Why and how white right wing folks, especially the evangelical type are wrong………about almost everything
You can kind of read this as an open letter to my right wing “friends”. This is my opinion. However, it is my INFORMED opinon based on years of reading and listening to the logic of these critters who believe apparently that God, in all his majesty (personally i lean toward the idea that God is a Black woman but that is an aside), created, out of all the places on earth that he could have done so, the area of this nation to be their very private demain.
I also know that not all who identify as evanglicals between in some of the things mentioned on this post. Believe or not. Nor does everybody that believe these idea necessarily apply to all. (example, a person can be other than white and be wrong on some of these issues).
Christian Country Fib
1. So lets see if you can follow this logic. Apparently God decided that only white people…and those that believed in their own intrepretation of a particular religious document should be allowed to hold sway in this country. It was “founded by Christians’, they say….they say that even after it is explained to them that many if not most of the founders of the country were NOT traditional Christians. They were deists. That means that they beieved in God but not the personal savior type God that the evangelics believe in. In fact, Thomas Jefferson took the Bible and yanked each and every narrative about “miracles” out, and rewrote the whole much parred down.
So, no, the founders did NOT create this country as Christian country.
It is easy to see the error that this American Christianity myth creates. It becomes a sort of dynamic where 1. we have idoltry built into the religious system, but exceptionalism built into our nationalism. Why both to treat other countries fairly or decently if we are better, because primarily christian, than they are. But it gets worse through sloppy and erroneous application of terms.
Freedom of Religion
This one starts out sounding really good….that is until you really get a bit more into it, and realize how the people under discussion on this post, apply it. The concept sounds wonderful, in fact. What could be better, you can worship your Christian God Yahwah with his son, Jews can simply worship God with no son, Islam can worship Allah (which by the way means God in Arabic) and I can, should I be so moved worship the great pillow case on my bed. FREEDOM.
But that is NOT how white right wing evangelicals want to apply it. In their set up, it would be more like the following “This is a country where I am free to worship God, and free to make sure that my right is never infringed upon. That does not mean that Lefty is free to worship that great pillow. That is just wrong. He should be required, by law, to at least pretend to be Christian.
Oh but lets not get it twisted, as those darn young’uns say. Our subject folk will go on to add, this is a Christian Country but not all Christians are created equal. Those that believe as I do with maybe, just tiny little almost not noticable differences, are ok, but WE should never have to accept those living out their freedom differently. Even if through taxes both side contribute more or less equality to the monies used to do the work and make the policies.
So laws should be passed or not passed based on OUR intrepretation of this one religous document that we as christians follow. Since our take on that book is that Homosexuality and abortion are forever and ever sins and not only that but the worst of sins, that means that no law allowing abortion or “condoning” homosexuality should exist.
Yes, you are reading that correctly. So say you attend a church, and your church (and there are a few including Prebyterians USA and the Episcopals for two) that have grown on the issue of homosexualty and are willing and ready to proform marriage ceremonies for two people of the same gender. Reason, as they see it is that God loved and loves ALL of God’s creation and that homosexuality is part of that tapestry.
What white (and on some of these issues including this one shade of skin is not the pivotal point) right wing evangelicals are saying is that religious freedom exists for them and those that agree with them, but for the Episcopal Church and the Presbyteian church and any other denomination or congregation that believes otherwise, there is not religious freedom on this issue.
The same thing applies to abortion. Not all Christians believe, as do the right wing evangelicals, that humanity starts at conception. I have had at least one pastor that thought it only became a human being with viablity. That would be understood as when the fetus could possiblly survive outiside the mother. Again, different religious take, but the righters only want freedom for themselves.
American Exceptionalism
This trope says that the United States is without questtion the absolute best country in the world. That does not mean “best country for me to live in”….no stipulation, the country is the absolute best..no question.
Well, based on what criteria. Beautiful countryside…i might agrree, even though I have never been out of this country any further than Toronto one time. I like the scenery, that same scenery is not available elsewhere (by definition) so I feel really exceptionlly about it.
Everything else is truely subjective. Best form of government? Well, it is the one I am used to and am most comfortable with but does that REALLY make it the best anywhere, for all time?? I doubt it.
There are the issues that we are demonstrably NOT the best in. I would hardly call having the most expensive and most ineffecient and least healthy health care system in the modern world a good thing. I would hardly call having the highest military budget (in terms of more than several other countries combined) or the highest incarcarration rate to be pluses.
But, the righties continue to maintain, the US is absolutely the best and we have nothing, nothting at all, to learn from other countries.
Thankfulness for ‘being here’.
Now this is another one that sounds wonderful but beings tacky and sometimes downright nasty in its application by the righties.
Everybody that lives in America should be proud of the fact.
1. Well, what if you belong to a hatred minority in your particular corner of the country? Doen’t matter, be thankful.
2. Well, can I protest and ask for better treatment? no, protestors are anti-American (humm isn’t that freedom of speech guaranteed in the constitution) and if you don’t like it here go somewhere else. Said even to people BORN here.
3. well then when my right to have my relationship honored legally, or my black or hispanic child to receive the same treatment in public school, what is my recourse? Just be thankful you live in America …it would be worse elsewhere.
4 Really, so just let me get get this striaght. I want to make sure I understand what you are sayng, Mr or Miss Righty. No matter how much of the American Dream I might be denied because of my ethnic background, the color of my skin, religious beliefs, or sexual orient
ation, I should just ‘be thankful”??? yes
Proud of being American
I think the best way to respond to this is summed up in the word “why?”
Now first of all, what exactly did I do to be proud of being here, if I was born here. Thankful I get, but proud??? Happy, I understand, but not proud. Unless you are a believer in reincarnation, and furthermore believe in one version of that belief that says you actually get a committee meeting in the in between lives period, where you have imput into where, when and to whom your born into your next life, then you do absolutely. NOTHING. And since most of you rightees, in my experience don’t in fact believe in reincarnation but that God created you once and for all and you best get it busy and get everything correct, belief and/or behavior NOT or go to hell,the answer is you are simply using the word wrongly…or you mean something else.
So, one down and one to go. What is it about this country that makes you proud?
In other words, what is it that this country is doing that makes you proud? Now, don’t get iot wrong here I am the last person to say there are no reasons to be proud. But are there not also reasons to be less proud? Maybe even ashamed?
I am proud of the fact that we have come as far as we have on equal justice. I am ashamed that we haven’t advanced more.
I am proud that we no longer make African Americans be slaves, go to seperate schools, or sit at the back of the bus. I am ashamed of the fact that a higher percent of black youth are gunned down in the streets by overzealeous, paranoid, and in some cases simply racist cops.
I am proud that American is not like some third world countries where they migh throw off a skycraper because i am gay. (seems like a rather low bar for proudness but ok I give it) I am ashamed to see that in this country as a Gay person, I can lose my job, and be discriminated against in hiring and housing, if it is known that I am gay.
I am proud of the fact that we have legal structure for legal legitimate protest…one example being the the result NFL players that peacefully took a knee. I am ashamed of th fact enough people in the right places voted for a man who seems to believe that it is ok to use his position as president to advocate for laws destroying that very right….IN THE NAME OF AMERICANISM.
So, what exactly are you proud of, Mr or Mrs Righty? Or do you not even know yourself and using that phrase to make yourself feel superior??
also published at my sister page:
