Posted on 11/08/2004 6:27:21 AM PST by 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
This article made its way to my local newspaper in PA.
Religious liberals?
What's the definition of THAT species?
Priority 1: Remove Specter from Judiciary (Day 6)
Urgent! Committee Assignments are being made THIS WEEK! 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!
Specter's in line for Chairman, but it can be Challenged! It has happened in the past. Moderate Lugar challenged the Great Jesse Helms for Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. A Challenger will have to come forward with the GOP members of the Judicial Committee meet on November 17th! We need to find a member with the Courage to Challenge.
Religious liberal=hypocrite (IMHO)
"... and, most importantly: WE DON'T REALLY EXIST -- !" :)
"We don’t evangelize; we consider it disrespectful to shove our spiritual views down other people’s throats."
Says he from the Cult of the Bloody Fetus.
While it is true that leftists who pretend to be Christians don't evangelize in the proper sense of the term - i.e. they don't preach the gospel, they certainly do "evangelize" for socialism.
I'll just point out that someone who claims to be Christian and also claims not to evangelize is simply a liar.
"Religious Liberal" = "Jumbo Shrimp"
Religious liberals? Is that an oxymoron?
Liberals have no problem shoving their left-wing agendas down peoples throats: Gay marriage (Has no religious basis), abortion (has no religious basis), over taxation (has no religious basis) etc... How will the religious left be able to evangelize these stances that are absolutely contrary to anyone of faith?
...except for God's obvious plan of Socialism!
Liberalism IS their religion! It trumps real religion... how else to explain Kerry's tortured answers on abortion?
Do hope they start spitting and screaming about charity and love, though...that'll really be convincing!
I do believe that we are exhorted to spread the gospel. Some of us are better at it than others (I am sadly lacking)
Wow! That was really over the top. Liberals too nice? Now that's an interesting assertion. Like Michael Moore's problem, along with all the shrill left, was that he was just too kind in his attack on Bush.
Right.
"We don’t evangelize; we consider it disrespectful to shove our spiritual views down other people’s throats."
...And I don't need your f'n opinion shoved down mine.
How many Newspapers go under during the next 4 years?
atheists, deep down in their hearts.
As soon as GWB won re-election religious groups have been deamonized by the left for their support. I don't understand it.
> Religious liberals?
> What's the definition of THAT species?
Episcopalians....Oh..wait a minute.. you said Religous..
nevermind.
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