 Sometime the truth hurts. For the fundievangelical/American Taliban/bible-beating movement, being associated with the term "Religious Right" (coined by one of their own, Jerry Falwell) is now problematic since the term has become associated with ignorance and bigotry purportedly justified by scripture. Too bad, so sad. (Christianity Today):Phrase 'Religious Right' Misused, Conservatives Say
...Several politically conservative evangelicals said in interviews that they do not want to be identified with the "Religious Right," "Christian Right," "Moral Majority," or other phrases still thrown around in journalism and academia.
"There is an ongoing battle for the vocabulary of our debate," said Gary Bauer, president of American Values. "It amazes me how often in public discourse really pejorative phrases are used, like the 'American Taliban,' 'fundamentalists,' 'Christian fascists,' and 'extreme Religious Right.' "
Gary Schneeberger, vice president of media and public relations for Focus on the Family, said that when writers include terms like "Religious Right" and "fundamentalist," they can create negative impressions. "Terms like 'Religious Right' have been traditionally used in a pejorative way to suggest extremism," Schneeberger said. "The phrase 'socially conservative evangelicals' is not very exciting, but that's certainly the way to do it."
 ..."When the so-called 'Religious Right' agrees with us, we applaud their good taste and good judgment," said Land, who is president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention. Some phrases need to be eliminated from journalists' vocabulary entirely, he said. "Until Tony Perkins or Jim Dobson puts a pistol on the table and threatens to kill someone, they shouldn't be called ayatollah of the Right or the Jihadists of the Right."
They cannot wash their hands of this; people have died because of the bigotry fomented and justified by Perkins, Falwell, Dobson, Sheldon and the rest of the professional "Christian" set. It could be argued that they need to retire the word Christian when referring to themselves because they have destroyed the word's meaning.
Mike Tidmus, who is responsible for the ace "Whoop-Ass" graphic, said: It amazes me how frequently these Talibanistas, who rail against anti-bullying initiatives like No Name Calling Week, trot out hate-motivated, hack rhetoric they've manufactured to attack GLBT citizens - not to mention the so-called "homosexual agenda," which seems to exist only in their closed little minds. |
