Culture Warriors category archive

Eugene Robinson excoriates the hypocrisy of evangelical “Christian” “leaders” as regards Donald Trump. A snippet:

I can’t pretend to be shocked, shocked that conservative political activists who cloak themselves in gaudy religiosity turn out to be rank hypocrites. That’s nothing new. I do feel sorry, though, for the millions of Christians who look to figures such as Perkins and Graham for moral leadership. They must be terribly confused.

After all, Perkins’ predecessor at the Family Research Council, Gary Bauer, said this when Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky was revealed in 1998: “Character counts — in a people, in the institutions of our society, and in our national leadership.”

Apparently, it only counts when a Democrat is in the White House, not a Republican. I’m still looking for the Bible verse that spells out this distinction, but it must be in there somewhere.

Via Job’s Anger.

Dick Polman remarks on evangelical “Christians” ability to look the other way. A nugget:

The word hypocrisy doesn’t begin to describe people who have forfeited moral authority and proved to be as fraudulent as the president they deify. There’s no other way to explain someone like the Rev. Franklin Graham, who said last weekend that he loves Trump because this president has “a concern about Christian values.”

Via The Bob Cesca Show Blog.

Republican family values.

They (it?) have always been a con and a scam for the rubes.

In The Denver Post, Chuck Plunkett recounts a conversation with a leading Colorado evangelical “Christian,” Jeff Hunt; he finds the exchange–er–distressing. Here’s a bit:

I like Hunt and find him affable and accommodating, sincere and forthright. Also, hailing from an evangelic upbringing, I do not wish the community harm. But there is danger here. When it comes to politics, Hunt has one of the worst cases of true-believer syndrome I’ve ever seen. Again and again, his defense of Trump is purely partisan, no matter the violent conflict it creates with Christian values and beliefs.

Given the opportunity to share gripes about Trump’s bad behavior, Hunt demurs. He disputes that Trump is a constant liar or that his actions are racist. He denies that Trump’s actions are intentionally divisive. He dodges questions about Trump’s treatment of women and his unorthodox business practices while president. He blames the media.

Much more at the link.

Via The Bob Cesca Show Blog.

Charles Matthews tries to figure out what happened to the “Gospel of Love” among white “Christian” evangelicals. His piece is well worth a read. Here’s a snippet:

White evangelical Christians like guns, for example, and do not especially like immigrants. Compared to other demographic groups, we’re excited about the death penalty, indifferent to those who are impoverished or infirm, and blind to racial and gender inequalities. We claim to read the Bible and hear Jesus’ teachings, but we think poor people deserve what they (don’t) get, and the inmates of our prisons deserve, if anything, worse than the horrors they already receive. For believers in a religion whose Scriptures teach compassion, we’re a breathtakingly cruel bunch.

Mike discusses the latest antics of Jim Bakker, pretend Christian. (Warning: language.)

Thom and his guest discuss why right-wing “evangelical” Christians support Donald Trump, who’s conduct is–er, how shall I put it delicately?–problematical.

Betsy Biesenbach reviews the year in sexism and offers a disturbing prediction. A snippet (emphasis added):

With all the allegations that are coming out against powerful men, it almost seems there will be no men running anything when this is over. But of course there will. No matter how powerful a few women become, men are still in charge and will be for the foreseeable future. The next step in this movement will undoubtedly be a backlash against the women who have come forward, and the end result will be that we are silenced once again.

In the meantime, how many men are afraid for their reputations and their careers? Ironically, women who have resisted unwanted advances have always been just as afraid for theirs. It’s a taste of what women feel every day — with the additional knowledge that their very persons aren’t safe.

In a tangentially related piece, Marty Klein, at Psychology Today Blogs, explores why some persons are so uptight about anything sexual, even when it’s not actually sexual. Here’s a bit:

Like kids in a candy store or at a scary movie, people obsessed with erotic imagery are simply not emotionally equipped to ignore what they see. These people deserve sympathy, but they don’t get mine because they deal with their upset in such an aggressive way. They want to cleanse the public sphere of sexuality—and they imagine the public sphere as practically the whole world. It includes Greek statues in City Hall, radio ads for birth control, string bikinis on the beach, vanity license plates, lube in the drugstore—the list is almost endless.

I argue that the piece is related because it sheds some light on why, when confronted with news of sexual misconduct and harassment, some folks don’t want to hear or believe them. Follow the link to determine whether you think I have a point.

PoliticalProf muses on separation of state and religion as viewed by the framers of the Constitution. The piece is short and worth your while.

Remember, when the Founders wrote drafted the Constitution, witch trials were still within living memory and religious wars with their grandparents’ memories. (Yes, I know that, in “religious” wars, religion is often be a proxy for, or, at least, mixed with other things, such as economic oppression, and bigotry, even population pressure; we can see that today, too.)

Afterthought:

I live about two miles from a street called “Witchduck Road.” It has that name for a reason.

December 17, 2017 | Posted by: Frank | Posted in: Culture Warriors | Bookmark this post