i love liberals!

[incanada1234 0]

Thousands of private Christian schools and Christian home schools utilize anti-Semitic textbooks.

Dare I ask what makes these textbooks anti-Semitic?

[Jenn! 918]

http://atheism.about.com/od/christianismnationalism/

[Ban Hammer 13,337]

http://atheism.about.com/od/christianismnationalism/

i disregard any website that posts such fecal matter as "Many people insist that Southern Secession and the following American Civil War was based upon a political dispute over states' rights. The reality is that the conflict between South and North was far more about slavery than states' rights and, moreover, that this dispute had more to do with religion than just politics. The truth of this is revealed by read the Confederate Constitution."

[Leasel7 1]

A study by the Institute for First Amendment Studies found a prevalence of anti-Semitism within the Christian Right.

"Christian Right" is not synonymous with evangelical church. It casts a wide umbrella.

anti-Semitism in the form of aggressive missionary activity threatens the very existence of Judaism.

So according to your esteemed source, Christians who seek to convert those of other religions -- including Judaism -- are guilty of anti-Semitism? Very, very broad definition.

Anti-Semitism

(alternatively spelled antisemitism) is hostility towards or prejudice against Jews (not, in common usage, Semites in general — see the Scope section below). This happens on an individual level and goes on to the institutionalized prejudice and persecution once prevalent in European societies, of which the highly explicit ideology of Adolf Hitler's National Socialism was the most extreme form.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Semitism

Sorry, I don't think well-meaning Christians attempting to convert Jews to Christianity rise to the level of anti-Semitism, no matter how many radical left websites attempt to make the case.

Thousands of private Christian schools and Christian home schools utilize anti-Semitic textbooks. These textbooks include the "original" McGuffey's Readers, which have enjoyed a tremendous resurgence in recent years, and books published by Bob Jones University Press for use in Christian schools.

Where are the examples of how these text books are anti-Semitic? (And keep in mind that Bob Jones University is by no means mainstream evangelical Christianity.)

Additionally, the Christian Right's anti-abortion movement has anti-Semitic overtones. Anti-abortion groups such as Operation Rescue and Life Dynamics list "Jewish doctors" as the leading performers of abortion.

These groups are extremist and hardly embraced by most evangelicals.

So-called "humanism" is under attack by the Religious Right in schools and other institutions across the country. Condemnation of humanism has anti-Semitic roots. Though seldom mentioned, Christian Right leaders link humanism with Judaism, saying "Judaism grew out of the rejection of Jesus Christ and steadily became humanism."1

OMG, now evangelicals are anti-Semites because they reject the humanistic worldview, which runs counter to Christianity? The reason why this latter quote is "seldom mentioned" is because most evangelicals don't link humanism with Judaism.

I don't have time to wade through the rest of this, but if this is your evidence of systemic anti-Semitism and racism in evangelical Christianity, it's very weak. Mostly a series of unsupported allegations along with highlighting some of the Christian right's lunatic fringe, which hardly represent mainstream thought.

Edited August 10, 2006 by Leasel7

[Leasel7 1]

http://atheism.about.com/od/christianismnationalism/

I took a quick look but I don't see what this adds to the discussion. Just a bunch of articles about "Christianists", "Christian Nationalists", "Christian Extremists", etc. One article apparently tries to make the case that Christians did -- and still do -- support slavery. I guess that would be news to the millions of African-Americans who practice Christianity. Is that what you wanted to point out?

[Jenn! 918]

http://atheism.about.com/od/christianismnationalism/

I took a quick look but I don't see what this adds to the discussion. Just a bunch of articles about "Christianists", "Christian Nationalists", "Christian Extremists", etc. One article apparently tries to make the case that Christians did -- and still do -- support slavery. I guess that would be news to the millions of African-Americans who practice Christianity. Is that what you wanted to point out?

Actually I should have just quoted what I thought was relevant, which was only the first paragraph.

Christianism or Christian Nationalism is analogous to Islamism. Just as Islamists seek to reform society along Islamic lines and force society to conform to conservative Islamic values, Christianists seek to reform society along Christian lines and force society to conform to their conservative Christian values. They are Christian Nationalists because they have combined conservative, evangelical Christian theology with extreme American nationalism.

I was trying to point out that maybe the lines distinguishing Evangelical Christianity and Christianism have been blurred.

[incanada1234 0]

Christianism or Christian Nationalism is analogous to Islamism.

Heh. Yeah, analogous to Islamism. Minus, you know, the terrorism.

Edited August 10, 2006 by incanada1234

[Jenn! 918]

Christianism or Christian Nationalism is analogous to Islamism.

Heh. Yeah, analogous to Islamism. Minus, you know, the terrorism.

Islamism is not the same thing as Islamic terrorism.

Christianism is not the same thing as Christian Identity.

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Christianism or Christian Nationalism is analogous to Islamism.

Heh. Yeah, analogous to Islamism. Minus, you know, the terrorism.

You don't want to deny that there are Christian terrorist who are motivated by what they see as their mission in a similar way as Islamic terrorist are, do you? Or do you think that there's a difference because they are not really Christian.

[incanada1234 0]

Christianism or Christian Nationalism is analogous to Islamism.

Heh. Yeah, analogous to Islamism. Minus, you know, the terrorism.

You don't want to deny that there are Christian terrorist who are motivated by what they see as their mission in a similar way as Islamic terrorist are, do you? Or do you think that there's a difference because they are not really Christian.

All I know is that our book doesn't tell us to kill the non-believers.

Anyway, back to the article...

[Leasel7 1]

Actually I should have just quoted what I thought was relevant, which was only the first paragraph.

Christianism or Christian Nationalism is analogous to Islamism. Just as Islamists seek to reform society along Islamic lines and force society to conform to conservative Islamic values, Christianists seek to reform society along Christian lines and force society to conform to their conservative Christian values. They are Christian Nationalists because they have combined conservative, evangelical Christian theology with extreme American nationalism.

I was trying to point out that maybe the lines distinguishing Evangelical Christianity and Christianism have been blurred.

Thanks for clarifying. I don't believe most evangelicals subscribe to the extreme views described in the various articles, but I certainly can understand that the lines may appear to be blurred when you have prominent Christian figures like Pat Robertson subscribing to dominion theology. Not every evangelical hangs on every word coming out of Robertson's mouth, nonetheless he is a very prominent Christian, and might be seen as speaking for them.

[Jenn! 918]

Actually I should have just quoted what I thought was relevant, which was only the first paragraph.

Christianism or Christian Nationalism is analogous to Islamism. Just as Islamists seek to reform society along Islamic lines and force society to conform to conservative Islamic values, Christianists seek to reform society along Christian lines and force society to conform to their conservative Christian values. They are Christian Nationalists because they have combined conservative, evangelical Christian theology with extreme American nationalism.

I was trying to point out that maybe the lines distinguishing Evangelical Christianity and Christianism have been blurred.

Thanks for clarifying. I don't believe most evangelicals subscribe to the extreme views described in the various articles, but I certainly can understand that the lines may appear to be blurred when you have prominent Christian figures like Pat Robertson subscribing to dominion theology. Not every evangelical hangs on every word coming out of Robertson's mouth, nonetheless he is a very prominent Christian, and might be seen as speaking for them.

I also think part of the problem is the way that various labels are thrown around carelessly. What does "Evangelicalism" really mean? I've heard it used to mean Protestantism in general, or sometimes just conservative Protestantism. Is it the same thing as "born-again" or Fundamentalism? Does it refer to the Christian right? I think a lot of misinformation is disseminated about all different groups just due to lack of appropriate terminology.

[Carol&Marc 0]

George Bush Blamed for Mel Gibson’s Problems?

Media critic Neal Gabler has come up with the ultimate lefty explanation for Mel Gibson’s drunken ramblings from the back seat of a squad car.

Writing for the Salon Web site, Gibson’s problems are President Bush’s fault, according to Gabler.

Along with the hurricane devastation in New Orleans and skyrocketing gas prices, Gabler ties Gibson’s tirade-under-the-influence to the radicalization of America “since the election of George Bush.”

Gabler writes that “the merger of evangelical Christianity, which has long had a tinge of racism and anti-Semitism, with right-wing Republicanism has had many effects on American culture and politics, but perhaps the foremost among them is that it has legitimized attitudes that were previously considered illegitimate by the custodians of the social order.”

According to Gabler, Gibson has been the beneficiary of the Bush “radicalism” and has courted “those for whom extremism in the defense of their version of liberty is no vice.”

Although Gabler admits that Bush has not actively sanctioned hate speech, he claims that by “fomenting the culture wars” and “polarizing the country” Bush “has given license to hate-mongers under the cover this time of an impending cultural Armageddon.”

To support his contention, Gabler cites Tony Snow’s use of the term “murder” in relation to abortion or embryonic stem cell research and Karl Rove’s labeling of Democrats as treasonous and weak on terror.

This, writes Gabler, is feeding “the hate machine.”

Gabler writes that “the merger of evangelical Christianity, which has long had a tinge of racism and anti-Semitism, with right-wing Republicanism has had many effects on American culture and politics, but perhaps the foremost among them is that it has legitimized attitudes that were previously considered illegitimate by the custodians of the social order.”

What an idiot. I wonder with what authority he speaks of evangelical Christianity, other than his own bias and suspicions. I grew up attending evangelical churches of various denominations and never saw the "tinge of racism and anti-Semitism" of which he speaks. It really is a stretch to connect Mel Gibson's loathsome drunken ravings with the evangelical church when evangelicals feel a kinship with the Jewish people -- God's chosen ones -- and are generally staunch supporters of Israel. Besides, which, Gibson is Catholic. Of course, we can't blame Catholics for his behavior either, since Gibson's religious ideas are clearly outside the mainstream. Hey....I've got a wild and crazy idea -- could it be that Mel Gibson is responsible for what Mel Gibson did and said, not George Bush, the evangelical church, right wing Republicans, or anyone else?

Yep thats it, its Bushs fault!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Bush is a liberal (gasp)

I read the original article and don't see much of a problem with it. Nor do I see that anyone is blaming Bush for Mel Gibson's hate speech. Rather, the author is contextualizing Gibson's moment of antisemitic slurs with the general political climate in America. That the climate exists, a climate in which liberals can be blamed for anything, is evident by the fact that this thread exists.

As to anti-semitism and evangelical churches, of course there's a connection. I'm not saying that all evangelicals are anti-semites, but there is a tendency among evangelical Christians to dislike Jews because they do no believe in Christ (or at least not in the right way). There is also a tendency to conflate Jews with liberalism and Hollywood in the same way that it used to be quite popular to conflate Jews and communism back in the day. Remember the Rosenbergs?

Anyway, some links illustrating anti-semitism in evangellical churches:

http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport...cle.jsp?aid=205

http://pittsburgh.about.com/b/a/257186.htm

http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASUS_12/4680_12.htm

http://www.sullivan-county.com/id3/right_jews.htm

Glad someone puts these things in context to differentiate it from the cynical interpretation of the "big foam hand waving" Dittohead crowd.

[Alex+R 0]

Writing for the Salon Web site, Gibson’s problems are President Bush’s fault, according to Gabler.

Sigh. They make pathetic grammar mistakes like this in the first paragraph, and I'm supposed to pay attention to the substance of the article?

InCanada and Stina, if someone prays that I figure out how to live like they do (less Jew-y, more Christian-y), I do not feel very respected. What is respect? Just saying that you respect someone?