LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY wyldraven)

American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America
Chris Hedges
Monday, September 25, 2006 at 7:30 PM

Due to the overwhelming response for this event, Mr. Hedges will repeat his lecture at 8:45 pm tonight.

One of the main points about this appearance was the fact that it was so well attended. The space holds roughly 200 people when setup for a lecture. The response to this lecture was totally unexpected. At the last minute, late this afternoon, upon hearing that the event was sold out, Chris volunteered to repeat his lecture for the benefit of a second audience. Ultimately, roughly 300 - 350 attended the two lectures. lasarina and I attended both.

Chris is an eloquent, knowledgeable speaker. He spent the last 18 months researching the Dominionists and Christian Reconstructionists. Chris is theologically trained at the Harvard School of Divinity, and certainly knows his Bible. He grew up in a liberal Presbyterian home. His father was a minister.

He drew all the appropriate parallels between the Dominionists and the official Nazi Christian church. But more importantly, he spoke about the underground church that opposed the Nazis. One of his Divinity professors had narrowly escaped the Hitler regime in the late 30's after working with that underground church. In his escape, the professor had smuggled out movies of the activities of the official church, which Chris was privileged to see.

His professor also warned that the then early Christian Right had many parallels to the fascism of the Nazis. But he warned that they would wrap themselves in Christianity and Patriotism next time. And here we stand.

Big item of note: According to the program, Chris' entire lecture was recorded, and will be made available for purchase on the website of the Rothko Chapel. That's something to which we can look forward.

The Rothko Chapel is a 501(c)3, supported entirely by donations. All events are free to the public, as is admittance to the Chapel. It's the one truly ecumenical chapel I have ever seen. In the lobby, they have copies of every major religious text available for perusal.

"The Rothko Chapel is alive with religious ceremonies of all faiths and diverse programs to engage audiences intellectually, artistically and spiritually. It is a place where the experience and understanding of all traditions and cultures are encouraged and made available...."

It's one of the most serene, beautiful places I have ever been. And it is almost entirely unknown, even to long time residents of Houston. If you ever have an opportunity to do so, you should drop by and experience it.