The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Home Page
Bush |
Dear Mr. Keller, You have been assigned the top job at The New York Times. You are the editor of the most influential newspaper in the country, and perhaps the world. And sadly, even tragically for this country, your opinion piece of May 17, 2003, reflects a deep ignorance about the most important story in modern American politics - the take over of the Republican Party by the Religious Right. Your long column, "God and George Bush" claims, "as an independent political structure, the Christian Right is dying." Why would the Christian Right want an independent political structure? It has the Republican Party! Journalists have documented how members of Christian Coalition were trained to work precinct by precinct, district by district to take over the leadership of local Republican Party affiliates until they were in a position to elect state leaders, and from there, choose candidates for Congress. They used stealth tactics to win elections while the mainstream press slept. The strategy worked. Both houses of the United States Congress have Republican majorities today, and while there are a small number of moderate Republicans in both houses, the overwhelming majority votes with Christian Coalition. The entire 2003 Republican Senate leadership received 100% ratings from Christian Coalition, and nine out of the ten top ranking Republican leaders in the House of Representatives received 100% ratings. That rating means they voted for the Christian Coalition agenda 100% of the time. Mr. Keller, you wrote, "Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson have aged into irrelevance." You are correct that the two men are aging, but they have been surpassed by a whole new generation of leaders who sit in the United States Congress. The word "irrelevant," however, is a bit strong. The Reverend Jerry Falwell is Senior Pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church, in Lynchburg, VA, the largest church of any denomination in North America. His church claims 24,000 members. It takes up two entire city blocks and has its own TV studio. He is also founder and chancellor of Liberty University. Pat Robertson still speaks to millions of people daily on his TV show, the 700 club. He founded the Christian Broadcasting Network, the Christian Coalition, Regents University and the American Center for Law and Justice. When talking about the "old guard" - Falwell and Robertson - you failed to mention James Dobson. An estimated four million people tune in daily to his radio show Focus on the Family. Dobson founded Family Research Council which is the most powerful organization of the Religious Right. It has eclipsed Christian Coalition which, as you pointed out, "is withering." And what about President Bush? You claim Bush "shows no inclination to go after Roe V. Wade." Have you paid any attention to President Bush's judicial nominees? A current nominee to the Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, William Pryor, Attorney General of Alabama, called Roe V. Wade the "worst abomination of Constitutional law in our history." Bush's nominees are not only openly hostile to a women's right to choose, they are also hostile to the principle of separation of church and state. Michael McConnell, recently appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, said: "freedom flourishes only when man is subordinate to God." William Pryor, Attorney General of Alabama said at a "Save the Commandments" rally, "God has chosen, through his son Jesus Christ, this time and this place for all Christians to save our country and save our courts." President Bush is packing the U.S. federal courts with judges, appointed for life, who would support the goals of the Religious Right. You point out that President Bush isn't part of the Religious Right because he is Methodist. I suggest you read United Methodism@Risk: A Wake Up Call, by respected journalist Leon Russell. The book documents how a very well funded movement has been working systematically for twenty years to take over the Methodist and other mainline churches. You should also learn about the charismatic movement which covers all denominations. While the Religious Right has come to dominate our political landscape, the real story is that the mass media, including the liberal media, has remained so blind. Mr. Keller, please take some time to learn about the Religious Right in government. I believe an informed public will not tolerate this march toward theocracy. Yours truly, Joan Bokaer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||