[Mb-civic] A message and a plea to good Christians everywhere

[Ian]

As the token (I think) Christian minister on Civic, all I can say is: Amen!  You are absolutely correct in 99% of what you say, and are particularly correct that: "Christian Fascists are not Christian.  All of you true Christians know this."

This brings up an important addendum, which I will explain by simile.  On NYC's buses and subways, some seats are designated for the disabled.  The sign above those seats that makes this clear adds: "Remember: Not all disabilities are visible."

In similar regard, please remember that "Not all Christians are members of the Christian Right" (much less Christian Fascists).

I cannot stress this enough, because, as I've said ad nauseum here, far too many people (including many Civic members) lump all Christians in a big pot and call them "conservative," "religious right," "fascist," and other words too horrible to mention.  As I've also said ad nauseum, this not only adds nothing to any serious, progressive, helpful discussion or debate on the issue, but also alienates many potential allies.

Most people are probably not aware that the "moderate," "centrist" Christian community in the U.S. far outnumbers the conservative, evangelical community - and this is true of both Protestants and Catholics.  The numbers are something like 2% (conservative) to 16% (centrist).  The only reason this seems hard to believe is that the "Christian Right" has completely dominated the media (and, by extenstion, the "public eye") with respect to the "Christian" viewpoint.

So, if serious, honest, progressive, helpful discussion and debate about the effect of "Christians" on U.S. politics (or in any other regard...) is going to be had, please - please! - remember that "not all Christians are members of the Christian Right," and that, in fact, there are more Christian centrists than there are Christian conservatives.  Because alienating potential allies is not the way to effect change in society.

Peace.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: JCarrozo at aol.com 
  To: Marc_Libman at URMC.Rochester.edu 
  Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2004 1:29 PM
  Subject: [Mb-civic] A message and a plea to good Christians everywhere


  November 1st, 2004
   
  I've found that most Bush supporters don't care. They don't care if the Bush administration has violated international law. They don't care if the administration has made us more of a target for terrorism by pissing off more Arabs. 

  Something else is at work with Bush supporters. I think I've found the key reason that Bush supporters are willing to look the other way to illegal/corrupt activities. They share a common bond with the Bush administration in Jesus.

  We are seeing the rise of the Christian Fascist. This political force might become powerful enough to bring an end the current American government and all the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.
  Don't ge me wrong, I'm not anti-Christian. Christianity is good. Christian Fascism is evil. 

  When Christians turn to hate and violence and oppression of others, that is when Fascism takes over and it becomes evil.

  A few common themes occur in almost every pro-Bush message. They will invoke religion, specifically Christianity/Jesus. They display an 'I don't care' attitude towards human rights, human suffering and Law. And an overwhelming feeling that war is good.

  Increasingly I hear comments such as, "America is a Christian country", or, "Our country was founded as a Christian nation". Every time these are uttered, America becomes weaker. 

  America's strength comes from our diversity and our willingness to respect others who are not of the same race or religion. There are forces working against this willingness. Christian Fascism is one of them. 

  The stronger a country's domestic economy is, the higher the standard of living is. The stronger a country's personal freedoms are, the stronger the country's domestic economy. Contrast the economies of countries that have very restrictive personal freedoms such as North Korea to countries such as ours. China's economy is booming after giving its citizens more personal freedoms.

  As Christian Fascists gain more control, they will systematically remove personal freedoms from Americans. You see this starting to happen already. The freedom of speech issues with FCC censorship. The invasion of privacy issues with the Patriot Act (which has never been used against a terrorist, but has been used against Americans). Medical research restrictions (such as stem-cell research). The detention of US citizens without due process of law. The blurring of church and state. The list goes on and on. I'm sure both sides know the drill here.

  One issue that stands out to me is the Christian Fascist movement to ban flag burning. Burning the flag is a protected right that brave Americans have fought and died for. You can't burn the flag in places such as China, North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc. Why do we want to align ourselves with such oppressive regimes? The fact that we have the freedom to burn the flag makes its symbolism that much greater. Having the freedom to burn the flag is what makes this country better than any other on Earth. Wanting to ban flag burning is indicative of the freedom restrictions that Christian Fascists will put in place if they gain more power. You should be very fearful of people that think taking away freedoms is patriotic. That is a road you don't want to travel down. Don't even want to see it on the map. 

  As more and more personal freedoms are taken away, our economy and way of life will suffer. As Christian Fascists strive to make a white, Christian nation, they will destroy the foundations of this country. Those foundations being based on personal freedoms and not a religious state such as Iran. 

  What frightens me more than the Christian Fascists destruction of personal freedoms is their propensity towards violence in the name of Jesus. This is the most perverse form of Christianity that I've ever seen. 

  Jesus was a lover, not a hater. However, you see many followers of Jesus filled with hate for others. Hate for abortionists. Hate for homosexuals. Hate for terrorists. Hate for 'liberals'. They are filled with hate. Their entertainment is filled with hate and violence. Christian Fascists are not Christian. All of you true Christians know this. I think it can be summed up with 'Who would Jesus bomb?'.

  Their violence and destruction of personal freedoms are fueled by a black-and-white view of the world. They see no gray. You are either on their side, or you're not. You're either one of them, or you're not. Things are either good, or they are evil. This is a recipe for disaster. Take terrorism for instance. The Christian Fascists just know they hate Islamic terrorists and will hunt them down and kill them. That's about as far as they think about it. Me Christian, Terrorist Not: Kill. If you are based in reality, you know that you must think it through a few more levels. 

  You need to ask questions such as 'Why do they want to be terrorists?', 'What forces in their lives make them so desperate to kill others?', etc. To stop terrorism, you need to stop people from wanting to become terrorists. That is the only solution. Blindly killing them just makes more of them.

  When you hear everyone telling you, "This is the most important election of your lifetime.", what they are really saying is that this election is a vote on Christian Fascism. There are seeds here for an American civil war. The Christian Fascists are drawing the line. Know which side you are on. In their black-and-white view, you either are with them or you're not.

  The Christian Fascists are working towards a totalitarian Christian nation where all dissenting views are oppressed. These forces are already in play. Most of them would shut down the 'liberal' media, not hold elections, put religious symbols everywhere and squelch all dissenting opinions if they could. What is scary, is that they don't understand how this is un-American. In their twisted world, these actions have become Patriotic.

  They don't understand that the protection of American freedoms means protecting things you don't agree with. The true test of someone who claims to believe in Freedom of Speech is whether they tolerate speech with which they disagree, or even find disgusting. Christian Fascists completely miss the point here.

  If you support an America where we, as American citizens, strive to treat others as we want to be treated, show respect for all races and religions, do not cast your vote for Bush.

  Love your neighbor as yourself. Even if they are a faggot, nigger, kike, beaner, dyke, liberal or whatever you clean shaven, hair spayed parted haired, shirt tucked in, SUV driving, flag waving, rapture loving, sexually repressed, pro-death, war loving, republican Christian Fascists call them.

  I pray to God that you, the reader, can understand what direction Bush has taken this country. It is one that has divisiveness, pain and blood in its future (the sick thing is, the Christian Fascists want this). 

  I don't have too much hope. Most Americans are hollowed out shells of souls that spend 90% of their free time in front of the TV being told what to think and what to spend 99% of their disposable income on. No shit, the average savings rate in this country is around 1% of disposable income. The majority of people that will read this are slaves, yet they will argue they have free will by parroting words that they were given through the TV. It's depressing to watch. 

  By the way, if you are a Republican that does not have Identity with the Fascist movement, look around you and re-evaluate why you are a Republican. 
  benjamin_paine at yahoo.com



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