Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Faith: All God, All the Time?

The following link provides an excellent article by James Carroll from The Boston Globe. All God, all the time


WHEN THEY told us in Sunday School that God is everywhere, they could have been talking about the recent news cycle. With Harriet Miers, we see that God lives
in the politics of the US Supreme Court nomination process. In a culture defined
by the separation of church and state, President Bush and his allies have
mastered the use of religious affirmation as a deflection not only of criticism,
but of critical thought. God is thus a trump card, a free pass....


No shit.


In the argument between creationists and scientists, those aiming to defend
God make absolute claims about mysteries of the deep past as if they themselves
were there....

But here is where it gets tricky. What if God's unknowability is the most
illuminating profundity humans can know about God? That would mean that
religious language, instead of opening into the absolute certitude on which all
forms of triumphal superiority are based, would open into true modesty. The
closed creation, in which every question has an answer, would be replaced by an
infinite cosmos where every answer sparks a new question. If what we mean by
''God" is the living pulse of such open-endedness, then God is of no use in
systems of dominance, censorship, power. God is everywhere, yes. But,
also, God is nowhere. And that, too, shows in America, especially in its fake religiosity.


In an e-mail to a friend this afternoon, I was lamenting about the path that so many people seem to take in not questioning their religious beliefs and values. They just complacently accept it as part of their life, part of their core being. Certainly, some people build their entire lives around a religious sect, allowing the people in power to dictate how they should live their lives. And in this way, they allow themselves to be played for fools. Our government has co-opted this religious absolutism to a dangerous level.

The lack of depth exhibited by many of our fellow Americans who voted for Bush in 2000 and, especially, in 2004, troubles me greatly.

I often see a bumpersticker around Grand Rapids that says, "You cannot be both Catholic and Pro-Choice." Fair enough, if that is what you believe.

However, I'd like to take liberty, if I may, with that phrase. I'd rewrite it to say, "You cannot be both Christian and a Supporter of George W. Bush."

Because if those Christians who voted for Bush in 2004 did some soul searching, and perhaps just a wee bit of research in the news, the dots between Bush and their core values would not connect. Consider the following about Bush and compare him to Jesus:

  • Lying about the rationale for war (it's well documented so I'm not going to belabor the point, just Google Weapons of Mass Destruction or Yellowcake)
  • Destroying social programs that help the less fortunate
  • The Goring of Al Gore in 2000
  • The Swift-Boating of John Kerry in 2004
  • Blatant disregard for fiscal responsibility
  • Environmental misdeeds bushgreenwatch.org
  • Creating wedge issues, such as anti-gay marriage and Terri's Law, which shamefully exclude people simply as a tactic to rile up the "base" and win elections
I could go on, but I've made my point. George W. Bush is about as Christian as Satan.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Vicki,

I always enjoy your posts over at Eschaton, so i thought i'd say hi on your new blog. I like it!

Anyway, i agree that fake religiosity in this country is a huge problem. Personally, i wish the so-called Christians would just mind their own damn business and leave the rest of us alone.

Hillary in '08 makes me choke as well. Why not Barbra Boxer? Or Max Cleland? Did you see him on Bill Maher- i thought he was great. It was nice to see someone stand up for liberal ideas for once without trying his best to appeal to the mythical "middle".

-Barbarism Begins at Home

2:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In my opinion, most people who surrender their lives to a religion/cult do so out of a fear of responsibility. Tjem if it all goes wrong, it won't be your fault: it's the fault of your leaders. True liberalism is the ability to screw up and truthfully accept that it was your own fault.

3:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And also to accept that Typos "r" Us..."Tjem" = "Then". Mea culpa.

3:20 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home