Lamentations of the Damned

Historians are a cynical lot — unless they filter history through a religious lens, and in that case "everything makes sense." Rational historians recognize the cyclical nature of human society, culture and politics: progressivism, reactionism, moderation, again, and again, and again.

Since the early 1980s, the radical Religious Right has gained a considerable foothold in American political life. This is as dangerous as the radical right gaining power in Germany, Italy, Spain, and much of Eastern Europe in the 1930s — or the radical left in Russia, China, Vietnam, Cuba and Eastern Europe in the wake of World War II.

The important word here is "radical." What makes them radical?

All radical movements display a fanatical belief in a set of doctrines: "Mein Kampf," for example, or Marx's "Communist Manifesto" — or the Bible. All of these movements believed that these documents contained within them an absolute truth, unchanging and unchallenged. Communists believed in Marx's interpretation of history, economics and society in exactly the same way that today's right-wing Christians believe in the Bible — which is a supreme irony, as Communists ridiculed religious-minded people for their rigid adherence to an historical document.

Like radical Muslims around the world, radical Christians believe that their holy text contains a set of rules and practices handed down by God. As they believe that these rules and practices represent the Word of God, they are both unchanging and unchallegeable. If this holds true, radical Christians must therefore be aware of these Biblical laws:

Anyone who dreams or prophesizes anything that is against God, or anyone who tries to turn you from God, is to be put to death. (Deuteronomy 13:5)

If anyone, even your own family suggests worshipping another God, kill them. (Deuteronomy 13:6-10)

If you find out a city worships a different god, destroy the city and kill all of it's inhabitants... even the animals. (Deuteronomy 13:12-15)

Kill anyone with a different religion. (Deuteronomy 17:2-7)

Don't let cattle graze with other kinds of Cattle (Leviticus 19:19)

Don't have a variety of crops on the same field. (Leviticus 19:19)

Don't wear clothes made of more than one fabric (Leviticus 19:19)

Don't cut your hair nor shave. (Leviticus 19:27)

Any person who curseth his mother or father, must be killed. (Leviticus 20:9)

If a man cheats on his wife, or vise versa, both the man and the woman must die. (Leviticus 20:10).

If a man sleeps with his father's wife... both him and his father's wife is to be put to death. (Leviticus 20:11)

If a man sleeps with his wife and her mother they are all to be burnt to death. (Leviticus 20:14)

If a man or woman has sex with an animal, both human and animal must be killed. (Leviticus 20:15-16).

If a man has sex with a woman on her period, they are both to be "cut off from their people" (Leviticus 20:18)

Psychics, wizards, and so on are to be stoned to death. (Leviticus 20:27)

If a priest's daughter is a whore, she is to be burnt at the stake. (Leviticus 21:9)

People who have flat noses, or is blind or lame, cannot go to an altar of God (Leviticus 21:17-18)

Anyone who curses or blasphemes God, should be stoned to death by the community. (Leviticus 24:14-16)

Don't let cattle graze with other kinds of Cattle (Leviticus 19:19)

Leviticus 20:13 clearly states "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them."

(this list is provided courtesy of Bible Babble.)

These rules, however, are not really the problem. The problem is that radical Christians — as with radical Muslims — believe that they are acting in accordance with God's wishes, and therefore are always correct.

This mindset leads to the assasinations of abortion doctors, or politicians speaking out against same-sex marriage — or suicide bombings in Tel Aviv.

In other words, radical Christians are as potentially dangerous as radical Muslims. They are, in fact, no different from one another. They both insist that they are simply carrying out the "Word of God" by flying airplanes into buildings, or restricting the Constitutional rights of minority groups that offend them.

During his resignation speech, Representative Tom Delay announced that he would continue working to improve foster care, strengthening the Republican Party — and bringing more religion into government. He thus publicly admitted that his Party is working towards the creation of a neo-theocracy, the kind of system rejected by the framers of the Constitution.

I believe that we are living in dangerous times. The constant appeal by the religious right to the worst instincts of the American electorate (in various forms) could potentially lead to a dictatorship that seeks to crush all dissent, as all dictatorships do.

If the liberal and progressive forces in American society continue to fail as completely as they have in the past twelve years, the liberties we cherish will vanish beneath a tidal wave of hatred and intolerance.

Fight, fight, fight!

For some insight into the thinking of the radical right, please take a moment and read these quotations from the Rev. Pat Robertson of the 700 Club. I think you will be amazed at his mindset, and of the mindset of those who follow him.