Right-wing attack on mainline churches

[mojogeorgo]

The other night over at Daily Kos, I spotted a diary by Troutfishing entitled Air America/Talk To Action Show Exposes WAR on Liberal Churches. The diary directed readers to a podcast of Air America's State of Belief episode that aired on Sunday, May 21. The episode featured

a 4-way discussion between Gaddy and three leaders (and also writers on Talk To Action) in the fight against the far right effort to take over and destabilize mainline Protestantism , to split up, neutralize, and take over churches and potentially even entire denominations.

Once I started listening, I realized that this was some disturbing, important stuff, and something that needed to be in an accessible format for posting, so I started transcribing it. You can find it as Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 at my Religious Left Blog. Some excerpts below.


http://realreligiousleft.blogspot.com/

Gaddy: How do you get this done--what is the strategy for taking over a denomination?

Weaver: Well, you undermine confidence in the leadership. You constantly create a picture that they are doing untoward things. So you use, as John has said, propaganda language continually. And drive home wedge issues. Human sexuality is the primary one, because there is so much emotion around that question. But they also use jingoistic, patriotistic--recently United Methodist bishops, two out of three of them in November signed a very strong statement against this war as unjust and immoral. Also said the occupation, which is important, is unjust and immoral. Well, when Fox News called the White House, they had no comment. But within 10 days, the IRD did a smear piece in the Weekly Standard where Fred Barnes, who is on the board of the IRD, who's on Fox News, and the Weekly Standard board. They also did a fund letter at Christmas time, December 22, saying that the bishops would not have defended America at Normandy. At Normandy! So we're talking about extreme propaganda to try to divide people.

More...

Gaddy: Some of you have written, or maybe all of you have written, about the hookup between this takeover movement and Christian Reconstructionism movement, and the Dominionist movement related to that. My guess is, a lot of listeners to State of Belief are not familiar with those terms and those organizations. Give us a very quick introduction to them.

Weaver: Well, Howard Ahmanson is at the core of this. He's a billionaire, whose wife sits on the IRD board. They are big contributors to Christian Reconstructionism. Howard Ahmanson for 23 years was on the Chalcedon Institute board. He is the primary funder. They believe that we should not have a democracy but we need to have a twisted sense of Calvinist theocracy, in which among other things, people like everyone on this radio show should be stoned to death because we don't share their religious beliefs out of literalism out of Deuteronomy. Gays should be stoned to death, and incorrigible children.

[spindrifter]

1. Amazing--

not being involved with religion at this point in my life, I understood that the ultraright is attempting to use churches to push their issues. A prime example is Tim Eymon in Washington state who is urging churches to have their members gather signatures for his referendum to overturn the state's new rights bill. I had not considered that they are actually trying to take over churches or spending money to oppose views they disagree with. Nothing, apparently, is sacred.

[mojogeorgo]

2. I had no clue...

...until I heard the program.

I live in Columbus, which is where the Episcopal church (my denomination) is having its convention next month. I read a bit about the right wing groups' plans for that event here.
http://www.edow.org/follow/

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. Oh yes.. they have plans to infiltrate or alienate

[MadMaddie]

3. Tim Eymon...I have no life loser...has shown the flaw with

the referendum process....You have so called black Rev Ken Hutchenson the whore for the Repug party...our state of Wa is going to have to look at the referendum process and either fix it or get rid of it....

[spindrifter]

4. It's a money maker for

Eymon. Why sell watches when you can get a lot of attention, have old f*rts working for you and get paid for pushing your right-wing agenda? We definitely need to rein this in.

[MadMaddie]

5. I wonder if we can get a referendum to rein in the referendums?

:crazy:

[spindrifter]

6. Gotta check the state constitution.

[MadMaddie]

7. Guess I have some homework to do ...

[spindrifter]

8. Hmmm.

SECTION 34 SAME. The legislature shall pass the necessary laws to carry out the provisions of section thirty-three (33) of this article, and to facilitate its operation and effect without delay: Provided, That the authority hereby conferred upon the legislature shall not be construed to grant to the legislature any exclusive power of lawmaking nor in any way limit the initiative and referendum powers reserved by the people.
======
This is just a start.

[yardwork]

10. This is important. There is a well-funded movement toward theocracy

These people don't just want freedom to believe in what they believe - they want the entire U.S. to be based on their beliefs. They don't believe in the Constitution or secular laws. They think that the Bible (their interpretation of their version of the Bible) should be our only law.

This is the American Taliban in action, and they are very well-funded. We need to pay attention.