The Elephant In The Room: Christofascism Defined
The only role any government should play in religion is to protect every citizen's right to practice any religion they damn well please. – Mark Twain
O.K., it's the "C" word again. As a rule I define Christofascists as existing in two groups: the Elmer Gantrys (Rick Warren, Pat Robertson, Creflo Dollar, Rod Parsley, etc.) who are snake oil salesmen in love with their own snake oil; and, the Elmer Fudds, the gullible and unwitting followers of the Gantrys, but no less dangerous since Fudd's the one with the gun!
Lately, however, I've been thinking that the readers of this article (hopefully many) should take a look at the big "C" in more specific terms. When you look at the prerequisites of fascism think of the following highlighted words and how they've been presented to you by America's priests, preachers, radio hosts, and self ascribed "people of faith". Think of them, then think past them and go to the Warrens and the Parsleys, the Hagees, the Osteens, the Jakes, the Dollars and the Copelands.
Let's look at Fascism and the tenets that are ADDED by Christofascism.
Early Warning Signs of Fascism.
Powerful and Continuing -NATIONALISM. To be un-American is linked to being un-Christian.
Disdain for HUMAN RIGHTS. Christofascists think that everything secular - like the ACLU - is automatically anti-Christian.
Identification of ENEMIES/SCAPEGOATS as a Unifying Cause. This is so obvious it almost needs no expounding upon. Today's Christofascists have as their enemies homosexuals, the ACLU, anyone pro-choice, scientists, evolution, and, of course, The United Nations.
Supremacy of the MILITARY - Think of both Rod Parsley and John Hagee. Both of them preach in militaristic terms: Parlsey wants us to "destroy Islam" and Hagee wants the Palestinians annihilated to spur on Armageddon.
Rampant SEXISM. We see it still in the manifestos of the Southern Baptist Convention and Scientology. We hear it in Rush Limbaugh's broadcasts. We even saw it with Sarah Palin. She played up the "Femaleness" of her candidacy by repeating (ad nauseum) her role as a "hockey mom."
Controlled MASS MEDIA - FOX News is a prime example. Their motto "Fair and Balanced" is a joke to everyone. Wednesday's Fox & Friends had a segment on how "liberal" history textbooks were harmful to students. Rupert Murdoch's minions harken back to the Citizen Kane/William Randolph Hearst era of journalism that created its own news rather than just reporting it objectively.
Obsession with NATIONAL SECURITY - Former Vice President Dick Cheney continues to feed the fires of fear and insecurity with the blessing of Christofascists like Parsley and Hagee who wish to create wars for their own agendas.
The joining together of RELIGION & GOVERNMENT - As the Huckabees and the Warrens curry favor with heads of state while Mormon, Catholic, and Protestant money is being poured into campaigns, those who think that we have separation of church and state are living in a fantasy world.
CORPORATE POWER is protected - George Bush showed the world how to protect big business by deregulating as many industries as he could.
LABOR POWER is suppressed - Labor leaders have not had the political clout they once had because corporate power was protected and expanded within the last decade.
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