The Rage Diaries

What a dim and hopeless view

If a single woman must live outside her parents' home, I think she should have a roommate or housemate to help create security and prevent temptation.

[...]

I have people looking out for me, and as a result a man couldn't easily take advantage of me. With accountability to be back home at night, it helps me resist the temptation of advances from men.

-- "A Single Woman's Place Is In The Home?" Christianity Today, July 5, 06

For them, the New Hope program promised a religious transformation more than a sexual one. They considered heterosexual marriage to be the ideal they aspired to, but it was a dauntingly remote one. Quite a few were simply resigned to living the rest of their lives in celibacy.

-- "Gay, Godly and Guilty," Salon, July 11, 06

The first article is a series of interviews with people over whether or not women should live at home with their parents until they're married. (There appears to be no companion piece debating whether men are equally vulnerable to temptation and would benefit from their parents' sheltering wisdom.) I excerpted the statements that made me blink twice. The second article reviews Straight to Jesus: Jesus: Sexual and Christian Conversions in the Ex-Gay Movement.

Together, these two articles suggest that there's tremendous pressure on single people in conservative, evangelical culture. The biggest pressure seems to be the assumption that every person is too sinful to be trusted to make moral decisions on his or her own. Even to this fallen-away Catholic, the idea of going through life without any confidence in one's ability to act on one's convictions seems incredibly life-denying.

It's also incredibly sad that only a few types of relationships are considered morally acceptable. This would appear to deny a wealth of experience -- experience that can inform consistent, moral choices -- to people, and stunt their potential. I can't speak for anything in the next life, but in this one, placing obstacles in the path of human potential strikes me as a mortal sin.

Not everyone gets to be a martyr, you know

When I read "'War' on Christians Is Alleged" (WaPo, Mar 29, 06), wherein the radical religious right attempted to whip up the base by alleging that members of America's majority religion are under systematic attack by the majority of Americans, it was just one in a long series of eyerolling, no-logic-will-ever-penetrate-the-fog-of-hysterical-paranoia-will-it? moments. Especially after I read of one speaker at a recent conference said of evangelicals "you guys are the Jews of the 21st century."

So it was nice to read Reason's "What War on Christians?" (Apr 4, 06), which pointed out many astute things and capped it all off with this:

Attempts to portray Christians as a beleaguered minority are particularly ludicrous since, outside a few elite enclaves, prejudice against the nonreligious remains widely accepted in America. Half of Americans agree that belief in God is necessary to having good moral values, and more than two-thirds say they would not even consider voting for a nonbeliever for political office. Georgia state legislator Ron Foster ruffled no feathers a few years ago when he noted, in defense of posting of the Ten Commandments in government buildings, that judges or public officials who don't believe in God are "more likely to be corrupt."

Remember: this is the same culture that's supposed to be persecuting American evangelicals on a level equivalent to that which the Jewish people experienced in the 20th century.

At what cost?

There was no big moment where I stopped being attracted to guys. But as I grew in my faith, I realized that my life was slowly becoming different. Christ has changed and strengthened me. After high school, I stopped denying that I struggle with gay feelings. Instead, God showed me I needed to quit worrying about attaching a label to myself. I learned to just admit my weaknesses and deal with them—like Christians need to do with any temptations against God's Word. Because of the strength God gives me against my temptations, I am confident I will never have a homosexual relationship. I don't put myself in situations that tempt me. I have surrounded myself with close friends who are strong Christians. I have an accountability friend who I am very open with about any urges or thoughts that find their way into my mind.

I can't say I never have gay feelings anymore, but now I don't feel so alone. I have Christians around me who can help me. And that may be the biggest thing I've learned. In high school I was so concerned with myself that I failed to be there for friends and provide a good witness for Christ. But now, I have learned to show others the one thing that's changed me even in this struggle: God's love and support.

-- "Am I Gay?" Christianity Today, Jan/Feb 06

Guess who won the war on Christmas?

The alleged War on Christmas consists not of materialism invading a spiritual holiday, but of materialism's agents sometimes failing to pay lip service to the holiday they have conquered. Drawing the line there is like building fortifications against Germany along the border of Vichy France.

-- "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians," Reason, Dec 19, 05

Or, as the WaPo notes in today's "Have a Holly, Jolly Holiday,"

The "war" is composed of conservative Christian groups railing against "politically correct" advertising campaigns that, they say, do not include the words "Merry Christmas" in sales literature or seasonal greetings.

[...] And despite some high-powered rhetoric -- Fox News host John Gibson says in the subtitle of his book "The War on Christmas" that there is a "liberal plot to ban the sacred Christian holiday" -- neither Gibson, nor anyone at the AFA, the Liberty Counsel, Lynn's group or the ACLU, is aware of an attempt to halt religious observance of Christmas or to stop making it an official federal holiday.

(Side note: read the article for yet another instance of right-wing agitators passing off patent untruths as symptoms of the liberal "War Against Christmas." It looks like Bill O'Reilly doesn't have a monopoly on the idea that nothing says "Happy Birthday, Jesus" like lying through one's teeth.)

Incidentally, during this season of peace on earth and goodwill toward others, Americans will spend billions of dollars on consumer goods. One source estimates $145.9 billion on holiday shopping this season, up 8% from the year-ago for an average of $758.16 per shopper.  ("Christmas by the Numbers," Forbes, Dec 20, 05) That includes food, decorations and gifts. The National Retail Federation expects people to spend $439.53 billion on retail sales in November and December. By comparison, Americans gave $248 billion to charity annually last year.

Yet we're supposed to be more concerned that stores aren't wishing us Merry Christmas?

What war on Christmas?

I don't know about the rest of you, but this mostly-liberal person is a little too busy to be waging war on Christmas.

For one, I'm still trying to fathom the logic of shutting down your church on the day celebrating the birth of your lord and savior. The NPR report on All Things Considered last night was priceless, what with the spokespeople explaining what a huge freakin' strain church would be on families who wanted to celebrate Christmas together. (Listen to it here.) Christianity Today's Weblog found some great takes here:

"What's going on here is a redefinition of Christmas as a time of family celebration rather than as a time of the community faithful celebrating the birth of the Savior," Fuller Theological Seminary theologian Robert K. Johnston told the Herald-Leader. "There is a risk that we will lose one more of our Christian rituals, one that's at the heart of our faith."

"It's a sign of how totally identified with the culture [evangelicals have] become," Calvin College historian James Bratt told the Tribune. "The church has subordinated to cultural icons, and family is one of them. … The logic of that is you should celebrate the holiday in its true sanctuary, which is the home."

So you can see how I'm all confused about the way in which popular culture is apparently eroding this religious holiday when the churches are voluntarily reacting to, and reflecting, pop culture. This confusion is cutting into the time I could be spending complaining about how the commercialization of Christmas isn't sufficiently religious in nature. (Since the person whose birthday we're celebrating, Jesus, loved it when commerce and spirituality mingled!)

Or I could be complaining about how the government isn't protecting my rights as a Christian because it'll be shut down Dec 25 for a religious holiday.

Whatever. If you should have some downtime between your own efforts to wage war on Christmas, I recommend to you the following links: MediaMatter's "The Daily Show Responds to O'Reilly's Attack"; FindLaw's "Kudos to the Bush Administration for Putting the Happy in Holiday" ; New Donkey's "Phony War" (thanks for that link, Josh); the WaPo's "What War on Christmas?"

But did that myrrh come with a holiday card or a Christmas card?

This month, as in every December since he took office, President Bush sent out cards with a generic end-of-the-year message, wishing 1.4 million of his close friends and supporters a happy "holiday season."

Many people are thrilled to get a White House Christmas card, no matter what the greeting inside. But some conservative Christians are reacting as if Bush stuck coal in their stockings.

"This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture," said William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

[...]

Religious conservatives are miffed because they have been pressuring stores to advertise Christmas sales rather than "holiday specials" and urging schools to let students out for Christmas vacation rather than for "winter break."

-- " 'Holiday' Cards Ring Hollow for Some on Bush's List," WaPo, Dec 7, 05

Oh, but it gets better ...

For once, the label can't be blamed on Michael Weisskopf

"The wackos get their information through the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet and telephone trees," [Former Tom Delay aide Michael] Scanlon wrote in the memo, which was read into the public record at a hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. "Simply put, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them."

-- "Abramoff-Scanlon School of Sleaze," Salon, Nov 3, 05

After two weeks, there's not ONE story suggesting that maybe the radical religious right may take umbrage at being referred to as "wackos"? They are still howling over the perceived mischaracterization of "poor, uneducated and easy to command"* (just do a Google search -- you'll see) ... but being called wackos gets nothing?

I guess when your significant other promises you the moon, you'll put up with anything. Even with consoling yourself by thinking, "At least we didn't get called monkeys and troglodytes, like the Native Americans did!"

Moment of irritation No. 2

[The Rev. G.L. Johnston] plans to show his evangelical Christian congregation a two-minute DVD on behalf of Proposition 73, which would require doctors to notify the parents of girls under 18 before performing abortions on them. The DVD, which will show teenage girls talking about their abortions, was produced by Right to Life of Central California.  [...]

The spot, and three others included on the DVD, won't air on TV -- they're playing only in California's churches. [...]

Because of DVDs like "Protect Me," "Citizen Sunday" voter registration drives and pro-Prop. 73 homilies prepared for Catholic parishes, it has been hard to avoid a mention of abortion on Sundays for the past month.

-- "Church Members Mobilize for Election Day / Some Congregations Urged to Vote for State Abortion Measure, Others Against," SFChron, Nov 3, 05

You know, the separation of church and state isn't there solely to protect everyone from the whims of religious radicals. It's also there to protect religious congregations from government intrusion and regulation. If I belonged to a congregation whose leadership accepted this sort of political wooing, I'd be very, very nervous about where the line between political expediency and spiritual policy was being drawn.

For where two or three are gathered in My Name ...

... there they are, in a $300 prayer closet.

"Your Bedroom Is Divine: Merging Religion With Decor" (WSJ via Marketwatch, Oct 8, 05) is fascinating for a few reasons, not the least of which are:

• "As religious themes grow more important in American culture -- in an April Gallup poll of 1,003 adults over 18 years old, 42% of respondents described themselves as evangelical Christians -- a handful of interior designers have begun to market themselves as experts in merging home décor with religion."
• "Clients "know I'm a Christian and that religion is a part of my life and my work," says Ms. Hanby-Robie, who says her client roster has grown by a third since making the switch."
• "The American Society of Interior Designers,a trade group, says its membership hit a record high of 35,000 this year. Meanwhile, annual income in the field has been flat, at about $40,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

Be sure to also check the price list at the bottom. The whole time I was reading this story, I kept thinking of the Mary Louise Parker character in Saved!

Orthodoxy and unity

I thought "All For One" (OpinionJournal, July 15, 05) was an excellent examination of the differences between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, but this passage is truly interesting for reasons passing beyond an intra-Christian schism:

From a Roman Catholic perspective, unity is created by the institution of the church. Within that unity there can be diversity; not everyone agrees with official teaching, some very loudly. What holds things together is membership. This kind of unity makes immediate sense to Americans: Whatever their disagreements, everyone salutes the flag, and all Catholics salute, if not technically obey, Rome's magisterium.

When Roman Catholics look at Orthodoxy, they don't see a centralized, global institution. Instead, the church appears to be a jumble of national and ethnic bodies (a situation even more confused in the U.S. as a result of immigration). To Catholics, the Orthodox Church looks like chaos.

But from an Orthodox perspective, unity is created by believing the same things. It's like the unity among vegetarians or Red Sox fans. You don't need a big bureaucracy to keep them faithful. Across wildly diverse cultures, Orthodox Christians show remarkable unity in their faith.

[...]

This is hard for Catholics to understand; for them, the institution of the church is the main thing. If the church would enforce its teachings, some adherents say, there would be unity. The Orthodox respond: But faith must be organic. If you have to force people to it, you've already lost the battle; that wouldn't be unity at all.

Honestly, I think that's a point more people should be making whenever engaged by someone who lobbies for using to government to restore America as a "Christian nation." And while I don't necessarily agree with the author's read on Catholicism, her delineation of two types of unity -- affiliation with an institution vs. affiliation with an ideal -- more or less outlines the tensions that are currently storming through the U.S. political climate.