A local pastor nails it on why "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" is a BAD idea

[thatcrazycajun]

Far more eloquently that I could ever do, an Atlanta-area minister and Ph.D candidate at Vanderbilt University explains the real reason right-wing pastors last weekend decided to take on the Internal Revenue Service: for the "right" to browbeat their parishioners into opposing liberal (read: Democrat) candidates, legislative bills and ballot questions and supporting conservative (read: Republican) ones.
The Rev. C. Joshua Villines, courtesy of our local daily paper

And the new head of the Episcopal Church USA, the first woman elected to the post, knows this too. She just spent part of tonight's episode of NPR's Fresh Air program telling host Terry Gross why preachers, rabbis and imams should not take sides in secular politics:
Presiding Bishop Dr. Katherine Jefferts-Schori on her schism-threatened faith and politics in the pulpit

This is nothing more or less than the fundies' latest rear-guard action against the inevitable march of freedom and justice for all, rather than just those whose views and relationships are approved by certain churches. They want to be able to preach sermons along the lines of, "Vote for John McCain or you will go straight to HELL! Do not pass Purgatory, do not collect $200! Obama is the Anti-Christ! God hates fags! No Eucharist for you if you support Roe V. Wade!" while still keeping Uncle Sam out of the collection plate.

It's good to know there are those inside the world of religious faith, and even among its leadership, who see this flim-flam for what it is and speak out against it. Any self-styled spiritual leader who seeks to use such office to pressure congregants into believing and/or voting as s/he does is contemptible...period. Paragraph. End of story. One Fred Phelps in this country—in this world, even—is too many.

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

I know you're right in the first paragraph. I'm a pretty big fan of Her Grace Dr. Jefferts-Schori, too...

(psst... the fundies don't call it Eucharist. It's too hoity-toity for'em. It's Communion, or in the Baptist and other "low" (as in, less pomp and circumstance) churches, the Lord's Supper. Saltine crackers and Welch's grape juice... it don't get much more low-church than that :)

I hafta disagree about Fred Phelps (and Ken Hutcherson and Pat Robertson and all those guys). The world needs somebody to stick up on a virtual pike and say, "Lo, this is how thou doest it WRONG." Although I think we could do with a few less jerks to serve au brochette... but not by force, thanks.

Besides. I don't want *anybody* messing with the First Amendment. We were endowed by that which Created us with the inalienable right to make a damn fool of ourselves, by word, worship, writing, and hanging out with other fools, and the last thing I want is another witch hunt. My spiritual brethren and sisteren have suffered *quite* enough on that score...

But as far as this being the fundies' last battle, and a losing one? From your mouth to $DEITY{'}{Ss}{'} ears.

[darrenzieger.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I like the dangerous loonies to be as noisy and visible as possible. It's the crypto-fascists/theocrats/Torquemadas that are the most dangerous. Also, he performs the added service of making all religion look bad (though it's kind of unfair...it's the idiotic 95% of theists that ruin it for the other 5%).

Still, I look forward to the inevitable day they find Phelps dead in a motel room from auto-erotic asphyxiation, in full S&M gear, with a dildo up his ass (still running, if there is a just and loving God), a pile of gay porn mags strewn around him and his laptop browser still open to "hornyteenboyswank-cams.com".

No joke. This is precisely how Phelps will die. The only thing that can prevent it is if God is too busy arguing with Jerry Falwell, and decides to cut to the chase and simply strike Phelps down with a bolt of lightning.

Remember - you heard it here first: dildo in the ass or lightning bolt out of a clear blue sky. I'm not psychic, and I'm not joking -- it's an actuarial inevitability.

Thanks!

[cjoshuav.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much for taking the time to read the piece and for your kind comments! It's good to know there are other folks of good will out there.

-Joshua

Re: Thanks!

[thatcrazycajun.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, sir. But just out of curiosity, how did you find my little corner of the Web? I'm not used to hearing from the people I link to whose columns are published, so this is gratifying if a bit surprising.