The False Religion of Pseudo-Christians
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Sun Apr 02, 2006 at 10:11:11 PM EST
Who practices the true religion of Jesus? The Christian Right wants us to think that you can only be a true Christian if you accept their conservative interpretation of the Christian faith. Critics of the Christian Right are becoming more vocal in challenging this idea. The president of the National Council of Churches, Rev. Michael Livingston, recently suggested that the Christian Right is more concerned about "false religion". In a harsher and satiric tone, Bill Maher, on his show last Friday, talked about "pseudo-Christians".
From the National Council of Churches article quoting Rev. Livingston:

The president of the National Council of Churches, the Rev. Michael Livingston, strongly urged church communicators to, "Tell our story. By any means necessary."

"Mainline Protestant and Orthodox churches have been pounded into irrelevancy by the media machine of a false religion," Livingston said. He described what passes as religion to be, "a political philosophy masquerading as gospel; an economic principle wrapped in religious rhetoric and painted red, white and blue."

From a transcript of Real Time with Bill Maher:

The people who run everything can't complain that they're underdogs. To wit, this week there was a highly attended conference in Washington called "The War on Christians" because nothing says "I'm oppressed" quite like the opulent Regency Ballroom of the Omni Shore Hotel.

Whatever happened to that plucky cult called Christianity? Oh that's right. They're 80% of the American people and they've taken over all three branches of government, country music, public schools, the best seller list and, until recently, Katie Holmes. You know, i dont mind you're part of a dress up cult that hates sex and worships magic. But the paranoia, that does scare me.

You know the Missouri legislature recently felt the need to propose a resolution declaring Christianity Missouri's majority religion. No kidding? Really? You mean people aren't saying "Gosh I'd like to go to Missouri but... too Jewish." In Savannah, recently, a chldren's book about a baby penguin that's raised by two male penguins was removed from the library for its homosexual overtones because you know penguins in those tuxedoes, with the dreamy eyes... huge fags.

The Christian Right are now officially the party of paranoia: secularists are attacking Christmas, gays are attacking marriage, liberals are attacking values, white girls are being abducted at an alarming rate. You know if you're going to be that paranoid all the time, just get high.

And the worst part is, the people bitching loudest about being persecuted for their Christianity, aren't Christians at all. They're demagogues and conmen and scolds. And the only thing they worship is power. If you believe Jesus ever had a good word for war, or torture, or taxcuts for the rich, or raping the earth, or refusing water to dying migrants, then you might as well believe bunnies lay painted eggs. And Jesus never said a word about gay marriage. He was much too busy hanging out with 12 guys.

Now, I know George Bush says Jesus Christ changed his heart. But believe me, Dick Cheney changed it back. You know the only thing Bush has in common with Jesus is they both went into their father's business and got crucified for it. Thomas Jefferson called the type of Christian who trumpets his own belief in the divinity of Jesus rather than the morality of Jesus 'pseudo-Christians' and that's who's running our country today. And since they thrive so much on turning water into whining and get off on their endless pretend persecution, this Easter season, let's give them what they want. Let's go to the zoo, get some lions and feed them Tom Delay.




Display:
wow--
no wonder maher got run off the air after 9/11. he's brilliantly incisive. i think it was aristotle who said the good writer (or orator?) must seek to inform and entertain. maher has done that brilliantly with this piece on pseudo-christians.

by IseFire on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 12:11:15 AM EST

Paranoia isn't a recent innovation in the movement at all--I'd dare say that the rampant paranoia in dominionism is part of its core theology, and is definitely one of the major tools that is used to keep people in once recruited (and is increasingly used as a recruitment tool in and of itself).

In fact, the "spiritual warfare" theology (that is spreading even to religious denominations that have not traditionally been into pentecostal-style dominion theology and deliverance ministry movements, thanks to movements like the IRD and Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International (both of which are closely linked to the "Joel's Army" type folks) seeding movements in mainstream churches) has to, by definition, have some sort of enemy--they HAVE to be at war with Eurasia or Eastasia at one point or another, otherwise much of the theology falls apart.

As I've noted, the whole "us versus the world" theme that has been the predominant theme in dominionist circles for the past thirty years (and if some of the older dominionist groups like FGBMFI and "The Fellowship" are counted, possibly all the way back to early Cold War or even pre-World War II origins) is actually a fairly major example of what I term "Bad habits" of spiritually abusive groups in the dominionist movement spreading--even to those dominionist groups that are not (yet) frankly coercive religious groups.  

An "Us Versus Them" mentality is commonly noted by experts in spiritually abusive groups as a major red flag.  In fact, Steve Hassan's excellent BITE model of "coerciveness" has two entire level of evaluation devoted to it:

(from freedomofmind.com)

III. Thought Control

1. Need to internalize the group's doctrine as "Truth"

    a. Map = Reality
    b. Black and White thinking
    c. Good vs. evil
    d. Us vs. them (inside vs. outside)

  1. Adopt "loaded" language (characterized by "thought-terminating clichés"). Words are the tools we use to think with. These "special" words constrict rather than expand understanding. They function to reduce complexities of experience into trite, platitudinous "buzz words".

  2. Only "good" and "proper" thoughts are encouraged.

  3. Thought-stopping techniques (to shut down "reality testing" by stopping "negative" thoughts and allowing only "good" thoughts); rejection of rational analysis, critical thinking, constructive criticism.

    a. Denial, rationalization, justification, wishful thinking
    b. Chanting
    c. Meditating
    d. Praying
    e. Speaking in "tongues"
    f. Singing or humming

  1. No critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy seen as legitimate

  2. No alternative belief systems viewed as legitimate, good, or useful

IV. Emotional Control

  1. Manipulate and narrow the range of a person's feelings.

  2. Make the person feel like if there are ever any problems it is always their fault, never the leader's or the group's.

  3. Excessive use of guilt

    a. Identity guilt

        1. Who you are (not living up to your potential)
        2. Your family
        3. Your past
        4. Your affiliations
        5. Your thoughts, feelings, actions

            b. Social guilt
            c. Historical guilt

4. Excessive use of fear

    a. Fear of thinking independently
    b. Fear of the "outside" world
    c. Fear of enemies
    d. Fear of losing one's "salvation"
    e. Fear of leaving the group or being shunned by group
    f. Fear of disapproval

  1. Extremes of emotional highs and lows.

  2. Ritual and often public confession of "sins".

  3. Phobia indoctrination : programming of irrational fears of ever leaving the group or even questioning the leader's authority. The person under mind control cannot visualize a positive, fulfilled future without being in the group.

    a. No happiness or fulfillment "outside"of the group
    b. Terrible consequences will take place if you leave: "hell"; "demon possession"; "incurable diseases"; "accidents"; "suicide"; "insanity"; "10,000 reincarnations"; etc.
    c. Shunning of leave takers. Fear of being rejected by friends, peers, and family.
    d. Never a legitimate reason to leave. From the group's perspective, people who leave are: "weak;" "undisciplined;" "unspiritual;" "worldly;" "brainwashed by family, counselors;" seduced by money, sex, rock and roll.

Section III (Thought Control) almost in its entirety and subsection 1 and 4 of section IV (Emotional Control) could particularly apply to the "us versus them" mentality here.  (Which reminds me, I need to do an evaluation of dominionist movements in general and the group I escaped from in particular by BITE :3)

by dogemperor on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 10:08:35 AM EST

Folks, lets be very clear.

The general topic of this site is the religious right and what to do about it.

Seems to me that Livingston's remarks, while interesting are vague and pointed at the religious views and activities of unnamed people, rather than anything about the religious right per se.  Bill Maher at least addresses the resolution of the Missouri legislature regarding Christian nationalism.

Additionally, the general subect of mind control is not necessarily irrelevant, but when it is discussed, it should be drawn fairly specifically to the topic of the site, rather as riff off of one word in a text.  

As we make very clear in our introductory materials, our statement of purpose and site guidelines, this site is not about religion, or one person's version of faith vs. another version of faith. It is most definitely not about cults and cultism, although specific religious and poltical groupings within what we may generically call the religious right, certainly engage in cultic practices and these are worth reporting and discussing.

Staying on topic can be tricky. This site is primarily about politics in the sense that the religious right, and its various component parts have political activities and goals. Therefore the goings on the the Southern Baptist Convention, the Assemblies of God, the United Church of Christ and other denominations are relevant. But care needs to be taken that posts show the relevance, since it will not necessarily be evident to readers unfamiliar with these things.

An example of how to look at the matter of topicality comes in the case of the United Church of Christ's God is Still Speaking ad and marketing campaign. It is on topic here only in so far as it is denounced by the religious right, or are suppressed by the TV networks which in then air religious right ads and claim there is not a double standard in policy.  Taken alone, the UCC's ad campaign is not on topic.

The gray area in these things is wide, but lines do need to be drawn and it is up to everyone who contributes to the site to ensure that we do not lose our focus.

by Frederick Clarkson on Mon Apr 03, 2006 at 01:42:08 PM EST



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