but convert many from the deepest regions of third world nations to their version of Christianity. But Christ warned us of many false prophets and provided us a metric by which we can judge the truth of matters: the fruit they bear.
Have Falwell, Robertson, Roberts, Jones, LaHaye, Hinn, Baker, or any of the others done anything that has improved the world? The nation? The state in which they lived? The community in which they lived? Mind you, I am not talking about making the lives of their congregation better. Christ gave us the example of the father not giving his child a serpent when asked for a fish, or a stone when asked for bread. But I am talking about the whole of the community... the whole of the state... the whole of the nation... the whole of the world. Changing the world is the objective of true Christianity. It is not merely competing for the funds of contributors for the operation of the church and its "ministries," but for actually feeding the poor and helping them to learn how to feed themselves... whether they convert to Christianity or not. It is not merely praying for world betterment, but bearing the burden of producing change for the better.
But Falwell, et al, do not practice the Christianity offered by Jesus. They do not even practice the Christianity preached by Paul and spread throughout the Roman Empire. Instead, each of these people have offered an ego-feeding frenzy that made them rich beyond the means of many of their "flocks" and sought power over not just their converts and parishioners, but over the lives of others in terms of decisions involving medicine (i.e. abortion, stem cells), science (creationism and its afterbirth, intelligent design), family life and intimacy (seeking laws against unwed mothers [including punitive welfare policies], gays, divorced people, etc.), and, ultimately, trying to reduce, restrict and erode the authority of the Constitution and the rights therein.
The passing of any human being is a saddening event, regardless of the religious beliefs held (or not held). I honestly feel for Falwell's family and friends. But I am rejoicing that his voice is no longer expressing the hateful, discriminatory, un-Christian and un-American ideology he stood for most of his life. But I have to admit that I am wondering what kind of greeting and reception Jerry got at the gates of heaven... and whether or not Jerry was surprised at the list of his sins, the people that really are in heaven (i.e. gays, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, etc.), or the genuine forgiveness that is offered.
posted by Jim Downey at 7:33 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home