Robert Reich's War on Evangelicals

FrontPageMagazine.com ^ | December 8, 2003 | Don Feder

[aardvark1]

Reich argues that America’s only hope to defeat the coming theocracy is a Democratic Party willing to stand up to the zealots.

For several years Republicans have pointed to the Demonrats as an essentially godless group, perhaps with good reason.

[Sam Cree]

Well, it should be clear to most everyone that our code of ethics as well as our legal code are based on Judaeo Christaina ethics. Thou shalt not commit murder is a good example. I doubt Robert Reich really wants us to abandon this code, not even for "seperation of church and state."

OTOH, I share his distrust of many of the evangelicals. More that a few have been charlatans, and those who are not, such as Jerry Falwell, definitely make me uneasy.

[Sam Cree]

Christaina = Christian
Sorry

[Doctor Stochastic]

And Mr Reich will have the Patriot Act to use, next time the Democrats are in power.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Reich is short-sighted!

He is suffering from a lifetime affliction of pipsqueakitis.

[randita]

If, as Reich asserts, the government should not enact legislation on the basis of moral grounds, then all social programs should be abolished. Isn't it on the basis of morality that government forcibly takes one person's hard earned money and transfers it over to someone else?

[randita]

If, as Reich asserts, the government should not enact legislation on the basis of moral grounds, then all social programs should be abolished. Isn't it on the basis of morality that government forcibly takes one person's hard earned money and transfers it over to someone else?

[MissAmericanPie]

Which begs the question, why do Catholics and Jews vote for these devils?

All criminal law is the legislation of morality, or is it not wrong to kill, steal, rob? There was a thread about a German sadist who placed an ad in the paper asking for a volunteer to be slaughtered. Another sicko responded, the rest is to gruesome to relate.

The Demonrats would ask who are we to judge what two consenting adults choose to do in the privacy of their torture chamber? We are the ethical society who has the right to legislate laws that guarantee a healthy, law abiding society, that's who we are.

Making things just hot enough to make these pathological socialists scurry back into their closet's, as in the days of Joe McCarthy, is just not enough. We need a Constitutional amendment prohibiting the promotion of socialism and it's attendent theft of the tax payers wealth for their projects, and it's attendent moral decay, and national destruction of our sovereignty.

And this amendment needs iron teeth in it, the punishment harsh enough to fit the crime and the judiciary not being exempt from prosecution.

[cynicom]

Ah yes. And it will be used. We have Ashcroft to thank for this.

[Hidgy]

from the little man?

[scouse]

Reich argues that America’s only hope to defeat the coming theocracy is a Democratic Party willing to stand up to the zealots.

Reich has never been the same since he was kicked out of the Lollipop League

[Sam Cree]

"We need a Constitutional amendment prohibiting the promotion of socialism"

Far as I can see, socialism is unconstitutional from the start. Nowhere does the Constitution give authoriy to the Federal Government to meddle in every aspect of everyone's life and property in their misguided attempts at social engineering. Such things are left to the states, I believe, which have their own constitutions, most of which, no doubt, also do not authorize such.

[Jim Cane]

If, as Reich asserts, the government should not enact legislation on the basis of moral grounds, then all social programs should be abolished. Isn't it on the basis of morality that government forcibly takes one person's hard earned money and transfers it over to someone else?

Morality was at the heart of of the war on poverty. In practice? No. But in it's intentions? Well, no on that, too. But somewhere in there - the marketing of the WOP, perhaps, yes. Moral outrage at having to see poor people.

[Sam Cree]

"Armed with God's revealed, inerrant Word in a handy 66-volume tome, Evangelical Protestant Christians are a powerful agent for good"

Some would argue that even given that the Word may be inerrant, man's interpretation and understanding of it is not. Some would argue that codifying the whole thing would amount to Congress making a law "respecting an establishment of religion."

[metesky]

“Democrats should call all this for what it is – a clear and present danger to religious liberty in America,” Reich writes. “For more than 300 years, the liberal tradition has sought to free people from the tyranny of religious doctrines that would otherwise be imposed on them. Today’s evangelical right detests that tradition and seeks nothing short of a state-sponsored religion. But maintaining the separation of church and state is a necessary precondition of liberty.”

Liberal midget trying to rewqrite history.

Until around 1830, well after the Constitution was written, both Massachusetts and Virginia required that tax money be used to support Christian churches, Baptists in Virgina and Congregationalists in Massachusetts.

[nightdriver]

"For several years Republicans have pointed to the Demonrats as an essentially godless group, perhaps with good reason."

True observation.

Godlessness is a primary tenet of liberalism. There wouldn't be any liberals if they were totally aware of just who God is and that He's always looking over their shoulder.

[300winmag]

It’s a war on all who adhere to Biblical morality regardless of where they pray, a war to radically remake America – to turn it into a nation hostile to traditional religion and a Judeo-Christian worldview – and a war to establish liberalism as our official, state-sponsored creed.

It all boils down to forcing everyone to worship the state. And that state is expected to be ruled forever by their tin gods, Bill and Hitlery klinton. The klintons aren't admired by those people, they're worshipped. This hostility towards any form of relgion (except islam, which must not be offended) is indicative of a form of statism that considers itself to be the official state religion that must silence every other form of worship.