Harpers magazine has posted a long article describing the way that Christianists envision American history.
It is a scary description of the certainty of the radical fringe who want to create a theocracy here. The reporter details the bizarro history of Christianist heroes, that demonstrate that America is god's country, chosen to dominate the world and lead to the rapture.
Check it out!
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There was an interesting guest yesterday on NPR's Talk of the Nation that addressed this issue:
The son of a Presbyterian minister, Chris Hedges warns against a radical minority within the Christian right. Hedges talks about why he believes the right is eroding Democracy in his new book, American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7020219
I heard him too.
I suppose I have just become part of the cottage industry of hyping the threat from the Christianists.
I think the fascist label is overblown, but it makes for good publicity.
Winnie Bloggo opined: "I think the fascist label is overblown"
Oh, I dunno ...
The key idea of fascism is that the individual is of lesser consequence than the state collectively, that the wishes and needs of the individual must be subjugated to a greater authority, that the populace must be uniform in its views and actions. That seems to be exactly what those who wish to inject one particular religion into
the government seek to do. Thus it seems a fair label.
If they'd used the specific term "nazi" I would agree that they were just being inflammatory. But anytime someone wants to make the state more important than the individual, and wants to deprive individuals of personal liberty, they are a fascist, pure and simple. If they don't like the moniker, then don't BE one.
Fortunately, it's not just atheists, and Jews, and Buddhists, and Hindus, and such who would suffer under the sort of theocracy some desire. Roman Catholics, Mormons, Unitarians, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc. would all be tarred with the same bigoted brush, I fear.
Has anyone read "If This Goes On --" by Robert A. Heinlein? Probably more germane today than when it was written in 1940 ...
Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here" (1936) is pertinent as well, if only as a reminder that politically minded Christian demagogues have long been with us.
I just started reading "It Can't Happen Here" a few weeks ago! Fascism in America? It can't happen here!
Make sure you drop a note when you get through the book. I'd love to hear all about it!
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