Taken as a whole, the various Christian faiths comprise the vast majority of Americans today (77%, according to this source). Yet like manipulative children who cry "You don't love me!" to try to guilt Mommy into giving them yet another piece of candy, various US politicians like to try to pretend that American Christians are nothing more than another embattled minority. For example:
During a debate today surrounding an amendment by Rep. David Obey (D-WI) to fully examine allegations of proselytizing and religious intolerance at the United States Air Force Academy, six-term Republican Rep. John Hostettler (IN) rose to assert that "Democrats can't help denigrating and demonizing Christians." Rep. Obey, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, interrupted Hostettler's deeply disturbing remarks and demanded that they be formally retracted; Hostettler ultimately agreed to retract one sentence from his diatribe.Earlier in his remarks, Hostettler discussed the drive by Democrats to erase every "vestige" of Christianity from America; he also prefaced his remarks by noting that "The long war on Christianity today continues on the floor of the House of Representatives." During a meeting of the House Armed Services Committee on May 18th, while debating a similar amendment by Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), Hostettler referred to "the mythical wall separation (sic) between church and state that's been erected by the courts."
It's insulting and infuriating to watch. These overprivileged asshats have never in their lives known what it's like to really be a member of a minority. They've never experienced discrimination or been demonized the way actual minorities have been. Their combination of ignorance and arrogance is astounding.
People like Rep. Hostettler need a good bitchslapping with the wet towel of reality. But these days, the likelihood of that happening is next to none.
Comments (3)
Politicians like that don't speak for any of the Christians I know. We as a group are as disgusted with Republicans as we are with Democrats. To me there's not much difference between them. And groups like the ALCU and FFR don't distinguish between Christians and Jews when it comes right down to it. Their don't like either of us much. And they want to silence us completely.
Posted by artistry | June 22, 2005 10:40 PM
It is interesting to note your paradoxical position regarding the suggested hegemony of Christianity in America; namely, your naive liberalism does not recognize the current situation in which many people, such as yourself, take a reactionary stance toward any expression of support for or defense of Christianity. In your very sophisticated and mature way, you suggest that Hostettler is in need of "a good bitchslapping with the wet towel of reality." If you want to get a glipse of reality, go to almost any school campus (high-school or college) and tell someone you are a Christian... see what happens.
It is also important to note that a large proportion of Americans are self-identified "Christians," but less than half of said "Christians" practice in any capacity. Furthermore, it has become fashionable to take a relativistic stance of self-proclaimed "spirituality" which adheres to no religion in particular and may indeed be atheistic, but nonetheless causes many to identify themselves incorrectly as "Christians" in polls.
Posted by Nathan | June 26, 2005 9:52 PM
Try switching "Christian" with "Jew" and see how many people want you dead instead of just giving you the cold shoulder.
And you pretty much missed the entire point here. The issue here is politicians are using their religion as a weapon. Most people accept religious plurality. What they DON'T want is a bunch of self-righteous people who claim we're going to burn in hell if we don't follow their mode of religion, and then turn around and play the suffering victim, when it's obvious that they are anything but.
Just keep in mind one thing: the early colonists at Plymouth were Pilgrims. They came here for religous freedom. The part of history that is typically left out or overlooked is that the religious intolerance they faced in England was because they were so fucking uptight and wouldn't keep their noses out of other people's business as well as government, trying to tell everyone else how to behave and live. Sound familiar?
Posted by Skawt | June 29, 2005 1:57 AM