Why the “Religious Right” Is Wrong, Part 2

More Specific Reasons Why the “Christian Right” In America Is Wrong

In his first book published in January 2002, the subtitle of which was “Why the Religious Right Is Wrong,” the son of man provided a critique of the “Christian Right” in America, and this article borrows an edited portion from that and expands and updates it with some of what he has written since then.

The names of their political action groups, like the original “Moral Majority,” the “Christian Coalition,” “The American Family Association” (formerly known as the National Federation for Decency), the “Christian Legal Society,” “Focus on the Family,” and numerous other right-wing political groups whose names are designed to sound patriotic and/or religious, clearly indicate that they claim, and perhaps even think, that they speak for all “true” Christians and all good Americans. 

Their efforts to rule have included claiming that America’s Founding Fathers wanted the United States of America to be a Christian nation, and even a Christian Theocracy. That has most recently been demonstrated by David Barton, the favorite “historian” of the “religious right” and the so-called “Tea Party.” Barton gives “historic” tours of the major buildings in Washington D.C. telling half-truths and twisting facts to create a revisionist history and push ideas that are actually proven wrong by The Quotes of the Founding Fathers Regarding Religion.

Barton, like other right-wing fundamentalist Christian Domionists, makes a big show of being religious and patriotic. However, their sense of patriotism is warped by the notion that America should be a “Christian” Meritocracy and Theocracy in which only wealthy “Christians” are entitled to rule, and that other religions and even other Christian denominations that do not agree with them are “ungodly” and "anti-religion," and do not deserve a place at the table.

As The People for the American Way have concluded, “David Barton is in many ways emblematic of politics in Fox News - Tea Party America, in which facts are distorted in service of a right-wing ideological agenda, and in which political opponents are denigrated as enemies of faith and freedom. Barton’s work has repeatedly been debunked by historians and scholars, yet conservative political leaders and pundits continue to promote his manipulations in order to help Republicans get elected and in order to advance the Religious Right’s – and now the Tea Party’s – political agenda. It is urgently important for scholars, public officials, and responsible media outlets to vigorously challenge efforts by Barton, his supporters, and the movements they represent to mis-educate current and future generations of Americans on the Constitution and the abiding American values of religious liberty, equal opportunity, and equality under the law.”

Of course, Barton merely follows the elder “statesman” of the “religious right,” Pat Robertson, made his theocratic bent and bigotry blatantly obvious when he said: 

“You say you're supposed to be nice to the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians and the Methodists and this, that, and the other thing. Nonsense, I don't have to be nice to the spirit of the Antichrist." -- Pat Robertson, The 700 Club, 1991

Robertson exalts himself as a true Christian, but his hypocritical, bigoted remarks and statements are indicative of the general bigotry and hypocrisy of the worst of the leaders of the "religious right." And they are conveniently oblivious to the fact that the vast majority of Americans and the vast majority of Christians do not believe as they do.

A good example of how deluded and self-righteous they are came in the wake of the devastating terrorist attacks on the New York World Trade Towers and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. 

On September 13, on Pat Robertson’s “700 Club” television show, the two most prominent leaders of the Christian Right, Robertson and late Jerry Falwell, chose the path of division rather than unity. Unlike most Americans who pulled together following the tragedy, Robertson and Falwell pointed a finger of blame at their fellow Americans — specifically they blamed the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Planned Parenthood, feminists, homosexuals, lesbians, and People For the American Way. 

Why would they blame their fellow Americans? Because, according to Falwell and Robertson, all “those people helped this [terrorist attack] happen.” 

That is because they believe that God’s wrath has come down on America as punishment for “liberals trying to secularize America.” They are totally unaware that good Christians in America are humble, gentle, liberal and progressive, and understand why the Founding Fathers wrote Article 6 and the First Amendment of the Constitution not only to establish freedom of religion, but freedom from theocratic imposition by any particular religion of religious group. Otherwise, true freedom of religion would not be possible.

But, right-wing fundamentalist Christian leaders like Robertson spout mean-spirited nonsense, such as when he claimed that AIDS was God’s punishment of homosexuals. But in fact, they are absolutely wrong — just as wrong as the false “Muslim” terrorists who believe they are obeying the will of Allah when they commit mass murder of innocent people.

Right-wing fundamentalists on the “Christian Right” justify themselves in their misguided beliefs by claiming that the Christian Bible is the inerrant, infallible, literal “Word of God.” And they pick and choose certain words, sentences and phrases to justify themselves, even though in doing so they simply ignore the preponderance of scriptural truths that prove them wrong in their interpretation.

They ignore the fact that in modern times people have given up ancient ideas that the earth is the center of the universe around which the sun rotates; that slavery is legitimate as a social institution; that the status of women should be that of subservient, second-class persons that don’t have the same rights as men; and that diseases such as epilepsy and cerebral palsy are caused by demon possession. 

All those ideas were once supported by scriptural quotations and viewed as the will and word of God, but have long since been recognized as antiquated nonsense by educated people. 

After all, who today would agree with Moses’ dictate that anyone who violates or does not observe the Sabbath should be put to death? And it’s the same thing with the condemnation of homosexuality, issued thousands of years ago. Furthermore, even though by the literalist fundamentalist’s  own logic regarding God’s power, it is entirely possible that God is creating more homosexuals in order to deal with the world’s population crisis. For when Moses forbid homosexuality between men, the Jewish people needed to be fruitful and multiply, but now there are quite enough people in the world.

Don't misunderstand. That is not an endorsement of homosexuality. It is merely a defense of homosexuals whose rights are being violated. And frankly, the son of man has written that he resents radical homosexual zealots who try to impose their homosexuality on society. In fact, he resents that just as he resents religious zealots who try to impose their particular brand of religion on society.

Nevertheless, we all must speak up to fight for the rights of the majority of decent, reasonable homosexuals. They are usually good, and many are very creative people. So it is very important to counteract the impact of the Bible-thumping hatemongers who have been waging war on all homosexuals. While they claim to “love the sinner but hate the sin,” their hypocrisy is very clear, and it is obvious that they do indeed hate homosexuals. 

For example, former president of the Family Research Council and former Christian Coalition and Republican presidential candidate, Gary Bauer, has said:  “(The National Endowment for the Arts) has allowed itself to be used by a small cadre of cultural revolutionaries, militant homosexuals and anti-religious bigots who are intent on attacking the average American’s most deeply held beliefs.”  

That is typical language, which is why the son of man turns the tables on them and exposes them as Anti-Christian bigots and hypocrites. But Gary Bauer’s language in that quote is mild compared to what some other leaders of the Christian Right say, especially when they claim that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is “God’s way of dealing with the evil of homosexuality.” That’s why it is time to confront and deal with their hate, prejudice and bigotry, and make every effort to stop their discrimination and persecution against homosexuals.

It should be emphasized that the so-called “religious,” scriptural-based condemnation of something like homosexuality really amounts to spiteful, arrogant, malicious hatemongering and persecution. It is misusing scriptural language as “ammunition” and justification to foster hate and wreak havoc, division, and destruction, and it is simply wrong. And homosexuality is certainly not the Christian Right’s only target for malicious, unfair and erroneous condemnation based on so-called “biblical proof.”

“Planned Parenthood is teaching kids to fornicate, teaching people to have adultery, every kind of bestiality, homosexuality, lesbianism — everything that the Bible condemns.” – Pat Robertson, The 700 Club, 1991

Of course, when hypocrites like Robertson are criticized for their hypocrisy and bigotry, they claim they are being persecuted by "ungodly" people who are "anti-religion."

It wouldn’t be quite so bad if they kept their beliefs to themselves, because we are free to believe whatever we choose. But their goal is to impose their beliefs on all of us, and their immense political activism and efforts put a lot of right-wing Republicans in control of Congress in 1994. And once in power, one of the things they did was get so-called “religious protection” legislation introduced, which would actually take away our religious freedom, endanger other religions, and erode fair housing laws. 

For example, what they proposed would have allowed landlords to show preference for or against a person who practices a particular religion, such as allowing a landlord to refuse to rent to anyone negatively judged according to the landlord’s religious beliefs. It would also allow all kinds of other discrimination based on religious beliefs, such as allowing “Christian” white supremacists to exclude people of color from a new housing development.

All these issues are important, because if these spiritually blind hypocrites were to succeed completely and have their way, our precious religious freedom would be virtually destroyed, and our political freedom would be in serious jeopardy.

Perhaps one of the worst things they’ve done is give religion, Jesus and Christianity a bad name. After all, just consider how many times you have seen militant zealots in mobs spouting intolerance and hate, not at all ashamed but rather proudly and even arrogantly claiming they are “Christians.” 

Consider all the times you have seen and heard the name of Jesus and/or the name of Christianity used in a way or in a situation that was not about peace and love, but about conflict and hate. And consider (if you are old enough) how much all this has changed since the days when it was considered impolite to discuss politics or religion in polite company — when most people respected the fact that we all have our own beliefs and views and realized the fruitlessness of arguing about them — when people did not presume that everyone else thinks, or should think, as they do.

One of the results of all the Bible-thumping religious bigotry, proselytizing, hypocrisy, and hatemongering that has been imposed on society by these hypocrites for so many years is that many good people have simply become turned off by religion altogether. Many people, especially young people, no longer trust any religion or any religious activity whatsoever. 

As a result of the imposing hypocrisy and bigotry of the “religious right,” many people see religion as a total sham. And it’s no wonder.  The status of religion has been so damaged and so degraded that many people simply avoid anything religious. Some even shun their own (or their family’s) religion. Some have begun to lose their faith and their hope, and even their moral compass and conscience, and that may very well be a big reason why we have seen such an increase in greed, hate, dishonesty, fraud, crime, and violence. 

As such consequences began to become painfully evident a number of years ago, a very prominent Unitarian Christian minister was quoted in a Life magazine issue devoted to the current status of Christianity as saying, “Today, Jesus’ name is being used to divide us, to make us intolerant, bigoted, hateful. Jesus is being betrayed by people who claim to believe in him.”  In saying that, he expressed very well what most mainstream Christians have been feeling for quite awhile.

Now, since so many right-wing partisan Conservatives make a show of being Christians, it is helpful to observe how Liberals and Conservative interpret Christianity differently.

The Difference Between "Conservative Christians" and Liberal Progressive Christians

Conservative Christians focus on the patriarchal aspects and quote Jesus as saying "I am the Way, and the Truth," and "I and the Father are one," even though they don't understand what Jesus meant by that. Instead, they sum up Jesus’ message as "Believe I am God Himself and obey me or you're going to suffer in hell for eternity." It's an authoritarian, patriarchal approach.

Liberal progressive Christians, on the other hand, focus on a more balanced approach including the matriarchal aspects that are around the Golden Rule, and around peace, love, freedom, compassion, charity, forgiveness, and pacifism, acknowledging the idea that it will be the humble, gentle, peaceful and meek who shall inherit the earth.

Those two approaches inevitably produce the situation we have now, with proud and militant Conservative Christians trying to impose and enforce their beliefs, while Liberal Christians usually do not retaliate but instead tend to turn the other cheek.

The difference between the two has produced conflict since not long after the death of Jesus of Nazareth (as is discussed in the article About Christianity), and it is the basic cause of the dilemma we face. It produces conflict and dilemma because while conservative "fundamentalist" Christians insist they are the right and true Christians and therefore tend to be theocratic and dominant, liberal progressive Christians understand the error in that. That's why the conflict has existed since it began between Paul and James and others, and it has been a problem sporadically throughout the history of Christendom.

As you will see, it was even a problem in the late 1700s in America. That's why so many of the Founding Fathers were highly critical of theocratic "Christian" clergy who wanted to rule from their pulpits, or at least have dominant influence over government.

Thomas Jefferson, the principle author of the American Declaration of Independence, wrote: “I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect (or religion) over another.” 

Jefferson wrote that the freedom of religion clause in the Constitution was to “build a wall of separation between church and state.” And in his autobiography he even wrote that the name Jesus Christ should not be added to any legal government document, because we must protect “the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Muslim, the Hindu and Infidel of every denomination.” 

In 1981, when the “religious right” was on the rise in America, even the conservative Republican elder, Barry Goldwater, said:  “The great decisions of government cannot be dictated by the concerns of religious factions. We have succeeded for 205 years in keeping the affairs of state separate from the uncompromising idealism of religious groups, and we mustn’t stop now. To retreat from that separation would violate the principles of conservatism and the values upon which the framers built this democratic republic.”

Senator Warren Rudman, a moderate Republican,  has said:  “The millions of Christians in this country reflect just about every conceivable political point of view. For one highly conservative group to proclaim itself ‘the Christian Coalition’ strikes me as decidedly un-Christian arrogance. We reflect countless races, religions and lifestyles, and we often differ on questions of morality and behavior. The only way so diverse a nation can survive is by all of us practicing a high degree of tolerance. But tolerance is not the way of the Christian Right. Its leaders want to impose their one-size-fits-all morality on everyone. It won’t work. When any group tries to impose its values on everyone else, the result will inevitably be resentment, hatred, and violence.”

Senator Mark Hatfield, another moderate Republican, said: “As a Christian, there is no other part of the New Right ideology that concerns me more than its self-serving misuse of religious faith. What is at stake here is the very integrity of biblical truth. The New Right, in many cases, is doing nothing less than placing a heretical claim on Christian faith that distorts, confuses, and destroys the opportunity for a biblical understanding of Jesus Christ and of his gospel for millions of people.”

Rev. John Shelby Spong, a retired Episcopal Bishop, said:  “When the dust settles and the pages of history are written, it will not be the angry defenders of intolerance who have made the difference. The reward will go to those who dared to step outside the safety of their privacy in order to expose and rout the prevailing prejudices.”

Walter Cronkite said:  “I consider myself a person of faith. I work very hard at being a Christian. And certainly, the Christian Coalition does not speak for me. What’s more, I am absolutely sure that the Christian Coalition does not speak for the great majority of men and women of faith in this country. And I, for one, am not prepared to stand by and permit Mr. (Pat) Robertson and his friends to get away with wrapping their harsh right wing views in the banner of religious faith.”

Of course, today you have to be very brave to say such things, because the leaders of the “religious right” are quick to accuse critics of being “anti-religion” and of “persecuting Christians.” And even though that is not true, most real Christians are simply too polite and politically correct to voice their criticism any more. 

The Modern Son of Man Rebukes The Hypocrites

Fortunately, the modern son of man is not limited by having to be politically correct, and it was his duty to expose the “religious right” as thoroughly as possible.

That is why the leaders of the “religious right” in America have steadfastly claimed that there is an “anti-Christian” bias at work, and that “religion” (as they define it) is under attack by “secular humanists, academic elitists, godless liberals,” and others who “want to destroy anything religious and sacred.” In their mind, anyone who opposes them, opposes God.

Pat Robertson has even made the claim that:  “Liberals have worked diligently for decades through every avenue at their disposal to indoctrinate the nation with their tortured view of the Constitution and the role of religion and the Bible in our society.” 

Robertson claims that:  “Liberals want to create a completely secular society because they hate Christianity and want to destroy it.”  He even goes so far as to claim that:  “Just like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to the evangelical Christians. It’s no different. It is the same thing. It is happening all over again. It is the Democrats, the liberal-based media and the homosexuals who want to destroy the Christians. Wholesale abuse and discrimination and the worst bigotry directed toward any group in America today. More terrible than anything suffered by any minority in history.”  

That is very ironic, and very revealing, because the argument Robertson makes is similar to the argument that Hitler made against the Jews before the holocaust—that the Jews were “oppressing” his Aryan people and he wasn’t going to take it any more.

But other leaders of the Christian Right are just as deluded as Robertson is. Donald Wildmon, head of the so-called “American Family Association” has said:  “It’s not only a cultural civil war, it’s a fight over the very existence of society as we’ve known it.”... “What we are up against is a philosophy of life which seeks to remove the influence of Christians and Christianity from our society.”  

Those are obvious and sure indications of these men’s self-delusion and paranoia. After all, the truth is that most real Christians are simply against the bigotry and hypocrisy of the “religious right.” 

Real Christians understand that hypocrites have God on their lips but have hate in their heart, while real Christians and real servants of God tend to be liberals, progressives and humanists. 

Moreover, to have real freedom of religion, government must be secular and not favor any particular religion or religious denomination or sect. Church and state must be separate in order to have a real democracy with real religious freedom. It can be no other way.

The History of the “Religious Right” In America

The leadership of the modern Christian Right has gotten much more cunning and deceptive during the last 30 years in order to appear purely religious and patriotic. However, at the foundation of their beliefs is the imperial theology of "Christian Dominionism." And their agenda is to rule the world in the name of Christianity.

It is important to understand the full spectrum of the “religious right,” and its history, because some of their denominations, sects, and factions are worse than others. In fact, those on the extreme Far Right, while smaller, are far worse. They are more secret, more militant, and more violent, and they have taken their hatemongering and warmongering to far greater extremes than their more well-known compatriots. 

The Christian Far Right (or Christian Ultra-Right) consists of various proud, militant, violent right-wing extremist groups that claim to be religious Christians. They include the “Christian Patriot Militia” movement and all its spinoffs, as well as  many “white supremacy” groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, the Neo-Nazis, the Aryan Nation, and others of their ilk.

The FBI calls the Christian Ultra-Right the “Christian Identity movement,” and they report that many extremely conservative Fundamentalist Christian churches, extreme right-wing political groups and survival groups are involved. Some are independent, some are loosely interconnected, some are organized, and they have a long history. An FBI report says one of the largest organization in the Christian Identity movement, the Ku Klux Klan, became what it is today when it was reorganized in 1915 by William Simmons, a so-called Christian pastor. 

In the mid 1940s another religious bigot, Wesley Swift, popularized the movement among right-wing zealots by combining racism, Hitler-like anti-Semitism, and right-wing political extremism. He spread his ideology in his own church and on a daily radio broadcast during the 1950s and 1960s, and was able to reach a large audience. With Swift’s efforts, the message of his church spread, leading to the creation of many similar churches throughout the country. In 1957, the name of his church was changed to The Church of Jesus Christ Christian, which is used today by Aryan Nations (AN) churches.

In the 1970s and 1980s numerous Christian Identity churches and organizations became involved in anti-tax and paramilitary movements. Most preach similar messages, and all hold fast to the belief that Aryans (any white people, as they define it) are God’s chosen race. According to the FBI, other current organizations that follow Christian Identity beliefs are:  the American Nazi Party; Church of Jesus Christ Christian, Aryan Nations; Confederate Hammerskins; Jubilee; National Association for the Advancement of White People; The Order; radical modern offshoots of the original Posse Comitatus; Scriptures for America; White Aryan Resistance (WAR); White Separatist Banner; God’s Order Affirmed in Love (GOAL); the Gospel Broadcasting Association; Kingdom Identity Ministries; and America’s Promise Ministries.

Their number is difficult to determine. But what is important is that in the Christian Ultra-Right’s  “righteous holy war on evil,” the enemy is not just Jews and people of color. To them, practically the whole world is “evil” and their list of enemies is even longer than the larger Christian Right’s basic list — which includes everyone they labels as “bleeding heart liberals;” “secular humanists;” “academic elitists;” the “New Age movement;” Planned Parenthood; the Pro-Choice movement; the Women’s Liberation movement; the Civil Rights movement; the American Civil Liberties Union; People for the American Way; homosexuals; all other religions, and lots of other groups and individuals who don’t fit their idea of  “good Christians.”  

In fact, the larger “religious right” hates practically the whole professional, educated establishment, because it tends to be liberal and is secular for very valid reasons having to do with fairness, professionalism and constitutionality, respecting all religions, all races, and all cultures as equal.

Of course, the current most popular leaders of the “religious right” are more educated than they used to be, even though they misinterpret prophecies just as much as the uneducated zealots have in the past. Thus they believe that it is up to them to start a “final world war between good and evil” in order to fulfill prophecy and bring about the so-called “second coming” of Jesus. 

They believe they are among those “holy warriors” chosen by God to wage the final battle. That’s why the most radical extremists among them prepare for these events by engaging in survivalist and paramilitary training, storing foodstuffs and supplies, and caching weapons and ammunition. Whether they reside in compounds located in remote areas or live right next door, they are getting ready for the final war. That’s even more absurd, of course, but that is what they’ve been led to believe, and they do believe it. That’s even more reason why they are so dangerous.

However, while the smaller number on the Christian Ultra-Right is certainly the most dangerous, the mind-set and attitude of the whole “religious right should also be considered dangerous because they like feeling superior and they don’t mind judging and condemning everyone else as inferior — and that is exactly how the Nazi mentality starts. They are first led astray by someone who claims that “God is on our side” and that “the enemy is evil” just because his race or religion or culture is different. They don’t realize that they have been tempted, deceived, and led astray by wolves in sheep’s clothing, and they don’t realize that their “religious zeal” can very quickly turn into fascism. Indeed, we have already witnessed many incidences and examples of that.

Of course, as Jesus of Nazareth predicted, they proudly claim that they do “many wonderful works in the name of the Lord.” And according to Jesus that is precisely what hypocrites do!

As Thomas Jefferson wrote back in 1776:  “If anything pass in a religious meeting seditiously and contrary to the public peace, let it be punished in the same manner and no otherwise than as if it had happened in a fair or market.”

That is important to keep in mind, because the leaders of the “religious right” have been holding religious meeting seditiously for many years, ignoring or denying the intent of the Founding Father regarding religion, and ignoring or denying the meaning of Article 6 and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

For example, in a speech to the Christian Coalition at a “Road to Victory” conference, Robertson said:  “There are 175,000 [voting] precincts in the country, and we want ten trained workers in each one of them. That’s about enough to pretty much take the nation.” 

Robert Simonds, who heads the so-called “Citizens for Excellence in Education,” has said:   “We need strong school board members who know right from wrong. The Bible, being the only true source of right and wrong, should be the guide of board members. Only godly Christians can truly qualify for this critically important position.” Even further, Simonds has said: “When we get an active Christian parent’s committee in operation in all 15,700 school districts in America, we can take complete control of all local school boards. This would allow us to determine all local policy: select good textbooks, good curriculum programs, superintendents, and principals. Our time has come!” 

That’s not all. In many of the books Robertson has written he is not at all ashamed to admit that he believes “America is ripe for the picking because of the apathy and non-participation of American voters.” He even said:  “Our (the Christian Coalition’s) strength is more than sufficient to decide any election for any office in the land.” (And as it turned out, he was not just talking. The efforts of the “religious right” helped George W. Bush get as many votes as he did in 2004.)

What is amazing about it is that it’s happened before, many times.

That is why Thomas Jefferson was not only adamant about separation of church and state, he was adamant about preventing clergy from political grandstanding. He wrote:  “Whenever preachers, instead of a lesson in religion, put [their congregation] off with a discourse on the construction of government, or the characters or conduct of those administering it, it is a breach of contract.”  

James Madison agreed, and he wrote:  “Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other Religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other sects?”  Madison also wrote: “The number, the industry, and the morality of the [clergy], and the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased by the total separation of church and state.”  (For further proof, see Quotes of the Founding Fathers Regarding Religion).

If you learn what the Founding Fathers actually wrote in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and their personal books, pamphlets and letters, you will see that real Christian values and principles played a big part in their thinking and intent. However, their views were opposite to the views of the conservative fundamentalists on the “religious right.” 

Certainly the Founding Fathers drew much of their inspiration from the Christian Bible, but they drew it also from the knowledge of Pythagoras, Plato, the Alexandrian School, and the Qabalists, Rosicrucians and Freemasons. And the “religious right” hated that then, and they hate it today. 

Jefferson would frown upon everything that the religious right is doing, and that is evident from what he wrote about fundamentalist clergy in his day: 

“The returning good sense of our country threatens [the clergy] and they believe that any portion of power confided to me will be exerted in opposition to their schemes. And they believe rightly; for I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. But this is all they have to fear from me, and enough too in their opinion, and this is the cause of their printing lying pamphlets against me. . .” -- Thomas Jefferson

Of course, many naive or biased television pundits have denied or played down the danger the “religious right” poses, so it’s very important to know just how much power the Christian Right has already managed to seize at the local, community, town, city, state and national levels. From taking over local school boards to taking over Congress and the White House, they have been very successful. 

The leaders of the Christian Right were in large part responsible for George W. Bush receiving as many popular votes as he did in the 2000 presidential election, and they were certainly responsible for his actually winning the 2004 election because they did not want a repeat of the 2000 election in which Bush actually lost the popular vote. That’s why many more religious conservatives turned out to vote for Bush in 2004, and it was largely because of a very deceptive but massively effective partisan political effort made by the leaders of the Christian Right.

Of course, Bush catered to them, but he was also one of them, and he no doubt actually believed it when he said the was just “doing God’s will.”

That is why American journalist Bob Woodward sarcastically wrote: “The president was casting his mission and that of the country in the grand vision of God’s Master Plan.” In Woodward’s book The Plan of Attack, he even revealed Bush’s immense pride in his belief that he’s “doing God’s will” by waging war. 

More recently, in a television interview in late June 2005, Bush even admitted that he believes it is “our duty to lead the world.” But what Bush’s hegemony really meant is that he believes it was his duty to lead the world, and he simply has no idea of how absurdly arrogant that is to most Americans and to most of the rest of the people of the world.

Bush may really believe he served God as president, but he doesn’t realize he actually served Mammon, not God. Like Ronald Reagan, he appealed to hegemonic nationalism and religious bigotry. Like Reagan, he encouraged people to wave the flag, thump the Bible and say, “God Bless America,” when we should be saying “God Bless the World,” and “God Bless Humanity.”

America is but one nation in a family of nations, and some Americans need to start being better world citizens. Nationalism, which can be distorted into nationalistic hegemony and bigotry, must be recognized as detrimental to world peace and harmony, just as surely as religious bigotry and racial bigotry are. 

Americans must recognize that, because the Republican Reaganites and Bushites on the New Right push nationalism and religious dominionism to the extreme, and they use it as a political vehicle to take them to greater heights of worldly wealth and power.

It’s rather amazing, but they have made the old term WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) appropriate and relevant again. They are rich, white Protestant “Christians” who seek, fight for and gain power and wealth in the name of Jesus, and in the name of God and Country.

Unfortunately, they forget or ignore most of the core values of Christianity, and the core values of the Founding Fathers. They ignore that the Founding Fathers wanted government to promote the general welfare and ensure domestic tranquility and justice for all. And they ignore that Jesus of Nazareth criticized the rich and advocated for the poor and the least of our brethren. 

Now it is time to rebuke them and repudiate their culture of greed and self-interest.