Religious Liberals Must Take Off Kid Gloves & Fight the Right

Charleston Gazette ^ | 11/5/04 | Susanna Rodell

[Dr. Scarpetta]

I know bunches of people who take their faith very seriously and shudder at the works of George Bush: the WARMONGERING, the DISREPECT FOR THE POOR and the WEAK, the ARROGANCE.

Here’s the problem: RELIGIOUS LIBERALS don’t wear their faith on their sleeves. We don’t evangelize; we consider it disrespectful to shove our spiritual views down other people’s throats.

Faced with a movement that has no such scruples, unfortunately, we’re flummoxed.

We’re always on the back foot, being forced to resort at the last minute in an election cycle to taking out ads in newspapers under the umbrella of People of Faith Against the outrage du jour: wars, the death penalty, assaults on women’s rights, whatever.

Candidates like John Kerry who share our values feel they have to make uncharacteristic public noises about their religious views. It all seems kind of tacky. We’d prefer to wear our faith like a nice little black dress, not like a G-string.

If you think that analogy is over the top, consider a conversation my kid had at school last week. They were discussing the election, and the other child said, “KERRY’S for QUEERS.” She also informed my daughter that “GOD KILLS QUEERS.”

You see the problem? The other side’s ammunition is so inane, we haven’t taken it seriously. But they’re WINNING. These little slogans, appealing to gut instinct, beyond rational discourse, have power. That’s partly what being a liberal is about: live and let live.

But times have changed, and we need to change with them. The RELIGIOUS BIGOTS, who think it’s CHRISTIAN to hate gay people and who are ready to forgive any degree of callousness toward their fellow humans — as long as it’s cloaked in pious clichés — are winning the ideological battle in this country.

The rest of the world is horrified and perplexed. Friends from other countries ask me, “How could you let this happen?” I have to admit that I don’t have a good answer. Or maybe the answer is just too uncomfortable.

We’ve screwed up. We haven’t found a way to counter the religious right, because we’re all too damned tasteful and tolerant to be pushy about our beliefs.

That has to end, friends. We have our work cut out for us. If we’re going to rescue this country from the GAY-BASHERS, the CREATIONIST SCIENCE-HATERS (Good Lord, what more gorgeous divine plan could you find than evolution?), we’re going to have to stop being so nice and restrained.

We’re going to have to start doing some pulpit-thumping ourselves. We’re going to have to put OUR VALUES(you remember the ones: CHARITY, LOVE, that sort of thing) back into the public eye and we’re going to have to be loud about it.

We’re going to have to stop being so WASPY and RESTRAINED. We’re going to have to take on these neo-Pharisees, Bible verse for Bible verse.

We haven’t really lost this fight. The problem is that we haven’t been fighting at all.

Susanna Rodell is editorial page editor of The Charleston Gazette. E-mail: srodell-wvgazette.com

[fhlh]

it is designed to intimidate them. all in hopes to keep them from the polls in 2006 and 2008.

[Enterprise]

This is all so easy my dear. Enlighten us about tolerance to gay marriage and partial birth abortion. Those are Democrat values, not Republican values. Just go right ahead and get in people's faces now, no need to be WASPY and RESTRAINED. Just give it your best shot.

[Cultural Jihad]

That’s partly what being a liberal is about: live and let live.

Tell that to the 45,000,000 people whose lives were terminated by abortionists, or to the 500,000 homosexual men who died from sodomy.

[michaelbfree]

liberal christian = oxymoron. Tell us all about those great liberal churches you attend, episcopalian? presbyterian? or another of those great liberal churches that recognize Palestine over Israel. Has a liberal christian even ever read the Bible? I sincerely doubt it. Their idea of church is a Sunday social club.

[Mr. Lucky]

God kills queers.

Not an innaccurate translation of Romans 6:23 actually.

[pawdoggie]

Gee, if memory serves, Moses wore his religion on his sleeve. As did Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, etc. This notion that you don't have to witness for your religion in order to be a "good __________(fill in the blank)" is a last 1/3 of the 20th Century phenomenon, the exception not the rule. The truly ironic part is that the people dispensing this bilge are the same folks who think that cross-dressers and other "alternative lifestyle" (former deviant) folks ought to have the absolute right to wear their fetish on their sleeve.

[Enterprise]

Pretty much sums it up. The problem is that for the last four years, liberals have been WASPY and RESTRAINED.

[wideawake]

Not everyone has the gift of evangelizing crowds. Some do it just one person at a time and some do it by their actions instead of their words.

[SwankyC]

because we’re all too damned tasteful and tolerant to be pushy about our beliefs.

I cant believe this came out of a liberals mouth. Im in shock and disbelief

[Graybeard58]

As soon as GWB won re-election religious groups have been deamonized by the left for their support. I don't understand it.

It's who they are and it's what they do. Mockery of Judaism and Christianity is what defines them.

They don't mock Buddaism and Mohammidism - They respect those.

[Publius6961]

WTF is "disrespect for the poor and the weak"?

I haven't read Marx recently but surely, this group of words have meaning in some alternate universe.

Who or what respects idleness, self-indulgence and failure?

Help me out here...

[Dr. Scarpetta]

There are spots on the Judiciary Committee to be assigned. Tell Sen. Frist and Sen Kyl we need Conservative members on the Judiciary and NO Arlen Specter!

I'm understanding there will be a secret vote to elect the chairman. Is that so?

[No_More_Harkin]

Yah, thats why you lost, Susanna Rodent, cuz you haven't taken us seriously... hahahhahahahahahhahahahh - that is LAUGHABLE! Perhaps the reason the left lost is they are simply WRONG! And taking a conversation from kids at school and using that as prime evidence to back your argument is a tool of a pathetic HACK!

[Pitiricus]

As a Jew, I rather enjoy it... Because anybody who tries to sell me snake oil has better behave!

[aspiring.hillbilly]

Dont exist???,,,the Catholic Church is full of them,,,half of them voted for the partial birth abortionist skerry...bohock abomination got AN ASTOUNDING 70% in heavily Catholic Illinois.

And the clergy is lousy with liberals who put their filthy liberalism over their morals..

[Dr. Scarpetta]

I haven't read Marx recently but surely, this group of words have meaning in some alternate universe.

I'v decided it's not possible to talk reasonably to a liberal. Their idea of morals is to have abortion and eliminate the death penalty.

[alloysteel]

A totally oxymjoronic variety of beast. No person can be a devout Christian and a practicing liberal at the same time.

The definitions of schizophrenia may be stretched only so far.

[Semi Civil Servant]

Here’s the problem: RELIGIOUS LIBERALS don’t wear their faith on their sleeves.

Here’s the problem: RELIGIOUS LIBERALS have rejected the real faith for whatever set of liberal lies that are currently in fashion.

 

All that is not eternal is eternally out of date. C.S. Lewis

[Always Right]

I'm understanding there will be a secret vote to elect the chairman. Is that so?

When the GOP member of the Committee meet on Nov. 17th, the vote for Chairman is an open vote so everyone in the committee will know where everyone stands. When the entire members of the GOP Senate meet to confirm the vote on all the committee chairman selections, that vote is closed or secret.

[Jeff Blogworthy]

Religious liberals? What's the definition of THAT species?

Here is my blog on that...

Repent and believe for the Day of Judgment is at hand!

No, these are not the ravings of "right wing religious nuts" but of "left wing religious nuts." This is the message of the movie, "The Day After Tomorrow." I am somewhat behind the times, but I just had the chance to see this in full home theater surround sound. It was fun to watch, on a technical level, for its use of astounding special effects.

The above message is a common one in two gospels. One is a false gospel, the other true; I leave it to the reader to decide which is which:

Earth is headed inexorably towards the mighty apocalypse. It is a terrible Armageddon of humankind’s own making and only humankind can stop it. Man must change his ways or he is all but doomed. In this case, changing one’s ways refers to converting to leftist ideology – only therein does man’s salvation lie. Those who refuse to bow the knee to neo-communist environmental fascism are doomed to a horrible end.

Can’t you see? Can’t you see? Capitalist society must be destroyed before it is too late. Turn from your wicked ways brothers and sisters. Stop driving cars, stop polluting the earth with your capitalist filth, stop voting Republican!

If you do not change your ways, you are going to face a hell of your own making. What is that you say? You do not see the light? Very well then, you leave us no choice. We know what is best for you even if you are too stupid to realize it yourself. We will pass laws! Laws I say! You will be forced stop your self-destructive behavior for your own good.

Even so, man’s dire end may not be averted. Not to worry though, for once most of mankind and his filth is eliminated, we will have a new heaven and a new earth. Mankind can start fresh. Never again will he embrace evil capitalism. Repent, for the new Utopian society is at hand.

I recently heard from a gentleman who said he would vote for George Bush if only he did not feel so threatened by the "religious right" within the Republican Party. Oh, brother! What about the religious left? If you want to talk about "imposing morality" leftists have cornered the market.

Small children are treated like criminals for praying at mealtime; crosses are being torn down wherever they are found; religious expression is being stifled; traditional moral views will be silenced by hook or crook. Society is turning into a sea of hostility against Christian religion - exactly the opposite of what the founding fathers intended. Meanwhile a false morality is being erected in its place and no dissent will be tolerated. The left believes this gospel and works for the fulfillment of it as diligently as any so-called right wing fanatic you have ever met. Wake up America!

Update: Speaking of left wing religious nuts...

"The Evil Empire is hard at work, moving faster than at any time since the Second World War. It has mobilized the largest naval armada since that global conflict. It has already deployed thousands of U.S. soldiers on the sands of Saudi Arabia and along the coast of Kuwait..." From Workers World

Let the workers (or is that "wage slaves?")unite.