Mon, 17 Jul 2006

Megachurches build a Republican base

Look! It's a church! Nope, it's a political party!

When these lines get blurred, democracy is in deep trouble. Just ask the Iraqis.

Reuters - It's not Sunday but Fairfield Christian Church is packed. Hundreds of kids are making their way to vacation Bible school, parents are dropping in at the day-care center and yellow-shirted volunteers are everywhere, directing traffic. In one wing of the sprawling church, a coffee barista whips up a mango smoothie while workers bustle around the cafeteria.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

/Politics | 2 writebacks | permanent link

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On 7/18/2006 04:53:14
Bjorngrímnir wrote

Interesting

I was particularly moved by this statement, quoted from the end of the article: "...a 30-year-old father of two who believes the separation of church and state has gone too far." The problem is that 'separation of church and state' is not in the Constitution. The wording comes directly from a letter written by Jefferson to a Baptist church. Taken literally, the 1st Amendment only precludes Congress from establishing a religion, or preventing the free exercise thereof. Therefore, what these people are suggesting or attempting is for the most part perfectly legal. The tax part may be a different matter, but then I think US tax law is a monster of its own. I think part of the problem is that most people understand Christianity (some denominations more than others) to be a missionary religion, one that seeks to spread through conversion (sometimes forced, as our own history shows); and so a lot of people are just a little nervous when this mentality becomes not only a highly organized religious movement, but a political movement as well. I think it's safe to say that most Evangelicals would not understand this sense of unease...it is, after all, their own views and their own religion that's growing by leaps and bounds (not just in the US, either). They don't have the same perspectives and criticisms that other people would have on this issue - and it makes it almost impossible for them to truly understand these criticisms (especially when they are being told by preachers that these criticisms come from their devil, or are simply the words of the unsaved or damned). From a logical perspective, I find it doubly-dangerous for people to attain political office when they are blinded to the perspectives and criticisms of many of the people they are charged with leading. To me, it has nothing to do with religion or even religious freedom. I think it has to do with wanting leaders who aren't already 'blinded by the light' before they even come to office...regardless of what that light's source may be. Once religion becomes political, it is anything but free. I would think that separation of church and state isn't just a concept that protects the State and the People, but also the religion as well.

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On 7/19/2006 10:08:05
Adam wrote

Be very afraid...

... and I am. Of RepubliChristians. At least there is this one American Christian who got bombed with the Iraqis... http://www.thesimpleway.org/macro/shane_iraq.html

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