Now right wing blogs are comparing Dean's statement on Easter to the VA killings and Bush...

[madfloridian]

and they are getting so out of control that they don't even make sense anymore. I posted about it in GD a few days ago, and today it is getting even worse. Now they are using the fact that Dean did not put the word Jesus in the DNC Easter wishes to criticize "secularism" in general, and Howard Dean in particular. They go after his church affiliation, and they tie the whole thing into Bush's statement about the killings. They still hang on Bush's every word. Pathetic.

VA Tech U Carnage: America Always Goes to Prayer

"A somber President Bush went on TV last night to say: 'Schools should be places of safety, sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom, in every American community.

..."No matter how the secularists scream for their manufactured "separation of church and state," it never works when tragedy befalls America.

..."Yet this Eastertide, the Dems via their Chairman Howard Dean muffled the Easter greeting by not mentioning one word regarding the resurrection or Christ. It was the typical double-talk in quasi-religious jargon so as not to offend. That is typical of the Dem legacy of secularism championed, though some within that party try to appear biblical when addressing evangelicals or Catholics.

..."Dean praises himself in being a loyal churchmen, though he has hopped denominations as a sport over the years. Now he lands in the theologically liberal United Church of Christ (Congregational) where one can be an atheist and find comfort. Consequently, his lack of biblical conviction in speaking for the Dems at Easter is characteristic of his unbelief and that of his denomination."

These people scare me, they really do.

First they accused Howard Dean and the DNC of "redefining" Easter because he did not use the word "Jesus" in the press release about the holiday.

Christian conservatives say Dean redefining Easter by leaving out word "Jesus"

It is a long thread, and the latest new bit is that our own Right Wing Watch is calling them out because they are accusing Dean of starting a "war on Christians".

Easter Press Release Occasion to Invoke 'War on Christians'

More partisan activists on the Religious Right, however, go as far as accusing Dean of heresy-by-press-release by “redefining” Easter. He’s “taking Easter and making it into a nondescript, universal, nonexclusive religious celebration for all religions,” warns Don Wildmon of the American Family Association. According to Rob Schenck of the National Clergy Council, Dean’s press release proves that “the Democratic leadership is in fact secularist by philosophy and worldview” – and it’s part of a larger conspiracy against faith

Here is the DNC's statement about the killings. I notice they used the word "prayer". I doubt that will vindicate them.

Statement of Howard Dean on Virginia Tech Tragedy

“Today our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and the students, faculty and administration officials at Virginia Tech. Our nation is devastated by this tragedy and mourns with those who lost loved ones today.”

People like this have hijacked my church, and they have hijacked the Republican Party.

[LisaM]

1. If they can't see that Jesus is implicit with the words "Christian" and "Easter"

Then I think they need some serious theological training.

[BOSSHOG]

2. Manufactured separation of church and state

That's cute. I suggest these constitution hating motherfuckers take a sabbatical to a theocracy for a couple of years and see how like the blending of the government and a religion. Taking away the separation will make the ignorant trash flaming liberals, cause they likes their liberties.

I (NOR HAS ANY AMERICAN SERVICEMEMBER) SPENT TIME SERVING HIS COUNTRY DEFENDING AND SUPPORTING THE BIBLE.

[BattyDem]

3. There is something seriously wrong with those people.

They take every kind word, every expression of compassion and every ounce of goodness and twist it into an attack on Christianity! :wtf:

Just because someone doesn't include the name "Jesus" in every sentence they utter does not mean they are anti-Christian. Why do they need other people to CONSTANTLY acknowledge and validate their faith? :eyes:

[madfloridian]

5. Yes, there is something seriously wrong.

It is antagonizing a lot of people that I know. A Republican relative who visited recently after we had been estranged since Bush came into office....he is furious with his own church for wedge issues and very worried about a religious coup. We have been way apart on things, but we now agree on this. As an added bonus, he hates Karl Rove also

[BOSSHOG]

7. A religious coup is not out of the question

They are trying to get our air force jets by evangelizing at the air force academy. Thank God for the second amendment. Americans have the right to bear arms for the purpose of defending the country.

[madfloridian]

12. Or, to put it another way...

a coup which uses the religious right to gain power. Oh, wait, that might have happened already.

[nebenaube]

9. because they only believe out of duty/guilt/fear? n/t

Duty to their parents.
Fear of the unknown.
Fear of being unworthy (guilt).

So elsewhere I see that the shooter ranted about rich kids, debauchery and charlatans. Then there's the "Ismael's Ax" which could be be a reference to Abraham smashing idols using an ax with his son Ismael? Do you suppose he was a Moon-ie or some other "christian"? Did he play that third party shooter game where the goal is to convert or kill? Are christians about to go ballistic en mass and kill the unbelievers? I wonder because based on every description of "the rapture" I have read could suggest it already happened in Nagasaki and Hiroshima a long time ago...

[salin]

19. apparently they think that "Persecution of Christians" is one of the needed

preconditions for the Second Coming, and thus where no persecution exists, they have to create the facade in order to keep their followers opening up their wallets, not just to their churches but to winger faux zealot organizations.

[Cha]

4. Sorry, mad..but they are such

Stupid, pathetic, hypocritical, fuckers.

If they had so much fucking "faith"..they wouldn't be worried about "conspiracy"..do you see the problem?

Dean has more "faith" in his left hand than all those hypocrites could ever hope to have. All they do is bitch bitch bitch.

[madfloridian]

8. Their heads are going to explode soon.

:banghead:

I just saw this at Emusic...they have the 1942 Hit Parade up.

Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition and we'll all stay free.

http://www.emusic.com/album/11019/11019606.html

A snip for free.

I realized it's always been God on our side when it comes to war, even WWII. It's just that today they have carried it so far that it is unbelievable.

[yellowcanine]

6. "they are getting so out of control that they don't even make sense anymore. "

My only point of disagreement there is the "anymore" qualifier. When DID they make sense?

[madrchsod]

10. this is what the right wing published after bath school massacre

"ROMAN CATHOLIC DYNAMITES BATH PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE GREATEST PREMEDITATED MURDER OF CHILDREN SINCE THE ST. BARTHOLOMEW MASSACRE MURDERING 30,000 FRENCH PROTESTANTS


"Evidence herein set forth has been made necessary through rumors brought to surface by a whispering campaign near the scene of the explosion after it had occurred, that Kehoe was a Mason.... Also another whispering campaign was to the effect that Kehoe was a Methodist.......


APPARENT CAUSE. "These forty-five lives were sacrificed to satisfy the lust of a shrewd mind, poisoned by intolerant, religious dogma. It is a self-evident fact that the Roman Catholic church, from the moment of birth, assumes the self-appointed duty of shaping and developing the mind of the Catholic born child, taking that child through the channels of ecclesiastical instruction and spewing him out upon the good graces of an American citizenship, a warped, biased, contorted, mental deformity, as the following quotations will show:"..........


http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~bauerle/kkk.txt

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

11. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN -- PRESENTING...

"The War on Easter"

From the same people who brought you "The War on Christmas"

Can "The War on The Fourth Sunday After Pentacost" be far behind? Stay tuned...

[Straight Shooter]

13. If Dean had mentioned Jesus, they would have accused him of pandering and insincerity.

It's damned if you do and damned if you don't. They can take their self-righteous indignation and lay it before the throne of Jesus when they die, see if He cares.

[madfloridian]

14. PastorDan at Street Prophets, a Kos Media site, takes up for Dean a litttle.

Kind of sort or takes up for him. Not real enthusiastic. I guess some would say ignore it, but I disagree. I think we should call them out on their foolishness. This is the first of our side I have seen speak out.

But Pastor Dan had to contact the DNC before he sort of kind of took up for him. So be it, Reverend. At least you sort of did.

http://www.streetprophets.com/story/2007/4/12/135521/450

Yes, had I written this statement, I probably would have used Jesus' name. But it's not exactly a talisman that must be used to ward off Lord Voldemort. And let's face it, the Democratic party is not all evangelical Christians. This is not so much "'lowest common denominator' outreach" as it is the realization that Americans live and worship in a pluralistic society. If outreach to evangelicals is going to mean privileging their religious beliefs above all others, then perhaps it doesn't need to pass Rev. Cizik's "smell test".

I spoke to a couple of people at the DNC about this statement. They assure me that there was no intentional slight to Christians in it. They also pointed out that it is, in fact, a statement. The real outreach, I'm told, is an ongoing conversation they're conducting with religious leaders of many different varieties, seeking to build better relationships with faith communities and move beyond religion as a polarizing force in politics. I don't know what Richard Cizik learned in Sunday School, but I've always been taught that the resurrection is a foretaste of God's work in reconciliation, not just in the triumph over death. But apparently, if I don't say Jesus' name in that formulation, the idea is "meaningless.

Well, I am completely and totally standing behind Howard Dean's right NOT to be talking about Jesus if he does not want to do so. He is not obligated to do so. I don't go around talking about Jesus ever, never have. That is something personal.

Then there's always our Ybor City Stogie blog...looking out for the right wing in Tampa Bay.

Here's looking at you, Stogie blog. :hi:

Dean's War on Easter.

[madfloridian]

15. Thank you, Bible Belt Blogger. He speaks the truth about what Dean said.

And he points out that Wildmon left out a lot of what was said.

I am glad to see some in defense, as there is hardly anyone on the left yet.

http://www.biblebeltblogger.com/biblebelt/2007/04/is_wildmon_bear.html

"Wildmon bearing false witness?
The head of the American Family Association, quoting selectively from a holiday statement by Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, claimed that the "Democrats' Easter message censors Christ, Resurrection."

Jose from Texas notes that Wildmon is offering the world an abridged version of Dean's message. (The full text made an explicit reference to the Christian faith.)"

He puts the full text of the DNC press release, then he says..

"Questions of the day: Would a reasonable person be offended by the above holiday greeting?"

No, sir, I don't think they would. Much appreiciated.

[xxqqqzme]

16. These people need to give some serious thought to

getting a life! All they do is whine about how persecited they are. I hope Jesus is @ the pearly gates to greet them w/ a swift kick in the ass for ignoring all his important words and entreaties about doing good works.

[zoso4zep]

17. The insecurities of the faithful

The reason why believers/followers of a any religious faith must constantly validate their beliefs by attacking other faiths, or non-believers is the root of their faith; insecurity. Of course they justify their beliefs and actions within their own minds as being done so in pursuit of their faith and bringing their faith to others; the old 'strength in numbers' maxim. The faithful, i.e. 'true-believers' are mentally conditioned to 'believe' in the moral codes, rituals and practices of their respective religions. This provides those among us who are devoid of critical thinking skills, and lacking in imagination some sort of order and functionality out of the un-processable input of the reality that confronts us all. Never-mind the dramatic lack of tangible evidence to validate their deeply-held beliefs, and the fact that they are bombarded daily with tangible and credible evidence to the contrary. The minds sometimes even slip-away from them and doth hearken to the truth that their faith(s) is/are irrational, illogical pursuit(s). Oh no, say it ain't so! So as a coping mechanism they pursue one of two courses of action; fight or flight; i.e. attack or retreat. One might be the terrorist in one scenario, killing people for what he/she believes in, and the other a failed proselytizer who ducks reasonable questions from people regarding stark contradictions rampant in his/her religions codes (bible, koran, or whatever text) Whether a criminal religious fanatic or a run of the mill slippery slope climber, they both represent the same thing; the epitome of naive immaturity. Basing a life-path in some cosmic big daddy or daddies or whatever is child-like. Yet an eternally omniscient being is exactly what they truly do need; all forgiving, despite their despicable faults, numerous heinous wrong-doings, and most of all, in settling and putting aside of their insecurities. It's very similar to operating heavy machinery while drunk, but the 'heavy machinery' in their own life. Thus, the sound removal of all reason and accountability serves as well as narcotics to release the awareness of personal insecurities from within the faithful. Despite all of that, in my opinion, the use of a religious belief to influence, dominate, control, denigrate, or otherwise to punish anyone outside it's confines or who is not truly like-minded is the parlay of feeble-minded apes.

[ima_sinnic]

18. welcome to DU, great rant!

it is scary when half the population is delusional

:hi:

[madfloridian]

22. Welcome to DU.

Quite a post. I do believe many see religion as a form of power, and they need to use that power to validate their beliefs.

There is such a difference in the kind of religious faith my parents had and the kind of intolerant fervor we see so much of today.

The insistence of these bloggers on judging the Christianity of the DNC and Democrats in general...calling us secular..and their criticism of where Howard Dean attends church show me that they have gone beyond simple faith in their God. In their zeal they demand we all think just as they do, down to the very use of single words.

[Apollo11]

20. First they came for the atheists ...

By questioning the Bible, it means that atheists are part of a "conspiracy against faith".

But my own feeling is that most intelligent people understand that death is the end.

Believing in heaven is like believing in fairies or the Easter Bunny.

Stories about going up to heaven after you die are basically wishful thinking.

But if people find some kind of comfort in those stories - it's OK for them I guess.

But don't tell me I am some kind a threat just because I don't hold the same beliefs.

[Prophet 451]

21. The bit that pisses me off

is the slam on Howard Dean's movement between sects. Obviously, Mr. Dean was a seeker who tried various churches until he found one he was comfortable in, what's so wrong with that? And why aren't they slamming the numerous Republicans (Tom DeLay for example) who did the same?

[GreenTea]

23. I love Howard Dean & I completely support the DNC-Fuck these bullshit lying republican "Christians"!

[The Wizard]

24. Thank Zeus

I'm a Democrat.

[BrklynLiberal]

25. Too late to recommend, but I can still kick this thread!!!

[madfloridian]

26. The group demanding Dean apologize is one buying up radio stations.

Interesting stuff in this article by Media Transparency. I did not realize AFA was doing this. They have even bought out NPR programming on stations for their religious stuff.

Still Cranky After All These Years

American Family Radio
American Family Radio first appeared on radar screens when it began taking over stations that were formerly held by National Public Radio. In 2002, the New York Times reported that in Lake Charles, Louisiana, American Family Radio had replaced two NPR stations on the radio dial. "Religious broadcasters have done this to public radio stations in Oregon and Indiana, too," writer Blaine Harden said, "and many large-market public radio stations, like WBEZ in Chicago, complain that new noncommercial stations, most of them religious, are stepping on the signal at the edge of their transmission areas."

Launched in 1987, AFR has approximately 200 radio stations in 27 states across the country. According to American Family Radio, "AFR has built more stations in a shorter time than any other broadcaster in the history of broadcasting." The AFA built their small radio empire by applying for noncommercial educational licenses. According to a People for the American Way Right Wing Watch report, "When the FCC refused to grant certain licenses, the AFA sued the FCC in federal court arguing that to deny religious groups noncommercial broadcasting licenses violates their First Amendment and Equal Protection rights."

According to the AFA's 2005 990 tax form, the "Building and maintenance of a national Christian network" is one of the organization's most important projects. American Family Radio -- "Today's Radio for Life" -- is a 24/7 operation that "offers the finest in inspirational and traditional Christian music and 30 percent preaching, teaching, talking." American Family Radio also provides a "five-minute, around the clock, newscast" put together by its news staff. It is "a non-commercial network," with "no advertising," that "operates off contributions from listeners and supporters."

The "About AFR" page on its website says: "Back in 1987, the vision God gave the American Family Association Founder, Don Wildmon, was to use satellite and the latest technology to build hundreds of American Family Radio stations across America. Dr. Wildmon wanted to use these radio stations to inform Christians about what is happening in America. God had an additional reason for the stations -- encouragement and inspiration to and for the body of Christ."

This is a long and fascinating article. I like this website.

[madfloridian]

27. Yes...a blogger says: "The AFA lies about the DNC" Good to see this.

AFA Lies about DNC and Easter

AmericaBlog has caught the American Family Association in a rather ridiculous lie. So obsessed is the religious right with pretending to be the victims of marginalization and persecution that they will invent slights out of whole cloth to justify their absurdity. The latest example is a breathless and hyperbolic email the AFA sent to their followers complaining that the Democratic National Committee had "taken Christ out of Easter" in their official Easter message. The AFA claimed:

The Democratic Party has taken Christ and the Resurrection out of Easter.... The DNC treated Easter as if was not unique to the Christian faith, and made it into a nondescript, universal, nonexclusive religious celebration celebrated by every religion in the world.
And here's what the actual Easter message said:

"Easter Sunday is a joyful celebration. The holiday represents peace, redemption and renewal, a theme which brings hope to people of all faiths. During this time Christians are called to remember who they are as people of faith, and that even the greatest of evils will not have the last word. It is also a time to reflect upon and be in solidarity with those who are persecuted and suffering among us. We should also use this time to honor those who continue to make incredible sacrifices for us, including our brave men and women in the armed forces serving overseas during this holiday. I would like to wish all those celebrating around the world this Sunday, a joyous Easter."
Oh, the horror! Send the AFA more money and they'll put an end to outrageous statements like that!

The DNC was fair and balanced toward all religions and got attacked for it.