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Wielding the 'God weapon' poisons the body politic
In the wake of his weekend rally, Glenn Beck kept up the drumbeat of criticism about President Obama's religion, calling it a "perversion" and saying that America "isn't recognizing his version of Christianity," which Beck characterized as "liberation theology."
Despite critique of Obama's Christianity, a recent poll showed that nearly 20% of Americans believe falsely that the president is Muslim.
Why is there so much attention on Obama's religion? Does it matter what religion the president is?
President Obama is good company. Attacking the religious faith of presidents (and presidential candidates) is a time-worn political strategy dating back to the early days of the Republic. Then, as now, employing the God weapon poisons the body politic with false, angry and often hateful rhetoric - all in the name of gaining political power.
Glenn Beck may not know this history, but he appears determined to repeat it: Begin by appearing to rise above politics - the rally on the Mall was framed as "non-political" - and then call the nation to fulfill what God has ordained in the founding of this nation. Rally becomes revival, pitting true believers against those who worship false gods in the cause of "restoring honor" in America.
By invoking God to separate true-American sheep from un-American goats, Beck is employing a potent political weapon that has been used with mixed success throughout American history.
One of the "Founding Fathers" Beck misappropriates, Thomas Jefferson, was frequently vilified as an "atheist" and "infidel" in the 1800 presidential campaign. The question facing each American, proclaimed a banner in the Gazette of the United States, is "shall I continue in allegiance to GOD - AND A RELIGIOUS PRESIDENT; or impiously declare for JEFFERSON - AND NO GOD!!!" (Quoted in The Godless Constitution, a book by Isaac Kramnick and R. Laurence Moore that does a good job of debunking the false history of the "Christian America" crowd.)
No doubt Jefferson would also have been attacked as a "secret Muslim" had the public known about his well-thumbed copy of the Qur'an.
Even the 1908 presidential campaign of William Howard Taft, an establishment Republican if there ever was one, was almost undone by vicious attacks on his Unitarian beliefs (and false rumors that the had Catholic relatives). "Think of the United States with a President who does not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God," wrote the editor of one religious newspaper, "but looks upon our immaculate Savior as a common bastard and low, cursing imposter."
Contrary to the bogus history promoted by Beck and his supporters (pseudo-historian David Barton joined Beck for a pre-rally event at the Kennedy Center), a good many of our presidents - including the sainted Abraham Lincoln who belonged to no church - would have failed the religious test of Christian purity they seek to impose on President Obama.
Make no mistake. Beck and his ilk may be politically motivated, but they actually believe that President Obama's religious faith (or what they think it to be) is a threat to American freedom and democracy. Convinced of their own righteousness, they are completely uninterested in a civil discussion of what the president actually believes. Instead, they are determined to "take America back" by demonizing "the Other."
But if history is any guide, their God strategy will backfire. I'm optimistic that a majority of Americans will reject the politics of religious division and intolerance. After all, Thomas Jefferson won the White House despite unrelenting attacks on his religion - as did William Howard Taft, John F. Kennedy, and, of course, Barack Obama.
By
Charles C. Haynes
|
August 31, 2010; 3:33 PM ET
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Posted by: woodstock-41 | September 6, 2010 11:13 AM
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DEAR Fellow American(s) & Friendly's:
Note: As Ye/Yo can See; Once WE[i], i[WE] Elect these two-face WORD-MERCHANTS of certain Politician-GANGs aka "USURPER"s, Then THEY DO WHAT They WANT. So There is
NO U.S. or State CONSTITUTION!! YES, Things Must Change, Not only Yes We Can hot air. DO, No Talk!!
Maybe SARA PALIN Ms. RIGHT is right (Not Wrong)?! Sarai Ain't Afraid to Break or Dirty Her finger Nails. Now That's Tough; So Sara Ain't No "Manicure-Babby", but a Lipstick Momma! eeeeeehaaaa!
Note: Sisstar SARAi is starting to look really good ('Platform/ticket', not only Lipstick & looks) soo maybe she should be our 1st LADY President, OR V. Prez, aye? OR/b>
Maybe Brother MiTT ROMNEY is the ripe Mr. RiGHT (NOt Wrong). Likewise; MITT is looking & Sounding GOOD too. A Good Politician & a Great BUISINEES MAN Who Will Save AMERICA from Poverty & out of Debt? Fix Amerika MITT! [Maybe "Joe The Plumber" can fit-in Somewhere, aye].
Note: MITT maybe should be our 1st MORMON (A New-Age Xrstian, from a Persecuted 'People', NOt only AFRO-Americans) as Prez OR V. Prez, aye??.
"WE, The People" Need To Take Our Nation Back & fix the Sick Constitution? This is NOt a Test! This is Real!!
Note: And GLENN BECK might be 1/2 or 3/4 right (NOt Left, oopps Wrong)? Hint; HE needs to REPLACING 'God', NOt "Restore" God" That's the Problem.
See What Happens When Obama & Ventriloquists Negotiate With Terrorists Orgs contrary to Policy's???
SUGGESTION: Maybe Ms. Sara Palin & Mr. Mitt should Marry (Politically) and Run as PREZ & V.PREZ ALL IN ONE (1 Ticket, 1 Platform!) aye? PS: With Obama & Clinton, There Will NO [permanent] PEACE in MIddle-East Just Yet. Maybe only a Patch-up Job so Hillary & Gang/Crony's can Fool "The-People" again? and get RE-Elected on a slate.
___VOTE:
"Peace/Huggs Rock-n-Roll, MiTT Romney"!!!
"Peace/Huggs Rock-n-Roll, MiTT Romney"!!!
"Peace/Huggs Rock-n-Roll, MiTT Romney"!!!
___ OR
"Peace/Dance Rock-n-Roll, With SARA"!!!
"Peace/Dance Rock-n-Roll, With SARA"!!!
"Peace/Dance Rock-n-Roll, With SARA"!!!
--
GOOD-BYE OBAMA & CO! GOOD RIDDANCE NEPOTISTic Hillary et al!! Time fo a Real Man, or a Real woMan Prez!! Ya Ya!
--
Hailaluya! Praise the Holyi NO MON/WOM!
LOVE AMERICA, LOVE AMERICA, THE 1 WE USED TO KNOW, THE 1 WE USED TO KNOW..!
Posted by: woodstock-41 | September 6, 2010 9:02 AM
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Thanks for raising this point. Many people (and even the Jefferson Memorial in DC) would have you think that Jefferson was all god, all the time, when in fact he believed very strongly in separation of church and state. If only we had more like him now.
Posted by: EvilOverlord | September 2, 2010 7:13 AM
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Nice..a Nice. VeRrrrry VerRy a Nice ... aye Mon!
Posted by: woodstock-41 | September 1, 2010 9:13 PM
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Did Ye/Yo Know that it was the iRISH Economy from Ireland Who 1st tumbled or Domino'd or cascaded Financially, thus IGNITING/Triggering this Planets/World Financial Tsunami??? YES!
Imagine the Irish Government Borrowing 100 Years Worth (in Advance) of Their own current GNP or GDP.?
SECRET: The CLINTONS Knew & the BUSH's Knew that, before the (un)great Crash/Depression, that the U.S. Stock market was only worth or had a base of 1-Trillion Dollars($), yet was Ponzy'd into a $14-Trillion Dollar Paper-ELEPHANT or Paper-DONKEY market; Forget Paper-TiGER (of SINO-CHINKO towns)?? Soo, WAKE-UP World!
Shaaame On the (un)Lucky IRISH? Poor GERMANS!. Ironically; They must sing, THANK G_D FOR THE GERMAN PEOPLE", NOT ENGLAND, NOt iSRAEL & CO.!
SECRET 2: Did Ye Yo Know That The Fanni-May & Mack & Country Wide [Mortgage Dealers] Sold Most of Their WALL STREET Re-Packaged Mortgages to the KOREAN's??? They also Caused a largest of the Speculation (Created Demand, aka a Market) and later prinked the BUBBLE!!! Soo
Shaame on the Kim-chee-t'rs Sneaky Smiling Sino Koreans too! And
Shame on CO-Defendants, the FED RESERVE people & U.S. TREASURY too! Includes the, turning other Cheek, S.E.C. & I.R.S. & CO., gang/people.
Note: If This was China, They All Would/ve Been Shot Already. And If It Was Russia They would be working in the Gulags. And If it was Saudi Arabia, They [COMMISSIONERS] Would've already got their Hands Chopped-Off for STEALING/Enriching selves!