So Donald Trump met
with a group of religious leader in order to win them over to his
cause. Given that the Republican Party pretty much has the
conservative religious vote in its pocket, this was an easy task.
Ever since President
(sick) Ronald Reagan revealed the “split the left” strategy in
the late 1970's, the Christian vote has been in the Republican back
pocket. For those that don't remember, both the Democrats and
Republicans used to support abortion prior to 1979. Reagan mentioned
that the only way for the Republican Party to regain the White House
and the power of the presidency was to split the left. They did this
by changing their stance. So during the 1980 presidential campaign
the Republicans switched from being pro-abortion to anti-choice and
the conservative Christian church swallowed it up like candy and has
mindlessly followed the Republican party and its talking points ever
since.
And to keep the
conservative Christian movement in its back pocket, they adopted and
adapted the social ideology of the conservative Christian movement
and happily (and rather mindlessly) spout out its talking points
whenever possible. So the anti-choice, anti-homosexual, etc rhetoric
of the Christian church becomes part and parcel of the Republican
agenda.
Never mind that the
economic agenda of the Republican party hurts those in the working
class that are Christians. That can be ignored. Then again, those
that are in leadership positions of the conservative Christian church
are part of the 1%, so the economics don't bother them as much, if
at all.
And Engels spoke
about this in Socialism: Utopian and Scientific. He writes quite a
bit about religion in the first chapter/section and how the
capitalist class will take over the leadership in the religious
movement and use it towards its own ends.
Never mind all that
the Bible has in it about defending the rights of the poor. (Read
the Jewish/Old Testament for that.) Or the Christian/New Testament
as well. James pretty much spells it out when he writes in the 2nd
Chapter : Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they themselves
not haul you off to court?
Seriously? Who is
it that uses the government to throw people out of their houses with
eminent domain laws? How many people have lost their houses for much
less than their actual worth so that some businessman could snatch
them up and build a business? Usually one that needs tax breaks and
other forms of public support in order to make a profit?
And in Buffalo –
who is buying up these old churches and converting them into
apartments and other commercial properties? And Christians aren't
outraged. (You should see the one that was turned into a Mosque.
Boy do they get sore about that. And the Buddhist Temple.)
Instead of worrying
about fixing economic inequality and standing up for the rights of
the poor, the conservative Christian church has focused on ways of
dividing, conquering, and controlling the Christian community. They
focus on being anti-choice and do anything they can to put an end to
a woman's right to choose. This includes all forms of violence –
like murder, arson, and bombing clinics. They also waste a
significant amount of time and taxpayer dollars on anti-choice
legislation. And the time wasted picketing the abortion clinics,
calling people murderers, etc.
They focus on
homosexuality and the LGBTQ movement. Instead of getting to know
them as people and treating them with the dignity as part of the
creation that their chosen deity created, they vilify them, condemn
them, and otherwise treat them as dirt. Well, having read the
Bible (numerous times) I find more teachings against adultery than
homosexuality. I don't see them focusing on that at all. Probably
because of the research by Barna that shows that Christians have a
higher rate of divorce than society as a whole. Reminds me of Oz -
“Don't look behind the curtain!” Perhaps we should.
Then again, Jesus
hung around with prostitutes and other “sinners.” Perhaps they
should read those verses and follow the example?
And they are concerned about people saying "Merry Christmas." Never mind that most people don't even go to a Christian church in this country. They are celebrating a secularized version off the holiday created by capitalist enterprises to get people to spend money at the economically worst time of the year.
And I could go on-
the way Christians treated the First Nations peoples when they came
over here as immigrants (illegal at that. I don't remember the
Pilgrims having green cards.) and now how they treat immigrants from
other nations. And what does the Bible say about how immigrants
should be treated?
And on and on it
goes. Negatively.
Look at the message
of inclusion and forgiveness by Pope Francis and some of the rather
progressive statements that he has made since becoming Pope. I could
say more biblical. The way he states we should treat people and care
for the planet is more in line with the Bible that the conservative
Christians want to believe.
Then again, I've
heard conservative Christians quote the Bible. Rather selectively.
And often out of context.Which is a logical fallacy. Point that out to them. They don't seem to like it.
The First Amendment
gives Americans freedom of religion. That's freedom to choose how
they want to worship, if they want to at all.
Then again, in
history, the first colonies in the “New World” were economic
colonies. Jamestown preceded Plymouth by almost 20 years. And it
was a trading post.
Economics before
religion.
Now we have
economics controlling religion.
Seems Engels wrote
quite a bit about that.
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