MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) -- A sharp difference of opinion over which issues ought to top the political agenda of Christian conservatives spilled out into the open at this week's meeting of the National Association of Evangelicals.
The group rebuffed complaints from some of the religious right's leading lights about the organization's newfound focus on global warming.
The group, which represents 45,000 churches and more than 60 evangelical denominations, took no action on a letter sent by 25 conservative Christian leaders demanding that the organization restrain its Washington policy director, the Rev. Richard Cizik, from putting forward his views on global warming. (Watch how issues divide evangelical groupVideo)
"We have observed that Cizik and others are using the global warming controversy to shift the emphasis away from the great moral issues of our time, notably the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage and the teaching of sexual abstinence and morality to our children," said the letter, which was signed by prominent religious conservatives such as James Dobson, Don Wildmon, Paul Weyrich and Gary Bauer.
Cizik has been outspoken on the global warming issue, saying in a recent documentary that "to harm this world by environmental degradation is an offense against God."
But Dobson and the other signatories of the letter to the National Association of Evangelicals board said evidence supporting global warming was not conclusive and that the organization "lacks the expertise to settle the controversy."
"The issue should be addressed scientifically and not theologically," they said, calling on the group's board to either rein in Cizik or encourage him to resign.
One of the men who signed the letter, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, said global warming was part of a leftist agenda that threatened evangelical unity.
"We're not going to allow third parties to divide evangelicals, and I think that is what is happening in part with the global warming issue," Perkins said.
However, the association board not only stood behind Cizik, but also further broadened the group's agenda with a statement condemning torture, which charged that in pursuing the war on terror, the United States had crossed "boundaries of what is legally and morally permissible."
But one of the board members, the Rev. Paul de Vries, said, "It ought to be God's agenda, not the Republican Party's agenda, that drives us.
"We're actually tired of being represented by people with a very narrow focus," he said. "We want to have a focus as big as God's focus."
OK. <rant>
Quote:
"We have observed that Cizik and others are using the global warming controversy to shift the emphasis away from the great moral issues of our time, notably the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage and the teaching of sexual abstinence and morality to our children," said the letter, which was signed by prominent religious conservatives such as James Dobson, Don Wildmon, Paul Weyrich and Gary Bauer.
If environmental degradation isn't THE great moral issue of our time, then your morals are fucked. Integrity of marriage? Teaching sexual abstinence to our children? Are you fucking kidding me? Fuck you, you Republican fucking shills. You dare call yourselves Christians, much less MORAL? Fuck you and your mothers, too.
Quote:
"The issue should be addressed scientifically and not theologically," they said, calling on the group's board to either rein in Cizik or encourage him to resign.
Shut the fuck up! You are NEVER allowed to say those words, you fucks, for as long as you are advocating the teaching of creationism anywhere near the teaching of evolution, you cannot EVER say those words. Fuck you right in the ass with a rusty barbed dildo shaped like Jesus on teh cross and made by Buddhists in China, you fucks.
Quote:
One of the men who signed the letter, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, said global warming was part of a leftist agenda that threatened evangelical unity.
"We're not going to allow third parties to divide evangelicals, and I think that is what is happening in part with the global warming issue," Perkins said.
DIVIDE?!? Divide? ALL YOU FUCKING DO IS DIVIDE!!! Every issue that the evangelical right makes their signature, the "pro-life" anti-abortion, anti-stem cell research, anti-gay marriage BULLSHIT, it is ALL DESIGNED TO DIVIDE PEOPLE!!!
Here is ONE ISSUE that people on the left or the right, religious or secular, city or country, EVERYONE can get behind environmental protection for whatever reasons suit them, and JAMES DOBSON, and TONY PERKINS, and GARY BAUER want to STAND IN THE WAY of this?!? Well of-fucking course they do! Because UNITY DOESN'T WIN ELECTIONS FOR REPUBLICANS. That's what these guys are, REPUBLICANS, not Christians, not MORAL LEADERS. They're FUCKING DEMAGOGUES who have made their livelihoods by delivering votes for the Republican Party, and FUCK CHRIST if what HE has to say gets in teh way of their MASTERS' BUSINESS INTERESTS.
Hey, evangelicals! Who told you that you were ALLOWED TO START THINKING FOR YOURSELVES? You listen to US! You interpret CHRIST'S MESSAGE the way WE TELL YOU to interpret Christ's message, and then you GO OUT AND VOTE FOR WHO WE TELL YOU TO VOTE FOR. Don't you remember? Your ETERNAL SOUL DEPENDS ON YOU VOTING FOR REPUBLICANS and REPUBLICAN INTERESTS. Your interests don't matter here. Don't you know that Republican loyalty, just like Republican money, FLOWS UPHILL ONLY? You want to end up like Scooter Libby, you little PEONS? You are SOLDIERS, of Christ and of the GOP, and you will carry out your orders, not what you THINK Jesus would WANT your orders to be.
</rant>
_________________ Unfortunately, at the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, the Flower Children jerked off and went back to sleep.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 4:01 am Posts: 19477 Location: Brooklyn NY
I tend to look upon them as sub-human
_________________
LittleWing sometime in July 2007 wrote:
Unfortunately, it's so elementary, and the big time investors behind the drive in the stock market aren't so stupid. This isn't the false economy of 2000.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:38 am Posts: 5575 Location: Sydney, NSW
Now you know what Ginsberg felt like after he wrote Howl.
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Jammer91 wrote:
If Soundgarden is perfectly fine with playing together with Tad Doyle on vocals, why the fuck is he wasting his life promoting the single worst album of all time? Holy shit, he has to be the stupidest motherfucker on earth.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:38 pm Posts: 4412 Location: red mosquito
I wish we could just divide this country into two halfs and be done with it... although there'd always be the concern that the conservative half would invade the (poorly defended) liberal half.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:53 pm Posts: 20537 Location: The City Of Trees
Boy David, you sure have seemed "angrier" in N&D in recent days.
I'd have to guess that the group that gets the most collective disagreement and resenrment from this board is the evangelical crowd. It's like a different planet at times.
A lot of this appears to be snobbery via jesus. Some of the groups believe we humans should not be concerned with physical matters as they up to god.
Don't go to the doctor because god has a plan for the body. Don't use birth control or work long hours because it's not gods will. I'm not entirely sure if they believe we as humans are a. not powerful enough or worthy enough to exercise control over the natural elements of the earth or b. we are TOO mighty to be concerned with things like the environment.
I don't understand why they don't leave the moral family stuff up to god though. That seems like it's more his area of expertise.
"The issue should be addressed scientifically and not theologically," they said, calling on the group's board to either rein in Cizik or encourage him to resign.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
conoalias wrote:
what would jesus do?
I think it's pretty clear that Jesus prefers coal-fired power plants.
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
Quote:
But Dobson and the other signatories of the letter to the National Association of Evangelicals board said evidence supporting global warming was not conclusive and that the organization "lacks the expertise to settle the controversy."
Given the number of things that Dobson and his God-Warriors speak out on upon which they have no expertise, this statement made me snort milk out of my nose.
... and I'm drinking a Coke.
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:54 am Posts: 7189 Location: CA
Dr. Dobson (I imagine he goes by doctor because he has his own university or some such, he is no M.D.) is becoming more and more politically active it seems. I believe it was only a couple years ago he started a PAC or some other such spinoff of his ministry in order to stay legit and not have to deal with those pesky tax issues. He is on Christian radio quite often, so I hear him sometimes when I'm driving around with my parents at home, and it is rather disconcerting to hear him talk up his PAC during his ministry radio show. The first minute they're plugging for donations to send people free reading material and the next they're soliciting money to help fight gay marriage or some such.
And we thought we figured it out when we kept the Papists out of government.
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 1:03 am Posts: 24177 Location: Australia
tommymctom wrote:
I wish we could just divide this country into two halfs and be done with it... although there'd always be the concern that the conservative half would invade the (poorly defended) liberal half.
_________________ Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear, Like criminals, they have choked the breath of conscience and good cheer. The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay.
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