Frederick Clarkson On Dominionism and Democracy
Frederick Clarkson talks about the success of last weekend's conference on Examining the Agenda of the Religious Far Right.
CUNY Conference - Clarkson is 2nd from the left
photo by Jude Nagurney Camwell
He also talks about his new Talk2Action blog.
Mr. Clarkson also mentions the free pass Pat Robertson always seems to get. (Remember when he wanted to blow up Foggy Bottom?) This past Sunday, on ABC's This Week With George Stephanopolis, Pat Robertson, founder of The Christian Coalition, claimed that the threat posed by the federal judiciary is "probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings." Robertson gets a roll of the eyes from us, but if Rev. Al Sharpton said something like that, Sean Hannity would be talking about it for three solid hyperbolic weeks.
Corrente lists Clarkson's, and some others' recent comments on "Christian Supremacist Watch".
Barbara has some current articles worth reading on this topic at her site.
The lovely Dawn Xiana Moon reminds us of James 1:27:
"Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us."Someone asks her a question about this passage and offers a declaratory statement at the end:
"If caring for the orphans and widows, etc. is the Christian responsibility and not the governmental responsibility (as I believe) then how is that supposed to work in a land offering welfare, Medicaid, and all manner of gov't assistance? I believe we're all called to go farther than we have already gone."The person is missing the point. If we were to remove ourselves from politics and refuse to participate as citizens in our election process, we would be knowingly failing those for whom we are asked to be especially caring and responsible.
Individual people of faith who are charged, by their faith,to care about the widows, orphans, and those in poverty must be responsible for solemnly determining which politicians we select who would best carry that duty forward with what we believe is the most virtuous and effective public policy. The world can corrupt you by misleading you and allowing you to take your eye off the goal of James' Biblical prescription. If you were to closely examine how the elderly and those in poverty are suffering more because of the policies of the Bush administration, James just might remind you that you've allowed a false and misleading message to corrupt your honest aim to keep the promise necessary to hold pure faith and charity toward those in your communities who are in real need. Food banks are helpful, but look around you and understand that public policy can create better opportunity for the
poor than tithing could ever do. James isn't asking you, in that Bible passage, to abandon, hate or distrust your American government. He's asking you not to lose your soul and to stay awake in your faith. His words find you where you are - in the society into which you were born. You are Americans! Be responsible ones. Be patriotic and Christian at the same time. Thanks to our Founding Fathers, you are allowed to be both and there is little conscientious reconciliation required.