Do read Michael Lind’s “The Three Fundamentalisms of the American Right.” It describes how the modern GOP went from being the party of genteel, establishment Burkeans to being the political equivalent of fundamentalist foot-washin’ Baptists.
And this sorta kinda goes along with the “adventures in reading” post I wrote yesterday. If you’ve spent much time with southern redneck fundies (and I grew up with ’em), you know one of their foundational beliefs is that the Bible is written so that everyone can understand it, and we don’t need no steenkin’ priests to explain it to us, like Catholics do. Never mind that the King James version in particular is written in archaic English, and many Bible stories require having some understanding of the history and culture of the era to make sense of them.
The Bible Belt is flooded with people who go on and on about the importance of reading the Bible but who probably would flunk any pop quiz you could give them about what’s in the Bible. And that’s true for many who really do read their Bibles. That’s because “reading the Bible” is more ritual than study for them. Mindlessly reading the words in itself imparts some mystical grace, even if most of what the text actually is saying never soaks in.
So, you see the same thing with documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Righties are mightily insulted if you suggest that perhaps they misunderstand these documents. But as we saw yesterday, you can put the words right in front of them and they still can’t see them. In spite of the Declaration’s clear statement, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,” they ridiculed E.J. Dionne for suggesting that the Constitution takes authority, its just powers, from We, the People.
The Bible, and sub-parts of the Bible like the Ten Commandments, and documents such as the Declaration and Constitution have enormous iconic power to this crew. (For example, it is well documented that people who believe in the beneficial effects of exhibiting the Ten Commandments in schools and courthouses often can’t name all ten commandments if put on the spot to do so.) They have fervently held beliefs about how these documents are to be interpreted. However, their beliefs about the Bible and the founding documents often are at odds with what these texts actually say. And if you try to educate them, you are declared a heretic.
I have one quibble with Lind’s analysis, which is that he speaks of fundamentalist Protestantism. That’s correct, strictly speaking, but as I recall from my earlier days, many of the denominations most associated with fundamentalism deny they are Protestants, or at least, they used to deny that. They used to believe that their denominations did not grow out of the Protestant Reformation but instead had been parts of the early church that remained underground during the centuries of Catholic domination. I’d be surprised if that’s changed, although perhaps it has.
I’ve thought for a long time that the lurch to the right for repugs was really based on inviting the Religious Right into their fold. They view the Constitution and DofI the same way they view the Bible; in literal terms. I was going to make the same point as you in terms of the mystical experience of reading the Bible. Fundirepubs would believe that the verse has something to say to you, today. That God had it written so that it could have meaning for everyone in every situation in all time. They even believe that you can cut up verses and have part of it mean one thing and another part of it mean another. You know, take things out of context. The fact that they are some of the most intellectually challenged amongst us makes it especially fun. They send their kids to Christian Schools (which are notoriously bad at educating) or home schooled and they are never challenged on any of their beliefs. I love teaching these kids, I will routinely get a kid who will espouse, “The Constitution is based on the Bible/Ten Commandments/God. I try not to make a fool of them in front of their peers, though it is extremely tempting. My rule in my class is You Can’t Say Stuff Unless You Have Evidence To Support It. I ask them what part of the Constitution was based on the Bible. They, of course, can’t answer. I tell them to check with their parents. I then have several lessons on Ancient Rome, English History, The Enlightenment with the documents to support it. And I end up saying that if God was going to invent a government, it wouldn’t be this. Divine Right of Kings would be closer. The sad part is, though, I probably didn’t change their mind at all, because it doesn’t jib with the pastor says, it must be wrong. Even if all the evidence points a different way.
I’m going to go in a slightly different direction regarding their “Trilogy of Terror.”
Regarding the Bible, they pay attention to the Old Testament, and not the testament that ‘replaced’ it.
For government, their beliefs are more in tune with “The Article of Confederation” rather than “The Constitution,” which replaced it.
And sadly, they are more in tune with Ayn Rand than Adam Smith, preferring the Russian novelist and political theoritician, and a couple of Austrian economists, to the Scottish economist upon whose work much of the capitalism they claim to revere was based.
We are in at era of fundamental absolutism, or absolute fundamentalism.
And when even Villagers like David Brooks and Richard Cohen notice, you must be doing something wrong:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-grand-old-cult/2011/07/02/gHQAOnlByH_story.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/opinion/05brooks.html?_r=2&ref=opinion
Today’s Republicans remind me of that stubborn and stupid kid on the block who’ll do whatever his parents tell him NOT to do. And he wonders what will happen if he does, and he sees this as intellectual curiosity, instead of the ignorant lack of imagination and common sense, which it is. And so, he holds that M-80 in their hand, the firework that his parents told him never to come near, and holds on to it just to see what will happen. He’s the kid in your neighborhood now known as “Lefty.”
The irony is that the kid known as “Lefty” is a rightie.
And there’s a whole bunch of them, “Nihilists,” if we were to label them, who actually want to see what will happen after August 2nd.
I’m almost tempted to just let them blow this whole place up, just to look at the ignorant MFers who elect them, and say, “You see! This, THIS is what I was warning your stupid ass about for the last 30 years.”
But what follows won’t be better, it’ll be worse. A Fundamental Dominist Fascist States of America, and a real leftie like me will won’t be allowed to have the last word – unless it’s to beg for my life, of course…
And any comparison with the Koran and madrasa education would set hair on fire. Truth can be so hard to take. The Holy Bible, the Holy Koran, have we gotten to the ‘Holy Constitution” yet. I see it come as sure as dawn.
Most fundies are fairly unaware of church history; it’s as though the book of Acts happened yesterday – especially for those who speak in tongues. Most see themselves as a continuation of the early church (as they understand it) from that period of history, as though hundreds or thousands of years of history never occurred. A few churches do teach about the Protestant Reformation – this becomes important at Halloween, as “Reformation Day” is a fundie counterpoint to Halloween. They are aware however, of big competitors, such as the Catholic church – without appreciating its common origins – which many see as a heretical cult.
It’s inevitable that subtleties of the Bible or the Constitution (or any sufficiently complex text) are lost on people who aren’t educated or particularly bright, and who further are indoctrinated into a particular point of view, that’s simple enough to be accepted by masses of people. They need the structure of second hand thought, until they become capable of thinking and questioning for themselves, if they ever do. Fundie churches at their best, are a bit like grade school, where you learn the ABCs or multiplication tables – the basic tenets of the faith, your way around scripture, and the basic theology. Some people spend their entire lives at this simple level, the rest of us outgrow it.
They need the structure of second hand thought, until they become capable of thinking and questioning for themselves, if they ever do.
That was my condition for the longest time. I was in the deferral mode because I thought..Who am I to question generations of scholars and superior minds than mine. As far as the religious aspect..It wasn’t until I read Karen Armstrong’s- History of God that I finally understood that God wasn’t revealed through scripture…he was created through scripture. You might say that Karen Armstrong set this captive free.
POP QUIZ: Which one of these founding fathers made the following quote: “They want to free your niggers”
1) John Wythe
2) Patrick Henry
3) Reverend John Witherspoon
Swami,
I’m going to guess it’s the Reverend, because when it comes down to outright cruelty, you can’t beat a ‘Man of God.’
How’d I do?
Sorry gulag…Here’s a hint…” Give me liberty”
Good logic though with the Man of God thinking.
Actually, now that you mention it, I do remember reading it years ago and being kind of shocked.
Then I remembered he was from Virginia, where colored’s were the coin of the realm.
I can’t speak about all fundamentalists, but as I have mentioned before, twelve years in my neighborhood and countless discussions about the Bible and the only time the New Testament comes up is when I mention it. And yes, the church that my neighbors all belong to is neither protestant or Catholic, but as far as I know, founded by a recent prophet. (I hope he didn’t believe in human sacrifice or when the endtimes come, we liberals might be pressed to service)
I think a lot of people just don’t perceive metaphor. I remember a discussion with a fundamentalist friend I asked her directly whether she believed that something could be literally false but figuratively true and said “absolutely not”. I wonder if that might be the reason that so much contemporary gospel music has has metaphorical content with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Otherwise the metaphor won’t get through. But, you can imagine how epiphanic it may feel to suddenly realize that “ship that carries me to the far shore” is my faith that carries me to salvation. It must be overpowering, if your mind normally doesn’t work that way. At the same time, if your mind doesn’t work that way, people who do talk about metaphorical meaning must be irritating and seem condescending.
And let’s not even talk about all those miserable attempts at humor on those irritating churchyard signs and T-shirts. How do you start with a tradition as rich in philosophy, scholarship, humor and insight as the Jewish tradition (And great food too!!) and end up with a T-shirt that any six year old on a normal development curve would think was tiresome at best?
God told Pat Robertson to run for president, then he told G. W. Bush to run for president and really messed things up. Now he is telling Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann to run for president. Who is this “God” guy and why is he trying to destroy our country? Although, all that “Son of Sam” Berkewitz thing makes a lot more sense now.
LOL!
I agree with you completely about metaphors. They completely baffle some people. Genuine spirituality, especially mysticism, can only be expressed in metaphors, which is why religion gets so screwed up. It’s like teaching Mozart to the tone deaf.
My all time favorite sign outside a church in Morrisville, NC:
“Christ: His blood’s for you!”
I was so offended, I had to turn around and drive back to make sure that I hadn’t imagined it.
Now why would I ever think my imagination is as fruitful, and tasteless, as Christian demogogic reality?
Just a point. It is us Anglicans and other historic Churches who wash feet. I have never heard of it among our Baptist friends.
Brother James — go out to the backwoods and hollers and you find all kinds of practices that aren’t normally associated with the organized institutions. There’s also snake-handlin’ and pew jumpin’, for example.
It’s the sexism and hypocrisy of churchgoers that drive me away. I grew up in the church. When I was 10, it was fine; but, when I got to be 15 and 16, all of a sudden the men (many for whom I babysat) started putting the make on me. It was a bit confusing for a while. However, I went away to college and stopped going to church. But, when I would on occasion go back to church, the problem was still there. Plus, I got to sit and listen to sermons on how women were to be subserviant to men. Just didn’t go over well to a woman of the 60s. And, we all know about the philandering Republican men with mistresses. They preach do as I say not as I do forgetting that “actions speak louder than words.”
Brother James…Foot washing is all the rage in Pentecostal circles.What better way to display your Christian humility than a good old foot washing. I’ve had my bare foot anointed with oil during my exorcism…that was a wild experience, the caller/ assistant exorcist would say,” we put the axe to the root” as they cast out each of my individual demons. They even kicked out the spirit of murder when I didn’t even think I had that one.
Swami — you were exorcised? I didn’t know that.
Does this remind you of anyone?
If the link doesn’t work search youtube “Barney Fife preamble to the constitution”
That’s because “reading the Bible†is more ritual than study for them. Mindlessly reading the words in itself imparts some mystical grace, even if most of what the text actually is saying never soaks in.
Yeah, some of it is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.I used to hear people swoon on how beautiful and tranquil the Psalms were to their spirit. I tried reading them and couldn’t relate..just a bunch of David’s ramblings on how his enemies were seeking to devour him and how he was encompassed about by wickedness as he cried out to his buckler for protections.. I don’t have any enemies so I can’t relate..I can try to substitute my personal shortcomings for real enemies to try to make the scripture fit so that I could feel that God is speaking to me directly, but other than my attempts to twist my thoughts and emotions into a cogent understanding…The Psalms are only good for building the disciple of reading for readings sake.
goatherd …Yeah, about 99% of our population.
We do it on Mauday Thursday during Holy Week, and yes, back in the ‘hollers’ there are all sorts of interesting things done in the name of the Lord, but I was only thinking of Southern Baptists, I suppose. 🙂
@ swami What better way to display your Christian humility than a good old foot washing? Almost none! 🙂
I think the bikini wax has taken the place of the exorcism, lots of yelling “OH GOD” in both. ( so I’ve heard)
Swami — you were exorcised? I didn’t know that.
Yeah, except my head didn’t rotate on my shoulders like Linda Blair’s..and I didn’t hiss.
That may be just as well. BTW, do you still have the exorcist’s contact information? Maybe we can get him to exorcise Congress.
One of the things that concerns me is the way the belief that you need no special training to understand the Bible (and the corresponding contempt for expertise and training) feed a growing anti-intellectualism.
It starts getting applied everywhere, and so public discourse ends up with people acting as if global macroeconomic policy is as straightforward as a simple household budget (not that they are very good at those, actually). Rather than assume we should use empirical data and reasoning to make decisions, fantastical interpretations of myths become the basis for political positions, and that, somehow, becomes “OK”.
I think that is part of why the GOP is so comfortable with telling absolute lies – their audience is used to happily believing in stories they don’t quite understand and which wouldn’t make much sense if they tried to think about them, but they don’t, and their Bible “study” means they are well-practiced in interpreting words to mean anything they want.
Their designated villians demonstrate the need for their fundie beliefs and their fundamentalism interprets reality so narrowly that all but a few become designated villians. They go round and round without engaging facts. No wonder progressives don’t know how to respond, there’s nothing real about their gyrations. If they all move to some desert island they’d continue to subdivide themselves like endlessly replicating ameobas. They so badly need their villians…the only thin in life that gives them traction.
C u n d gulag, nihilism is spot on. I’ve been taken to calling them out using that precise word for almost a year now. Even from some in the past who I’ve considered reasonable Republicans I’ve started getting indignant challenges regarding my ability know anything at all when brought to task on the issues — even that which has been considered the indisputable basics in the past. So many, even progressives, seek and hope for some modicum of widely accepted truth like what we’ve enjoyed in the past. But when EVERYTHING is questioned there can be no progress. Every discussion ends in stalemate and as soon as some basis for agreement is found the destroyers of reason target it as well. I’ve even had some progressives confess to me that they are hard pressed to be confident in any form or expression of truth.
Rex Warner in his essay “The cult of power” lays out the inherent tragedy of mass movements, describing how in a wave of passion the familiar is destroyed…all cherished icons shattered. Then in the resulting desert of ideas the reactionaries miss the old ways that had sustained them so well and turn on their leaders. He does add that in the final stages of a revolutionary movement a deep, dark fear settles in.
I think George Lakoff’s analysis of framing is also spot on. He speaks of one frame subsuming another. Many opportunities now present themselves. Today progressives are the one’s upholding tradition and can therefore usurp what was once solely the conservative mantle of tradition and sober thoughfulness — not that they every really owned that exclusively but it was the perception of those embracing the conservative label. In so many areas, when talking to “conservative” friends I’m able to point out the lack of accountability in the positions of those they support. I rarely find a “conservative” today who will talk issues so it’s quite easy to leave them flummoxed…unable to support or disavow the positions of those they vote for. They’re less certain and still unable to criticize the loonier positions on the right. I can now make a strong case to my conservative friends that I am the one mebracing tradition that they reject…that I am the true conservative.
This can be exploited. I think we should hold their nihilism up to the light. It deserves a closer examination.
Pat,
This will not end well. Yes, they are Nihilists. And Christian ones at that.
But what will follow will be a Dominionist Christian Fascist country. God and Mammon used to be seperate. If you can combine the two, you have a poweful force for absolute control. Eternal control…