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Thursday, September 27, 2007

Great Delusion: Why evangelicals WILL back Fred Thompson

The Politico today has a story about why evangelical Christians - who are almost entirely registered Republicans - will be opposing Fred Thompson.

Don't believe it.

If Fred Thompson is nominated to be the Republican candidate for President next year, you will not only see most of these so-called "conservative evangelicals" not oppose Fred Thompson, but will see them support him with their wallets and their prayers.

You will hear preachers - as much as they can get away with it - crying out from their pulpits to their congregations that it is their "good Christian duty" to vote for Thompson.

You will witness the supposed "leaders" of Christian virtue in America do an about-face and instruct their followers via websites and radio programs and "voter guides" that they "cannot turn away from their God-given task" by failing to support Fred Thompson... especially if Hillary Clinton is the Democrat nominee.

And if Hillary is the Democrat candidate, you'll hear it preached far and wide that it will practically be a mortal sin not to do everything in our power to defeat her. The raw hatred for Hillary Clinton will blind so many that they won't even want to consider what exactly they will be choosing as the alternative.

You think it won't happen? I'm talking about the same people who still believe that George W. Bush was directly anointed by God to lead America. The ones who still refuse to believe that Bush can do wrong and who adamantly hold that whatever evil is attributed to him is merely "liberal media bias".

And you don't think they'll buy into the con that Fred Thompson is a "good Christian man" just like them?

They'll not only buy it, they will insist that he is good and virtuous. In spite of his lobbying for dictators and for the abortion industry, they will accept him. So long as he has that magic "R" stamped next to his name on the ballot come November 2008 and it's the "right" Democrat he's running against, they will gladly cast a vote for Fred Thompson.

I know these people well. Have met far too many of them over the years. For the most part, sincere and earnest Christian men and women. But try to tell them how Bush and other Republicans have been so un-Christlike in their actions, and they tune you out. They turn their heads away. They don't want to hear it. It's almost impossible for them to reconcile whatever you are telling them - however truthful it is - with the perceptions they like to entertain. It would literally hurt them if they tried to contemplate your facts. You want to see Orwell's "doublethink" in action? Find one of these self-proclaimed "evangelical conservatives" and get them to talk about how Bush is right to want to bomb Iran. Look at how much they will seem to want such an attack... and then confront them with Matthew 5:44. Brace yourself if you do such a thing: he or she will probably tell you that you're not being a "good Christian". Or a "good American" anyway.

It's the Great Delusion, happening right before our eyes: people who proclaim to follow Christ, throwing their principles away for sake of worldly power. It's as if Jesus rebuked Satan when He was offered all the kingdoms of the Earth and millions of those who professed to follow Him immediately raised their hands and waved to Satan crying "PICK ME! PICK ME!"

Evangelical Christians are the battered spouses of the Republican Party. They are beaten, exploited, raped, and subjected to indignity. But plenty enough of them to matter will keep crawling back to the GOP. Because as they say: "Who else is gonna take you in? Where else are you gonna go?"

Too many Christians in this country have decided we want the kingdoms of Earth over the Kingdom of Heaven. What does that say about the measure of our faith, indeed? Why should the rest of the world want to look at us and want what we have, if this is our testimony?

This is why I hate so much of what Christianity in America has become. It's turned into a spineless pile of mush that will do whatever the hell it's told to do, so long as the person giving the orders has money or power or picks up a Bible and waves it around and says the right words for itching ears.

No wonder this country is screwed-up. No wonder this world is so screwed up. Because we as Christians, who are supposed to be representing something apart from this earthly realm, keep demonstrating over and over that we don't really want that at all. We are commanded to be "the salt of the earth" but we've lost the saltiness and as Jesus said, we've become worthless. Everything is rotting because of it.

Okay, I'll go ahead and say it: "Americanized" Christianity is, literally, a God-damned piece of crap.

Why do I say "God-damned"? You surely don't think God is going to bless what we've done in His name, do you?

So if Fred Thompson is nominated and is on the ballot a year from now: just watch. The evangelical Christians - at least the ones still locked in this lust for power - will absolutely support and follow the man. They're too inebriated with the Great Delusion to want or know to do otherwise. It won't occur to them that "voting for the lesser of two evils" is still voting for evil.

They will do this, because they do not truly have Christ as the foundation of their lives upon which to stand.

You might could consider this little rant to be "Part 1" of a "diptych" that I am working on. The second part will follow sometime in the next day or so, and will likewise examine Christians in America and how we have let our desire for power overcome us to the detriment of all.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jim Robinson at Free Republic is banning everyone who doesn't rally for CFRed. That's enough reason not to support CFRed.

Anonymous said...

Proud paleocon,

You're a liar! You may have been banned due to some over the top comment, but not because you support someone other than Fred. There are STILL Giuliani supporters, many Hunterites, Romneybots and even Paulistinians at FR.

FReeper jellybean

Anonymous said...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1901223/posts

Ron Paul = Hillary on the War; Rudy Giuliani = Hillary on abortion, etc
Vanity | Jim Robinson

Posted on 09/24/2007 1:53:30 AM EDT by Jim Robinson

Ron Paul = Hillary on the War; Rudy Giuliani = Hillary on abortion, gay rights, gun control, illegal aliens, etc. Neither are conservative. Neither are Republican. I would no more vote for the "Republican antiwar candidate" Ron Paul or the "Republican pro-choice candidate" Rudy Giuliani than I would the treasonous butcher Hillary Klintoon.

JMHO.


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To: tacticalogic

Won’t be Giuliani. Or Romney. McCaine is out. Paul is a nutcase who can’t be trusted with national security. Of the remaining candidates, I’ll go with Thompson or Hunter.

48 posted on 09/24/2007 7:18:16 AM EDT by Jim Robinson


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To: tacticalogic

I don’t know, but from everything I’ve read about Thompson and Hunter they are both pro-life, pro-gun, pro-defense conservatives. Additionally, Thompson seems to be a federalist. I would trust either with appointing judges. Would never trust Giuliani or Romney. Ron Paul is a nutcase.

51 posted on 09/24/2007 8:48:40 AM EDT by Jim Robinson


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To: jackieaxe

Ron Paul bills himself as “the antiwar Republican.” Hillary Clinton is furiously backpedalling from her war vote. No thanks. You can have them both.

53 posted on 09/24/2007 9:01:22 AM EDT by Jim Robinson


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To: jackieaxe

By the way, someone up thread has already pointed out that Ron Paul is really closer to the moonbat Dennis Kucinich on the war. And that’s true. And all three of them (Hillary, Kucinich and Ron Paul) are in league with the America-hating CodePinkO group and the World Socialist Party’s International Answer.

55 posted on 09/24/2007 9:25:21 AM EDT by Jim Robinson


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Jim Robinson is a whore.

Anonymous said...

"jellybean on Free Republic is a whore for CFRed too Chris. Look at his post history."

jellybean is a her. A very nice person too. And I agree with her, the claim that Jim Robinson is banning anyone who doesn't rally for Thompson, is indeed a falsehood.

Anonymous said...

proud paleocon,

You still haven't proven that Jim Robinson is banning everyone who doesn't support Fred Thompson. All you've shown is that he doesn't like Giuliani, Romney or Paul. He hasn't banned anyone based soley on who they support for the (R) nomination.

Also, calling me names doesn't prove your point.

Marc,

Thanks for the kind words. :)

FReeper jellybean

Chris Knight said...

Jim Robinson is a man completely bankrupt of any principles. He will never grow into anything past his hatred of the Democrats, Hillary, etc.

Consequently, Free Republic will never grow into anything past this, either.

In fact, I can't really remember ANY worthwhile accomplishment that Free Republic has done in its long history. Simply "defeating Democrats" or having Dan Rather sacked doesn't count. In the long run those will be seen as nothing but political games.

What has Free Republic done that has made this country a significantly better place?

It hasn't done anything!

And neither has Daily KOS or Democratic Underground or Drudge Report or Fox News or CNN, or anything else like that. Because they and Free Republic and other outlets like them are too fixated on acquiring power.

No country was ever built up with that mindset. Many a country have been destroyed because of it, however.

Free Republic had a lot of potential. Jim Robinson chose to throw it all away because he couldn't surrender his hate of "liberals": a word that has become as meaningless as "conservative".

Ask yourself this: how many average Freepers on Free Republic have run for office on their own? Has Free Republic actively *encouraged* regular Americans to run for office?

It hasn't! Free Republic does nothing to encourage serious citizen participation in government. All it is anymore is a cheering section for "professional" politicians... who are the furthest thing removed from what the Founding Fathers intended to be the leadership of this country.

I don't think that I could have run for office, had I stayed with Free Republic. Leaving regular participation on that forum, and other forums like it (including Liberty Post) was one of the best things that ever happened for my personal growth. They were *destroying* me, not building me up.

Yes, I'm aware of what I said to Jim Robinson a few years ago. I'm not particularly proud of it... but I won't deny or shy away from it either. You can bring that up against me all you want. I don't really care if you do...

...because the fact of the matter is, I grew up past that kind of hate. While Jim Robinson, and too many other people on Free Republic, haven't grown up at all. I can see my mistakes and learn and move on from them. Jim Robinson hasn't learned anything.

So I left what others expected me to be and set out trying to be my own person.

And I wound up running for office because I was asked to, and I didn't win. But it was something that I did on my own terms. It was my own campaign, without having compromised on anything. And I came out a better person for having done that regardless.

Jim Robinson's Free Republic doesn't engender that kind of "let's just do it" spirit. I knew that I probably wouldn't win this go-round, but I gave it my best shot anyway.

How many "Freepers" can say that they've attempted that, throughout a decade of Free Republic?

If Free Republic is supposed to be "Defending Our Constitution" then how come hardly anyone on Free Republic actually comes out and *fights*?

Instead I see Freepers kowtow to big government, without doing anything meaningful to question or resist it. I have to wonder if most of the Freepers actually want the less government that Free Republic's mission statement calls for. It seems more accurate to say that Free Republic doesn't mind big government... so long as people like them are the ones running that government.

("Power corrupts, and absolute power...")

By the way, the "Pray for President Bush" threads are among the most ridiculous things that I've ever seen on the Internet (and I've seen plenty of ridiculous). Where were those threads when Clinton was President? I mean, if God set Bush in office then it logically follows that He did the same with Clinton, also.

With scarce few exceptions, individuality and personal initiative doesn't happen on Free Republic. There is very little independent thought there and with each "purge" there becomes even less. And compromise happens there all the time. Heck, wasn't Jim Robinson the man who once said he'd never vote for that "cokehead" George W. Bush?

And now, apparently, Robinson is trying to use what little power is left to him to pull the wool over people's eyes and make Fred Thompson out to be a "wonderful conservative" when the record indicates that Thompson would be as much a stooge for big-government as was Clinton, or LBJ.

Free Republic has, for the most part, become a failure. And by driving out supporters of candidates who have a legitimate interest in restoring America to the vision of the Founding Fathers in favor of someone who is merely "electable", Jim Robinson is showing that he is a very shallow man who is hellbent on driving Free Republic toward becoming an even bigger failure.

I will say this though: Marc is right about Jellybean. I disagree with her Fred Thompson support, but I remember her as being a pretty nice person when I was on Free Republic. In that regard, "proud paleocon" should withhold comment about her lest he be thought of as foolish.

Anonymous said...

"What has Free Republic done that has made this country a significantly better place?"

Forced Dan Rather and Mary Mapes into early retirement? ;-)

Chris Knight said...

"Forced Dan Rather and Mary Mapes into early retirement? ;-)"

I mean what real effort toward changing America for the better has Free Republic done?

Let's put it this way: how has America benefited exactly from Free Republic? If a hundred years from now, students of history looked at this period in the United States, would Free Republic even merit any examination or even mention at all?

I doubt it. As I alluded to earlier, it's too locked-in with this "get the Democrats" mentality. That's not going to CHANGE things in the long run, not really.

The Swamp Fox said...

Excellent commentary, and you're absolutely correct. The "Christians" of this country march in lock-step with the GOP. Some are trying to rally around Huckabee, who likes to refer to himself as "another Bill Clinton".

Regardless of which neo-con gets the nomination, Christians will continue to follow the Pied Piper as he plays his deadly tune.

On a side note...I have only recently discovered your blog, and I didn't realize that you're the same Chris Knight who ran for school board last year until I saw the videos again.

I liked your Ron Paul Ad so much that I put it up on my blog.

Keep it up

Anonymous said...

"Let's put it this way: how has America benefited exactly from Free Republic?"

Your question reminds me of the movie Its A Wonderful Life. Lots of people benefitted from the mere existence of George Bailey, but George didn't know it when you think he should be the first to know it.

It has made lots of people into conservative activists, and isnt being an activist for conservatie issues a good thing for America? I know I wasnt active before FR. The first conservative protest I joined was a FReep. The last one I went to (in Times Square was a joint Gathering of Eagles and FR freep)

"If a hundred years from now, students of history looked at this period in the United States, would Free Republic even merit any examination or even mention at all?"

I agree, most likely it will not. But because it really hasnt done anything BIG, as of yet, that would merit a mention in a history book. LOTS of people who altered history in one way or the other dont get any mention.