How America's Endless Civil War Between Protestant Sects Is at the Heart of American Identity

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/books/how-americas-endless-civil-war-between-protestant-sects-heart-american-identity



The following is an excerpt from Hazel Rose Markus and Alana Conner's new book, "Clash!: 8 Cultural Conflicts That Make Us Who We Are" (Hudson Street Press, 2013).

The conservative Protestants vying for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination left many mainline Protestants wondering what had happened to their religion, not to mention their country. For most of the United States’ history, science had been the helpmate of Protestants, who viewed it as a gift from God to help them learn about their world and make more pious choices. Those years of persecution back in Europe had also impressed upon them the benefits of building a high wall between religion and government.

Yet here was Ron Paul, a Southern Baptist, rejecting evolution as just “a theory.” Rick Perry, who attends a Southern Baptist church, similarly told a schoolboy that evolution is “a theory that is out there— and it’s got some gaps.”3 Michele Bachmann, an evangelical Lutheran, dismissed not only evolution, but also climate change, calling it “voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax.”4 Rick Santorum, a conservative Catholic with a stalwart conservative Protestant following, also called climate change “a hoax.” Mitt Romney, a Mormon, acknowledged that the weather is getting weird, but wondered whether humans were causing the change. And though he sometimes seems to believe in both climate change and evolution, Newt Gingrich, an evangelical Lutheran turned Southern Baptist now Catholic, nevertheless betrayed the scientific community by implying that researchers kill children for stem cell research.

Meanwhile, conservative Protestants were wondering what had happened to their religion and their country. Unlike their mainline brethren, conservative Protestants consider the Bible the inerrant word of God, seek “born again” experiences that bring them closer to that God, aim to convert other people, and think that religious teachings should guide daily life, including education and politics. 8 Understanding the United States to be “one nation, under God,” these Americans want their laws to reflect Christian values and beliefs, rather than scientific findings and theories. Yet here was their president saying that two men should be able to legally wed, even though the Bible often does not smile upon such configurations. Here was a Supreme Court upholding abortion, even though the Bible says, “Thou shalt not kill.” And here were legions of lawmakers enforcing the separation of religion and government, following in the footsteps of America’s only Catholic president, John F. Kennedy, who said, “I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute.” Santorum reported that when he first read these words, he “almost threw up.”

[LuvNewcastle]

1. This article could have been many pages longer.

It all comes back to the RW Protestant belief in the inerrant Bible. Most mainline Protestants and Catholics don't share that belief; it's a relatively new concept in the history of Christianity. When you get a Southern Baptist educated about the history of the Bible itself, about the lengthy process of its compilation and the disputes over translations, he'll usually find himself another denomination. That is, unless he's involved in his church for more political reasons, things that have little or nothing to do with seeking greater truths.

There's been an evolution of God(s) through the millennia. People believed in gods who lived in trees and lakes, seas and volcanoes. Now most Christians believe in a unified God (with three parts) who rules over all those things. RW Protestants believe the unified God takes a special interest in human affairs. He cares if you cheat on your wife and he cares if you had too many drinks last night. I think they don't like evolution because it implies that either their God might have more to do than they ever realized, or maybe their God isn't really that big in the scheme of things.

One thing is for sure, God will continue to evolve as man learns more about the universe.

[LostOne4Ever]

2. Only one side is shouting

As the other side is not trying to force their beliefs on everyone whether they like it or not.

[struggle4progress]

3. It may be somewhat misleading to describe Bachmann as an "Evangelical Lutheran"

According to Wikipedia, Bachmann had been a member of a WELS congregration but stopped attending around 2009 and then in 2011 joined Eagle Brook Church in Lino Lakes

WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) and ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) both have "Evangelical Lutheran" in their names. But WELS is an extremely conservative synod, which (for example) teaches biblical literalism; it does not ordain women nor allow women to vote regarding church matters. WELS is about a tenth of the size of the more mainstream ELCA

Eagle Brook is a megachurch complex with five "campuses" which describes itself as being "Baptist heritage"


Michele Bachmann officially leaves her church
By Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor
July 15th, 2011
01:33 PM ET
Washington (CNN) - ... The Bachmanns had been members of the church for more than 10 years, according to Joel Hochmuth, director of communications for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, the broader denominational body of which Bachmann’s former church is a member. The church council granted the Bachmanns’ request to be released from their membership on June 21, Hochmuth said. The church council granted the Bachmanns’ request to be released from their membership on June 21, Hochmuth said. After declaring at the CNN/WMUR/New Hampshire Union Leader presidential debate that she would seek the nomination, Bachmann formally announced her presidential bid June 27 in Waterloo, Iowa ... Hochmuth .. added, “they had not been attending that congregation in over two years. They were still on the books as members, but then the church council acted on their request and released them from membership” ...