The Rise of the American Taliban
By Thom Hartmann A...
Religious extremism is rearing its ugly ahead once again. On Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that ISIS, the Sunni extremist group that recently declared an Islamic state in parts of Syria and Iraq, has ordered shop owners in Mosul to cover the faces of mannequins with veils. The shop owners were told to cover the faces of male and female mannequins, so that they were in line with their interpretations of the First Commandment that prohibits "graven images," including statues or artwork that depict the human form.
Similarly, ISIS also believes that women must be subservient to their husbands at all times, and that they should be covered up when in public. While these kinds of religious extremist beliefs may seem like they’re limited to groups in the Middle East, they’re not. That’s because we have our very own ISIS and very own Taliban right here in the United States.
It’s called the Christian hard-right, it’s been in America for a very long time, and it’s pushing beliefs that share a worldview and a face with those of ISIS and the Taliban.
On Tuesday, Republicans down in Georgia’s 10th Congressional District voted for Baptist pastor and right-wing radio show host Jody Hice to be the Republican candidate for that seat in November’s midterm elections. And, if Hice makes it to Washington, there’s little doubt that he’ll be the most hard-right religious conservative in our nation’s capital.
In 2012, Hice published the book “It’s Now or Never: A Call to Reclaim America,” in which he argued that America is a “distinctly Christian society.” And, he wrote that if we wanted to “reclaim America,” then we needed to ban abortion, ban same-sex marriage, repeal hate-crime laws, and expose “radical Islam for the clear and present danger that it is.”
But Hice’s extreme religious views don’t stop there. In a 2004 article uncovered by the folks over at Right Wing Watch, Hice argues that women should have to receive permission from their husbands before running for political office. He said that, “If the woman’s within the authority of her husband, I don’t see a problem.”
While Hice’s extreme far-right religious and political views may be appalling, dated and incredibly ignorant, they’re nothing new for America. That’s because the views of the Christian hard-right in America today can be traced all the way back to when the Puritans landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620. Back in the 1600’s in England, many British citizens, including the Puritans, were fed up with what they saw as a degenerate society.
In response, between 1620 and 1640, nearly 20,000 English Puritans left the "vice" they faced in England behind, and colonized Massachusetts. The Puritans in the UK were led by a man named Oliver Cromwell, a strict Puritan military and political leader at the time, who, back in England in the late 1640’s, led an uprising against the Stewards, the royal family.
In 1653, after successfully beating back King Charles I and the royal family, Cromwell made himself the 1st Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. With those powers, Cromwell pushed his strictly Puritan religious beliefs on the rest of the British people. Cromwell banned sports. He banned women from wearing make-up. He banned colorful dresses. He even played the role of Scrooge and banned Christmas.
Meanwhile, back in Massachusetts, the new Puritan settlers were also making their extreme religious beliefs known. They created laws that banned women from wearing lace, and that established what kinds of dresses a woman could wear. And they had laws that made it a crime for people not to attend church. In fact, you could be fined, imprisoned, and even whipped and tortured for not going to church.
Meanwhile, females who were considered “loose women” or who cheated on their husbands faced severe punishments, including imprisonment, public shamings, torture, and even death. The Puritan-led Massachusetts Bay General Court declared adultery a capital crime - punishable by death - in 1631, and they enforced it, at least against women.
Basically, the Puritans fled what they perceived as "secular wickedness" in England, and came to Massachusetts and created their own system of religious wickedness. And any settler who dared to go against Puritan beliefs was kicked out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The Puritans also didn’t have much tolerance for the Native Americans who already called America home. On May 26, 1637, Puritans, with the help from the Mohegan Tribe, attacked a Pequot Tribe village in Mystic, Connecticut, killing approximately 500 men, women, and children.
The religious intolerance, violence and oppression in Puritan-controlled Massachusetts was so horrific for so long, that not only did it drive Benjamin Franklin out of Massachusetts, but some 170 years after the Puritans first arrived, Massachusetts was forced to change its laws and its constitution, before other states would consider allowing it into the United States.
It may be 2014, but the religious extremism and oppression that the Puritans brought with them to America in 1620 is alive and well today. It’s alive and well in people like Jody Hice, and other so-called "Christian" hard-righters, who still think that women should be subservient to men and that only Christians should participate in our government.
Americans are rightly horrified by the religious extremism of groups like ISIS and the Taliban in the Middle East, but the fact is, religious extremism is also a very real threat right here and right now in the U.S. And our history proves that, if religious extremists and religious hard-righters are allowed to get in positions of power, the results are pretty ugly.
Comments
#2
The Crusades have already started with Saint Raygun leading the charge.
#3
It would be far too easy to agree with you but then we would be doing exactly what the American taliban would do. We don't wish to emulate them, simply work to ensure the American taliban don't become a ruling force in America. We already have too many crazies within our government!
#4
If these male domination freaks ever try to oppress me, they will immediately receive a belt in the nose and a kick in the azz.
#5
As a woman and a daughter of a Minister, I agree that this far-right religious zealotry is wrong and needs to be fought tooth and nail. As a voter I have been fighting against this type of fascism and for nearly 45 yrs I have been voting against oppressive political activity.
I have demonstrated, sat-in, volunteered, marched, and followed the politics of this country for too long to see it sink into a Corporate Religious Quasi Democracy.
The People are the Power of this Country and need to stand up and tell those who think they can buy and sell us so.
#6
"Religious extremism is rearing it's ugly head once again."
I disagree. I contend that it has never stopped... They just got louder from being financed by very rich people who want a third world country government for the United States. They don’t want regulations; they want the freedom to rob the general public without consequence and the protection of their private assets with public money and blood.
The religious right should stop and think about who they truly represent in their fight for domination. They won’t. They are sheep in wolves clothing who are being sheared by their financiers and will soon find themselves laid bare and impoverished. When that time comes; they will blame the very government they created.
#7
"It’s called the Christian hard-right, it’s been in America for a very long time, and it’s pushing beliefs that share a worldview and a face with those of ISIS and the Taliban. - See more at: http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2014/07/rise-american-taliban#sthash.s7zMyjOp.dpuf"
Well I'm dang sick and tired of folks pairing the word "Christian" with any type of hate politics or malevolent organization which embodies the antithesis of The Light of the World.
There is no "Christian" hard-right. They may call themselves that and carry any number of signs and flags, but the Light of the World exposes them for what they are- minions of Darkness.
Christ means Light and when we no longer sit in the darkness of falsehoods and bad will towards men, the world will prosper in joy and peace.
Christianity has never meant "Force." In fact, it was the Luciferan character which insisted that all men must be made to bow to one Lord. In fact, that is what got Lucifer kicked out of heaven to carry out his rage upon the earth.
So please, stop bashing a perfectly good word which these Latter Day Luciferans of many professions are dragging through the mud. Christ does not mean War, Crusades, Stinginess, Hatred, Intolerance, Selfishness, or Destruction. Don't lay the blame for these ills on Christianity or the existence of religion.
Tyrants use emotional and spiritual tactics to manipulate all into darkness where their Deeds thrive.
#8
Forgive me, I can't find a way to reply comment directly to Thom. Thom, I love your show, and, while I am not as Liberal as you, I respect you as mostly right on. And, I agree totally with the gist about this Christain nonsense. But you touch a nerve when you talk about my ancestors. In particular, William Bradford. He led his party to relative safety. The English king wanted their heads. He wanted them to worship him as leader of the Anglican Church. My ancestors first set foot on American soil on November 11, 1620. The Mayflower had suffered damage in the heavy seas of the North Atlantic. The crew was anxious to return to England. Those brave folks had little more than the clothes on their backs to face a New England winter! About 20% of them perished that first year. But, they recovered and flourished. My ancestors went on to fight in the Revolution. You are WRONG! They were NOT Puritans. They called themselves "Separatists." You are correct, the Puritans came shortly thereafter. And, yes, they did awful things. And, yes, there are some in my family tree. The New Plymouth colony had to intermarry or become inbred. There were only about 80 of them after that first winter. William Bradford was elected Governor in 1621. He was the first Anglo government to last in this land. Please do not call him a "Puritan."
#9
Religious fanatacism and fascism are like ugly twins.
#10
I've said it before, some of the most dangerous citizens in this country are the ones convinced that , despite their fanatical devotion to twisted mythological views, God is on their side. The problem starts with the belief that the words of ancient and existing men equal the word of God. The whole thing is so ignorant.
So we end up with a history full of dangerous self puffed egos pretending to be armed with the word of some God, and all must follow or be damned.... rather than admit they're just a bunch of god damn money and power grabbing, woman controlling, obstinate hypocrites.
#11
We should as Americans all believe in religious freedom. After all, it is a constitutional right. Along with this right goes the obligation to respect other's rights to practice their religion in any way they see fit as long as long as it doesn't violate any laws. Imagine the disdane people would have for our flag if we had a big white cross or a big white star of David in that field of blue on our flag. I believe it was a mistake to set up a Jewish state in Palistine after WWII. There has been trouble there every since. Look at the disdain the people of the region have for that flag with the big blue star of David on it. Mixing politics and religion is like mixing your vodka with castor oil, bad things are bound to happen. Even mostly muslim Iraq had a certain amount of religious freedom under Sadam Hussian. Remember the bushy gray haired guy witht the dark rimed glasses from Iraq we saw on tv during the gulf war? Thar was Tiriq Azize, the Iraq foreign minister who was a Christian. Tolerance and respect of others religious rights goes a long way in protecting everyone's religious Freedom.
#12
Religious fanatacism and fascism are like ugly twins.
I so agree! The depth of the chasm between sanity and the power of the political mythic ideology keeps rearing its ugliness in the unfolding of the human story. The quest of power still rests on the ignorance of even the best educated.
I am both fascinated and bewildered that despite our collective knowledge, educational opportunities, and technologies, many live lives of blind allegiance to antiquated parables passed down from sheep herders with editorial freelance by the church of one's birth.
I've been through a personal journey of religious and spiritual experiences. I shared with a family member I would be grateful to be part of a religion that respects others. Is committed to peace, end poverty, and feed all people.
“Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always.”- Gandhi
#13
My question is where are the Christians in all of this, as a Real Christian we should not allow these extremist to smear the word of God with their hatred. As some have said these Far Right Radicals are controlled by big money that want to take over our government, the Koch Bros. are the leaders and main money behind the Tealiban Bagger Terrorist movement and there are some others, they want to use the name of God to do away with all of the regulations that protect everyday Americans, so they can have unfrettered profits. With ceatures like these no wonder so many Americans are running away from Religion these days. America was founded by hard working people that were running away from Religious Dictorships, but it seems some of the radicals cmae with the honest people and slowly have been rearing their ugly heads a little at a time over the years, but when the Koch Bros. formed the Tealiban Bagger Terrorist movement that gave rise to all of the haters to come out into the open. These Crazies are the ones shouting about ISIS and Taliban tactics and they are showing that they are worse than the Muslim Terrorist. The American Armed Forces should be used against these terrorist because in their oath it states defend America against all enemies foreign and domestic. So these domestic enemies need to be taked care of and let America get back to the country it has been for all these years a country for all and not their chosen few.
#14
They're not Like ugly twins...They ARE ugly twins...Two peas in a pod.
#15
Yo my man DAnneMarc (in continuance from 7/22.) You stated; "WE ARE NOT BETTER THAN THAT; AND, WE PROBABLY NEVER WILL BE. We are a SICK society that has lost it's moral compass. Just look at the imbeciles we have on our Supreme Court. We have twisted values and no logical sense of what is right or wrong."
But you seem to think the Middle Ages had it all figured out when it came to their methods of punishment and that, as you stated; "Such a crime [sex offenses] was almost unheard of in the middle ages when we would simply take a child molester and boil him in oil in the village square. Everyone in town would look at that and walk 10 feet around any child they saw.
So how do you feel about this Jody Hice and his Dark Ages ideology on how we should go about "reclaiming America"? Is he right?
Big D, I do get your point, and not that I don't agree with where you are coming from, more so I understand what the saying "the more things change the more thay stay the same".
We do have some very stricted Sex Offender Laws in this country. We also have some very fucked up laws as well, like the majority of our Drug Laws. I agree with you 100% that our Criminal Justice System is fucked up. I personally have had to deal with it twice in my life. As well I can speak from my own experience what its like to go to prison...It's not fun!!! I can also speak on what it is like to try and reintergrate back into the very society that kicked you out while on a 5 year probation. I can share with you the struggle I faced, and always will, when applying for a job, a credit card, or anything because of how the "information age" reacts prejudicly to felons. I can say just how dammaging the media is with it sensationalist approach to journalism.
So ya, D-marc, what that kid did is awful and he should be held accountable, and yes every father I know, that has heard this story, their reactions have been inline with the father. That does not mean that we need to fall from grace. Yes...We should be better thatn that, but like you said, we're not. I however feel there is a way. How do we get there...That's the BIG question, and I am sure the answer is quite simple...Most solutions towards resolve are; That is until you bring religion and economics into the picture.
ciao
So how do you feel about
#16
MMmmNACHOS ~ Actually, I'm so glad you brought that up. I spent the last few days this week agonizing over those posts. I realized that I have some unique deeply held prejudices toward child molesters that would probably get me kicked off any jury in a heartbeat where one is being tried. I lost a very good close friend to the ravages of the aftermath of abuse as a child. Someone who I just could not help. No one could. Unfortunately, he just wasn't strong enough to help himself. Instead I got to watch him kill himself; and almost take everyone close to him with him.
I owe you--and the blog--an apology for my remarks. They came from the heart and not the head. You were absolutely right all along and I truly appreciate your persistence about it. It just goes to show how anger clouds ones judgement. Thanks for helping me see better. No hard feelings, I hope? In the future, I must try to excuse myself from discussing this topic. Maybe some day I will find the peace of which you spoke.
Namaste!
#17
The First Commandment states: "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me." Personally, I can't think of any greater insult to God than to pass a law declaring the face on a dummy in a department store window as some kind of a threat to his omnipotence. Also, the thought of fearing that a bunch of Muslims might start bowing in prayer to a mannequin in a store window also boggles my mind. Of course, one must remember that this is ISIS. The same group that interprets the Sixth Commandment: "Thou shalt not kill," as not referring to killing in war, killing criminals, killing infidels, or killing Christians by beheadings. Apparently, these rather simple and straightforward commandments have a whole lot of wiggle room that only these specially appointed interpreters of God can figure out.
It's no wonder that our country also fosters the same brand of religious lunatic. No doubt this is where our Constitution is going to be really tested. Personally, it boggles my mind that any Pastor of any church could be allowed to run for any government office. Not only does that violate the Constitution, it also violates the Bible. The Bible clearly states that you "...cannot serve two masters. You will love one and hate the other." Certainly the legislation of the people and the work of God are two separate things. If not, then why did Christ say, "Give unto God that which is God's, and give unto Caesar that which is Caesar's." How can any Pastor possibly make any laws that don't respect his establishment of religion while doing his duty to his religion?
In my humble opinion, we need to clarify that the first amendment of the Constitution which states that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," clearly implies the disqualification of religious clergy members from active Congressional legislative duty. Of course such a clarification would hardly come from this wacko Supreme Court that we have today. In fact, if such a case were to go that far I fear that the floodgates for religious fanaticism would be swung wide open. In that respect, God save us all from the wrath of these pseudo religious, hypocritical, megalomaniacal, oligarchical, holier-than-thou Tyrants.
#18
MY GOD VERSUS YOUR GOD
My God accepts the existance of other Gods,
and expects me to do the same.
Your God denies the existance of other Gods,
and expects you to do the same.
My God unconditionally loves all people,
and expects me to do the same.
Your God irrationally hates some people,
and expects you to do the same.
My God admits His imperfections,
and accepts my imperfections.
Your God denies His imperfections,
and punishes you for your imperfections.
My God is honest and forthright,
and expects me to be the same.
Your God is a liar and a hypocrite,
and allows you to be the same.
My God loves and accepts your God,
and expects me to do the same.
But I can't, I just can't.
Steven Robert Cooper
#19
Mr. Ford, you’re spot-on about mixing religion and politics. I couldn’t agree more, far as that goes. But I think the situation with Israel is a tad more complicated than what you’ve characterized it as. Being Jewish is about way more than religion; it’s about one’s ethnicity. For example, Hebrew law identifies anyone with a Jewish lineage passed down through the maternal side of one’s family as Jewish, regardless of that person’s religious persuasion. This is the means by which I came by that heritage myself. I am as secular as anyone you’ll ever meet, yet I am Jewish because my mother’s mother’s mother (my great grandmother) was Jewish. I wasn’t raised Jewish, yet I was born Jewish anyway.
Less than thirty years prior to Israel becoming a Jewish state, Hitler systematically rounded up and murdered six million Jews. He had every intention of wiping us off the face of the earth. Had the Nazis won that war, I believe there would not be a Jewish person alive, anywhere on this planet, who could have felt safe ever again.
I am not condoning Israel’s illegal settlements on the West Bank, nor would I attempt to justify the horrible abuse (and genocide!) Palistinians have suffered, and continue suffering to this day. It brings me great sorrow to have to acknowledge that Israeli leaders, and the Israeli military, are no better than the Nazis were, in their treatment of the Palestinians. I would have loved to embrace Israel as my “home away from home”. However under the circumstances, and the way things have unfolded over the past forty-plus years, that has turned out to be nothing more than a pipe dream. I hate Israel’s current prime minister so much, I have a pet name for him: Mister Yahoo. He’s like a Jewish Dick Cheney. My one comfort is in knowing there is a peace movement in Israel, that not all Israeli citizens approve of their country’s hideous behavior. Aside from the human suffering it has caused, what grieves me most about Israeli’s politics is the ammunition it gives anti-semitic racists who would love to see us all wiped out as Hitler intended.
My husband and I have been in the habit of watching Democracy Now over dinner. But these days, with all their coverage of Israeli's murderous rampage in Gaza, it's enough to spoil my appetite. - Aliceinwonderland
#20
What's even more disturbing is that these right wing "christians" have created a program called God's Army" to brainwash and indoctrinate their children to act like terrorists. Check out the documentary "Jesus Camp." http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/jesus-camp/. Yes we are training terrorists in the USA! Is this legal. Tom, perhaps you should do a segment on this. These unfortunate children do not have a chance. They are brainwashed from birth through homeschoolong and not allowed to associate with the rest of society. This is happening in America and apparently no one is doing anything about it.
#21
Greenthumb: I think that 60 minutes did a show on that once. Very scarey! I also had read about that as well.
It's also very scarey when these "Christians" go into West Point and the Air Force Academy and proselytize their cadets with Christianity (with threats and coercion in some cases) . Mikey Weinstein, a US Air Force Academy graduate and was legal council under Reagan, whose son and son-in-law both also graduates of the Air Force Academy, had written a lot about this practice. Although he is a Republican, he has been against forced proselytization in the military and has written several books:
"With God On Our Side: One Man’s War Against an Evangelical Coup in America’s Military” in October 2006.
and:
“No Snowflake in an Avalanche: The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, its Battle to Defend the Constitution, and One Family’s Courageous War Against Religious Extremism in High Places" in Jan. 2012
Quote militaryreligiousfreedom.org:Reviled by the radical fundamentalist Christian far-right, Mikey has been given many names by his enemies including “Satan”, “Satan’s lawyer”, “the Antichrist”, “That Godless, Secular Leftist”, “Antagonizer of All Christians”, “Most Dangerous Man in America” and “Field General of the Godless Armies of Satan”.
#22
Palindromedary: thanks for the links. I don't watch TV, so this summer was the first time I heard about it. We got a flyer in the mail advertising a "christian" summer camp called God's Army and did some research and were SHOCKED!!! (I think Jesus would be shocked too).
I thought we weren't allowed to have terrorist training camps in the US. But these programs are clear that they want to inculcate children to be trained to die, like Taliban or ISIS suicide killers, FOR JESUS!!!!! They are training bigotry and hatred in little children, keeping them isolated from the rest of society throughout their college years (in christian fundamentalist colleges) and then encouraging them to infiltrate military or political positions. This is insane and all under the guise of "religious freedom." Freedom my eye! These children are being psychologically (and perhaps physically, since they promote punishment and spanking) abused in the most horrible and dangerous way.
#23
Greenthumb: Yeah, like who would Jesus kill? Shocking! And yet, I'd bet they are all for preventing a woman's right to choose birth control. I saw part of a show on TV the other night called "Red State"... with John Goodman. Recommended.
#24
Greenthumb, that seems likely enough to give me the willies.
Gettin' ugly out there. Beam me up... before "out there" gets closer to home!
Don't reckon I see an end to this anytime soon. Fasten your seat belts! And pray. - AIW
#25
Greenthumb, Palindromedary and Aliceinwonderland ~ That is one disturbing documentary. This is so eerily reminiscent of the Hitler youth movement in Nazi Germany. Even Jim Jones and David Koresh didn't have the nerve to come out and announce that they wanted to create an army of suicide bombers and intended to brainwash children to do it. How is it possible that these people aren't in jail? That is perhaps the biggest question of all. This is no religion. This is a dangerous cult of child abusers that pose a serious threat to the public. Where is the Fed that raided Wacko when you need them?
#26
Wherever the "Fed" is when we need them, they're not here to serve us. Not anymore.
#27
So, when will it be open season on religious fanatics? And how much does a good sniper's rifle cost?
#28
Pal -- You need to read the book "Nature's God" by Matthew Stewart. He shows how our country was founded by a bunch of atheists. The clergy of the day were unnerved. They tried to cover up what they were by calling them deists. A quote from the LA times book review on 6/29/14
"It's become a conservative commonplace to argue that the Constitution establishes freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, but Stewatrt's eloquently argued book makes a stong case the freedom from religion is precisely what America's founders had in mind."
#29
Whether or not freedom from religion is what the founders hand in mind, as opposed to freedom of religion, I consider freedom from religion - and athiesm - my God-given right. - AIW
#30
AIW -- You might make a good standup comic after all. --c8
#31
chuckle8: I checked out the book on Amazon.com. Interesting looking book. Thanks for the recommendation.
#32
Hitler considered himself a Christian ,so where does the problem lie .
The problem lies with the beliefs themselves and the interpretation of the old books yes OLD books that these beliefs come from .One things for sure with Organised Religion is no new thoughts allowed and certainly no new books that offer new ideas and criticism ?
Beliefs create behaviours and cause them to be endlessly repeated no wonder evolution is so slow on this planet .The new hope is to end the confusion and transcend religious dogma and ignorance !!!
#33
New thoughts? New ideas and criticism?!! Off with your head!!!!
#34
The more appropriate and to the point term for these people who are anti-American is Right Wing Christofascist as they are clearly turning the country into a fascist theocracy and the American people seem to not be able to rise to the threat as the Cristofascist's have been studily moving forward since the 1950's
#35
Skip in Boulder ~ "Christofascist" is a brilliant and accurate term. Thanks for sharing!
#36
I wanted to reserve the word fascist for the corporate thugs. However, "christofascist" is too good not to buy into.
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
Images of Thom
At Mondragon - both the mountain and the cooperative city - in Spain (written about in "Threshold" book)
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Never one to shy away from the truth, Thom Hartmann’s collected works are inspiring, wise, and compelling. His work lights the way to a better America."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Thom is a national treasure. Read him, embrace him, learn from him, and follow him as we all work for social change."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Thom Hartmann is a creative thinker and committed small-d democrat. He has dealt with a wide range of topics throughout his life, and this book provides an excellent cross section. The Thom Hartmann Reader will make people both angry and motivated to act."
I've complained for some time about the rise of christian fundamentalism in this country; I'm glad that somebody important - Thom - has finally said something about it. Personally, I think fundamentalists are traitors to the Constitution, and freedom in general; they should all be charged with conspiracy, rounded up, and nailed to whatever religious icon is appropriate. Or maybe just deport them.