I think the problem with the Christian evangelicals is their

[Cleita]

leadership. As long as you have homophobic, racist, sexist men leading them like Jerry Falwell, they will continue to believe the nonsense they believe. I think it's time to go after these guys for being the crooks and grifters that they are. I think there would be a Pulitzer prize in store for any writer who can turn up financial irregularties and criminal acts as well as kinky sex scandals involving those ministries. When you topple the false gods, the temple will crumble.

[lukasahero]

1. I'm not sure it would make a difference

With the "born-again" crowd, all is forgiven - unless of course you're not "one of them"...

I wish you were right, but the info is already out there. It doesn't matter after they've "converted". They just use that "we're all sinners" crap to exonerate anybody they want to and damn the rest of us to hell. It sucks, but it's the way they think. Facts and knowledge don't carry any weight.

[rkc3]

2. I say the exact opposite.

Let's try to bring Falwell and his cronies more into the mainstream. First off, it's good humor for those of us with above room temperature IQs.

Secondly, it would scare the living shit out of actual conservatives who couldn't imagine sharing the same tent with these inbreds.

We should be writing them every day telling them to use their election capital and get their programs started.

[murielm99]

3. Palast has gone after Robertson.

It does not seem to register with them. And, it does not get published in the mainstream news sources here.

It was working in the eighties. They got to Bakker, and the Rev. Moon.

Maybe an unknown has to infiltrate, and write a series of exposes. But who would publish it, in today's climate?

[Cleita]

6. You need to get a deep throat very close to the

inside circle of the ministries. Then you need to dig up a few male hookers who may have serviced some of these hypocrites. You also need to get hold of documents from their financial dealings. Then you get a British publisher to put the book out. When the whole world is talking about it, it will be hard for the American press to ignore it.

[0007]

4. Love to see the IRS nail Pat Robertson

[Cleita]

7. IRS probably would be told to stand down by BushCo,

but that doesn't mean his financial dealing shouldn't be published elsewhere.

[LisaLynne]

5. Someone suggested ...

putting "Radical Cleric" before their names, as in "Radical Cleric Pat Roberton said ..." I think that's a good idea. Call them what they are. Nobody has any problems calling Islamic Fundamentalist clerics "radical". Pat and Jerry blamed 9/11 on innocent Americans and want people to pray for other people to die. Sounds bad enough to me!

[sweetheart]

8. Where are the 2nd amendment people...

When they are needed.... if a few of these evil preachers were to
head to the pearly gates, the constitution would be a lot safer.

Next time i hear a gun nut telling me they need their guns to defend
the constitution, i'm gonna laugh in their faces and call them
cowardly liars.

[adadem]

9. Evangelicals believe

that the bible is the literal word of God. They do not accept that the Bible was written by men...Middle Eastern men and possibly women. My mother was convinced that every pastor "hired" by her church was personally selected for that position by God. She never accepted that being a pastor was a chosen profession.

The Midwest fundie church that I was raised in also emphasized that Catholics were heathens...not true Christians. I think that is probably still the case in most Evangelical/Fundie churches but they don't speak openly of it in order to grow their anti-abortion coalition. Kooks like Fawell and Robertson...and Graham (my mother adored him) are no better than Nazis with their spewing hatred in the name of God.

They drink the red Kool-Aid willingly and swallow it whole.

[Cleita]

11. Believing in the literal word of the Bible is not the

worst thing, but they need leaders, who interpret the words responsibly, not the carnie grifters they follow now. If you topple them, then maybe it will open the way for true Christian pastors to take over.

I have a question. All those Disneyland style Christian theme parks have got to be raking in dough? Are they getting a tax free status? Someone needs to expose this and other abuses of the tax free status by demanding that an official of the IRS confirm exactly what taxes they are paying.

I wish I could do it myself, but someone like a Kitty Kelly has to step up to the plate and uncover this empire's operation from the bottom up.

[sandnsea]

10. Yes

We had some investigation going on this. I thought it was a good idea to just start exposing these groups and people and fraud and money connections, even by just leafleting churches like they do. Wasn't necessary to try to bring down Bush with vague links. If we can just bring down these groups, that's a big part of it. I've said before, it's like fighting a wildfire. You have to attack it with many different tools, from many different directions.

[MissMarple]

12. And realizing not all evangelicals are alike. There are differences.

We need to explore this and start reaching out to them as individual people, not some amorphous evil group.

[KittyWampus]

13. They Are Not "Christians". They Don't Follow The Word Of Christ

they follow the Old Testament- and selected parts of the OT at that.

Christ's message was about Redemption not Vengence. Love and Acceptance not Hatred and Bigotry. He was about NOT throwing the first stone.

These people are NOT CHRISTIANS and have next to nothing to do with any of the principles Christ espoused in the gospels.

[Cleita]

14. Yes, but I can remember back in the forties and fifties

when evangelicals confined their activities to preaching on street corners and tormenting each other with their impossible to attain virtues. They kept to themselves and their own congregations. Yes, they shunned Catholics and Jews as devil's spawn but they didn't interfere with anyone else's lives back then.

We need to get them back to minding their own business. As a matter-of-fact, I worked in Texas with a Louisiana kid whose family belonged to one of those rattlesnake handling cults. But, they didn't try to convert anyone. They didn't try to get beer and dancing banned for other people although they didn't do it themselves, but most of all, get this, they didn't believe in revelation because they thought only God knows the future and he won't reveal it until the time comes.

They were more interested in being insular rather than making everyone else believe and act as them. I think if the leadership turns over it will go back to that. Let's face it Falwell, Robertson, Jones et al are nothing but carnie grifters who have found a candy store to exploit.

[KittyWampus]

15. Elmer Gantry Was On TV Just Before The Election. Burt Lancaster

and Shirley Jones.

Had never seen the movie or read the book before. In fact, it wasn't until I posted about it on DU that I learned it was made from a Sinclair Lewis book.

Yes, the Evangelical title has been hijacked by the carnie grifters as you called them. And lots of people who are of that persuasion have been bamboozeled.

The Religious or Spiritual Left has got to stand up and be recognized.