The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us
(Hardcover)
by James Rudin
BUZZFLASH REVIEWS
You have to hand it to Rabbi James Rudin, author of "The Baptizing of America." For a man of the cloth, he has a way with sound bites. How can you not read a book that labels the fundamentalists "Christocrats"?
Rudin gets right to the heart of why the extremist religious right is so dangerous to democracy. He's direct, lacerating, and convincing.
"A specter is haunting America," Rudin writes, "and it is not socialism and certainly not communism. It is the specter of Americans kneeling in submission to a particular interpretation of a religion that has become an ideology, and all encompassing way of life. It is the specter of our nation ruled by the extreme Christian right, who would make of the United States a 'Christian Nation' where their version of God's law supersedes all human law -- including the Constitution."
"That more than any other force," Rudin concludes, "in the world today, is the immediate and profound threat to our republic."
Rudin cogently documents how the "Christocrats" want to limit our rights and freedoms, imposing a "Baptized" federal government into every aspect of our lives. Indeed, he has chapters on how the fundamentalist one-party government in America wants to impose their beliefs on us in our bedrooms, newsrooms, board rooms, work places, hospitals, libraries, courtrooms and wherever else they can become the morality police.
The confirmation of Samuel Alito is a testament to how successful the "Christocrats" have become, because they have plotted to control the umpires of the game -- and have basically succeeded. Alito is the triumphant zenith of their growing intrusive, UnConstitutional fundamentalist silent coup.
BuzzFlash has long opined on the theory that we are in a war between those who would foster the development of the United States as an evolving, embracing Constitutional democracy vs. those who would [while using propaganda to mislead the public about their intentions] restore America into a pre-Revolutionary monarchy, based on a fixed view. This fixed view is based on an extreme interpretation of Christianity and is exclusionary to other religions and individual freedoms and liberties, those which are at odds with the "frozen" static religious worldview of the "Christocrats."
Scalia, Thomas or Alito are called "Strict Constructionists" as far as the Constitution is concerned. Actually, they are activist judges who seek to remake the Constitution to reflect a literal interpretation of the Bible.
The basic conflict of the pro-democracy, pro-Constitution movement vs. the Bushevik Taliban is whether or not we are a nation based on a Constitutional guarantee of individual liberties and freedoms vs. a nation based on a pre-Revolutionary view of a fixed world order channeled through a perceived God that actually gives instructions to George W. Bush and the far right Christian mullahs, such as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell -- toss in James Dobson, too -- among others.
Rudin's book provides great insight into what we are up against in fighting the Stepford religious extremists who believe that the Constitution runs a distant second to the Bible.
These radicals are unpatriotic to the core because they reject the fundamental premise of freedom, individualism, and pluralism that gave birth to the Constitution.
Their goal -- represented by Sam Alito -- is not to uphold the Constitution, but to bury it through strategic and deceptive maneuvering. And once we have crossed the Rubicon, they won't spare a dissenting soul.
Because in their worldview, if you are not saved, you are doing the work of Satan.
by James Rudin
BUZZFLASH REVIEWS
You have to hand it to Rabbi James Rudin, author of "The Baptizing of America." For a man of the cloth, he has a way with sound bites. How can you not read a book that labels the fundamentalists "Christocrats"?
Rudin gets right to the heart of why the extremist religious right is so dangerous to democracy. He's direct, lacerating, and convincing.
"A specter is haunting America," Rudin writes, "and it is not socialism and certainly not communism. It is the specter of Americans kneeling in submission to a particular interpretation of a religion that has become an ideology, and all encompassing way of life. It is the specter of our nation ruled by the extreme Christian right, who would make of the United States a 'Christian Nation' where their version of God's law supersedes all human law -- including the Constitution."
"That more than any other force," Rudin concludes, "in the world today, is the immediate and profound threat to our republic."
Rudin cogently documents how the "Christocrats" want to limit our rights and freedoms, imposing a "Baptized" federal government into every aspect of our lives. Indeed, he has chapters on how the fundamentalist one-party government in America wants to impose their beliefs on us in our bedrooms, newsrooms, board rooms, work places, hospitals, libraries, courtrooms and wherever else they can become the morality police.
The confirmation of Samuel Alito is a testament to how successful the "Christocrats" have become, because they have plotted to control the umpires of the game -- and have basically succeeded. Alito is the triumphant zenith of their growing intrusive, UnConstitutional fundamentalist silent coup.
BuzzFlash has long opined on the theory that we are in a war between those who would foster the development of the United States as an evolving, embracing Constitutional democracy vs. those who would [while using propaganda to mislead the public about their intentions] restore America into a pre-Revolutionary monarchy, based on a fixed view. This fixed view is based on an extreme interpretation of Christianity and is exclusionary to other religions and individual freedoms and liberties, those which are at odds with the "frozen" static religious worldview of the "Christocrats."
Scalia, Thomas or Alito are called "Strict Constructionists" as far as the Constitution is concerned. Actually, they are activist judges who seek to remake the Constitution to reflect a literal interpretation of the Bible.
The basic conflict of the pro-democracy, pro-Constitution movement vs. the Bushevik Taliban is whether or not we are a nation based on a Constitutional guarantee of individual liberties and freedoms vs. a nation based on a pre-Revolutionary view of a fixed world order channeled through a perceived God that actually gives instructions to George W. Bush and the far right Christian mullahs, such as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell -- toss in James Dobson, too -- among others.
Rudin's book provides great insight into what we are up against in fighting the Stepford religious extremists who believe that the Constitution runs a distant second to the Bible.
These radicals are unpatriotic to the core because they reject the fundamental premise of freedom, individualism, and pluralism that gave birth to the Constitution.
Their goal -- represented by Sam Alito -- is not to uphold the Constitution, but to bury it through strategic and deceptive maneuvering. And once we have crossed the Rubicon, they won't spare a dissenting soul.
Because in their worldview, if you are not saved, you are doing the work of Satan.
posted by Traveller at
6:50 p.m.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home