REV. HUCKABEE I see that Mike Huckabee, ordained Baptist minister and presidential contender, expressed some thoughts the other day on the relative weights of the Constitution and the Bible. Speaking about life and the definition of marriage, he told a rally in Michigan: “I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it’s a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. And that’s what we need to do, is to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than try to change God’s standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family.” Question: Don’t you think it’s fair, when we have a contender for president attempting to impose his religious views on the nation, that a humble observer like me subject those views to critical examination? And another question: Why don’t a lot more media pundits subject fundamentalist Christian views to critical examination? I mean, if a candidate for president wants to impose them on the nation and amend the Constitution to reflect them. Also, why don’t the other candidates raise a ruckus about the Rev. Huckabee’s apparent desire to transform our nation into a theocracy? How far removed is this great country of ours from certain Islamic states if the presumed word of God as interpreted by a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University is recommended to trump our civil constitution and there is no great uproar about it? I will have more to say on this subject.
Carl Strock THE VIEW FROM HERE Why Spitzer didn’t qualify as a gasbag
Well, the letters are coming in about my column last week contrasting Eliot Spitzer with “assorted Christian gasbags who have turned out to be patrons of prostitutes and snorters of nose candy,” and I’m sure you’ll see some of them. What’s this anti-Christian sniping? some people want to know. Why don’t I call Spitzer a Jewish gasbag? The difference, I suggested, is that the sleaze of certain Christian preachers was apparent to anyone who wasn’t gulled by the promise of salvation, and I had in mind such eminences of the cloth as Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard and Jim Bakker. A whole lot of people figured them for creeps right from the getgo, whereas nobody that I’m aware of ever figured Eliot Spitzer for a creep. Spitzer was a white knight, and the faults that we perceived — arrogance, abrasiveness, impatience — never included hypocrisy. There was never a suspicion even by his enemies, as far as I know, that he might have been laundering money in his private life so as to hire $4,000-an-hour prostitutes. Which is what made the revelation so stunning. Furthermore, his Jewishness was incidental. It had nothing to do with the big contradiction in his life between public morality and private cheating, whereas Christianity had everything to do with Jimmy Swaggart and Ted Haggard and Jim Bakker and others. It’s what they were all about. It was the robe they wrapped themselves in. Eliot Spitzer wasn’t parading himself as a Jew. He wasn’t telling people they would go to hell if they didn’t convert to his religion. He was a deceiver, but to call him a Jewish deceiver would be gratuitous. To call Ted Haggard a Christian gasbag, however, is exactly on the mark, in my humble view. Furthermore — and here I’m certain to give further offense — dishonesty is built into the fundamentalist Christian enterprise. On the one hand the fundamentalists claim literal belief in the Bible as the “inerrant” word of God, and on the other hand they freely ignore those parts of the Bible that don’t suit their convenience, like the injunction to turn the other cheek, the injunction not to lay up treasure on earth, the injunction to take no thought for the morrow, the injunction not to pray in public but rather in private, the injunction not to swear an oath, the injunction to avoid divorce and on and on and on. Not to mention all the primitive Old Testament rules about the death penalty for adulterers and that sort of thing. They just pick out a few parts that are agreeable to them, mostly about enthusiasts like themselves going to heaven, and then tout themselves as subscribers to God’s word. If you take the hypocrisy out of Christian fundamentalism there isn’t much left, so when I hear that a Christian preacher who has been railing against homosexuality has been patronizing homosexual prostitutes, after the manner of Ted Haggard, I am not exactly shocked. And that’s why I felt free to refer to “Christian gasbags,” because what people like Haggard emit into the public air has no real substance. This did not apply to Eliot Spitzer, and his dishonesty was not apparent on the surface. It was deeply hidden. There’s a difference, in my view, between the two kinds of crookedness. I won’t argue that one is better or worse than the other, but they’re different. For further observations on developments in the Christian ranks, including the shocking acceptance of global warming, I refer you to my blog, at http://www. dailygazette.com. Carl Strock can be reached at 395-3085 or by e-mail at carlstrock@dailygazette.com
This did not apply to Eliot Spitzer, and his dishonesty was not apparent on the surface. It was deeply hidden. There’s a difference, in my view, between the two kinds of crookedness. I won’t argue that one is better or worse than the other, but they’re different.
They are not much different.....sheeple are sheeple.....and Spitzer WAS a gas bag.....there are 'background checks' for those working in healthcare as if some sort of 'Minority Reporting' will save us from that next bad mood nurse/aide/MD and their mind 'snapping'.....and this is only one industry.....maybe he would like to fish out those 'sex offender' teachers with background checks....ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.......
I cant wait to read the 'intelligent' article in Playboy about the 'poor ole prostitute'.........it is about the articles right????
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
I only read Carl Strock’s column about 5 percent of the time that I purchase the Gazette, but I have noticed that he seems to have an anti-Christian attitude. He likes to attack Christians, or at least the televised Christian evangelists. I was surprised he took the time to use the term “assorted Christian gasbags” in his March 13 column on Eliot Spitzer. Shouldn’t he give equal time to attacking other religions? Shouldn’t he be more balanced in his attacks? He could have attacked Jews over the Spitzer scandal. After all, Eliot Spitzer is Jewish, and the head of the Emperor’s Club prostitution ring is also Jewish. It seems to me the Spitzer scandal would give him more ammunition to attack Jews than Christians. I think the Gazette should request that Strock balance his hatreds. RICHARD VALE Schenectady
Carl Strock THE VIEW FROM HERE It’s Bibleman! But is this child abuse? Carl Strock can be reached at 395-3085 or by e-mail at carlstrock@dailygazette.com.
Correspondents of the Christian persuasion frequently urge me to visit a church, apparently in the belief that I will be won over and will give up my skeptical ways. Not to appear recalcitrant, I finally accepted. On Friday evening I attended Grace Fellowship, located in a somewhat down-at-the-heels strip mall in Latham. I admit my motivation was not entirely worshipful. In part I wanted to evaluate the proposition put forth by Richard Dawkins, prominent British biologist and atheist, that the religious indoctrination of children is a form of abuse as pernicious as sexual abuse. What was going on in the converted Grand Union space of Grace Fellowship on the evening in question was a live Bibleman show, aimed at children, and I figured it would be a good opportunity to test the Dawkins proposition. For those of you not current on Christian pop culture, Bibleman is a character in a purple-and-yellow costume similar to Superman’s or Batman’s, with cape, mask and plastic muscles. He is a product of Tommy Nelson, a Texas pastor and author, and is licensed to Thunder Media Ministries, a California non-profi t. He’s a video game; he’s a DVD; and he is a traveling live show. He wields a “light saber” and does battle with assorted villains while quoting Scripture at them. He is popular enough that Grace Fellowship prudently booked two shows, back to back, at 5:45 and 7:45 p.m., figuring enough people would come that one wouldn’t suffice, and they were right. About 900 people, including me, attended the first show, and I presume as many the second — at $8 a pop in advance, or $10 at the door. It wouldn’t be fair to call the show childish, since it was after all aimed at children, but still it was pretty lame, with Bibleman whacking various villains with his light saber while forcefully shouting, “No weapon used against you will defeat you! Isaiah 54-17!” which sounded like football signals. Or, “We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we can’t see! 2 Corinthians, 4-18!” Whack, whack. The only time I personally felt any sympathy was when one of the villains responded, “You are so self-righteous.” “Go, Lothar,” I almost said out loud. But of course Lothar got obliterated like all the “enemies.” Bibleman did give a disclaimer that “our battle is not against people on earth” but rather against “spiritual forces of evil,” but it was hard to remember it in the midst of the glowing sword fights and the talk about “enemies.” More than once I found myself looking skittishly around to see if I had been spotted. I would defi - nitely not have wanted Bibleman coming down the aisle at me in front of several hundred cheering children. Also, to call the show live is a bit of a stretch. Most of it was lipsynched, with Bibleman and his enemies mouthing the words that were boomed out of a speaker system and with Biblegirl appearing only on a video screen. But I won’t quibble. The question is, does it constitute child abuse to lead children in the way of religion? For the defense, I will note that at the intermission Bibleman took off his mask, or his Helmet of the Lord’s Salvation, as he called it, and made a pitch for World Vision, an evangelical Christian charity, when he could just as well have pitched the helmets and capes that were for sale in the lobby. Specifically he sought contributions for a needy girl in Mexico, and he showed a film of himself with needy children in the Dominican Republic, which I thought was nice and unselfish, without regard to World Vision requiring its American employ- ees to sign an affirmation of belief in Jesus. I also note that he did not promote himself as a Jesus-substitute but dutifully gave credit to the Almighty. For the prosecution, however, I note that at the end of the show, again with his mask off, he preached to the children present that they could have “a new beginning and a fresh start” by coming forward and pledging themselves to Jesus, which he said was as simple as AB-C. A: “Admit you have sinned.” B: “Believe Jesus paid the price for your sins.” C: “Choose Jesus.” “It’s time to stop listening to the enemy,” he told them. “It’s time to come to Jesus,” and more in that vein, all very passionately delivered. In response several dozen young children accompanied by their parents did come down the aisle, the way people used to do at Billy Graham crusades, and bowed their heads and got prayed over. Now, is it abusive of impressionable young minds to tell them they have sinned and need a fresh start? To tell them there is an invisible man up in the sky who has an “awesome plan” for them? To instruct them that evil can be combatted with random quotations from ancient lore? I prayerfully contemplate these questions and do not arrive at a satisfactory answer. I don’t for a minute believe that the parents who led their children to this show and who bought cheap plastic swords and masks for them and applauded happily at Bibleman’s victories have any ill intent. I suspected just looking at them that they love their children and want the best for them. Whether their good intent is enough to outweigh the promotion of beliefs not strongly backed by evidence, or the self-righteousness observed by Lothar, I will leave to others to decide. It is too abstruse for me. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, you are invited to post your own thoughts and commentary on this subject on my blog at dailygazette.com. Prayers, too, if you are so inclined.
Child abuse? I don't see it that way. Freedom of religion still exists. There are religious institutions in every municipality. There are religious radio and TV stations.
Most children are raised with some belief. Even if it is an atheistic view. But as they become adults, they choose their own direction of which religion, if any they will follow. A belief they will raise their children with. We read where some adult Christians turn Muslim and visa versa. I know Hindu's that have turned Christian. Catholics turn Protestant. Protestant turn Catholic. There have been many conversions in the religious world.
Not to worry Mr. Strock...it's time you move on to more important issues and leave this religion issue to GOD!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
To me religious child abuse is when you gate off a religious community, cut them off from society and force puberty aged girls to marry 50 year old men and have babies with them.
To me religious child abuse is when you gate off a religious community, cut them off from society and force puberty aged girls to marry 50 year old men and have babies with them.
What's an acceptable religion today, might be labeled a cult 50 years from now. Cults are religions that society and government deem not to fit the new societal norm. Be careful jumping on board with those who ostracize certain religions and calling them cults. One day your religious beliefs might not be accepted by society, and the government will be shutting down your newly labeled cult.
The Christian and Muslim beliefs that are anti-homosexual, may some day be considered hate speech and brainwashing if preached to children.
Anybody who's interested, I invite you out to Grace Fellowship to come to an actual service and see how non-child abusive it actually is, no matter what Carl Strock says. The people who I talked to who went to this show enjoyed it Said it was a little "childish," but that should be expected when the target age demographic for this group is the young, pre-schoolers to elementary school-aged.
I know quite a few people from Rotterdam that travel there every Sunday and they love it. I personally have never been there, but I have NEVER heard anything negative about it.
Gee, I think that perhaps Strock is looking for his own radio show so he can become the next 'shock jock'! He use to be good at investigative reporting the REALLY serious issues. What the heck happened to him?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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