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Religion Under Attack
The art of compromise, upon which any political body must build its own successes; the virtues of tolerance, love, and acceptance, out of which almost every religious philosophy proceeds (save the extremes of which we speak); the notion of equality, upon which foundation America's constitutional history has been built are all perceived by these extremists as tools of the devil: "The creation mandate was precisely the requirement that man subdue the earth and exercise dominion over it. There is not one word of Scripture to indicate or imply that this mandate ever was revoked. There is every word of Scripture to declare that this mandate must and shall be fulfilled. Those who attempt to break it shall themselves be broken." (Rushdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law, 1973, p.14) Language about mandate, subjugation, submission, and dominion drive their own ideology, and they proceed from the mouth of a God who for them will never accept compromise, moderation, or tolerance. Knowing that such ideologies will not yet play well in an America whose genetic material is still replete with the proscriptions for individual liberty, personal choice, and freedom of expression in all things political and religious, most of the work of these extremists is done covertly. Their strategies include an array of clandestine tactics, coded language, and political deception that have gone unnoticed and unchallenged for far too long. Although offered in a much different context, the words of Linda Loman in Arthur Miller's classic Death of a Salesman seem appropriate here: "Attention must be paid." And this is what I propose to do: pay attention. Jesus once disclosed to his disciples: "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known." (Mt. 10.26) Having spent years now tracking the radical religious right; having watched the horrors they have wrought upon otherwise innocent and fruitful congregations; having known first-hand their hatred and vitriol I wish in this space to tell what I have known and experienced. Their attacks, their tactics, their words will be made known: it is my belief that what abides in their darkness cannot long endure the light of day. Stay in touch. Each Tuesday I will write about those things which I, and others, have experienced watching local churches, judicatory authorities, and entire congregations endure one attack after another. This isn't right. It needs to stop. That America was birthed out of the cauldron of the excesses of European political and religious intolerance; that our creative and fertile imagination for something new emerged out of the shadows of Inquisition, Crusade, and Tyranny; that we dreamed possible a government that would ensure certain inalienable rights for all god's people: these have all come to shape an ideology of acceptance, of liberty, and of mutual respect that is now under attack. Fools are we if we let the attacks go unnoticed and unchallenged. That progressives and moderates have waited this long to open their eyes to what has been going on around them is an indictment against them. Evidence of complacency and ignorance is not hard to find: but no more. It is time we speak of what we hear, and to listen more intently to what is being said. It is time we show that which we see, and to look more intently into the dark corners from which will emerge unpleasant truths. And it certainly is time we drop the façade of naiveté and innocence and realize that, as Andrew Weaver (Associate Publisher of Zion's Herald magazine) is fond of saying: "They are playing by a different set of rules. While we think we are playing a game of touch football, they are playing tackle."
Religion is under attack: and they are beating us at our own game.
Religion Under Attack | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 hidden)
Religion Under Attack | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 hidden)
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