Posted on 01/03/2005 2:56:16 PM PST by cougar_mccxxi
I Am A Conservative Christian, And The Religious Right Scares Me
by Chuck Baldwin
For those readers who are unfamiliar with my biography (http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.sketch.html), let me here provide a thumbnail sketch of my conservative bona fides:
I attended, graduated, or received degrees from fundamentalist Christian schools such as Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, Michigan, Thomas Road Bible Institute (now known as Liberty Bible Institute at Liberty University) in Lynchburg, Virginia, Christian Bible College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida.
I am currently in my thirtieth year as the Senior Pastor of the Crossroad Baptist Church (Independent) in Pensacola, Florida. I was the Executive Director of the Florida Moral Majority in the early 1980's. I was an active member of the local Christian Coalition.
I have marched and protested against abortion clinics. I have led several pro-life rallies and even led our church to construct A Memorial To Aborted Babies (http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/abortion_crosses.html). I have conducted small and large (some drawing crowds numbering in the thousands) pro-life, pro-family rallies and meetings in the Pensacola area and in many towns and cities across the state of Florida.
When Ronald Reagan was running for President, I helped Dr. Jerry Falwell register more than fifty thousand new conservative voters in my state. I have attended White House functions with former President Reagan and former Vice President George H.W. Bush.
I supported and defended Chief Justice Roy Moore and his fight to display a Ten Commandments monument at a pro-Ten Commandments rally in Montgomery, Alabama and even on national television.
I am an annual member of the National Rifle Association and a life member of Gun Owners of America. I have been the featured speaker at several pro-Second Amendment rallies.
No one can honestly question my commitment to pro-life, pro- family, conservative causes. That being said, the Religious Right, as it now exists, scares me.
For one reason, on the whole, the Religious Right has obviously and patently become little more than a propaganda machine for the Republican Party in general and for President G.W. Bush in particular. This is in spite of the fact that both Bush and the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., have routinely ignored and even trampled the very principles which the Religious Right claims to represent.
Therefore, no longer does the Religious Right represent conservative, Christian values. Instead, they represent their own self-serving interests at the expense of those values.
It also appears painfully obvious to me that in order to sit at the king's table, the Religious Right is willing to compromise any principle, no matter how sacred. As such, it has become a hollow movement. Sadly, the Religious Right is now a movement without a cause, except the cause of advancing the Republican Party.
Beyond that, the Religious Right is actively assisting those who would destroy our freedoms. On the whole, the Religious Right comports with those within the Bush administration and within the Republican Party who, in the name of "fighting terrorism," are actually terrorizing constitutional protections of our liberties.
The Religious Right offered virtually no resistance to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the passage of the Patriot Act, or the recently created position of National Intelligence Director. Neither did the Religious Right offer even a whimper of protest as President Bush and Republicans in Congress created a first-ever national ID card in the new intelligence bill, which eerily has more in common with early Twentieth Century German and Russian intelligence institutions than anything envisioned by America's Founding Fathers.
Another disconcerting feature of today's Religious Right is its attempt to Christianize political entities which it supports and to demonize political entities which it opposes. This trend is especially scary.
When people are told that they are voting "Christian" by voting for Republican Party candidates, it is being intimated that they are voting non-Christian by voting for any other candidate. This is not only silly on its face, it is downright dangerous!
I don't remember anyone saying people voted "Christian" when they elected the outspoken Christian candidate, Jimmy Carter, President. Yet, Carter, in his personal life, demonstrated as much, if not more, Christianity than does George W. Bush. If you recall, Carter even taught Sunday School in a Southern Baptist Church while President.
However, in spite of the fact that President Bush and the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., have repeatedly supported copious unchristian (not to mention unconstitutional) programs and policies, Christians act as if Bush and his fellow Republicans have ushered in the Millennial Kingdom.
More than that, the Religious Right appears to believe that G.W. Bush is the anointed vicar of Christ. But instead of wearing the garb of a religious leader, he wears the shroud of a politico and a military commander-in-chief.
As such, in the minds of the Religious Right, Bush's war in Iraq is a holy crusade. America is fast taking on the shape of the old Holy Roman Empire and President Bush is quickly morphing into a modern day Caesar.
The willingness of the Religious Right to give President Bush king-like subservience is easily seen in the way they demonize anyone who dares to oppose him. This is very unnerving.
Are we heading for a modern day religious inquisition, this one led not by the Catholic Church but by the Religious Right? Are we witnessing the type of marriage between Church and State that America's founders originally feared?
I used to believe that liberals were paranoid for being fearful of conservative Christians gaining political power. Now, I share their trepidation.
Of course, the sad truth is, neither George W. Bush nor the Republican Party in Washington, D.C. represents genuine Christian or even conservative principles. If they did, they would take their oaths to the Constitution seriously and then neither liberals nor conservatives would have anything to fear, for the U.S. Constitution protects the rights and freedoms of all men.
Unfortunately, when the seed of Bush's unconstitutional policies come to fruition, it will produce large scale fallout economically, socially, and politically. And sadder still will be that, instead of blaming Bush's infidelity to constitutional government and conservative principles, people will blame Christianity and conservatism itself. The result of this miscalculation will doubtless be a massive tide of support for more and greater unconstitutional government, but only under a different name.
Chuck Baldwin
For once I agree with Chuck Baldwin.
For an alleged Christian, there sure are a lot of "I's" in his schpeel. And he certainly doesn't seem to follow the Apostle Paul's admonishment: "but the righteous man shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17) Chuckie seems to use the M.O. of the lefty liberals: encourage slander against and fear of those who are Christians.
And this "Religious Right" to which he refers, he names no names...just lumps them all together and condemns them. The Apostle Paul, when he had a problem with a specific church, wrote letters directly to that church, to exhort, admonish, instruct, and encourage (see Corinthians, Ephesians, Colosians, Galatians, etc.). This is lacking in Chuck's missive.
I'd really like to know to which religious group of "rights" this Chuck is referring? Are they, perhaps, 10% of those who are regular church-goers who might be "extremists"? (Of course, this perjorative term, as he uses it, is subjective. For example, if the centermost place of being of our nation continues to move left of center, and the "right" refuses to move left, it, by default, becomes an extreme right, having "moved" further away from center--is this the "Religious Rights" to whom Chuck refers?). I can find no fault with the "Religious Rights" for not having MOVED LEFT. They are "standing firm," as admonished by the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 6:11; "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.").
To be taken seriously, one must cite with specificity and clarity, examples of those issues that allegedly are selfish propagation of self-centered desires and whims.
Until then, I refuse to take this alleged conservative Christian, Chuck, seriously.
Baldwin seems to be confused to the point of being incoherent. He asserts that Bush has a "shroud" of a "politico" and a "military commander in chief." The
last I heard the President of the U.S. IS a political
figure and, constitutionally, a commander-in-chief. He
further complains that the "religious right" didn't oppose
the Patriot Act or Homeland Security. Good Heavens! Since
when are such things inimical to conservatism? And he
says they are a "propaganda machine" for Republicans and
Bush. Why shouldn't they be if they believe certain Republicans best reflect their values? Are blacks a "political machine" for Democrats? This is simply the
way American politics works. Certain demographic groups
commonly form "blocs" to support candidates that they
believe best represent their interests. Frankly, Baldwin
doesn't make a case for ANYTHING.
I just joined this forum because it seems to me that this world, as it always has been, is continuing its trajectory to separate people, so that we will either have to yell at, hit or kill each other.
I agree that we should define our terms before using them with out any regard for the people that the term may represent.
But isn't the author of this post really asking about what kind of fascism is manifesting in our country today? I grew up in Houston, TX, but my parents were born in India. I've studied many religions, and I still cannot understand the anger and fascism among all people who call themselves religious or spiritual. In India the Hindus and Muslims fight amongst each others. Here, even though the light of God is in everyone, some people cannot get married because of there gender or sexuality. They may even be killed. What does the Bible have to say about people that are born with ambiguous genitalia? Where is room for transsexuals in the Adam and Eve story? In India the Muslism are minorities and are treated in a similar way as African Americans are in the US. Institutionalized racism does exist and it has profund effects on the type of people it allows to be produced. In India there is a great lack of education among Muslims, and therefore they do not have the same practices as more "civilized" middle-class Hindus. This is the same way even middle-class black people look at poorer black people in America. How does that kind of feeling get produced? That feeling is institutionalized racism. You should all read American Pastoral by Phillip Roth. He makes an interesting point about how some blacks stopped working as hard in the factories during the civil rights movement. Why did this happen? There are resistances against perceived oppression. People are not sheep all the time, but we must be very weary of when we act like a sheep, especially if the sheperd is leading us toward our own oblivion.
Do we, as citizens of the United States, want to create a world where people are treated equally and their beliefs and practices are treated with respect? The problem obviously comes when one groups beliefs and practices infringe on another group or individual. What do we do when that happens? How do we handle the situation? I have been reading the different responses and posts on this site and I do not see anyone really trying to think that problem through.
If you want a world with more anger, violence and infrigement of our ideals of freedom, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, I firmly believe you/we are headed in the right direction. Do you want suicide bombings at the McDonalds down the street? Do you think what is happening in Isreal and started in Sri Lanka can't happen here? How do we change this sad trajectory towards increasing violence in our world? Does anybody have the real guts to say that they want to work towards peace and equality without acting like children who cannot understand the meaning of difference? Yes, we are all different and that means working together without killing or demoralizing people is hard work. Making a bomb and dropping it on someone is the easy answer. If we kill them all then we don't have to worry about it. But the really sad thing is that THIS IS NOT THE COLD WAR! THIS IS A NEW CULTURAL WAR that is being created by people like you. But unlike the cold war where so-called Communism fell, I don't see radical Islam falling. This is a war with just losers. It might be your mom, dad, brother, sister, cousin, best friend, son, daughter, wife, husband, anybody. This is the new war that we are creating together by participating in the nonsense of killing each other and putting each other down. I hope you think about what I'm talking about before you lose someone you love.
The CP looks real nice on paper, but put them in a room together and they look like patients.
They opposed Operation Iraqi Freedom, and how people can't see the wisdom in taking the fight to the terrorists is beyond me. Besides, a victory in Iraq - and it is a victory - allows us to have another Axis of Evil nation flanked on both sides.
The whining and moaning coming from the likes of the CP makes me wonder if half the nation (or a little less) doesn't know the first thing about military history.
I understand why a lot of conservatives are driven away from Bush and the Dept. of Homeland Security - the man spends too much money and another bureaucracy isn't likely to make us any safer and only make government bigger. But I can't side with a party that doesn't understand why Iraq was the perfect next step in the war on terror.
So since we're having a conversation, what do you think of Iraqi Freedom?
I don't believe that atheism and Judeo-Christian morality are mutually exclusive...just the authority for that morality is.
Without getting into a discussion on the meaning of "conservatism."
Simple question: in your mind and way of thinking, are all religions equally valid?
What starts happening with these new, promising parties is that they become contrarians for just the sake of being contrary. Then they become incoherent and/or contradictory. Opposing parties are important, but when some are too similar, they just end up hurting each other. I just might leave the Republicans one day -- if they become too liberal -- but so far the Constitution party is not my ideological match either. The "religious right" is, in general, my ideological match. I'm sticking with them.
Chuck's just mad that the vast majority of Christians haven't followed him over the political and intellectual cliff.
This guy is no conservative Republican. He's just another Bush basher who doesn't have the guts to admit what he really is.
Excellent post!!
You hear a lot about WWII, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, etc. Rightfully so. However, you hear nothing about the 100 million people killed by Stalin and Mao.
It is conveniently buried by the left and the likes of John Lennon.
We were right to defend ourselves from the Communists. Including our worries about Vietnam.
Otherwise, 100 million would have been 500 million or more.
You'll never hear this in the MSM.
Oh Cripes, that is the funniest thing I have heard all day and the first time I have smiled and laughed! ROFLMAO!!!!
Thanks, I needed that!
FWIW, they really DO scare the heck out of me!
A sore subject with the Rev. Duck.
When Bush Loses In November, He Will Have No One To Blame But Himself
puke
No Sashah, this war is not being created by us but rather a culture that chooses to exterminate by any means possible everything we as a free society stands for.
If you want proof then look at the extreme diversity of our population, the different religions and the different ideologies all living together in this country and not one being threatened by another. That is what WE are all about!
The NEW CULTURAL WAR started long before 9/11 but on 9/11 THE UNITED STATES FINALLY TOOK IT PERSONAL and we are now on a mission to eradicate the virus that is attempting to destroy democracy in the free world!
Just consider the United States as the NORTON ANTI-VIRUS FOR DEMOCRACY...........
Dear Sashah:
I have been thinking alot about your keen intellectual insight into the failings of our global interactions. Since I have been unable to come up with any alternatives to what our country is now doing, I humbly ask you what is your profound answer to the global terrorism that has been going on for the past 30+ years?
Specifically, what would you do to counteract all the acts of aggression by the muslim extremists that have occured globally for the past several decades?
I think you pretty much outed this author by showing his own words.
Frightened people frighten me.
You never know what they will do.
"Terrorism" only works on those who can be frightened.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.