Religious Conservatives Have Lost Their Way! Pious Right-Wing Republicans
Smear the Name of Jesus and Ravage the Image of Christ
By Nick Paccione
Created Sep 20 2006 - 10:04am
There was a brief period during the early seventies when Jesus Christ was on
the way to becoming a totally bitchen, hip and with-it cultural icon in
America. He was climbing the Billboard charts as the subject of several
songs including "Jesus Christ Superstar" in 1971, "Put Your Hand in the Hand
(Of the Man Who Stilled the Water)" in that same year and "My Sweet Lord" in
1970 (Granted this George Harrison song was more about Krishna but the
general public didn't really see it that way. If you were Christian this
song was about Jesus Christ). In his 1973 hit "Why Me," Kris Kristofferson
sang "now that I know that I've needed you so; help me Jesus--my soul's in
your hand."

The Doobie Brothers crooned that "Jesus he's my friend" in "Jesus is Just
Alright" circa 1973. Judy Collins had a hit record with "Amazing Grace" in
1971. "Prepare yourself, you know it's a must; gotta have a friend in Jesus"
came from Norman Greenbaum's smash hit "Spirit in the Sky" from 1970. "Day
by Day" had regular airplay in 1972 with a chorus that proclaimed "Oh dear
Lord three things I pray: To see thee more clearly; love thee more dearly;
follow thee more nearly--day by day." These were not Carrie Underwood
cornball-country hits about Jesus driving an old Ford Fairlane on a rural
icy road and they weren't restricted to Christian radio either. They were
100%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% mainstream Billboard Top 40.

John Lennon was the most popular spokesperson in those years for the
spirituality that told his audience to imagine a world without war, hatred
and greed; a world in which we were encouraged to give peace a chance and to
love one another. He provided a platform for Jesus' greatest hits in an
extremely endearing and popular package and many hundreds of pop stars have
followed his lead without directly mentioning religion or Christ. (The
message of loving one another is at the poetic heart of all the world's
religions.)

In 1973, Hollywood produced a movie based on a Broadway hit called Godspell
(Columbia Pictures) which depicted a contemporary version of the gospels,
opening with John the Baptist calling young New Yorkers to follow and learn
from Jesus. In the movie Jesus' followers develop a nomadic entertainment
troupe that enacts the parables through song, dance, comedy, and mime. With
thoughtful symbolism we see Jesus crucified in a junkyard and then
resurrected by his apostles so that he can enter the world of the living on
the streets of New York City. Franco Zefferelli weighed in with his more
literal interpretation of Christ's life in "Jesus of Nazareth." And the
rock-opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" was given the full Hollywood promotional
push as a major motion picture release with heavy-weight Norman "In the Heat
of the Night" Jewison directing for Universal Studios.

Jesus' popularity during this period was a natural offshoot of the hippy
movement. Let's face it; the hippies of the sixties were a lot closer to
being Christ-like than today's Evangelical Christians who as a voting block
believe that capitalistic, jingoistic, pro-war, anti-immigration politicians
and televangelists are the be all and end all. Yes the hippies were too
idealistic and some just pretended to believe in the whole
"love-one-another" groovy vibe so they could take advantage of the free love
aspect of the movement. And yes, that probably led to the record number of
sexually transmitted diseases of present times. But the heart of the hippy
was usually in the right place with the idea that many of them found love
and peace at the heart of Jesus' message--a sadly naive and seemingly overly
sentimental notion among Christians in the USA of today.

Evangelical Christians have hijacked the concept of Christianity and turned
it into something far less innocent and nauseatingly political. If they
can't be stopped, Jesus may never be hip again. Sure they've had their hits
with their own circle of zealots that see Jesus' life and death as some
literal physical sacrifice as depicted by Mel Gibson in "The Passion of the
Christ." Films like this one are not reaching too many people that don't
already have the Jesus fever. In my circle of acquaintances I knew many more
people turned off by Gibson's bloody circus play compared to a tiny handful
of believers that liked it and felt inspired by it. It made buckets of money
from church groups but it certainly wasn't inspirational in a way that would
touch the sane non believer.

Keep in mind that there are thousands of Christians who embrace Jesus'
message of love, compassion, kindness and mercy. We just rarely hear from
them over the airwaves. So how did Jesus get co-opted by his present-day
vociferous followers? I blame it on the wing of Christianity that thought
they could make their greatest impact by intertwining their Christian
beliefs with politics. And for what? So they could make abortion illegal and
keep gays from marrying. They are so blinded by these objectives that it's
as if nothing else matters. Worse still, they've trusted the mantle of their
dreams to some of the biggest conservative hypocrites in U.S. history. These
aren't the corporate fiscal conservatives of the seventies. These are the
anti-social-program, moral conservatives that preach about family values and
win over the religious voter by taking a firm stand on hot-button social
issues while destroying the planet through disastrous environmental
policies, pro-gun laws and deadly unnecessary wars. It's a certainty when
we're all killed by the policies of these fanatics, there will absolutely be
no abortions or gay marriages.

Take a look at the most popular spokespeople and most beloved politicians
embraced by fundamentalist Christians over the last few decades. It would be
impossible to calculate the level of damage that they've done to the name of
Jesus by using him for political profit and other financial rewards.

Rush Limbaugh owes a great deal of his success to Christian conservatives
who eat up his no-nonsense approach to "liberal excesses." He condemns gays,
abortion, feminists and barely veils his racism. But modern-day Christians
do not do service to Jesus' name through their glaring hypocrisy concerning
Rush. Christian fundamentalists use literal readings of the Bible to condemn
gays but ignore the literal words of Jesus regarding divorce. Limbaugh has
been divorced three times although Jesus states: "The law of Moses says if
anyone wants to be rid of his wife, he can divorce her by giving her a
letter of dismissal. But I say a man who divorces his wife causes her to
commit adultery if she marries again. And he who marries her commits
adultery" (Matthew 5:31-32). In Mark 10:11-12, Jesus says that anyone having
sex in a second marriage is committing adultery over and over again. Their
sexual union is no better in biblical terms than a gay union which by the
way is never condemned directly by Jesus Christ. I say divorce is a
necessary option but don't condemn gays with a literal reading of the Bible
and ignore divorce.

As long as Limbaugh opposes abortion and gays, Christians don't seem to care
about his "adulterous lifestyle" and in many cases they aren't even familiar
with Jesus' quotes concerning divorce because that's not a big money maker
for Christian ministers. Limbaugh is a frightening Christian idol on other
levels. They don't seem to care about his drug abuse which has myriad
implications from hypocrisy to illegality to sexual promiscuity. Few noticed
the implications of his latest confrontation with the law when he was
questioned for possessing Viagra which had been dispensed to him under his
doctor's name. From a Christian point of view, what is a divorced man
without a spouse doing with Viagra while on vacation in the Dominican
Republic? If the Christian right won't denounce him with the same fervor
that they denounce gays in a St. Patrick Day's parade, their credibility has
got to seriously suffer. And who suffers most? Jesus! He is misrepresented
and marginalized by this continuing hypocrisy.

Other pundits that Christians have lionized are not much better. William
Bennett who tells us all how to live a virtuous life through his "Book of
Virtues" has admitted to an addiction to high-stakes gambling, one of the
most destructive vices in family history. His comments about aborting black
babies to lower the crime rate in America should have pricked up a few ears
in the Christian community but not a word was spoken. Popular conservative
television entertainer Bill O'Reilly is their current go-to man because he
has fought the hard fight of keeping "Christ in Christmas" against the
"heathens" in the ACLU. Of course this noble family man and defender of all
things traditional will never talk about Andrea Mackris, the former producer
of "The O'Reilly Factor" who sued him for sexual harassment after he
allegedly made sexually explicit statements involving a loofah and a
falafel. Mackris' case was settled out of court when O'Reilly agreed to pay
her an undisclosed sum.

Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay is another darling of today's
Christians even after being indicted twice in one week for conspiracy and
money laundering. "God is using me, all the time, everywhere, to stand up
for a biblical worldview in everything that I do and everywhere I am. He is
training me," says DeLay. Ralph Reed, the Executive Director of the
Christian Coalition from 1989-1997, appeared to be a regular little
Christian cherub until he thoroughly disgraced himself through his ties to
Fundamentalist Christian and Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff who has been
sentenced to over five years in prison for fraud, tax evasion and
conspiracy. This wasn't Reed's first run-in with the law. In 1996, the
Christian Coalition's chief financial officer, Judy Liebert, "went to
federal prosecutors with her suspicions of over-billing by Ben Hart, a
direct-mail vendor with close ties to Ralph Reed." Reed resigned soon after
and he was never charged with any crimes. He capped his shady career in 2006
with his losing bid to be the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor
of Georgia.

During the Terri Schiavo controversy, Fox News' coverage was led by Catholic
fanatic and rabbid conservative Sean Hannity. With typical melodramatic
flare and expected religious pandering, Hannity camped in front of the
hospital where Schiavo lay dying after her feeding tube was removed. All of
the Fox News mouth breathers--Brit Hume, Bill O'Reilly, Neil Cavuto, and
John Gibson--stated opposition to the feeding tube removal and claimed that
the cries for Schiavo's right to die came entirely from secular Americans
and Democratic politicians. Poll after poll confirmed overwhelming public
support among "mainstream Protestants" for the tube's removal. Even a
majority of Republicans supported removal of the feeding tube as if it was
anyone's business. One of the main proponents of continuing the tube feeds
was Randall Terry, a notorious figure in Christian conservative circles best
known for his often violent acts and his calls for the murder of abortion
doctors and activist judges. A Republican "talking points" memo authored by
Senator Mel Martinez suggested ideas by which the Republicans could use the
Schiavo tragedy for political gain. Fox News personalities immediately
attacked the memo and claimed that liberals had forged it. When the memo was
proven to be legitimate, Fox News never apologized or admitted their error.
As usual, the side arguing in Jesus' name is proven to be smug, sleazy and
unrepentantly opportunistic.

No question that Evangelist Billy Graham has mainly stayed above the fray.
He has never preached hatred and he has avoided the hideous scandals that
deservedly destroyed staunch Christian TV personalities Jimmy Swaggart and
Jim Bakker--world-renown as comic punchlines and disgraced charlatans. But
Graham did give the world his son, Franklin, who holds his own as as wannabe
Christian nutjob. After the September 11 attacks Graham referred to Islam as
"a very evil and wicked religion" and called for the U.S. to unleash its
most powerful military weapons against these forces of evil as if they were
all gathered in one convenient location. Furthering his scramble to be a
contender among the Christian crackpots, Graham travelled to Iraq to conduct
a Good Friday service nine days after Baghdad "fell to American military
forces."

More recently, Pope Benedict XVI added to the cacophony by quoting a
Byzantine 14th century emperor's words stating that Muhammad had introduced
"things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword
the faith he preached." Benedict, in the same speech, held up Christianity
as "the profound encounter of faith and reason." The president of Germany's
central council of Muslims, Aiman Mazyek, continued the war of words by
saying that Catholicism's murderous and compromised history left it with no
moral leg to stand on to criticize other religions. "After the blood-stained
conversions in South America, the Crusades in the Muslim world, the coercion
of the church by Hitler's regime, and even the coining of the phrase 'holy
war' by Pope Urban II, I do not think the church should point a finger at
extremist activities in other religions." The truth is that no one wants
their religion of choice to be judged by the actions of a handful of
extremists. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peace makers." Does Benedict
believe that his words are those of a peace maker?

As for our Presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were too open about
their religious convictions and there's no doubt that their claims of piety
were part of a plan to win votes from the Bible belt. But Ronald Reagan is
to blame for bringing the hypocritical version of Christianity into
mainstream politics through his unholy alliance with the Christian Right and
the so-called Moral Majority under the leadership of religious madman Jerry
Falwell. And in a separate category of Christian grandstanding sits George W
Bush, the most mind-boggling of all the Christian political idols. He
appeared on American television and declared that he was born again after
years of abusing alcohol and drugs and he's automatically confirmed as their
guy to fight the gays and abortion-rights crowd. He is so far removed from
the Christian ideal that is laid out in the Bible that it's more frightening
than laughable. He has lied to Americans repeatedly. He has started an
unprovoked war that has led to thousands and thousands of deaths. He is
destroying the earth through his arrogant pro-business environmental
policies. And he continues to employ Karl Rove who never met an ends that
didn't justify the means through vicious, spiteful, despicable political
smears and maneuvers.

And that brings us to the heart of darkness: Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell,
James Dobson, and the Southern Baptist Convention under the leadership of
Dr. Richard Land. These are our country's most popular Christian
spokespeople and they are huge supporters of George W Bush and he of them.
With the power they wield they should be winning their cultural war but in
reality this will prove to be the beginning of the end for this fire and
brimstone brand of conservative Christianity. Simply put, they are the most
destructive forces working against the very image of Jesus Christ and there
is already a toll to the credibility of all Christians because of them.

Dr. Richard Land, the president of Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission or
the political wing of the Southern Baptist Convention, is also the host of
"For Faith & Family" and "For Faith & Family's Insight," two nationally
syndicated radio programs. How has he affected our lives? He was the primary
author of the Land Letter, an open epistle sent to President George W. Bush
by leaders of the religious right in October 2002 which outlined a "just
war" argument in support of the subsequent military invasion of Iraq.
Everyone else with any intellect and integrity including Pope John Paul II
denounced Land's justification. Bush went on to make this garbled twisted
logic the Christian cornerstone for his unprovoked war with Iraq and since
then every reason for this "just war" has been debunked.

And it's the Southern Baptist Convention that calls for boycotts of
companies like Disney because they provide benefits to same-sex domestic
partners or allow a so-called "Gay Day" at Disney World. Do these
fundamentalists have a clue as to the sexual orientation of most of the
young men skipping and waving at them from the Disney Park parade floats?
These Christians are so pathetically out of touch as not to know that the
songs that their kids are singing from "The Lion King," "Beauty and the
Beast," "The Little Mermaid," and "Aladdin" were all co-written by openly
gay men (Elton John for "The Lion King" and Howard Ashman for the rest).

Pat Robertson has done more than his share in delivering votes for Bush.
He's done even more in his inadvertent efforts in smearing the name of Jesus
Christ by claiming to speak in his name. In a truly unchristian manner
Robertson attacked a number of Protestant denominations with this statement:
"You say you're supposed to be nice to the Episcopalians and the
Presbyterians and the Methodists and this, that, and the other thing.
Nonsense. I don't have to be nice to the spirit of the Antichrist." More
memorably, Robertson has stated that feminism is a "socialist, anti-family
political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their
children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." Ask
yourself where Jesus might fit in this equation?

During the United States' involvement in the Liberian Civil War in June and
July of 2003, Robertson supported Liberian President Charles Taylor on his
700 Club program. Would it have mattered to his Christian followers that
Robertson has an $8,000,000 investment in a Liberian gold mine? Taylor had
already been indicted by the United Nations for war crimes and prosecutors
claimed he had harbored members of Al Qaeda responsible for the 1998 U.S.
embassy bombings. Robertson explained with a straight face that the gold
mine was intended to help pay for humanitarian and evangelical efforts in
Liberia. What would Jesus do? If Jesus actually threw the money-changers out
of the temple, you can be sure that he'd boot Robertson's ass out of the
temple and into a steaming pile of jackass dung.

Robertson all but begged his followers for cash donations to Operation
Blessing which he said would support airlifts of refugees from Rwanda to
Zaire. It was later discovered, by a reporter from The Virginian Pilot, that
Operation Blessing's planes were transporting diamond-mining equipment for
the Robertson-owned African Development Corporation. An investigation by the
Commonwealth of Virginia's Office of Consumer Affairs determined that
Robertson "willfully induced contributions from the public through the use
of misleading statements" and they called for a criminal prosecution against
Robertson. However, the Virginia Attorney General Mark Earley--die-hard
Christian and zealous Republican--intervened and halted the prosecution.
Does anyone care that Mark Earley's largest campaign contributor two years
earlier was Pat Robertson?

Then there's the inimitable Jerry Falwell who is, at best a regular
embarrassment to all that Jesus represented and at his worst, a true
provocateur of hatred and evil. In February of 1999, an article in Falwell's
National Liberty Journal stated that Tinky Winky of Teletubbies fame was a
stealth symbol of homosexuality because the character was purple, had an
inverted triangle on his head and carried a handbag. After the September 11,
2001 terrorist attacks Falwell had this to say: "I really believe that the
pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the
lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the
ACLU, People for the American Way--all of them who have tried to secularize
America--I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'"
He later denied this statement seemingly unaware of a new-fangled miracle
known as videotape that had captured his hate and venom for posterity.

In a radio interview on March 4, 2002, Falwell criticized former President
Jimmy Carter with these unforgettable words: "His message of peace and
reconciliation under almost all circumstances is simply incompatible with
Christian teachings as I interpret them. This 'turn the other cheek'
business is all well and good but it's not what Jesus fought and died for.
What we need to do is take the battle to the Muslim heathens and do unto
them before they do unto us." Okay, I guess Jesus actually did say something
like that; didn't he?

In 1994, Falwell released a video called "The Clinton Chronicles: An
Investigation into the Alleged Criminal Activities of Bill Clinton."
Falwell's infomercial for the 80-minute tape is best remembered for its
images of Falwell interviewing a silhouetted journalist who was afraid for
his life. The journalist stated that Clinton ordered the deaths of several
reporters and personal confidantes who stumbled across the horrific crimes
of Bill and Hillary. It was later revealed that the silhouetted journalist
was, Patrick Matrisciana, the producer of the video who admitted he was not
a journalist and that Jerry had thought up the silhouetted interview for
dramatic effect. Falwell also admitted, "To this day I do not know the
accuracy of the claims made in The Clinton Chronicles" though he has never
condemned the poor research and false statements that smeared and maligned
little Chelsea's parents and the elected President of the United States of
America. (If you criticize Bush and his war, these Republican Christians are
among the first to call you unpatriotic. But Clinton was fair game because
after all they didn't vote for him. It's not only hypocritical and
unpatriotic; it's downright seditious.)

But Doctor James Dobson is even more dangerous than these other right-wing
Christian screwballs because he hasn't generally been known for any
blatantly silly missteps like Falwell's Teletubbie pronouncement or the
obvious pilfering committed by Robertson. Like Doctor Laura, if you listen
to him occasionally he sounds normal and at times insightful. Dobson's
alleged declaration that SpongeBob SquarePants is a homosexual was proven to
be a mis-quote by a handful of media outlets that were overly anxious for a
Falwell-style humiliation.

Dobson has a huge Christian following and he is a true power broker for the
Republicans delivering even more Evangelicals to the voting booths than
Falwell and Robertson combined. Many observers give him the credit for the
Bush-Cheney victory in '04. There's no question that he's a saner strain
delivering the same brand of nonsense with his questionable views on
corporal punishment, homosexuality and feminism. He denounces "tolerance"
and "diversity" as "buzzwords" that are part of a hidden agenda to promote
homosexuality and he endorses the idea that fathers should show off their
penises while showering with their pre-pubescent sons as a means for
reinforcing their masculinity.

Like most delusional types, Dobson believes that he turned out magnificently
for many reasons including but not limited to the fact that his own mother
hit him with "a multitude of straps and buckles." Dobson implies that
spanking is biblically endorsed. (It may not be literally in the Bible, but
I think we can all agree that Mary probably had to use the switch every now
and then when a willful Jesus would turn his water into Mountain Dew. But
Joseph was always nearby to cool things down with a tender show-and-tell,
father-son shower.)

But nothing that Dobson has said is as warped as his influential view on
stem-cell research. During his "Focus on the Family" radio show on August 3,
2005, Dobson criticized supporters of expanded stem cell research with these
words: "In World War II, the Nazis experimented on human beings in horrible
ways in the concentration camps, and I imagine, if you wanted to take the
time to read about it, there would have been some discoveries there that
benefited mankind... You know, if you take a utilitarian approach, that if
something results in good, then it is good. But that's obviously not true.
We condemn what the Nazis did because there are some things that we always
could do but we haven't done, because science always has to be guided by
ethics and by morality. And you remove ethics and morality, and you get what
happened in Nazi Germany."

This isn't just an opinion. This is the ranting of a person out of touch
with any semblance of compassion, sympathy, intelligence or reality. To
compare living breathing thinking human beings who suffered and died at the
hands of the Nazis to scientific research conducted on the inner mass of a
blastocyst is unconscionable. Meanwhile, imperative research to save people
currently suffering with Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and spinal cord injuries
is being compromised by this moron's influence over the President. It's a
disgrace to Christianity and to the name of Jesus Christ that this
thick-headed bore is allowed a profitable venue to speak about any subject
concerning morality in light of this stem cell comment!

The Dobsons, Falwells and Robertsons seem to be winning some cultural battle
that mostly exists in their minds but make no mistake--they will lose the
overall war. As these dinosaurs fade out they'll probably be replaced by
more of the same but time and the grace of a higher power will expose their
heinous folly and their numbers will dwindle. Christians that have bestowed
such clout on these men and on the political types that are grinding away at
Jesus' reputation of love and compassion probably won't understand the
damage they are doing until it's too late.

But there are distant signs that a shift in the political winds might be
underway while the rank and file evangelical Christians could be discovering
a more diverse point of view. A recent national study conducted by Baylor
University and the Gallup organization found that nearly 40%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% of evangelicals
now believe that the Iraq war was unjustified. Thirty eight percent no
longer have a high level of trust in George W Bush. Research is also
consistently showing that evangelicals don't share one simple opinion on the
Republican's tax policies, the death penalty and feminism. Global Warming
has even caught the attention of pockets of evangelicals and if this were to
gain some traction it will spell disaster for big business Republicans that
have counted on single-issue Christians to deliver the Republican vote.

Other cultural guideposts do not bode well for the fundamentalist judgmental
strain of Christianity currently plaguing the United States. Because mass
media has made the world a smaller more accessible place, kids are
developing a more inherent sense of right and wrong based on fairness and
common sense. If they are children of fundamentalist Christians, they are
likely to come to know that an all-powerful God could never be as petty as
the God of their parents. Most college kids can't be convinced that the
Bible is a strict literal document as they learn about evolution and come to
the undisputed scientific conclusion that the earth is older than 6,000
years as represented in the Old Testament and through the genealogy of Jesus
in the Gospels. And Christian kids will draw their own conclusions when they
get to know that their gay neighbor isn't the bad guy and that a Jew,
Buddhist or Muslim has every right to their traditions without fear that a
warped God would condemn them to hell for following the faith of their
fathers.

But in the meantime, Jesus still deserves better than the PR that he's
getting at the hands of his fanatical followers here in the 21st Century. It
will be too bad if U.S. Christians awake too late and Jesus' image reaches a
point beyond rehabilitation. I believe in Jesus' message that we should feed
the poor, visit the prisoner and love our neighbor. I believe the meek will
inherit the earth. And I'd rather be associated with the Jesus that the
hippies embraced in the early seventies. When people speak of peace and love
today, they don't mention Jesus much. Like many of us they probably fear
they could be linked to the wacky angry Christians that are currently in the
spotlight. Elvis Costello asks in song, "What's so funny about peace, love
and understanding?" That's how bad it has become. But anyone promoting
peace, love and understanding is much closer to the authentic message of
Jesus Christ than anything uttered by the mean-spirited duplicitous
Christian voices of this graceless age.
_______

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"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson