I’ve got a hundred things I’m writing at once (exploding brain), but for the moment, consider the role god is playing in this election, what with the almost explicit dichotomy trumpeted by the neocons of America as a divinely exceptional nation bathed in the righteous light of Jesus against the “anti-American” Muslim barbarians who “just don’t share our values.”
Oh, America. You think it will ever soak into a hayseed skull that Jesus and Allah are the same dude?
In any case, here are a few words of wisdom from like, a dude who has a pretty heavy hand in imagining the enduring, essential principles at the core of the American vision. From the giant, seemingly boundless brain of Mr. Thomas Jefferson, ladies and gentlemen:
History I believe furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance, of which their political as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purpose. (to Baron von Humboldt, 1813)
And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter. But may we hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this most venerated reformer of human errors. (in a letter to John Adams, 1823)
The clergy converted the simple teachings of Jesus into an engine for enslaving mankind and adulterated by artificial constructions into a contrivance to filch wealth and power to themselves…these clergy, in fact, constitute the real Anti-Christ.
And now for a little from the mesmerizingly provincial intellect of the GOP candidate for 2nd in command:
What a blessing that the Lord has already put into place the Christian leaders, even though I know it’s all through the grace of God. (Sarah Palin, 2000)
Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God. That’s what we have to make sure that we’re praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God’s plan…I think God’s will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that [too]. (Sarah Palin, 2008)
I think the saddest part of that is that faith, not just my faith, faith and God in general has been mocked through this campaign, and that breaks my heart and that is unfair for others who share a faith in God and chose to worship our Lord in whatever private manner that they deem fit and my faith has always been pretty personal. I haven’t really worn it on my sleeve. I haven’t been out there preaching it. I’ve always been of the mind that you caalk the walk. You just don’t have to be talking the talk about your beliefs, so just wanting maybe my life to be able to reflect my faith. So it’s always been pretty personal and that was kind of a surprise in the last couple of months that people would misconstrue and spin anything that has to do with my faith or anybody else’s and turn it into something to be mocked. That’s very sad.
I don’t think that there’s anything that I can do about it, so you know, I won’t, I won’t whine or complain about it, but nobody is going to convince me that my foundation of faith is not good for me and for my family no matter the mocking, no matter what anybody says about it, I’m going to keep plugging away at this and I’m going to keep seeking God’s guidance and His wisdom and His favor and His grace, for me, for my family, for this campaign, for our nation. Again no matter what anybody else says about it it’s between me and God, and I am so thankful that that he has strengthened me with this understanding and this belief that I can count on Him. I can reach out to Him asking for that strength, asking for the blessings that He so freely gives and I don’t know how anybody would want to do this if they didn’t have real strong faith in God that He’s got it all under control. (Sarah Palin, Oct 2008)
The fascinating, subtle shift between public and private worship occurs when one believes that they have access to the divine plan. They move from humble subject to aggressive agent at will, taking whatever shape they find most convenient in the moment.
God doesn’t talk to you, Sarah Palin. And if he does, it ain’t got nothing to do with me.
My brother is a near-fluent Arabic speaker who has spent a lot of time in Syria and the surrounding countries. His blood boils when news reports quote a Muslim person as saying “…if Allah wills it” (or pretty much anytime anyone talks about “Allah” – so yeah, constantly boiling blood). That kind of phrase is equivalent to quoting a French person saying “Thanks be to Dieu!” or an Italian person saying “Dio watches over us”.
It’s just another word, folks. TRANSLATE IT.
Similarly, in the VP debate, we cringed at Biden’s use of “madrassas” to talk about those schools where they are obviously teaching kids SCARY things, because it’s in a language we don’t understand. “Man, I don’t know about those Spanish people, who knows what they’re teaching them in all those “Escuelas” that they have over there….”