Our Endangered Values
The title of this post is shared with the title of former US president Jimmy Carter's latest book.
Jimmy Carter was president from 1976-1980. I remember the year he was elected. I was in the 7th grade, and a particular class assignment required students to profile their favorite candidate for the presidency. I chose Jimmy Carter, but I can't recall why.
Jimmy Carter was president at the wrong time in our country's history. If there was a time when our country needed a man of such integrity and justice, it is now, the year 2006. Although he didn't leave a very impressive legacy during his presidency, his deeds and accomplishments from the time he left office to the present have compensated for this a hundred-fold. Jimmy Carter is the founder of the Carter Center, a non-profit organization that strives to ease the pain and suffering of the poor in various regions of the world. Teaching farming techniques, building shelters, and eradicating local parasitic infestations are just some of the admirable things the Carter Center is doing. When he's not helping the poor and destitute, he is doing his best to promote world peace as an ambassador. He frequently consults with world leaders on how to to find peaceful resolutions to conflicts.
Jimmy Carter, to me, is someone who actually exemplifies the true goodness of the Bible. He is like a Jedi Knight amidst the hordes of neoconservative, Christian fundamentalist Siths that have hijacked Christianity in this country. He is, unfortunately, is a minority in today's Evangelical Christian Church. In his book, he describes how a core of fundamentalist Baptists took leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention, and changed the charter in a manner that defied traditional Baptist practices. The new leadership called for melding of politics and religion, domination by all-male pastors, exclusion of traditional Baptists form convention affairs, subservience of women, and encroachment on the autonomy of local churches. After much soul-searching, Carter decided to sever his relationship with the Southern Baptist Convention, while retaining his faith as a Baptist in his local church. He notes that during the last quarter century, there has been a parallel right-wing movement within American politics, often directly tied to the attributes of like-minded Christian groups. This new political movement is characterized by:
(my quotes in parentheses)
-special favors fo the powerful at the expense of others (no-bid, billion-dollar contracts to Bechtel, secret energy policy meetings by Cheney?)
-abandonment of social justice (jailing of "enemy combatants," electronic eavesdropping?)
-denigration of those who differ (Fox News anchors, conservative talk show hosts' marginalization of opposing views, notably those coming from Democrats and liberals)
-failure to protect the environment (Bush's refusal to join other countries in reducing carbon emissions(Kyoto accords); drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Reserve?)
-attempts to exclude those who refuse to conform (.."you are with us or against us; highly selective invitations to White House press releases and special "town hall" talks by Bush?..)
-tendency toward unilateral diplomatic action (Iraq war, North Korean nuclear crisis-George W..)
-excessive inclination towards conflict (Iraq war, threats to Syria and Iran, esp. from Rumsfeld)
-reliance on fear as a means of persuasion (color-coded terrorist threat levels, 9-11 card, "mushroom cloud" remarks by Condi Rice...)
Jimmy Carter offers his observations of the new fundamentalists; noting that they share the following beliefs / behaviors:
-Almost invariably, fundamentalist movements are lead by authoritarian males... and within religious groups, have an overwhelming commitment to subjugate women and to dominate their fellow believers (Pat Robertson, The Taliban and any Christian male who insists that his wife not take a job and stay at home)
-although they usuallly believe that the past is better than the present, they retain certain self-beneficial aspects of both their historic religious beliefs and of the modern world (Any San Francisco-hating blowhard or Taliban who bemoans the departure from tradition, yet doesn't give a second thought of using the internet and other hi-tech products, many of which had origins in the Bay Area)
-they draw clear destinctions between themselves as true believers, and others, convinced that they are right and that anyone who contradicts them is ignorant and possibly evil (Bin Laden...Pat Robertson...George Bush..Donald Rumsfeld...Anne Coulter...et. al, et. al.)
-they are militant in fighting against any challenge to their beliefs. They are often angry and sometimes resort to verbal or even physical abuse against those who interfere with the implementation of their agenda (same as above)
-they tend to make their self-definition increasingly narrow and restricted, to isolate themselves, to demagoge emotional issues, and to view change, cooperation, negotiation and other efforts to resolve differences as signs of weakness (the entire Bush Administration)
Jimmy Carter summarizes by identifying three words that characterize this brand of fundamentalism: rigidity, domination, and exclusion. I couldn't agree more. Jimmy Carter is a unique individual whose assessment of today's global conflicts should be respected by all, regardless of political inclination. He is unique in that while he is undoubtedly a man of strong faith, he is very intelligent and discerning; fair and honest. He does not let his intelligence overwhelm his religious faith, and vice versa; despite harsh criticisms from both conservatives and liberals. I wish he would run for president.
Jimmy Carter was president from 1976-1980. I remember the year he was elected. I was in the 7th grade, and a particular class assignment required students to profile their favorite candidate for the presidency. I chose Jimmy Carter, but I can't recall why.
Jimmy Carter was president at the wrong time in our country's history. If there was a time when our country needed a man of such integrity and justice, it is now, the year 2006. Although he didn't leave a very impressive legacy during his presidency, his deeds and accomplishments from the time he left office to the present have compensated for this a hundred-fold. Jimmy Carter is the founder of the Carter Center, a non-profit organization that strives to ease the pain and suffering of the poor in various regions of the world. Teaching farming techniques, building shelters, and eradicating local parasitic infestations are just some of the admirable things the Carter Center is doing. When he's not helping the poor and destitute, he is doing his best to promote world peace as an ambassador. He frequently consults with world leaders on how to to find peaceful resolutions to conflicts.
Jimmy Carter, to me, is someone who actually exemplifies the true goodness of the Bible. He is like a Jedi Knight amidst the hordes of neoconservative, Christian fundamentalist Siths that have hijacked Christianity in this country. He is, unfortunately, is a minority in today's Evangelical Christian Church. In his book, he describes how a core of fundamentalist Baptists took leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention, and changed the charter in a manner that defied traditional Baptist practices. The new leadership called for melding of politics and religion, domination by all-male pastors, exclusion of traditional Baptists form convention affairs, subservience of women, and encroachment on the autonomy of local churches. After much soul-searching, Carter decided to sever his relationship with the Southern Baptist Convention, while retaining his faith as a Baptist in his local church. He notes that during the last quarter century, there has been a parallel right-wing movement within American politics, often directly tied to the attributes of like-minded Christian groups. This new political movement is characterized by:
(my quotes in parentheses)
-special favors fo the powerful at the expense of others (no-bid, billion-dollar contracts to Bechtel, secret energy policy meetings by Cheney?)
-abandonment of social justice (jailing of "enemy combatants," electronic eavesdropping?)
-denigration of those who differ (Fox News anchors, conservative talk show hosts' marginalization of opposing views, notably those coming from Democrats and liberals)
-failure to protect the environment (Bush's refusal to join other countries in reducing carbon emissions(Kyoto accords); drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Reserve?)
-attempts to exclude those who refuse to conform (.."you are with us or against us; highly selective invitations to White House press releases and special "town hall" talks by Bush?..)
-tendency toward unilateral diplomatic action (Iraq war, North Korean nuclear crisis-George W..)
-excessive inclination towards conflict (Iraq war, threats to Syria and Iran, esp. from Rumsfeld)
-reliance on fear as a means of persuasion (color-coded terrorist threat levels, 9-11 card, "mushroom cloud" remarks by Condi Rice...)
Jimmy Carter offers his observations of the new fundamentalists; noting that they share the following beliefs / behaviors:
-Almost invariably, fundamentalist movements are lead by authoritarian males... and within religious groups, have an overwhelming commitment to subjugate women and to dominate their fellow believers (Pat Robertson, The Taliban and any Christian male who insists that his wife not take a job and stay at home)
-although they usuallly believe that the past is better than the present, they retain certain self-beneficial aspects of both their historic religious beliefs and of the modern world (Any San Francisco-hating blowhard or Taliban who bemoans the departure from tradition, yet doesn't give a second thought of using the internet and other hi-tech products, many of which had origins in the Bay Area)
-they draw clear destinctions between themselves as true believers, and others, convinced that they are right and that anyone who contradicts them is ignorant and possibly evil (Bin Laden...Pat Robertson...George Bush..Donald Rumsfeld...Anne Coulter...et. al, et. al.)
-they are militant in fighting against any challenge to their beliefs. They are often angry and sometimes resort to verbal or even physical abuse against those who interfere with the implementation of their agenda (same as above)
-they tend to make their self-definition increasingly narrow and restricted, to isolate themselves, to demagoge emotional issues, and to view change, cooperation, negotiation and other efforts to resolve differences as signs of weakness (the entire Bush Administration)
Jimmy Carter summarizes by identifying three words that characterize this brand of fundamentalism: rigidity, domination, and exclusion. I couldn't agree more. Jimmy Carter is a unique individual whose assessment of today's global conflicts should be respected by all, regardless of political inclination. He is unique in that while he is undoubtedly a man of strong faith, he is very intelligent and discerning; fair and honest. He does not let his intelligence overwhelm his religious faith, and vice versa; despite harsh criticisms from both conservatives and liberals. I wish he would run for president.
posted by The Pragmatist | 9:38 PM
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