Did you read Chris Hedges' book about the Evangelical Christian movement? It's
on BARD. He wrote it somewhere around 2007, I think.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2020 7:07 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Christian Nationalists and Christian Zionists
March Lockstep to Secure Another Four Years for Trump
"Fools walk in where Angels fear to tread..."
Forget the names they assign to themselves. Jesus was not a Christian, nor
would He join any group that had Christian in it. As much as I cared for
members of the various churches I've belonged to in my lifetime, all have a
basic flaw. That flaw is in their belief that God can only be reached through
their correct Belief. Most churches are self serving and self centered. They
cry out for new members, but drive people away because of their rigidity.
Christian Nationalists and Christian Zionists will learn the hard way that they
are being used in a much larger game. But I do not feel any sorrow for them.
Their own self serving greed is the trapdoor that lures them in.
Carl Jarvis
On 8/11/20, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Christian Nationalists and Christian Zionists March Lockstep to Secure
Another Four Years for Trump Christian Nationalists and their cousins,
Christian Zionists - have made their way into the halls of power, and
may be the key to another four-year term for arguably the most
catastrophic president in US history.
by Kathryn Shihadah
August 11th, 2020
By Kathryn Shihadah Kathryn Shihadah
Two thousand years ago, Jesus taught an oppressed, occupied people the
ways of mercy and nonviolent resistance. In the intervening centuries,
some strains of Christianity have transformed themselves from these
humble roots into dominant, imperial forces.
Their "Christian" voices speak the language of the Bible, but their
ideologies have little to do with the Bible's message. Their followers
- knowingly or unknowingly - encourage authoritarianism and racism
with a stamp of approval from God.
These groups - Christian Nationalists and their cousins, Christian
Zionists
- have made their way into the halls of power, and may be the key to
another four-year term for arguably the most catastrophic president in
history.
The ideologies
Nationalism, according to the Oxford Dictionary and "Political Ideologies,"
is "identification with one's own nation and support for its
interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests
of other nations,"
which "aims to build and maintain a single national identity."
Christian Nationalism, then, promotes the interests (and perhaps,
doctrines)
of a particular strain of Christians, and aims to build a single
Christian national identity - to the exclusion of the interests of
other Christian groups in the nation and the interests of other nations.
Christians Against Christian Nationalism, a broad coalition of faith
groups,
adds:
Christian Nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State
and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It
often overlaps with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial
subjugation.
Christian Zionism is a Christian movement that similarly promotes the
interests of certain types of Jews in Israel, aiming to support them
as they build a single, privileged Jewish national identity - to the
exclusion of the interests of other groups in Israel and the interests
of other nations.
Christians United for Israel
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. speaks at the Christians United for Israel
Washington Summit, July 23, 2013. Charles Dharapak | AP
Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), an international movement
seeking a just peace for Palestinians, opposes Christian Zionism.
Jonathan Brenneman, the communications coordinator for FOSNA,
described Christian Zionism to MintPress as:
An ideology which uses Christianity in the name of hate. Their mission
is to increase their "Christian" influence on U.S. policy.upholding
U.S. and Christian supremacy in its support of Israel's worst
practices."
Christian Zionists see themselves as the only people who understand
God's plan, and they have the duty to implement it at any cost."
Sounds crazy? These groups are not fringe. They are plentiful and
powerful, to the point that they may have won Trump the election in
2016, and may do so again in 2020.
As Pew Research reported in March 2020, half of Americans hold the
Christian Nationalist belief that the Bible should have a "great deal"
or "some"
influence over U.S. laws (though they might not label it as such).
Some 28 percent believe that "if and when the Bible conflicts with the
will of the American people, the Bible should have more influence on
the laws of the land."
In addition, roughly 70 million Americans profess the Christian
Zionist beliefs that "God's promise to Abraham and his descendants was
for all time," and that the creation of modern Israel is a fulfillment
of prophecy leading to the return of Jesus Christ.
MAGA and Israel
As the U.S. has become more diverse and secular, the relative numbers
of Christians - especially white Christians - has been declining.
White Christians have "lost their perceived standing as the country's
decision-makers amid their declining status," driving many to
Christian Nationalism as a path back to power.
Many of these Christian Nationalists heard in Candidate Trump's MAGA
slogan a promise to return America to its former greatness - the good
old days when we "didn't need no welfare state, everybody pulled his
weight."
Trump also promised to move the American Embassy in Israel from Tel
Aviv to Jerusalem, pull out of the treaty with Iran, and support
Israeli settlements on Palestinian land - all wildly popular with
Christian Zionists.
Some 80 percent of evangelicals voted for Trump - either to save
America or to usher in the second coming of Christ.
The awkward issue of (Trump's) sin
Trump's evangelical fan club had a dilemma on its hands as his
skeletons kept tumbling out of the closet. He was a hot mess, but they needed
him.
In a piece for Salon, Paul Rosenberg goes so far as to suggest that a
righteous candidate would have been a bad idea, writing that "When
push comes to shove, the more vicious the leader, the better. The
moral restraints of the deeply pious are the last thing you want for the job."
Every day brought a new crisis - and a new rationalization: "Only God
knows what is in Trump's heart." "Democrats have baggage too." "He is
the spirit of Cyrus." "We're all sinners."
Study: Partisan Media Coverage of Epstein Mask His links to Both Sides
A new study revealed that both MSNBC and Fox News slanted their
coverage to highlight either Clinton or Trump's links to Jeffrey Epstein.
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | Jul 28 Under the new, Trump-inspired
Christianity, some leaders portrayed him as "God's choice," and
instructed followers to stand with him no matter what.
Robert Jeffress, the pastor of the oldest megachurch in the U.S.,
demonstrated this just before the 2016 election when he quite
literally contradicted the words of Jesus in defense of Trump:
I don't want some meek and mild leader or somebody who's going to turn
the other cheek. I've said I want the meanest, toughest SOB I can find
to protect this nation."
From Bible to policy
The Trump campaign, and then administration, has always included a
large number of evangelical leaders - including Christian Zionists.
They were not there only to pray, but according to Trump advisor Mike
Evans, to have "a seat at the table." Christian Zionists in Trump's
inner circle use their access to present their interpretation of
scripture as potential foreign policy. And Apparently Trump listens.
Mike Evans Donald Trump
Evangelical Trump advisor Mike Evans, left, poses with the President.
Photo
| White House
Evans has been part of that inner circle. He was in on private
briefings with the president before the unveiling of the so-called
Deal of the Century
- Trump's "peace plan" for Israel and Palestine, which heavily favors
Israel. "Israel just got kissed by God," Evans said of the plan. "I am
not referring to Donald Trump as God, but I am saying he has Divine
inspiration."
Trump's actions on behalf of Israel, which are often reckless and
violations of international law and human rights, are understood as
obedience to Genesis 12:3, "I will bless those who bless you
[Abraham], and whoever curses you I will curse."
Meet CUFI
The most powerful guest at the table has to be CUFI - Christians
United For Israel - an organization boasting eight million members,
and the quintessential mechanism of Christian Zionism.
At the CUFI's helm is John Hagee, who teaches as fact his
dispensationalist interpretation of the situation in Israel and
Palestine. As Hagee puts it, "Israel exists because of a covenant God
made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
3,500 years ago - and that covenant still stands," and "From a
biblical, historical, and legal perspective, Israel owns, and does not
occupy, the Holy Land. And one can not be an occupier on land it
owns." (The global community almost unanimously disagrees with the
second statement, based on international law.)
Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
themselves self-identify as Christian Zionists and Pence has even
visited Israel on CUFI's dime. Both have spoken at CUFI's annual
summit. At least three other high-level members of the Trump administration
attended as well.
The organization is effective. The Hill listed at least five
congressional seats and one governor that CUFI helped flip from blue to red
in 2018.
Their
millions of members are ready to "show up at the polls and cast their
ballot for the candidate that is best for the Jewish state."
How? According to Sandy Hagee Parker of the CUFI Action Fund, "With
approximately 50 events nationally per month, CUFI's field staff is in
constant education mode."
Anti-Diplomacy: Danny Danon Ends Five Year Legacy of Israeli Hasbara
at the UN The legacy of Danny Danon whose hawkish anti-diplomacy came
to end after a five-year stint as Israeli Ambassador to the United
Nations.
MintPress News | Kathryn Shihadah | Jul 27 "CUFI members don't see
Israel as a political issue, but as an exercise in their faith - and
that will never change," Hagee Parker boasts.
CUFI members can be mobilized as needed to support legislative action,
visit a Congress member, attend a town hall meeting - whatever is
needed to keep the agenda moving forward. Bottom line, in John Hagee's
own words:
We're not another paper-shuffling, hand-clapping group of
Christians.We are
4.5 million people who are organized in every state, every city, every
voting district."
War with Iran
Iran is public enemy number one to Christian Zionists, who believe
that the end times must be preceded by war and bloodshed. Iran is more
than just a geopolitical enemy - it is, as religious historian Diana
Butler Bass explains, "sort of a prophetic dog whistle to
evangelicals.they're eager for Christ to return and they think that
this war with Iran and Israel has to happen for their larger hope to
pass."
And so John Hagee - a pastor, mind you - has repeatedly called for
Iran to be hit with a "maximum pressure campaign," including at one
point a preemptive strike.
Mike Pence, John Hagee
Vice President Pence, left, greets Hagee at CUFI's annual summit, July
8, 2019, in Washington. Patrick Semansky | AP
In 2017, Christian Zionists pestered Trump to move the American
Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. According to the Christians United
For Israel
website:
CUFI has made moving the embassy to Jerusalem a central focus of its
2017 agenda.Pastor John Hagee, has used White House audiences with
Pres. Trump and Vice Pres. Mike Pence to urge them to move the embassy.
Days before Pres. Trump's inauguration, the CUFI Action Fund held a
Washington fly-in during which more than 260 leaders representing 49
states urged that the embassy be moved. And CUFI members have sent
more than
137,000 emails to the White House in support of moving the embassy to
Jerusalem.
The embassy move took place in May 2018 amid peaceful protests that
resulted in dozens of Palestinian deaths by Israeli sniper fire.
The only side of the story?
Just 40 percent of Jews living in Israel believe that God gave them
the land; meanwhile, 82 percent of white American evangelicals believe
it. How is that possible?
Brenneman explained that because there is no visible counter-argument
against the damaging narrative of Christian Zionism, "Most people
don't even realize that they hold a Christian Zionist perspective."
Like all extremist ideologies, it is built upon ignorance and
insularity to perpetuate a warped perspective about Palestinians and
what is happening in Palestine.
People passively hold these views because they are shielded from
seeing devastating humanitarian and environmental consequences of their
beliefs.
Christian Zionism [presents a binary construct in which] Israelis are
good and barbaric Palestinians are bad, [and] places good "Western"
Israelis against evil "Eastern" Muslims."
The concealed truth
While mainstream media will never give a completely accurate picture
of world events, it does manage to contradict Trump on a regular
basis. He deals with these inconvenient truths by delegitimizing them as
"fake news"
and, as Kellyanne Conway famously gave us, the phrase "alternative facts."
His flock follows suit.
In the arena of accurate news on Israel and Palestine, many sources
committed to rigorous reporting and educating are routinely denounced
as "anti-Semitic" for daring to show Israel's human rights abuses
against Palestinians. Most Americans are thus not exposed to the truth
about the injustice that Christian Zionism is inflicting on
Palestinians through its support of Israel.
What about 2020?
As determined as progressives are to make Trump a one-term president,
evangelicals and conservatives are resolute about winning him four
more years. They are also well-organized and well-funded.
Data analysts are scouring statistics nationwide, looking for new
conservative voters to register and recruit. Thousands of
conservative, and also often evangelical radio stations, sing Trump's
praises; tens of millions of churchgoers are faithful to him.
Mike Evans, a Trump advisor, pointed out that the evangelical bloc "gave"
Trump the presidency because of his pro-life stance and his support
for Israel - and that same group has the power to "fire" him if he
does not continue to toe the line. The current test will be if Trump
endorses Israel's planned annexation of parts of the Palestinian West
Bank, a move deemed illegal under international law.
Backed by Millions from Pro-Israel Interests, Antone Melton-Meaux
Takes Aim at Ilhan Omar Antone Melton-Meaux, a union-busting attorney,
is raking in millions in campaign donations from pro-Israel groups to
unseat Ilhan Omar.
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | Aug 5
When asked about Trump's re-election prospects, Evans explains how
pro-Israel policy translates into votes:
I have 68 million Facebook followers. When the president blesses
Israel, they feel strongly that God is going to bless us - He won't
get 90 percent; he will get 100 percent of this base."
In fact, according to a 2019 Public Religion Research Institute poll
of Trump supporters, 31 percent of white evangelicals said there is
essentially nothing he could do that would lose their vote.
"Stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody"? Apparently he
can do no wrong.
