Mark Morford: Praise the Lord, the Fundamentalist Right Is Going to Self-Destruct

[BurtWorm]

(I think the changing demographic of the US will help do it in. Too bad American education won't have much of a role...)



http://sfgate.com//cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/09/21/notes092107.DTL

...It seems the remaining core of politicized evangelicals, far from realizing its diminished influence and far from realizing the GOP has largely imploded and far from sensing, therefore, that it might perhaps be time to dial down some of its more unpopular, virulent agenda items, this group is actually aiming to step up its dogmatic demands from various GOP candidates this next election.

That's right. They want more. Or rather, less.

Apparently, Bush's GOP has let them down. They have not been content with BushCo's anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-sex, pro-abstinence, anti-women, anti-science, pro-war, God-hates-Islam stance, nor have they been content with having their trembling hands around the throat of the preceding Republican Congress for half a decade and clearly they have been insufficiently humiliated by the happy slew of right-wing preachers and politicians who've been revealed as meth-loving, restroom-lurking, boy-fetishizing gay hypocrites.

According to the new plan, any current GOP candidate who now wants the valuable evangelical vote will have to prove himself not merely guided by conformist religious zealotry in all things (Hi, Mitt!), but will have to prove his unflappable support for the GOP stance in key issues across the evangelical board, primarily regarding the Big Duo: abortion rights and gay rights. Or, more specifically, the total annihilation of both.

Do you see? This is exactly why we can now rejoice. Because this is the delightful thing about the fundamentalist worldview (and, for that matter just about any strict religious worldview you can name), the thing that absolutely and forever guarantees its frequent and eventual downfall: It can never be sated.

...

And why? Because the fundamentalist mind-set is not so much a firm and rational set of beliefs based on thoughtful interpretation of strict Biblical screed as it is, well, a paranoid wallowing in fear. Fear of the Other, fear of change, of progress, of the new and different and young and the sexual and the truly spiritual. And as we all know from almost seven years of Bush, fear knows no reason. It knows no stability. Fear is simply insatiable, voracious, and about as un-Godlike as Jesus with a machine gun.

...

[BrklynLib at work]

1. I would love to see Morford get a Pulitzer or some other indicator of what a great writer he is.

[BurtWorm]

3. Hard to believe such clear-eyed "punditry" is in an American newspaper.

:applause:

[Initech]

2. Couldn't come any sooner.

We've seen the worst of the Christian right rear its ugly head the last six years, and I think people are getting really sick and tired of these people. Falwell is dead, and several of its members have been incarcerated or removed from their positions of power (think Ted Haggard) so we've probably seen the worst of it. I have a feeling they will not be gone for good, but hopefully we have rid ourselves of the worst offenders.

[Blackhatjack]

4. the more rigid and intractable the RW Fundies are, the less influence they have...n/t

[BrklynLib at work]

6. Exactly as Morford says...

But when you come right down to it, the Great Truism has been validated once again: Righteous fundamentalism, be it Christian, Islamic, or otherwise, has the seeds of its own destruction built right into its very framework, a priori and de facto and by default. Powered by the deeply joyless engines of fear and shame, it can never quench its own impotent desires.

[acmavm]

5. Hee hee

<snip>

And why? Because the fundamentalist mind-set is not so much a firm and rational set of beliefs based on thoughtful interpretation of strict Biblical screed as it is, well, a paranoid wallowing in fear. Fear of the Other, fear of change, of progress, of the new and different and young and the sexual and the truly spiritual. And as we all know from almost seven years of Bush, fear knows no reason. It knows no stability. Fear is simply insatiable, voracious, and about as un-Godlike as Jesus with a machine gun.

But let's not get carried away. Make no mistake, tremendous damage has indeed been done. After all, this last batch of hotly politicized evangelicals that just passed through our nation like a giant kidney stone enjoyed one hell of a run, and much of what they accomplished will be felt for years and decades to come. The Supreme Court, by way of just one example, has now been so front-loaded with righteous misogynists, we've already lost great hunks of women's rights, environmental protections and many of the cornerstones of America's moral foundation.

[sinkingfeeling]

7. Once again I just hope Mark really can see the future.

[frebrd]

8. K&R n/m

[lapislzi]

9. "...the deeply joyless engines of shame and fear..."

Like every great poet, Morford hits a bullseye.

[tom_paine]

10. Great article. Thanx for posting this, Burt. K & R.

I think we can all benefit from Morford's words, and the timing sure as shit, couldn't be better.