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The American Taliban
By Jason Gooljar
We often hear about how oppressive radical Islamic fundamentalists are. The current crop of radical conservatives are always quick to point out that these people are “evildoers” and are not exactly in love with “freedom-loving” America. I've even heard hate-filled speech coming from the right advocating for the conversion of people who practice Islam to Christianity. If these people are allowed to have their way we could be in for a modern day crusades that would sweep through North America, Europe and the Middle East. It seems we never learn from the past and are always doomed to repeat it one way or the other. Radical right wing conservative evangelicals are now being co-opted by the current administration. If Americans are not careful this group of evangelicals will seize unprecedented power within the nation.
As a Christian, American citizen, taxpayer , voter and political activist, I see this group as a threat to our democracy. Like the perversion of Islam that exists and is practiced by fundamentalists, we too have a problem in the United States. The problem lies with the same group of radical Christian conservatives who believe their perversion of Christianity is the only true interpretation of the Bible. This also gives them the reason to believe that their “Christian values” are righteous.
"The clergy, by getting themselves established by law and ingrafted into the machine of government, have been a very formidable engine against the civil and religious rights of man." --Thomas Jefferson to Jeremiah Moor, 1800.
I doubt that it was ever the founding fathers intention to establish a theocratic government. Thomas Jefferson often disliked the idea of the religious having power in the government. Jefferson would often go on to proclaim his views on this matter. One instance would come in the year of 1802 when he would write a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association explaining his belief in the “wall of separation between church and state”. Jefferson believed that elected officials should do nothing that would promote the establishment of religion in government. As a country that should welcome all forms of religion and allow people to practice their religion freely, I would have to agree with Thomas Jefferson. Privately one has the right to freedom of religion, the state has no right to force a certain religion upon the masses. Any practice of an “official religion” would not promote tolerance of all.
However, just like the over zealous religious figures who sought power in Jefferson's time, we are now at the hands of an insurgency once again. Except where is the fair and just executive of Jefferson's stature to protect us? It would seem that this flock of extremists are now aided at all levels of government to take us back to even the very beginnings of our nation and rewrite our laws. We often dread the radical conservatives dismantling the New Deal, but what if they also dismantle the Constitution? As Americans, it is our duty to protect this country and it's future from a world that would resemble medieval times. Let us take a lesson from Jefferson, despite what the fundamentalists might say about the founding fathers and religion.
The Radical Clerics of Our Time
It would seem that the purpose of Christianity through the perversion of it's current crop of ministers is to be a religion that is divisive. The “either you are with us or against us” thinking divides this nation at it's very core. Like the teaching of the radical Islamic sects, this perversion does not promote tolerance in any shape or form.
"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'" -- Radical Cleric Jerry Falwell on the 9/11 attacks.
The statement made here that certain groups were trying to secularize America has many faults. America is not a country that needs state run or sponsored churches of any kind. Many Americans who practice Christianity practice it on their own. Not instituting school prayer or removing a ten commandments monument from in front of a courthouse does nothing to reduce the importance of the religion in society. In other countries throughout Europe who have state funded churches, they now face the decision of having to close the church doors due to lack of attendance. American government has always been secular, it is the privately run religious organizations that best do the job.
It makes you wonder why do people like Falwell advocate for the government to become theocratic, essentially forcing people to do things against their will? My assumption for most of these radicals like Falwell is, it comes down to something as old as religion itself, and that is the love of power. They are using religion to boost their own egos at the expense of their followers.
Jerry Falwell believes he has a divine mandate from God to save America, but from whom is he trying to save it from? Falwell believes in God-ordained minorities saying that blacks, Hispanics and women deserve minority status. This seems more like racism and sexism than the teachings of Christianity to me. Cleric Falwell does not make it an enticing proposition for his form of Christianity to become part of mainstream America let alone an apparatus of our government.
Falwell started the radical religious voting block called the moral majority which was expected to vote the way it's master had instructed them to do. One of this groups first exercises was to fight the equal rights amendment. They opposed nuclear disarmament and wanted creationism taught in all schools. As Falwell continued to lead this group he would continue to make statements like AIDS being God's punishment for homosexuals and a society that tolerated them.
Radical cleric Falwell was also one of the first to attack children's television programming. Bordering on the paranoid he penned articles ousting a character from a popular program the Teletubbies. He thought one of the characters was promoting the gay lifestyle.
He also would go on the attack against President Bill Clinton producing videos that accused Clinton of being a murderer. He would even sell the tapes on his religious programs. Falwell had a deep hatred of Democrats. However there was one thing that him and his kin did have a love for and that was money. Selling these tapes and milking his followers in the name of his perversion of Christianity was some of the ways he kept is empire afloat. In my opinion, Falwell and others like him look more like leaders of cults than churches. I often wonder why political commentary shows and twenty four hour news channels will have them on as a guests.
A False Focus on Family
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then James Dobson takes up Falwell as a brother in arms. Recently holding the distinction of ousting a cartoon character for homosexual promotion himself, Dobson has established himself as the radical religious rights new leader.
His support for the radical clerics endorsement of President George W. Bush took him to new levels as well. Also a trained phycologist, he made it known throughout his religious broadcasts that to not vote for Bush would be a sin. Dobson is fervent on Bush supporting the pro-life and anti-gay agenda of his movement. Dobson frequently uses scripture to support his talking points however, it seems he does not have any theological training.
Dobson is also the continuance of the radical religious rights insistence on legislating their views. In the past he has had many meetings with politicians like Newt Gingrich to talk policy. Dobson has also been vocal in voicing his disappointment with the Democrats that don't seem to echo his views.
In this league of radical religious leaders Dobson presents himself as a calming voice. He does not position himself as outrageous. However, his recent gaffe on attacking the cartoon character Sponge Bob, has now veered him off from that path.
"The Constitution of the United States, for instance, is a marvelous document for self-government by the Christian people. But the minute you turn the document into the hands of non-Christian people and atheistic people they can use it to destroy the very foundation of our society. And that's what's been happening." -- Pat Robertson, The 700 Club, Dec. 30, 1981
The following quote from Pat Robertson shows how the radical religious conservatives will try to distort history. Like the current president's administration who chooses to omit facts to argue their case, so does Robertson choose to ignore Thomas Jefferson. Robertson also decided to run for President at one time.
The love for money also runs through Robertson's veins. He is an extremely wealthy individual building an empire much like his fellow radicals. At one point he even created a pyramid scheme telling people his program was backed by the Bible. This eventually resulted in a failure leaving one woman seven thousand dollars in debt.
Robertson's business deals led him to Zaire. Through the relationship of the President of that country he opened diamond mines. He then proceeded to use Christian Broadcasting Network money to fund his diamond mines, hiring workers at low wages. So, to all the followers of Robertson, that think your money is going to fund Christian ideals, I implore you to think again. The practices of hate and greed that run through all of these radical clerics sheds some light on their true goals. Their true goal is money and power of religion.
Not to be outdone, Pat Robertson also uses hate speech to further his agenda. Like Falwell he too believes that America was attacked on 9/11 for the reasons of secularism and tolerance of homosexuals. Robertson is even at odds with some of the protestant Christian religions like methodists comparing them to the spirit of the anti-Christ.
Fighting Back
There are many more individuals out there in the radical religious community that have been inspired by the likes of the clerics mentioned above. The problem I see is that their perverted interpretation of the Bible and Christianity, makes the entire religion seem like it's at fault. Just like the way the radical Islamic fundamentalists cast a shadow on the true peaceful meaning of Islam.
The first step in combating anything radical is to let the truth be put forward. I would like to see more leaders in the religious community stepping forward to denounce the tactics of the extremists in both religions. In Christianity there are progressive religious leaders who also realize the corruption of Robertson to be wrong. Martin Luther King Jr was a religious leader who saw a future for this country that would no longer divide us, we need more religious leaders like that. I would like to see the members of the Islamic community coming forward to denounce the terrorists who carry out violence in the name of a peaceful religion that becomes perverted through their interpretation as well.
As Americans who love freedom and liberty, we cannot condone hate speech of any kind, even from religious leaders. So when evangelists like Jimmy Swaggart who are themselves not free of wrongdoings say things like "And I'm going to be blunt and plain: If one ever looks at me like that, I'm going to kill him and tell God he died," about gay men to the applause of his followers, we must take notice.
This is not their country, it's our country. It is a country of tolerance and not division. This nation has been through slavery and many wars to come to the point that we have just begun to accept everyone as individuals. The civil rights movement still continues and has made great progress. We cannot give up, because if we do we will allow these radicals to do the same thing the followers of Bin Laden would want, and that is to roll this country back to the stone age.
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