Now that the “S” word is being bandied about in reference to Obama’s “socialist” programs, I think it’s time for people to also take a closer look at the “F” word — fascism.
In 2004, political scientist Dr. Laurence Britt identified social and political agendas that are found in fascist regimes. By studying Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), he came up with a list of 14 characteristics. Here are a few:
* Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
* Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause (liberals, terrorists, socialists)
* Obsession with National Security
* Religion and Government are Intertwined
* Corporate Power is Protected
* Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
* Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Does this sound a bit familiar? It should, if you’ve been paying attention to what’s happening in our current government or if you’re aware of the campaign platforms of the Republican presidential candidates!
Perhaps you’ve seen the bumper sticker that says, “When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” This quote — from 1935 — is attributed to Sinclair Lewis, author of “It Can’t Happen Here” — a fictional novel about the election of a fascist American president.
The agenda of the extreme Christian right should be of concern to every American. Not only do they totally _ignore_ the concept of the “separation of church and state,” it is their goal to create a church state, “whatever the cost” and “through any means necessary.” Do some research on Christian Dominionists and you’ll see that this is NOT the “love your neighbor as yourself” Christianity that most Christians embrace.
As I cited in an earlier post, over 100 years ago Mark Twain made the following comment about religion:
“Man is the religious animal…He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat, if his theology isn’t straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother’s path to happiness and heaven.”
There is far too much truth in Twain’s observation and it is far too ironic that those fleeing religious persecution have — throughout history — fled to this country. The First Amendment can be regarded as one of America’s brightest “shining beacons” and a Christian Theocracy would completely and utterly destroy it:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
By prohibiting the establishment of a national religion by the Congress or the preference of one religion over another, or religion over non-religion, our founding fathers tried to ensure basic religious and spiritual freedom for all its citizens. When challenged in 1994, the Supreme Court ruled that “government should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion”.
How this contrasts with the goals of Focus on the Family and other right wing Christian organizations! Focus on the Family claims to honor “faith, family and freedom,” but that faith must be Christian; families must never be comprised of same-sex couples; and freedom? It’s a freedom based on the assumption that we are a Christian nation. To wit, they state on their website that “The Supreme Court’s imposition of the doctrine of separation of church and state distorts the Founding Father’s recognition of our unequivocally Christian nation and the protection of religious freedom for all faiths.” (Focus on the Family website) Such a belief thus allows them to boldly declare that “the separation of church and state is an unconstitutional doctrine.” (Focus on the Family Website)
Main stream Christians should be alarmed by this statement. Those of other faiths –or no faiths — who live in this country should be horrified! Focus on the Family leader, James Dobson, met with Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin and during their discussion, he told her that he was “asking for God’s intervention” and praying “for a miracle in regard to the election this year.” (Fox News)
We ARE a nation of many faiths and I am so often reminded of this poem by John Godfrey Saxe:
The Blind Men and the Elephant
It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined
Who went to see the elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approached the elephant,
And, happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the elephant
Is nothing but a wall!”
The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried: “Ho! What have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp!
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an elephant
Is very like a spear!”
The Third approached the animal,
And, happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the elephant
Is very like a snake!”
The Fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
“‘Tis clear enough the elephant
Is very like a tree.”
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an elephant
Is very like a fan!”
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the elephant
Is very like a rope!”
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
So, oft in theologic wars
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an elephant
Not one of them has seen!
For the past 17 years I have worked in schools with large international student populations and with children of diverse spiritual and religious backgrounds. While I haven’t had the opportunity to travel the world, the world has come to my classroom.
As a result of my experiences in educational settings, I have concluded that we (as human beings, regardless of ethnicity) are far more alike than we are different. This has served to reinforce my lifelong belief that people are basically good, decent and peace-loving; I’ve heard children laugh together in a multitude of languages.
Fanatics and religious extremists can be found on the fringes of virtually all of the world’s religions, and yet to even suggest that our country might have some extremists of its own would certainly earn me the label (in this political climate, and by some people) of being un-Christian. And to suggest that we could learn a lot about — and from — people from the other nations of this world might tempt some to label me un-American.
The history of this country’s “Pledge of Allegiance” is quite interesting. You can read about it, in full, in an article by Dr. John Baer. To bring out a few points in his article, the original Pledge was written by a Christian Socialist Baptist minister in 1892, and published after he was asked to leave the church due to his socialist views. As penned by the Rev. Francis Bellamy, it originally read:
“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
According to Dr. Baer’s research, Bellamy considered including the word, “equality,” but knew that “equality” wasn’t a concept that was afforded to women and to African-Americans.
In the 1920s, the National Flag Conference altered the words so that the Pledge read:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America. One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Flash forward to the 1950s when the Knights of Columbus campaigned to add the words “under God,” making it both a patriotic and religious declaration.
The current Knights of Columbus bishops’ campaign — “The Novena for Faithful Citizenship” is designed “to help Catholics develop well-formed consciences for addressing political and social questions.” (Knights of Columbus website) At the same time, however, they are running a pro-life radio ad, about which their Supreme Knight states, “We believe that it is vital that America’s pro-life community make it clear that they will reserve their votes for candidates of either party who are committed to protecting life from conception to natural death.” (Knights of Columbus website)
Religion and government are very much intertwined in this country, but I’m concerned about the politicizing of moral issues, especially when such issues form just one plank in a candidate’s platform. For the record, I am utterly respectful of the tremendous good works of this organization since it was first chartered in 1882 — especially since they confront and oppose bigotry — and I absolutely do not want to imply that the Knights of Columbus are “religious extremists.” I do feel, however, that there must be some separation of church and state — regardless of which church — in order to allow voters to fairly view the totality of political candidates’ positions on myriad complex issues.
The core tenet of people of faith — of ALL faiths — is summed up in one ideology: Love one another. I simply do not understand why some people stoop so low as to use the name of one’s religion maliciously, as a slur. Again, I have to agree with what Colin Powell said on “Meet the Press“:
“I’m also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, “Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.” Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no, that’s not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, “He’s a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists.” This is not the way we should be doing it in America.”
Our nation is great –
But there are other great nations in the world.
Christianity may be the most predominant religion –
But perhaps some people of faith have found alternate pathways to God.
When we devise to divide, we lose the opportunity to understand and to grow. I hope that some day — through education, outreach, and tolerance — the majority of people who share this fragile planet will be able to truly “love one another”:
BAH’I
“Blessed are those who prefer others before themselves.”
–Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, 71
BUDDHISM
“Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”
–Udana-Varga, 5:18
CHRISTIANITY
“Always treat others as you would like them to treat you.”
–Jesus, Matthew 7:12
CONFUCIANISM
“Do not unto others what you would not want them do unto you.”
–Analects 15:23
HINDUISM
“This is the sum of all duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you.”
–Mahabhartata 5:1517
ISLAM
“No one of you is a believer until you desire for another that which you desire for yourself.”
–Sunnah
JAINISM
“In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, regard all creatures as you would regard your own self.”
–Lord Mahavir 24th Tirthankara
JUDAISM
“What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor, That is the entire Torah; all the rest is commentary.”
–Talmud, Shabbat 31a
NATIVE AMERICAN
“Respect for all life is the foundation.”
–The Great Law of Peace
SIKHISM
“Be not estranged from another for God dwells in every heart.”
–Sri Guru Granth Sahib
ZOROASTRIANISM
“Human nature is good only when it does not do unto another whatever is no good for its own self.”
–Dadistan-I-Dinik, 94:5
TAOSIM
“Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.”
T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien.
WICCAN
“Everything you do, whether positive or negative, is returned to you threefold.”
–The Threefold Law
SHINTO
“The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form”
“Be charitable to all beings, love is the representative of God.” Ko-ji-ki Hachiman Kasuga
