Chávez puts religion into his revolution

Sapphire Blue

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Wed Dec-06-06 06:19 PM
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Chávez puts religion into his revolution

Chávez puts religion into his revolution
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who once said he wasn't 'Christian or Catholic,' now calls `the Kingdom of Christ . . . the kingdom of socialism.'
By STEVEN DUDLEY

CARACAS - It was during a driving rain on Sunday night when newly reelected Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez took to the presidential palace balcony in central Caracas and mentioned his latest guiding figure: Jesus Christ.

''The Kingdom of Christ is the kingdom of love, of peace; the kingdom of justice, of solidarity, brotherhood, the kingdom of socialism,'' he told the raucous crowd celebrating below. ``This is the kingdom of the future of Venezuela.''

Hardly words of a hard-core leftist, Chávez's pronouncements were part of the increasingly religious flavor that he has given his ''21st Century Socialism.'' These days, the president evokes Christ almost as much as he talks about his other hero, Simón Bolívar, who led a long stretch of the Andes to independence from Spain in the 19th Century.

(snip)

He still refers to President Bush as the ''devil'' and on Tuesday, after the top U.S. diplomat here expressed a willingness to seek better relations with Chávez, the president said he does not believe the U.S. government is sincere.

''I'm ready to talk,'' Chávez said. ``But if you're going to talk to the devil, you have to have strong morals because the devil has many ways to tempt you.''

Continued @ http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/16173122.htm

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noahmijo

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Wed Dec-06-06 06:27 PM
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1. I object to his calling Bush 'The Devil'

I am not a Christian, but if the myth of Satan or Lucifer or "The Devil" were true I always envisioned that the Devil would take the form of a charming temptress-he or she would know just what to say to you just what buttons to push just the right promises to lay in front of you-basically this figure would be the most intelligent, convincing and likeable person you have ever met.

Baby Bush embraces none of these qualities. He's a used car salesman in some sawdust town in Texas. Nothing. More.

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Sapphire Blue

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Wed Dec-06-06 06:30 PM
Response to Reply #1

4. Chavez didn't call bush "The Devil"

He called bush "El Diablo."

:evilgrin:

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Lydia Leftcoast

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Wed Dec-06-06 06:31 PM
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5. Karen Armstrong says that when the Iranian mullahs call

America "the Great Satan," they are alluding to the Iranian tradition that Satan is evil but stupid and ultimately ineffectual.

I don't know if her assertion is correct, but it's an interesting thought.

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Matariki

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Wed Dec-06-06 07:02 PM
Response to Reply #5

8. that's what i say -

from an 'esoteric christianity' point of view, i think the 'anti-christ' would be the culmination of the worst of humanity - a sort of hybrid of thoughtless bully and village idiot. not a romantic and suave character at all. Nothing at all like Faust or the Devil in Master and Margarita.

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rucky

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Wed Dec-06-06 07:03 PM
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9. So does Satan. n/t

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Union Thug

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Wed Dec-06-06 06:28 PM
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2. I think his analysis is spot on. And, although an atheist, the time of Liberation Theology

Edited on Wed Dec-06-06 06:29 PM by Union Thug

was one moment in the history of the church that I had respect for it. So if Chavez is going to invoke a similar connection to religious thought, at least he's being consistent with Christ's teaching (unlike the fascist christians that make up the ranks of US fundamentalism).

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xchrom

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Wed Dec-06-06 06:51 PM
Response to Reply #2

6. the liberation theology priests and nuns

are still there doing as they have always done.

the previous pope simply put a stop to calling it that -- and replaced some older bishps.

the u.s. had some very well known importaant bishops assasinated in el salvador as well as liberation theology priests and nuns in el salvador and nicaragua.

but there are thousands all over south america.

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Union Thug

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Wed Dec-06-06 06:57 PM
Response to Reply #6

7. That is interesting. I tuned into our local Catholic radio station

about a year ago and the hosts were bashing liberation theology as if it were some horrible moment in church history.

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xchrom

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Wed Dec-06-06 07:23 PM
Response to Reply #7

10. there is conflict.

but many of the jesuits who taught liberation theology have students who are teaching it now.

and those priests and nuns who were/are working that ideal never went away.

they simply stopped ''advertising''.
but they keep preaching and practising the ideals as always.

contrary to what we see in the media -- the catholic church is liberally littered with very, very liberal/progressive individuals.

their voices are muted for now.

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zeemike

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Wed Dec-06-06 06:29 PM
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3. I think it is going to be interesting watching Chavez n/t

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Hidden Stillness

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Wed Dec-06-06 07:56 PM
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11. No Matter What the Article Claims, This is Not New

Not a very intelligently, or honestly, written story: "Hugo Chavez, who once said he wasn't 'Christian or Catholic'..."--when? From an October 20, 2005, BBC interview/story called "Hugo Chavez: Charming Provocateur," near the end, "I am a socialist, he says, and I follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, who was the first socialist, just as Judas was the first capitalist." I am also offended by the line from this Miami Herald story, after the religious references, of peace, justice, and the rest, "Hardly words of a hard-core leftist." Why? Nothing but ignorant stereotypes.

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