The Cult of Death

[WilliamPitt]

Attendees clap during the CNN Tea Party Republican Debate at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 12, 2011. Eight Republican presidential candidates squared off with host Wolf Blitzer. (Photo: Chip Litherland / The New York Times)

The Cult of Death
By William Rivers Pitt
t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

- Matthew 25:40 (King James)

Trying to figure out what this whole "Tea Party" phenomenon is all about is a lot like trying to peer into the bottom of a muddy pool. The "mainstream" news media has accepted them as a legitimate, powerful force in American politics, as evidenced by CNN's so-called "Tea Party Debate" for the Republican presidential candidates on Monday night. A group that did not exist three years ago suddenly has enough clout to rate a television banner and a chunk of prime-time coverage.

But who are these people, really?

(snip)

Whatever else these "Tea Party" people are, they are most definitely White Christians, with a strong strain of the evangelical, due in large part to the GOP-base DNA most of them share.

And that's where things get really interesting.

During the GOP debate last week, Rick Perry burnished his law-and-order credentials by bragging about the 234 executions - at least one of which took the life of an innocent man - he has presided over while governor of Texas. The GOP crowd at the debate went absolutely wild, cheering and hooting their approval of the taking of so much life.

On Monday night, candidate Ron Paul was given a hypothetical about providing health care to a dying man who lacked health insurance. Wolf Blitzer, who moderated the debate, asked Paul, "Are you saying society should just let him die?" Before Paul could cobble together an answer, the "Tea Party" audience again erupted, this time yelling "Yes!" in answer to Blitzer's question.

Hm.

These "Tea Party" people profess to be representatives of average Americans, despite being a complete creation of the 0.1% wealthy elite. They claim government is too big, even as many of them hail from states (think Texas) that would utterly collapse without federal funding. They bring guns to public rallies. They like Medicare, until they are reminded that Medicare is a government program.

And they are Christians, members of the faithful, who enjoy executions and who think uninsured people should be left to die.

Correction: they are "Christians," because it is impossible to build any kind of bridge between the teachings of Jesus and the beliefs these people espouse at the top of their lungs.

They are not Christians, but are in fact a death-worshipping cult. The best response to the vile display broadcast by CNN on Monday night was provided by former Florida Rep. Alan Grayson, who has had more than a few go-rounds with this particular breed of cat. "What you saw tonight," said Grayson, "is something much more sinister than not having a healthcare plan. It's sadism, pure and simple. It's the same impulse that led people in the Coliseum to cheer when the lions ate the Christians. And that seems to be where we are heading - bread and circuses, without the bread. The world that Hobbes wrote about - 'the war of all against all.'"

Thanks to the "mainstream" news media, to ardent yet covert supporters like the Koch brothers, and to the sweaty intensity of their own deranged ideals, these "Tea Party" people have emerged as a true force in American politics. What we saw last week, and on Monday night, is a glimpse of what the world would be like if these people achieve the supremacy they seek.

Jesus wept.

http://www.truth-out.org/cult-death/1315937077

[hlthe2b]

1. I heartily recommend.

I'd like to see this disseminated widely. :thumbsup:

[Initech]

2. I think I'm starting to see the irony of the tea party campaigning at fair grounds.

They complain about socializing health care, debate about how to dismantle it and the government at our nation's fairgrounds, then they go stuff themselves stupid with shitty fairground food like deep fried butter. And then they get sick and spend all their hard earned dollars for the privilege ( :eyes: ) of the "greatest health care system in the world ( :eyes: :eyes: ) so they can brag about it to their constituents about how good it is, and they can sell the idea to eradicate those that can't afford it.

Or maybe I'm reading too much into this.

[madrchsod]

3. 1930`s germany....

[RKP5637]

5. It is, the earmarks seem similar and building. Very unfortunate. n/t

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. What is most breathtaking about them, to me, is their utter hypocrisy. and...

And after that, their pride in what is often simply willful ignorance.

I am sure this type has always been out there...but they've been funded and branded, and now are getting legitimacy from a media that seems to think it isn't part of the country - just a well paid entertainment source that thinks it will never be affected by the horrendous politics it peddles when showing both left and right as a moral equivalent.

K&R, by the way!

[AlbertCat]

6. They are not Christians, but are in fact a death-worshipping cult.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Oh the irony!

[RKP5637]

8. +1000 +++ n/t

[Island Blue]

9. Exactly.

And fundamentalist Christians don't worship "god" at all. They don't even worship Jesus and all of the good things that he was supposed to have done. Instead, the worship the blood of Jesus. Very stange.

[eridani]

27. They worship themselves. Belief is nothing but an in-group loyalty oath--

--and a Get Out of Jail Free card.

[hifiguy]

67. A point that Richard Dawkins makes

with extraordinarily clarity in one of the later chapters of "The God Delusion," a book every thinking person should read.

[hue]

58. good point! They are true NUTTERS! n/t

[fascisthunter]

12. I Was a Christian, and Agree with You

I do not consider psychopaths to be christians... they are frauds hiding behind the sacred to push their agendas down people's throats.

[hifiguy]

14. It can be fairly said that the Abrahamic religions

are by definition death cults. Especially the last two of the three.

[sulphurdunn]

15. Sorry. The founding religion

set the standard.

[RaleighNCDUer]

54. Not really.

The 'founding religion' had some pretty screwy ideas, but was mostly a compilation of tribal mores, a fanciful history, and nice poetry. There was no fascination with death, afterlife, eternal punishment, hell, NONE of the hallmarks of the death cults that followed. What was critical was how you dealt with others in THIS life.

It was very much life-oriented, not death-oriented. The horrific slaughters recounted in the histories had more to do with politics and war, than with the faith, and that was the business of kings, not priests.

[sulphurdunn]

59. The ancient Hebrews

are the first people in recorded history to practice genocide in the name of god. They were little better than savages, and their priests were totalitarian tyrants. Abraham, the founder of the faith, was an insane mass murderer who is credited with a willingness to slaughter his own son because of his religious delusions. Christianity and Islam are mad because of their spiritual heredity, not in spite of it.

[RaleighNCDUer]

66. That's true enough that the ancient Hebrews committed atrocities in the name of their god -

but it was also true about every other tribe of the time. And those crimes, committed in the name of their god, were no more egregious than any other peoples' crimes committed in the names of their gods.

"the first people in recorded history to practice genocide in the name of god"

If you think that, then you have a very limited knowledge of history.

The difference between the ancient Hebrews and the the religions spawned from that religion, is the Hebrews were only barely concerned about the after life - about life after death. They were bloody minded, but focused on life BEFORE death. Death was not the focus of their religion.

Christianity and Islam both focus on the life after death, and see this life as but a temporary travail - what happens in the here and now is of little consequence other than how it affects your chances of having a good afterlife. They focus on the afterlife - IOW, they focus on death. That is what makes a death cult.

As far as Abraham and Isaac, that myth reflects the founder of the people's turning his back on human sacrifice - something that was prevalent in the Mesopotamian culture he came from. And you do know that it is a MYTH, don't you? A story meant to impart a lesson? Of course, it had to be framed as "God told him to do it, then God stopped him" because prior to that the cultural norm was "God told him to do it. Period." God was necessary as the authority for ending human sacrifice, because the people expected human sacrifice and thought the gods would be angry for not getting the sacrifice.

In fact, when it comes to that, the sacrifice of Jesus did just the opposite. He was there to die, Judas and Pilate were there to make it happen, and the focus of the religion (as there were no christians yet) was shifted to the afterlife, rather than the current life. This change of focus to the death cult created the new religion. Those who rejected this change of focus remained Jews. Those who accepted it became Christians.

[sulphurdunn]

70. I thought we were talking about

the Hebrews. My limited knowledge of history places the invasion of Canaan around 1400 BCE. If you know of any written historical record alluding to genocide before that date, please let me know. Regarding life after death, please read the Book of Job, possibly the oldest book in the Bible and most likely of Sumerian origin, as is the Book of Genesis.

Why would anyone assume that Abraham's attempted sacrifice of Issac is a myth or what really caused him to desist, or that it symbolically represents using religion to end human sacrifice? Wouldn't that be suggesting that Abraham suckered his people? Do you really believe that a man who would deceive and then slaughter the Shechemites, who had embraced his religion, and with whom he had made a peace treaty, would give a damn about human sacrifice? If so, you know much less about about human nature than you assume I know about history.

The sacrifice of Jesus (the divine as flesh) is in fact symbolic and is so old that it is paleolithic in origin. It is no different than death and resurrection myths of all hunter gatherer and agrarian societies throughout history. The whole idea of sacrifice (including human sacrifice)is a recognition of the biological fact that something must die so something else can live and that life is uncertain. That's not a complex concept and certainly doesn't make Christianity or Islam death cults anymore than it makes Judaism a celebration of life or the state of Israel the fulfillment of God's promise to his "chosen people." Were that the case, Greater Israel would stretch from the Nile to the Euphrates.

Religions are the creations of their founders. The founders are the products themselves of historical and cultural precedent, as are their adherents. Nothing more. Religion has no intrinsic value.

[Hestia]

53. You forgot the ripping open of the chest & the spewing of blood everywhere

[firehorse]

65. What hypocrites, they probably think they are pro-life too.

[xocet]

7. Nice Article! - K & R

"During the GOP debate last week, Rick Perry burnished his law-and-order credentials by bragging about the 234 executions - at least one of which took the life of an innocent man - he has presided over while governor of Texas. The GOP crowd at the debate went absolutely wild, cheering and hooting their approval of the taking of so much life."

The crowd goes wild prior to Perry even doing anything (c.f., time index 00:15 in the video):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXB8avpzMyI

Then, after Perry answers, the crowd goes wild again.

I just wanted to point out the sickening blood lust of that crowd.

[lapislzi]

10. "Pear-shaped blivets"

That's as good as "bloviating toad" (also one of yours, I think.)

:hi:

[fascisthunter]

11. Why Don't They Just Start Wearing Swastika Armbands

I guess the uniforms was too much of a giveaway.

[Jim_Shorts]

13. I wonder if these Teavangelicals would even be organized without FreedomWorks

Jane Hamsher: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-hamsher/the-corporate-lobbyists-b_b_186367.html
FreedomWorks was launched a GOP version of MoveOn.
In 2004, a woman who identified herself as a "single mother" in Iowa, Sandra Jacques, appeared at a George Bush town hall and gushed about his plan to privatize Social Security. She left out the part about being an employee of Freedomworks, who were lobbying on the issue at the time.

When you put together a football team, you look for the biggest, baddest, meanest guys you can find. The GOP version of this team would be Christian Reconstructionists. Frank Schaeffer: http://www.alternet.org/story/151960/michele_bachmann_was_inspired_by_my_dad_and_his_christian_reconstructionist_friends_--_here%27s_why_that%27s_terrifying?page=5

In the scorched-earth post-Roe era of the “health care reform debates” of 2009 and beyond, evangelicals seemed to believe that Jesus commanded that all hospitals (and everything else) should be run by corporations for profit, just because corporations weren’t the evil government.

[ScreamingMeemie]

16. Why is that woman dressed like she is at a night club in the picture?

People are odd. Really odd.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

55. One former fundamentalist I knew said that it was ironic how

the preachers preached against dancing, movies, and make-up, and yet the women in her church had the most elaborate hairstyles and flashy clothes and jewelry. Just as long as they weren't wearing make-up.

[Overseas]

17. K&R. Well said.

[DesertFlower]

18. K&R. nt

[DeSwiss]

19. K&R n/t

[PatrynXX]

20. George Carlin said it best

These people aren't Pro Life. they are pro death... they are killing doctors..


yeah I hate that term pro life. it's total bullshit. they'd much rather have the mother dead, the kids homeless turning into crime and killing people. Go round killing dr's and cheering on folks in a coma for 6 months. Think we are going for the boat mentality. screw the women and children lemma out first.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

21. I pointed out the same thing where I live, and was accused of broad-brushing.

Talking about the hate and fear of the rednecks. I was talking about MY EXPERIENCES.
I know the cities are more liberal. But I live in the country in a small town, and there are millions of angry, hateful, fearful white guys out there that are ignorant and proud of it.

[Quantess]

34. Country folk do not equate to small minded rednecks.

You say you live in the country, in a small town. How would you like to be labeled an ignorant redneck?

OTOH, tea baggers is an ideology. Paint them with a stupid-brush.

[provis99]

42. ok, then. Only most country people are rednecks.

Rural people vote Republican the way that African-Americans and Jews vote Democratic.

[Quantess]

69. WTF? I lived "out in the country" for years.

With chickens running around. Even a female turkey, who was very sociable, and stole food right off your plate.

Why must you judge people this way? You have to keep your definitions of people squared away in boxes, don't you?

[provis99]

71. do you understand the word "most"? Do you understand "self-defining"?

If most people in rural parts vote conservative or Republican, they are defining themselves.

So if I said most Jews vote liberal, and you were the one Jew who didn't, you would say I am DEFINING them?

Obviously, rural education isn't what it's cracked up to be where you come from...

[Quantess]

74. FUCK OFF!

Apparently, manners have escaped you. Seriously, what has happened to DU, where this kind of horrible, hateful, argumentative BS passes for anything meaningful? A sad state of affairs. You, provis99, can go shove it! Get some manners & politeness while you're at it!
Douchebag.

Is it impolite to tell you once again? GO FUCK YOURSELF.

[GeorgeGist]

22. This guy isn't weeping ...

[Zorra]

23. They. Are. Republicans...as in G.O.P.

They are all going to vote Republican.

Straight ticket.

All of them.

They are republicans. They existed three years ago. They have always been republicans.

"Eight Republican presidential candidates squared off with host Wolf Blitzer."

There's really nothing to figure out.

Tea Party. Republican.

Same shit, different name.

(Great post)

[butterfly77]

49. Exactly...

[donheld]

24. It's a home run Will

[southmost]

25. they are like vampires who can't see their hideous reflection

[orbitalman]

26. K & R x 1000 n/t

[ibegurpard]

28. yup

the crazy old grandpas everyone used to roll their eyes at when they said shit like "we should just nuke the whole middle east...that will fix the problems" are actually in a position to pose a serious threat to human civilization

[sce56]

29. LET HIM DIE YEAH! YEAH! Were were talking about Poker still Right? TDS

[Warren DeMontague]

30. "But who are these people, really?" ... in a word? Brownshirts.

The exact same drooling lizard brain hate, in action.

[Safetykitten]

31. No, (and tastefully presented) they are the bi-partisman people. They are the group...

that votes for the people that our President loves to work with.

[Warren DeMontague]

32. Well, big surprise, I guess I'm stuck choosing between mildly disappointing and dangerously insane.

Even bigger surprise? I'm going with mildly disappointing.

[Safetykitten]

35. So do the people doing the midly dissapointing, do they win in the end?

So you can be mildly dissapointed? Becuase to appeal to the mildly dissapointed, would it not be the case that they would lose against the very angry?

All tastefully asked....

ATA...

[Warren DeMontague]

36. I think it depends on whether there is more disappointment, or insanity.

Recent polling seems to reflect, that, you know, not to name any names, but when mildly disappointing incumbent "O" is ranked against generic challenger "GOP", who carries only a non-specific, vague odor of insanity, disappointing incumbent "O" does tend to poll behind.

When mildly disappointing incumbent "O" is ranked against perceived-as-only-sort-of-insane challenger "R", disappointing incumbent "O" seems to eke out a win, but barely.

When mildly disappointing incumbent "O" is put up against clearly insane challenger "P", however, or, say totally fucking batshit over-the-moon challenger "B", he polls much better, despite the alleged passion of insane and batshit's "angry" constituencies.

[Safetykitten]

37. Well, with all due respect, you said you wanted "mildly dissapointing"

But the question is on your last scenario, is the anger added into your math? You know the anger of the just average person, who is not hip or one of the hipcats of the political scene. You know, the less than intelligent voter.

I suppose it could work out that way as you see in your calculations if you did not take that into account.

But I always defer to the hepcats and the smart people. As they always know best. I know my best interests are always served even when the person that I vote for cares about his opponents more.

Politics is so confusing!

[Warren DeMontague]

60. I'm definitely hep AND smart. That said...

I'm only talking about my own take, nor am I making any grand arguments about whose interests will or won't be served, long-term, by any particular strategy.

And while people often, for example, believe I hold a position of great political and strategic influence with the current administration (understandably, since I'm so smart and hep!) I actually don't.

[chervilant]

48. This administration

pegged the meter on 'mildly disappointed' very early on--with the appointment of Arne Duncan as SecEd.

I will have to put a clothespin on my nose, stick my fingers in my ears, squeeze my eyes shut--and sing 'la-la-la, I can't HEAR you!' at the top of my lungs--the next time I cast my vote.

[girl_interrupted]

33. Didn't Bush have something todo with the Texas Futile care law?

Tuesday, March 22, 2005 "Sun Hudson, a six-month old Texas baby died last week when health care providers at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas removed his life support system over the objections of his mother. The action was authorized under the 1999 Futile Care Law which was signed into law by then-Gov. George W. Bush."

"Under the Texas Futile Care Law, health care workers are allowed to remove expensive life support for terminally ill patients if the patient or family is unable to pay the medical bills."

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Texas_baby_removed_from_life_support_against_mother's_wishes

[anneboleyn]

44. Yes. Literally, the poor die as a result of Tea Party governance. Scary shit.

[Waiting For Everyman]

38. They are the "whore of babylon (means 'chaos')".

I couldn't think of a more apt term than the Bible used for it 2000 years ago. Nailed it. They are the church turned whore, riding on the beast's back. Yup, that about sums it up.

a.k.a. the modern-day Pharisees. A whole lot was said about them and it's right on target. They haven't changed a bit.

[blkmusclmachine]

39. You cannot underestimate the power/connectedness of "The Family:"

This is the Dominionist Cult that runs the annual Networking event known as the "Presidential Prayer Breakfast" every February in DC. "The Family" operates a low-cost DC boarding house/"Church" for Senators of both Parties. A video surfaced showing the leader praising Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden for their ruthless means of achieving their nefarious social and political goals. Rumors are swirling that "The Family" is connected with US Pentecostal Hate Groups in Africa pushing hard to pass the Gay Extermination Bill known as the "Kill The Gays" Bill. Clinton has called the leader of this Cult, Rev. Doug Coe, a "trusted friend, confidant, and mentor."

[hifiguy]

68. They are a seamless web of insanity

that has its tentacles into virtually every corner of DC except perhaps the Black, Progressive and Latino/Hispanic caucuses.

For some slightly dated but horrifying background on the Dominionist Theocrats, check out www.yuricareport.com. Terrifying stuff.

[Major Hogwash]

40. They're disappointed, man. That's all. There is no rapture coming and they desperately wanted to go.

They are desperate for their belief system to be validated.
That's all there is to it.
Since the rapture didn't happen, they want political power to make it happen.
Sort of.

These are the same kind of believers who were around when Aimee Semple McPherson was preaching on the radio in the 1920s.
She was a big media sensation, too.
She was better known as "Sister Aimee."

"By early 1926, McPherson had become one of the most charismatic and influential people of her time."

From this source here -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aimee_Semple_McPherson

[stellanoir]

41. As of last night

it's 235.

"The beat goes on."

[Douglas Carpenter]

43. indeed Jesus Wept

[Enthusiast]

45. Kicked and recommended! nt

[angel823]

46. Texas

has the highest rate of uninsured in the nation:

<http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/New-census-data-shows-a-rise-in-poverty-2168212.php>

I was born in Texas and live in Texas. There are many good people here, and also many tea-partiers (including my neighbors and parents).

I am not religious, but I can't help but feel as though the "rapture" is a self-fulfilling prophecy that these folks are making happen, and I fear for our future. Someone on this board, can't remember who, said Perry was "Greg Stilson" making a reference to a Stephen King book about the possible end of the world via nuclear holocaust. It frightens me, but that feels right. Sort of a "self-made antichrist" because these folks are anything but christ-like (and I hate saying that about my own family).

Angel in Texas

[w0nderer]

47. k&r for reading later n/t

[butterfly77]

50. Kick,kick,kick &recommended!

:kick:

[Javaman]

51. Simpler, "The Death Party". nt

[spanone]

52. i blame the media for treating this cabal as 'normal' voting citizens

there will always be steaming piles of shit posing as humans, to legitimize them is unforgivable

[kayti]

56. well said

May I use your line when I'm talking to some winger loons?

[hue]

57. Thanks for posting this!! Sooo true!!!

The Tea Party hypocrisy runs so thick! As M. Scott Peck would say, " People of the Lie".

[robertpaulsen]

61. That is exactly what I will call them from now on: "Christians".

That is how I will write about them and if I speak about them, I will use air-quotes to the annoyance of everyone. Because anyone who cheers executions, condemns the uninsured to death and thinks the answer to everything lies with knowing who the fuck John Galt is has no business pretending to live by the principles of Christ.

[HappyMe]

62. k&r

Frightening and dangerous people.

[Johnson20]

63. Scary. n/t

[polly7]

64. "They are not Christians, but are in fact a death-worshipping cult." Bingo! Jesus wept, indeed. nt

[Scurrilous]

72. Kick

:kick:

[WilliamPitt]

73. Thanks!

:)