On Christian Radicals

Yesterday, while perusing the front page of my local newspaper, my eye was drawn by a rather large story about the opinions of local people on the presidential election.  I noticed that a lot of those opinions were liberal, which, by itself, is not really a problem.  Despite being local (and regardless of what the chief editor once told me), the paper is a fairly liberal publication, so it is just something I've come to expect.

However, there was one quote that caught my eye.  It said, "We have Christian evangelicals in office in Congress, who are in very influential positions, who are just as radically religious as those in the Middle East.  The only difference is, they happen to be Christian."

I read those words and I thought, "You know, this man is well-informed and completely right."

An angry, white Christian runs from a car he lit on fire.

After all, I remember the terrible Sunday after the first display of the image "Piss Christ," when an artist took a crucifix and submerged it in a jar of his own urine.  I can still smell the burning of leather and gasoline as enraged Methodists and Lutherans took to the streets and set cars ablaze.  The artist had to flee to Saudi Arabia for safety, taking his precious work with him.  He lingers there to this day, but has recently taken the big risk of allowing "Piss Christ" to make the rounds in art circles again.

(As an aside, I am not very privy to modern art, but how does urinating on a cross qualify as art?)

 Who remembers the violent hordes of baptists after the death of Jerry Falwell?  I can see so vividly these...Christians as they burned effigies of the many cartoonists who, instead of memorializing a public figure, mocked his beliefs post-mortem.  These brilliant theologian artists, who know so much about the Bible, showed Falwell encountering a heaven where sinners of all stripes were present.  These artists also were forced to hide themselves, or risk being beheaded by the senseless savages who filled the streets.

And we can't forget how every Easter, legions of Evangelicals will march on Washington, demanding the enshrinement of the Bible as the only law of the land, the raising of the Southern Baptist Convention as our congress and Pastor John Hagee as our president.  They demand that all rape victims and homosexuals be stoned and blasphemy against Jesus and God punished by beheading.

It is a dangerous world we live in...

...when people walk around comparing Islamic radicals with Evangelical Christians.  Now, don't get me wrong, the Rosie O'Donnell's of the world have every right to speak, but never without a firm counterargument waiting on the lips of those who are slandered and libeled by those words.

In no way are people like me anything like Islamic radicals.  Remember, they wish to see criticism of their faith banished and critics imprisoned or killed.  These are people who wish to see Islam codified worldwide in law and forced upon people of all stripes and traditions.  No mainstream Evangelical Christian believes anything of the sort.

Now, we most certainly believe that our values should be reflected in society, particularly if society agrees with those values.  The same goes for secularists and anyone else with differing beliefs.  However, in no way does this reflect a desire to have a theocracy or to force our faith down others throats. 

Comparing Christians participating in the political sphere with radicals hell bent on destroying all which is not Islamic is laughable at best.  It is dangerous at worst, as it causes people to see a villain where there is not and ignore the one at their very doorstep.