An article by Jeff Sharlet for Harper's Magazine which looks at how the Christian right is reimagining U.S. history. It is a fascinating read.
We keep trying to explain away American fundamentalism. Those of us not engaged personally or emotionally in the biggest political and cultural movement of our times—those on the sidelines of history—keep trying to come up with theories with which to discredit the evident allure of this punishing yet oddly comforting idea of a deity, this strange god. His invisible hand is everywhere, say His citizen-theologians, caressing and fixing every outcome: Little League games, job searches, test scores, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, the success or failure of terrorist attacks (also known as “signs”), victory or defeat in battle, at the ballot box, in bed. Those unable to feel His soothing touch at moments such as these snort at the notion of a god with the patience or the prurience to monitor every tick and twitch of desire, a supreme being able to make a lion and a lamb cuddle but unable to abide two men kissing. A divine love that speaks through hurricanes. Who would worship such a god? His followers must be dupes, or saps, or fools, their faith illiterate, insane, or misinformed, their strength fleeting, hollow, an aberration. A burp in American history. An unpleasant odor that will pass.
Technorati tags: Dominionism, Evangelicals
5 comments:
You might find this link interesting
http://www.samharris.org/site/full_text/10-myths-and-10-truths-about-atheism1/
Awesome! I'm a burp in the history of America! My greatest wish has come true!
That quotation is right on. It says everything about the mindset induced by the "saved" condition.
I got saved in a gospel meeting in N. Ireland when I was eleven, and the act of stepping up in the midst of emotional outpouring all around you is extremely powerful. The "God/Jesus" side of it is evoked through a type of tribal projection of conviction.
It is potent stuff if you're on the inside. This is why it's so hard to crack with rational arguments.
The Jesus camp phenomena that targets young kids is particularly disturbing. These children are basically being brain washed and the impact of this will stay with them for the rest of their lives - usually in the form of guilt and inner conflict, for those who eventually reject "the word".
Through a Glass Darkly (Swedish: Såsom sportsbook
i en spegel) is a 1961 Swedish film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, and produced by Allan Ekelund. The film is a three-act "chamber film", in which four family members act as mirrors for each other. It is the first of many Bergman films to be shot on the island of Fårö. bet nfl
The title is from a biblical passage (1 Corinthians 13) in which seeing through a glass darkly refers to our understanding of God when we are alive; the view will only be clear when we die. The title literally means As in a Mirror, which is how the passage reads in a 1917 Swedish translation of the Bible.
http://www.enterbet.com
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