LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY vanar_en_daeor)

This is an MSNBC video interviewing the pastor in "Jesus Camp" and has the directors of the documentary too.

"Children in the United States are undergoing intense religious training in Christian summer camps. A new documentary, "Jesus Camp," profiles Pastor Becky Fischer as she preaches that children can be used by God to change America.

*** Warning: They have some small clips of the film so it may be triggering to some.

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=65e66582-d13e-40dd-bd3a-2d71ee457d8c&f=00&fg=email

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY rechan)

It makes me sad when elected officials declare that the Most important issue we face today is Not that we've lost over 2,700 soldiesr in Iraq, that Iraq is costing us $2 Billion a week, or any other sort of national security/domestic health related things. No, the thing that is the Most Important We Face is, you guessed it, Gay marriage.

On a semi-related note, where are those who claim they are morally superior when it comes to torture?



Quoting Andrew Sullivan:

If you combine those Christians who think torture is either never or only rarely acceptable, you have 42 percent of Catholics and 49 percent of white Protestants. The comparable statistic of those who are decribed as "secular," which I presume means agnostic or atheist, is 57 percent opposition. In other words, if you are an American Christian, you are more likely to support torture than if you are an atheist or agnostic. Christians for torture: it’s a new constituency. Another part of the Bush legacy.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

First, let's start with the comment that Bush made to CNN's Wolf Blitzer:

BLITZER: Let's move on and talk a little bit about Iraq. Because this is a huge, huge issue, as you know, for the American public, a lot of concern that perhaps they are on the verge of a civil war, if not already a civil war…. We see these horrible bodies showing up, tortured, mutilation. The Shia and the Sunni, the Iranians apparently having a negative role. Of course, al Qaeda in Iraq is still operating.

BUSH: Yes, you see — you see it on TV, and that's the power of an enemy that is willing to kill innocent people. But there's also an unbelievable will and resiliency by the Iraqi people…. Admittedly, it seems like a decade ago. I like to tell people when the final history is written on Iraq, it will look like just a comma because there is — my point is, there's a strong will for democracy. (emphasis added)

The original poster was outraged that the president would consider all the deaths from this war 'just a comma', but missed the real point and intent of the 'comma' reference.

Others did not. They knew exactly what Bush was referring to, and why.

A lot of people have been slamming Bush for his comment that Iraq is "just a comma". As an e-mail correspondent pointed out, this is another case where Bush is using code words to speak directly to his Christian right base.

The phrase is: "Never put a period where God has put a comma." Which is to say - it ain't over yet, and God may well make it better. So Iraq's bad, but if we trust in God, he'll make it better.

This is the thing about Bush - he is constantly littering his speeches with code words and phrases meant for the religious right. Other people don't hear them, but they do, and most of the time it allows Bush both to say what those who aren't evangelical or born again want to hear, while still reassuring the religious right wants to hear.

***

The other name for this is dog whistle politics. When you blow a dog whistle humans can't hear it, but the dogs sure can. It's a pitch higher than humans can hear. When you speak in code like this, most of the time the only people who hear and understand what you just said are the intended group, who have an understanding of the world and a use of words that is not shared by the majority of the population. So it allows you to send out two messages at once - one pitched for the majority of Americans, the other pitched for a subgroup. This goes on all the time, and usually it isn't caught - most people don't hear it, and the media is made up of people who can't make the connections because they don't belong to these subgroups. So they can't point out the subtext either.

It's very effective, and it's one reason why Bush still has his hard core of support - he's constantly reassuring them, at a pitch the rest of us can't hear.

So, what was this 'comma' really all about? What 'dog-whistle message' was Bush sending to his religious supporters? The Language Log decided to investigate.

Don't put a period where God put a comma.

But maybe we're hearing 'whistles' that aren't there. At least one poster there seems to think so.

The deaths of thousands of people is not a small thing. And if 'just a small thing' was what the president meant when he used the word 'comma', then people should be angry because he's just dismissed all the carnage as 'nothing'.

It doesn't hurt to think for ourselves. In fact, it's vital.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY wyldraven)

Contraception becomes new rallying point for abortion foes

Emboldened by the anti-abortion movement's success in restricting access to abortion, an increasingly vocal group of Christian conservatives is arguing that it's time to mount a concerted attack on contraception.

( Read more... )

Of special interest is how closely evangelical Christians are willing to align themselves with traditional Catholics on the issue. The Catholic Church long has opposed contraception, but evangelicals generally embraced its use--until recently, some argue.

I said this was coming when I saw the abortion bans. Gods, sometimes I really hate being right. This is some scary shit. Read the rest at the Chicago Tribune link above.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I received this email today, and thought I would share it with the community:

Hello –

I am a psychologist and activist in Seattle Washington, board president of the Washington Progress Alliance, and author of The Dark Side: How Evangelical Teachings Corrupt Love and Truth.

One of the questions we’ve touched on is whether there might be a way to tap the insider knowledge of the ex-Evangelical net activists (eg. Webmasters at www.exChristian.net; www.losingmyreligion.com. My impression here locally is that the progressive Christians and non-Christians who are voicing a clear challenge to fundamentalism are often people who have emerged from fundamentalist communities themselves.

As you know, there is also a growing chorus of outspoken authors and public figures who are sounding the alarm about dominionism: Michelle Goldberg, Esther Kaplan, Sam Harris, Kathrine Yurika, and others. Again, it would be interesting to think about how to create some structures/processes that allow these people to have a more direct role in shaping the political dialogue and strategy on the left.

If you are interested in joining a dialogue about these possibilities, I can be reached at:

Valerie Tarico
206-329-5067
valerietarico@hotmail.com

I spoke to her on the phone, and she's the real deal. If you want to be part of that growing chorus and perhaps the reshaping of the political landscape, here is your opportunity.