A few days ago, Pat Robertson made the statement that all non-Christian religions worship demonic powers. It reminded me that, in spite of the fact that Becky Fischer’s “Kids on Fire” summer camp has closed its doors, and that hypocritical meth-addicted fuck-junkie Ted Haggard has relinquished control of the American Evangelical Society, there’s still one hell of a lot of work to be done here in the U.S. before we’re out of the woods.
We criticize moderate Muslims around the world for not stepping up and condemning fanaticism within their ranks, but what do we do here in our own country? Have we been any more effective at combating fanaticism here? Sure, our problems aren’t as serious – as our suicide bombers presently only target abortion clinics – but isn’t what we’re dealing with here pretty much the same thing? We sit back and we allow people to twist the teachings of Jesus unchallenged. We allow them to make the Bible into a book about low taxation, preemptive warfare and the indecency of homosexuality, when it had much more to say about forgiveness and the way we treat the poor among us. Yes, it bothers me that moderate Muslims don’t do more to challenge the trend toward extremism in their cultures, but it also sickens me that moderate Christian leaders here sit back and allow Pat Robertson to pray for the deaths of so-called “liberal” Supreme Court judges, and suggest that people not of his faith worship “demonic powers.” Yes, it was nice that the small-minded, self-absorbed and fearful among us lost so resoundingly in the last elections, but we’ve still got a hell of a lot of work to do.
Speaking of Becky Fischer’s camp, the documentary about it, “Jesus Camp,” is playing through this Wednesday at the Michigan Theater. If you aren’t going to see it, at least check out a few of the clips on YouTube. It’s amazing what’s going on right here in America and to what extent it mirrors the very things our young men and women are risking their lives to fight against oversees.
[The image above supposedly shows Pat Robertson leg pressing 2,000 pounds, something he says that he can do at 76 years old thanks to his specially formulated, God-endorsed snake oil.]
7 Comments
I have just past the half-way point in my reading of the Qu’ran cover-to-cover. Aside from learning all of the arabic names for familiar biblical characters, I am overwhelmed by the re-affirmation of the punishing god-aspect of jehovah … nasty … violent … very early old testament kind’a stuff. But there’s more … so, I’ll stop for now.
(I’d hide from god under a veil, too, at this poin, too. We’ll see.)
Perhaps … we are dealing with human nature at its worst. Adam and Eve didn’t get along. Lilith was a problem. Cain slew Abel. Noah could hardly put two and two together … but he DID know what a cubit was/is. Abraham had a hard time with his two kids … and they nevr forgave him. Moses had a very hard time corraling the mob in the desert. Lot turned his back on the city. And in the NT, wooly John the Baptist appears to carry on the wildman opposition.
I’d trade all of those stories and all of the apocropha for a 3×5 card with the short list of the sayings of Jesus, and leave it at that.
I think Mohammed (bless his name) had a very hard time corraling the desert people of his time and came down much too hard in my humble opinion. Wherever you are in the world … believe what you will … but keep your public institutions secular … and outta my face.
I wonder how easy it would be to put that image into Photshop, strip away all the weights, rotate Pat about 250 degrees, and afix a large nude man to his backside.
“We criticize moderate Muslims around the world for not stepping up and condemning fanaticism within their ranks, but what do we do here in our own country?”
I don’t see 700 Club viewers strapping bombs to themselves and walking into cafes, buss stops, busses, and wiping out innocent people. Ironically the Musilim extremists are killing their own people much of the time. You can lie to yourself and think we are safe here in the good old U.S.A. But once the troops come home, the terrorist will be coming back to the good old U.S.A. again…I’m just glad I don’t live downtown anymore. Mark our words, the liberal dems will help extremist Muslims bring America to their bloody knees again. Pelosi and her gang think we’re all going to melt because of global warming- I’ve got news for you, Islam will help burn down the house much faster then the sun…
Don’t know about Photoshop. This man needs some real loving to clear his blocked synapses.
Hey Spider Baby, I have some questions for you? Will you be a good sport and come back and answer them for me? If it helps for me to say it, I think you make a good point in your first sentence.
No one wants to debate you for free now that we know you’ve got money to spend. Where’s the $1,000 wager?
The first question I wanted to ask Spider Baby was whether she would lend me 1,000 bucks.