On October 7, 2009 the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the constitutionality of a seven-foot cross currently standing in the Mojave National Preserve in San Bernardino County, California. Erected by veterans of the First World War in 1934, the religious symbol has become a significant bone of contention in the ongoing effort to define the proper separation of church and state. But beyond the basic issues of constitutionality, the occasion has provided a fresh platform for two members of the Catholic Right -- Bill Donohue and Associate Justice U.S. Supreme Court Antonin Scalia to spew some extraordinary, and extraordinarily revealing, expressions of religious supremacy.

This is Part Three in a series of articles on why we need J Street, and a new perspective on the meaning of "pro-Israel."  Link to [Part One] and [Part Two.]

Worldwide Biblical Zionists (WBZ) is a project of World Likud and its evangelical arm, World Evangelical Zionists.  It was developed to aid Christian Zionists who wish to make aliyah (move to Israel) with the stated goal of providing assistance for housing, employment, legal services, and pre-military training. To the right is a graphic of the planned Strategic Biblical Zionist Center.

This is Part Two in a series about the dangers of Christian Zionism, and why organizations like J Street are badly needed to provide a different vision of what it means to be pro-Israel. See Part One here.

There are numerous reasons why the relationship with Christian Zionists "impairs Israel's interests," to borrow a recent comment directed at J Street by the Israeli Embassy. Ambassador Michael Oren is apparently snubbing J Street's upcoming first national conference although he spoke at John Hagee's Christian's United for Israel conference in July.  This is my list of the top ten reasons, based on years of research, why it is John Hagee and Christian Zionist activists who should be viewed as impairing Israel's interests, not moderate and liberal American Jews.  For brevity I have limited examples, quotes, and references for which I have large amounts of supporting documentation.

I recently wrote here and at Daily Kos about the important, but often underappreciated differences between demonization and incivility in our political culture, (with particular regard to the way that the excesses of the Religious Right are often buried under a mound of false equivalence with elements of the left.)  At the time, I had in my the back of my mind my soon to be published interview with David Neiwert, author of the recent book, The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right.  The interview is now posted over at the webzine, Religion Dispatches.  

What follows, is my introduction to our interview:

My recent trek through the Ozark Mountians wound me through a meandering road that opened up to one of the largest entertainment regions in the country. A city on a hill, a new Jerusalem, the nation's prime Christian resort, Eureka Springs, Arkansas. There was a marathon of hotels, cabins and lodges, more than any place I had ever visited. This city, mow famous for The Great Passion Play, was at one time a remote backwoods pocket of poverty with less than a hundred residents. The famous Gerald L. K. Smith saw the potential here and erected a thirty foot statue known as Jesus of the Ozarks. He began work on starting an outdoor play about the final days of Christ. This led to the mega industry built around the play and established by its own presence Eureka Springs as a top vacation spot.

Michael Oren, the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., is apparently rejecting the invitation by J Street for their upcoming conference.  It should be shocking that the ambassador would reject the invitation to speak to a conference of American Jews coming together in support of Israel, particularly since he was quite willing to speak to John Hagee's Christians United for Israel this past July, a few months after being named as ambassador.   Oren's excuse for snubbing J Street is that the organization could "impair Israeli interests."

[Graphic, above, is from a donor request webpage for Maoz Israel, a Messianic ministry in Israel that includes a Messianic congregation, Hebrew publishing center for charismatic books, and a charitable arm, istandwithisrael.com, that accesses Jews through the donation of millions of dollars of goods.  It is endorsed by John Hagee and other CUFI directors who claim not to proselytize. ]

Back in June, when it was reported on the Time Magazine website that the Obama family had chosen the chapel at Camp David as their home church, I wrote a quick post about Navy chaplain Lt. Carey Cash, the chaplain at Camp David. Although the White House had denied the Time story by the time I finished writing my post, I made no changes to what I had written, with the exception of adding a disclaimer that the White House had denied the Time report that the Camp David chapel had been chosen by the Obamas as their home church. As the Research Director for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), my concerns regarding what I had discovered about Lt. Cash, a military chaplain who had said of the efforts to Christianize the U.S. military, "First we get the military, then we get the nation," were the same whether he was the president's official pastor or not.

Over the past few years, my Talk to Action colleagues and I have written a great deal about the way that various Washington insiders, among others, have adopted many of the ideas, framing and even the phrasings of the Religious Right. We also confronted such consultantocratic notions that we should not talk about such historic progressive and Democratic Party interests as reproductive rights, LGTB civil rights and separation of church and state so that they could make alliances with alleged moderate evangelicals and Catholics -- some of whom turned out to be not very moderate at all.  The culture war was over, or about to be, or oughtta be, so it was claimed.

But many of us knew better

When I was in college, we could always tell when the relentless western Pennsylvania winter was finally losing its grip by two key events: A roving evangelist would appear on campus and scream at women he thought were immodestly attired, and the Gideons would stand outside the cafeteria and pass out copies of the New Testament.

I didn't mind taking one. After all, I was an adult and it was my choice. But in looking it over, I noticed one thing: The first few pages emphasized the passage John 3:16. Many fundamentalists see this verse as the key to becoming "born again."

Religion Dispatches:  Peter Laarman discusses how common groundism has been moving the discussion deep into the Religious Right zone.

Bilgrimage:  Theologian William D. Lindsey discusses how Catholic antiabortion activists are out to derail health are reform.

The American Prospect:  Sarah Posner wonders what baloney Dan Gilgoff is consuming that makes him think president Obama should worry about what the Religious Right thinks about his policies on abortion.

Religion Dispatches:  Dan Schultz (aka pastordan) wants to see some facts to support common grounder claims that Democrats are somehow overreaching on abortion rights. (Wouldn't want to undermine that pander to the Religious Right that has been going on for so long now would we?)

David Gushee, a conservative evangelical professor of Christian Ethics, and darling of those who profess to seek common ground on abortion, recently published an op-ed in USA Today that reveals some of the serious problems with common groundism.

We'll get to those problems momentarily. But first I want to point out that Gushee ends in a way that one wishes he had begun.  

"I dare to think that it's still not too late to be the kind of nation in which differences are debated honestly, the votes are cast, the decisions are made and we move forward together as one people. I would like to see Christians contribute to that kind of society, rather than to the demonization that undermines it at its foundations."

 

Unfortunately, most of what precedes this encouraging conclusion, does not lead us in that productive direction. In fact, it functions as a defacto apologia for the worst elements of the Religious Right.

There has long been a Mormon dimension to the Religious Right which has been little discussed and not well understood.  Whether fortunately or unfortunately, the rise of Glenn Beck has begun to change that. Indeed, in the run up to the publication of a book on Beck, his Mormon-informed far Religious Rightism is starting to get noticed.

There are two new and useful articles out about this this week that wonder aloud about the role not just of Beck, but of Mormonism, (at least certain strains of Mormonism) in the future of American conservatism. (Exceprts on the flip).

Mitt Romney had a hard time navigating popular distrust of his Mormon faith as well as the overt anti-Mormonism of conservative Christians he needed to win over in the GOP primaries. He went so far as to give a speech early in the primary season intended to take the issue of his Mormonism head on. It probably helped him but, by all indications, not nearly enough.

I understand that people have different views on the issue health-care reform.

My family and I rely on my health-care plan, and I want to make sure it's there for us. At the same time, I can't accept the fact that so many millions of my fellow citizens are without coverage. I don't see those two concerns as irreconcilable.

First openly gay nominee for spot on Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is attacked by Traditional Values Coalition, Focus on the Family and the Alliance Defense Fund

Thus far, no video has surfaced of her saying "I would hope that a wise Jewish lesbian with the richness of her experiences would, more often than not, reach a better conclusion," a la the recently confirmed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, nor has any bizarre petition shown up with her signature affixed to it, a la Van Jones, the president's former point man on green jobs. Nevertheless the Christian Right -- led by the always agitated folks at the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) -- is up in arms over Chai R. Feldblum's nomination to become a Commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency that enforces civil rights laws.

Feldblum's record indicates that she is a perfect fit for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; a compassionate advocate for the rights of the disabled and the disaffected. Au contraire say several Religious Right groups: Her appointment will be a victory for the 'forces of darkness,' and mark the end of 'religious liberty.'

Feldblum is the first openly gay or lesbian to be nominated to the EEOC -- as one of five commissioners, her nomination must be confirmed by the Senate -- which issues regulations implementing anti-discrimination laws and which authorizes test case litigation under anti-discrimination laws.

Every Friday night on his HBO series Real Time With Bill Maher Bill Maher helps out the very folks he abhors - the Religious Right and movement conservatism. He does it by mocking people of faith whom he generically paints as delusional.

Ahmadinejad's visit to the United Nations stirred Mike Evans and Joel Rosenberg, two leading Christian Zionists, to once again open fire on Iran

I am in New York City standing up for Israel and against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Please pray for me. I have been boycotted by the UN because of our 9/11 NoVisa campaign. - Michael Evans, September 23, 2009

They're not Evans and Novak, and they're not officially tied together like Martin and Lewis, Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, or even Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow, but best-selling authors Michael Evans and Joel Rosenberg appear to be busting out their anti-Iran arsenals at just about the same time.  

While Mike Evans was fighting to keep Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, out of the United States - thereby preventing him from speaking at the United Nations (he failed) - and battling the U.N. to get press credentials for its session (which he eventually received), Joel Rosenberg, fresh from a successful 9/11 National Town Hall Meeting, was warning that "Rumors of a major war between Iran and Israel in 2010 continue to swirl here in Washington and in Jerusalem."  

Much of the discussion about abortion and public policy in Washington this past year has been dominated by those who advocate for, or say that they have found, "common ground" on abortion.  While this approach and its results have been in considerable dispute, particularly as prochoice progressive religious voices have been largely marginalized during this period, I am pleased to report that prochoice religious progressives have found their collective voice and are seeking to get heard -- the Gatekeepers of the various Conventional Wisdoms be damned.

This is significant in part because, popular misconceptions aside, vast numbers of American religious individuals and major institutions are and have been prochoice for decades. Listed in the Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Abortion as Moral Decision (below) are some of the major American religious insitutions that are officially prochoice as well as other data indicating the magnitude of religious prochoice sentiment. It is also significant, because too often, religious identity in general and Christian identity in particular, has been equated with antiabortionism, and allowed to be defined by the Religious Right. This is now, and has always been false; and allowing the Religious Right and antiabortionism to define the breadth and depth of the religious views on this and related matters has been an error of historic proportions.

Banned Books Week is the annual celebration of the freedom to read, sponsored primarily by the American Library Association. I think it is one of our very best, and perhaps least appreciated events that we embrace as a culture.  This year, it is being celebrated September 26−October 3, 2009. This year, the ALA has, among other things, posted an interactive map of incidents of book censorship around the country; and the interactive map , and action ideas, and the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression has a cool organizing handbook and downloadable graphics.  

Banned Books Week always generates lots of press, (See for example The Christian Science Monitor.)

It is usually the case that the Religious Right is the source of most incidents of censorship and attempted censorship, and their reasons usually have something to do with hot button issues of the culture wars (that certain Beltway Insiders assure us are over, or just about to be.)

A new survey about religion in America has the Religious Right all worked up.

Researchers at Trinity College in Hartford noted a sharp rise in the number of Americans who, when asked to state their religious preference, replied "none." According to some polls, this bloc of Americans now accounts for about 15 percent, and Trinity researchers say it may rise to 20 percent by 2030.

As described in a story at Wired Magazine, an enterprising team from the Geography Department at Kansas State University has created a series of United States maps that purport to show incidence of the seven deadly sins mentioned in the Bible: greed, envy, wrath, sloth, gluttony, lust, and pride. Now, there are some methodological questions in terms of what proxy data the team chose as representing incidence of deadly sins. For example, the proxy data for "sloth" are "Expenditures on art, entertainment, and recreation compared with employment." And, do STD rates really correlate with lust ? But the maps are certainly intriguing.

Daily Kos:  Republican candidate for Gov. of Virginia, Bob McDowell is a proud graduate of Pat Robertson's Regent University.  He also opposes birth control.

Daily Kos: Actor and creationism proponent Kirk Cameron says that Hitler has an "undeniable connection" to the theory of evolution.

Religion Dispatches: Sarah Posner reports on the Values Voters Summit.

Wall of Separation: Sandhya Bathija reports on the Values Voters Summit.

The Public Eye: Pam Chamerlain profiles Religious Right leader Janice Shaw Crouse

In an interview on NBC today, reports Politico.com, "Meet The Press" interviewer David Gregory asked Former US President Bill Clinton, "Your wife famously talked about the vast right wing conspiracy targeting you. As you look at this opposition on the right to President Obama, is it still there?"

Clinton answered in the affirmative; "Oh, you bet. Sure it is. It's not as strong as it was, because America has changed demographically. But it's as virulent as it was. I mean, they're saying things about him. You know, it's like when they accused me of murder, and all that stuff they did... Their agenda seems to be wanting him to fail."

Bill Clinton's mention of the political import of demographic changes likely referred to an analysis, popular in liberal think-tank circles, which projects that because much the GOP's base has been rooted among white European-Americans, Democratic Party fortunes will rise in coming decades as non-European minority groups, which historically have tended to vote for Democratic Party candidates, come to constitute an ever-larger share of the voting electorate.

This past September 17th, "neoconservative godfather" Irving Kristol passed away at age 89.  While his passing demands condolences for his family, his philosophical legacy does not, especially when it comes to matters of faith.

Reading stories about the religious right often led me to questions as to how organizations in the group came up with so much money.  I ran across several reports about ministers like Gerald Smith being hired as a union buster.  Business men like Henry Ford saw unions as a threat to their fortunes.  During this period some anti-union sentiments were connected to fears of Communist infiltration.  Growing up in Oklahoma and living in a white collar town meant I received a two fold indoctrination on the evils of unions.  As a general rule of thumb the religious right has been anti union.  It has a legacy of hostility towards organzied labor. Christian talk radio often uses the word "union" in the same disdain they would  mentioning  the ACLU.

Today Republican Congressman Steve King of Iowa said Gay Marriage was part of socialist plan. Why does this make sense in a Christian Right worldview?

How did the post WWII Christian Right shift from a focus on the military defeat of godless global communism to a policing of our bedrooms—straight or gay? What happened? Why care? How do they justify vilifying President Obama?

The U.S. Supreme Court is gearing up to come back into session Oct. 5, and just in time for that, Justice Antonin Scalia has decided to pop off in the media about how much he hates church-state separation - again!

In what is billed as an "Historic Exclusive Interview" in the Brooklyn-based Orthodox  Jewish newspaper Hamodia, Scalia attacks one of the core concepts of church-state separation - the idea that government must remain neutral between religion and non-religion.

Matthew Hagee is ready to step into his father's shoes, but Pastor John Hagee is not quite ready to leave the building

As a number of older Religious Right leaders pass on, retire, and/or slip reluctantly into history, many of their sons are heeding the call, and are stepping in to take their place. Jerry Jr. and Jonathan Falwell have succeeded their father, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, in the running of Liberty University and in the pulpit at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va., where their father had presided for 40 years before his death; Gordon Robertson has taken on a major role at Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network; and for the past several years, Tim Wildmon has been playing a significant role in the Rev. Donald Wildmon's American Family Association.

Now, it's closing in Matthew Hagee time.

He's a preacher, a talented singer, an author, the host of his own television program, and he's waiting in the wings for his father, Pastor John Hagee -- who late last year underwent open heart surgery -- to ride off into the sunset.

Does Matthew have his dad's fire in his belly? Will he be as controversial a figure as his father? Is he ready for prime time?

Listening to the rhetoric and reading the placards at recent right-wing events has led many progressive observers to conclude that "these folks are nuts!" Well, they are no more crazy or ignorant than most Americans (stifle that giggle), but they do live inside a bubble.

We all live inside our own bubbles in terms of where we get our information. If you grew up listening to right-wing libertarian talk radio and conservative Christian televangelism programs you might be able to break out of that that bubble, but it is difficult, and the exception, not the rule.

A few months ago I explored the Catholic Right's efforts to create a climate in the church that is so hostile that moderate and liberal Catholics would leave. Part one identified the two schools of social conservatism pushing this agenda while part two explored their discernable goals.

I take a more comprehensive look at the matter in the Fall 2009 issue of The Public Eye magazine.

I'm back from the Religious Right Bizarro World that is the "Values Voter Summit." As always, it was quite an experience.

I'll have a full report on the event in the October Church & State, but I wanted to share some things I learned at the Summit with you today: