Christianist Ayatollahs Bring America To Shame; and are a worse threat to the nation than communism ever was.

Every time you hear another disgusting, shameful report of a prison atrocity perpetrated by American soldiers, think of some self-righteous fundamentalist Christianist ayatollah exhorting his hypnotized flocks to support George Bush.

Every time you hear another report of the despoiling of the planet's ecology, think of an anti-abortion Catholic Bishop making the political threat to withhold communion and confession from members of his parish who vote for John Kerry or anyone who supports abortion. They better vote Roman Catholic, like the Vatican commands. A vote against abortion is all that matters, even if the guys they vote for rape the planet and helpless children too.

When you tune in to a right wing hate talk show, filled with distortions, innuendo and plain out lies, and can't find a local talk show that covers the left's perspective, think of a Christianist organization that supports suppression of freedom of speech and the right wing, in the pocket of corporatists legislators who allow de-regulation of the airwaves so a handful of right wing corporations can own and control the media.

American Christianists-- far right-wing, politicized extremists who engage their flocks' genuine Christian faith through manipulation and distortion, are, as the main voter constituency supporting extreme right wing republicanism and the Bush administration, at the core of the problem with America that has led to the state we find ourselves in today-- facing daily disclosures of worse and worse reports of horrible, twisted, perverted tortures. Contrary to what the criminal Bush administration claims, these appear to be system-wide patterns produced by policies made official by Bush's anointed and re-confirmed appointee, Donald Rumsfeld.

It is clear that Rumsfeld has had his hand directly in setting the policies that not only allowed but encouraged these un-American activities to occur. By declaring and confirming his strong faith in and support of Rumsfeld, before investigations could determine the facts, Bush made himself fully responsible for any acts in violation of international law that Rumsfeld's decisions caused. Bush should go to jail along with Rumsfeld. But that's another story.

The Christianist-led segment of the US population elected George Bush and his congressional supporters. They have put into power and maintain Bush, the man hated by more people than any other person in the history of the planet.

American Christianist mullahs-- preachers, bishops, and other leaders of the right wing churches whose political exhortations and leadership have put people like Bush, DeLay, Frist, and the toilet full of right wing federal legislator apologists for the Bush team must be seen for what they are-- the real American Taliban-- ugly, hateful, sexist threats to America. These frauds who claim to represent Jesus' teachings are really a far greater threat to the America envisioned by the founders of this nation than communists ever were.

These protectors and hiders of pedophiles, supporters of the defiling of the environment and the enthroners of of corporations as higher priority than humans are the modern day equivalents of the moneychangers Jesus threw out of the temple.

Today, the "temple" is the world of ideas about faith and religion. The "moneychangers" are the sell-outs who call themselves ministers and bishops and popes who use the ideas of faith, of God, to sell their politics. They charge up the passion, the faith, the tender, trusting, open hearts of their congregations, who yearn for trust and a spiritual bosom to nurture them... and they turn these innocent, good hearted people into toxic fools who now support torture, sexual perversion, contemptful mistreatment of the dead and an exploding litany of actions that have horribly sullied the reputation of the United States.

It is not enough for these twisted Christianist Taliban leaders (and the minority of right wing, extremist Jews, (mostly extreme orthodox) who misguidedly support Bush because of his anything goes for Israel policy) to condemn what has happened in the jails, though I have not seen much of a response or uproar from them yet. They are directly responsible for electing and encouraging the "leaders" who have taken our nation down this road of shame, irresponsibility and incompetence.

The people of America who cherish democracy and the values of the founding fathers of our nation face a situation similar to that of the majority of the people in Iran. There, the mullahs, though representing a minority, hold the reins of power. They perpetrate crimes and corruptions that have dragged the nation backwards.

In our free country, it is not possible to jail these American fundamentalist ayatollahs . We can't even stifle their speech. But we can let our neighbors know that they are despicable. We can speak out that they are the hypocrites whose support has allowed the perverse, unacceptable by any religion's standards, actions that the Bush administration's leadership has encouraged and then applauded (Bush did say he thought Rumsfeld was doing a wonderful job.)

You can call in to your local talk show and name the ministers and Bishops who function as right wing political operatives, supporting the Bush torture and sexual perversion (like having prisoners form naked pyramids or pose as though performing oral sex) prison policies. You can write letters to the editorial pages of your local dailies and weeklies. They protest in front of family planning clinics. We can protest in front of their churches with signs declaring that anti abortionists are pro-torture, pro-sexual deviance (probably best to do with coordination with the police. This is confronting them on their turf, and will inflame passions.).

Get in the faces of the hypnotized flocks. Make them confused. Force them to struggle with the idea that it is not a black and white issue-- that opposing abortion is making a deal with the devil and that their leaders have sold their souls to dark side. People want to do what is right, what is good. Their leaders have misguided them, taken them down the path of the unrighteous, through the valley of the shadow of death. Their cups overflow with blood and lascivious fluids. They bear responsibility for the evil. For they have forsaken goodness and mercy and they have lost the way of the lord.

It is not enough though, to just bash Bush and complain about these anti-abortion hypnotized sheep. We must offer them a solution that, while respecting women's rights to chose, also offer a perception of the progressive model that is spiritually resonant with their beliefs. The right wing has think tanks that spend millions developing these models, policies, slants, frames and perspectives. The left desperately needs to take the same approach. We now have the Center for American Progress as the first reasonably well funded left of center policy promotion think tank. We need dozens more, just to catch up with the right wing. The issue of how to deal with the right wing's clutch upon fundamentalist religion must be warred with. It will take many battles and a serious investment by wealthy contributors and foundations for an effective strategy to be reached. Until we take on this challenge, the extreme right will continue to be able to manipulate the religious right with, as is now the case, minimal contention or competition of ideas from the left. This must change.

Rob Kall rob@opednews.com is editor/founder of OpEdNews.com. This article is copyright Rob Kall and originally published by opednews.com but permission is granted for reprint in print, email, blog or web media so long as this credit paragraph is attached. Over 100 other articles by Rob Kall including a series of articles on the need for progressive policy promotion think tanks.

Dear Rob,

You are not wrong. I go to my elderly father's church to accompany him, a fairly conservative Presbyterian denomination. The pastor has been preaching from the pulpit that the media has denigrated the institution of motherhood (on Mother's Day), that we are living under a pall of sixties liberalism, and that the media lies and needs to be muzzled (yesterday). I am astonished at what I hear and am keeping a journal for future action if I feel like I can stand the shitstorm it will unleash. I live in Central Florida, definitely rabid foaming at the mouth style Bush territory. I used to go to AA meetings but had to quit when Republican politics began to seep into the proceedings (I still don't drink). What I find most frightening is how they shove their views right in your face. It seems like we are witnessing the birth of a fascist state (Germany in the 1930s) and it reminds me of the prescient book A Handmaid's Tale.

Damacra
Winter Haven, FL

Patriotism, Nationalism, Religious Fundamentalism, Militarism will be the cause of the destruction of humanity if we all don't wake up soon. The world has way too many flag waving morons. Support the troops? Absolutely not. Unless of course you support mass murder. If we truly lived in a free society then I would be able to express my unpopular views without the fear of being harshly retaliated against. Your either with us or against us. I suppose I am against them. Gee, I guess that makes me a "terrorist" now. So called "terrorists" are really freedom fighters, no different than the American revolutionaries fighting against the British Empire or the French resistance fighting against the Nazis. They resort to barbaric tactics because they have no other way of expressing themselves, unlike the big bad bully on the Block, the U.S. who could easily utilize refined diplomatic means to resolve important problems, but resorts to its use of weapons of mass destruction instead. Down with the Bush Administration!

Dear Rob--

Just wanted to thank you for your article on the American Christianists. I wrote a sci-fi novel in which that form of Xtianity had taken over the Earth, leading to a horrendous Borg-like fascist planetary government. My current lover mocked me, saying it would be corporations that did that. I told him there would be no difference, and it seems I was right about that one. I wish to Hell I wasn't. (As you can imagine, the big six publishers are NOT jumping all over my Anti-Christian book.... perhaps I should see if a free country somewhere wants it.) : )

It's nice not to be the only voice crying in the wilderness : ) Again, thank you for your fearless, true words. People like you make me believe I might just be proven wrong, yet.

Steven Fernier, Canton Ohio