Let me start this post by saying rest in peace to blogger Karyn Washington. She was a young sister who did some extraordinary things in the blogging world, and she started a movement to empower young girls of color.
She will be missed.
I agree with this author that the religious right and those who want a theocratic form of government here in America might be losing the culture and political wars to the more practical and secular minded among us.
I am sure that most people as individuals still consider themselves spiritual in one way or another, and they believe in a higher being or force guiding their lives. It's just that most people have a problem with politicians trying to dictate to them how and who they should worship. Folks are sick of politicians moralizing to them while doing the exact opposite (I see you Vance McAllister) in their own personal lives.
Folks are sick and tired of politicians passing laws to benefits those who already have far more than the rest of us while ignoring those who are truly in need in our society, and making foreign policy decisions based on their own personal religious convictions.
Damon Linker on W's second inaugural address:
"The speech was a crude expression of American parochialism and pious self-congratulation — the kind of address you'd expect from someone who believed toppling Saddam Hussein was a sufficient condition for creating a functioning democracy in Iraq, and who thinks that presidential rhetoric can rise no higher than paraphrasing the lyrics to "Onward Christian Soldiers." It was the speech of a simple-minded man leading a simple-minded administration."
Amen! And the "simple minded" politicians who subscribe to this simplistic and dogmatic code of morality are still around and still wreaking political havoc today.
The good news is that they won't be around much longer, because, thankfully, like organized religion, their better days are behind them.
Classy Palm Sunday post Mr. Field. So tell me again how much better life is in post-christian America?
ReplyDeleteFN: Thanks for this good news - on Palm Sunday, no less.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I guarantee that no pimp-ass preacher utters one word about Christ, the "peoples" revolutionary; not one word about Christ, the revolutionary who embraced the poor, the lepers and prostitutes; the "least of us".
"...Ignorance (of the evangelical kind), allied with power is the most ferocious enemy justice can have...".(James Baldwin)
American religious fundamentalists/evangelicals and the cult of the "religious right" are identical to the taliban and those who advocate fundamentalist/islamic shria law. Because of Americans' unabashed HYPOCRISIES, we have surrendered the moral high-ground to despots around the globe.
In closing: "If the concept of god has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer and more loving. If god cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of him (or her)."(James Baldwin)
FN said...
ReplyDeleteFolks are sick and tired of politicians passing laws to benefits those who already have far more than the rest of us while ignoring those who are truly in need in our society, and making foreign policy decisions based on their own personal religious convictions.
BULLSHIT!
Explain why the same people keep getting re-elected.
Coming up on 30 years for reid (senate) and pelosi (congress).
The ten longest serving senate/congress critters (48 years and longer) are all democrats.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_members_of_the_United_States_Congress_by_longevity_of_service
Oh, never mind.
You weren't talking about democrats.
It seems like less than 24 months ago when Obama was against gay marriage because of his religious beliefs. If religion in politics is bad, why didn't Obama's religious beliefs bother you enough to speak out then? What has changed besides Obama's opinion?
Oops, democrat double standard again.
THis early in the morning I forgot about the double standard.
Well, if a fringe leftist says it might be true-then it might be true..
ReplyDeleteLeast field could spare a few sentences for someone who did such "extraordinary things".
"Palm Sunday"? Please explain its meaning to me.
ReplyDeleteBill is struggling so hard to play his double standards game that he is accusing the President of being too religious or using religion to his advantage? Well, I guess on some level he is right because some of us purists don't want any religion in our politics but when you compare him to his opponent the pragmatic vote always tilts toward the Dem candidate. Republicans have specific religious language in their national platform and super scary way too specific language in many state platforms while the Dems do not. This is not even close if you want to play the double standards game but if that's all you got. Take a look at abstinence only states and damned if they aren't all gop states. Some things should have been settled long ago but our friends in the gop keep lobbing their religion as fact with sometimes disasterous results.
ReplyDeleteOn the level I do agree with Bill is the fact that one has to at least pretend to be a Christian ti become President which I think is awful but it is reality for now. One day that may not be the case and that day can't come soon enough for some of us.
"So tell me again how much better life is in post-christian America?"
ReplyDeleteWe'll let you know in about 500 years.
"Palm Sunday"? Please explain its meaning to me.
ReplyDeleteWell, the word Palm suggest something to do with masturbation....?
Other than that, I got nuttin'
"Other than that, I got nuttin'"
ReplyDeleteWe know....No need to point out your stupidity.
The Purple Cow said...
ReplyDelete"Palm Sunday"? Please explain its meaning to me.
Well, the word Palm suggest something to do with masturbation....?
Other than that, I got nuttin'
got as in started or got as in finished?
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
The English language is a stranger to you, isn't it Bill?
ReplyDeleteField, "Let me start this post by saying rest in peace to blogger Karyn Washington. She was a young sister who did some extraordinary things in the blogging world, and she started a movement to empower young girls of color."
ReplyDeleteMr Field, it seems to me that you could have elaborated a 'little bit' more about our sister, and what happened to her to die so young.
Many Blacks are a prey for 'Depression' and no one in our community is talking about it. Why is it we don't talk about the things that are destroying us? I mean, you will talk about politics and trash religion on Palm Sunday but say nothing about PTSD, Depression, black on black murders, the condition of our race and certainly how our society treat our bw.
It seems to me that you could have taken this opportunity to speak about the mistreatment of our AA women.
But you just brushed it aside and moved right into rightwingers and their religion--which you know nothing or care nothing about anyway.
You really aren't sympathetic to AAs are you? Especially to bw. You are one cold dude from Jamaica.
I now understand why you promote Obama even though he has done nothing for AAs. You need to take another look at religion and spirituality. It might awaken your conscience.
I'm skeptical that religion has ever had much to do with our foreign policy, now or in the past.
ReplyDeleteIt used to have something positive to do with our economic policy, in that religion at least used to urge people on to show compassion for the less fortunate and to nurture a sense of fairness. But now you actually have churches based around the "Gospel of Greed," so that's not so true anymore.
When religion involves itself in politics these days, it's mostly to try and tell everyone what they can do with their genitalia. It's the "Department of Uterus Control and Making Gay Dudes Stop with the Gayness."
Since that's what the Right have convinced themselves religion's good for, I'll be glad when religion is expelled from politics entirely.
I know that I am poor in Spirit, hence I would appreciate it if someone could clarify these two verses from Mathew 10 for me:
ReplyDelete34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
seeker
I am surprised that NOT one bw has posted about Karyn Washington. It is a big disappointment to me.
ReplyDelete"seeker" what are you trying to find?
ReplyDelete@12:03, your biggest disappointment should be NOT having a username/identity and the fact that your comment about a deceased young educated Black woman, was really a non comment.
ReplyDeleteOuch! The Doc is no joke.
ReplyDeleteBlogger Dr.Nǚwáng said...
ReplyDelete@12:03, your biggest disappointment should be NOT having a username/identity and the fact that your comment about a deceased young educated Black woman, was really a non comment.
7:33 AM
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Pot calling kettle black. Nevertheless, still no comment by a bw about Karyn. Of course, DQAE, Dr Queen, Dr Nuwang, Flying in my Forties...or whatever your name is, NEVER has anything to say.
Thanks for posting about Karyn Washington and her unfortunate passing. It's always a sad thing for myself when someone takes their own life. I know it's not possible, now, but I really wish I had ask Karyn what made her want to do something a terrible thing.
ReplyDeleteMay she rest in peace.