WHEN DID EVANGELICALS BECOME EXTREME PAPISTS?

simply infallible

THE POPE TAKES A PAGE FROM GEORGE BUSH'S PLAY BOOK

-By Mags

At some point in the past, the evangelical radical right wing of Christianity joined with the Roman Catholic Church in its anti-abortion crusade against women. It was gradual. I remember a Catholic acquaintance of my mother in law approaching me about the issue in the late 70's when I was myself a fundie. It was not an impressive issue to me. I knew many girls who were church members who had obtained abortions, and no one in those circles talked about it. It was believed to be a person's business. Although shameful, it was more due to the fact that one realized the virginal members of the church were not so virginal after all.
 
At that time, the religious right, excluding the Roman Catholic Church, did not believe that Roman Catholics were Christians at all. In fact, I have heard more than one sermon in my life condemning all Catholics to hell. They were, after all, considered the worst sinners of all since they had a human intermediary rather than Jesus Christ. Suffice it to say, most right wing evangelicals figured that Catholics had a poop shoot straight to hell's fiery furnace.
 
Over time, the religionists in America including the Roman Catholic Church have joined ranks to fight against abortion, sex, sex education, and contraceptives. In all cases these groups work hard to limit ALL of the choices open to women. It is sad that men do not understand that it limits their choices as well, but it seems many are too distracted by the allure of power over others to notice.
 
It is interesting to watch the affairs of religion and of state, to see how often they yield the proverbial strange bedfellows. There are few stranger than that of the Roman Catholic Church and the radical right Christians in the United States. It is a tribute to the politicians who have manipulated both throughout the centuries to their own advantage. That Karl Rove, an atheist, is able to pull the strings to aid his Bush baby, is comical.   
 
Today it is reported that Pope Benedict has declared all other denominations are not part of the True Church. How sweet it is. Benedict the dictator. This is the height of begging the point. You have been appointed God's man on earth and now you claim yourself God's only man on earth. Pretty slick.
 
Oh, the irony! Oh, the delicious irony! At a time when both the Evangelical right and the Roman Catholic Church are in a position to influence great numbers of people in concert, the leader of the Catholic Church pulls away from his staunchest ally. I suppose further proof that the rabidly religious are intellectually challenged.
 
Oh, and by the way, in the same day he declared a resurgence of the Catholic Mass in Latin. Yes, he is a leader in the style of George Bush: You are either with him or against him, he cannot speak the language, and he doesn't want you to understand the language he speaks either.
 
Nuff said.

UPDATE FROM HOWIE: ALMOST 'NUFF SAID

Digby has something to add about the hostility between fundies and normal people, including the mainline Christian churches. And she makes an important point, the one that makes the U.S. not like Ireland or Lebanon:

The founders had seen enough of the damage created by Europe's religious wars, and because of their foresight, the American system has been fairly free of them (in our politics anyway, if not our society at large.) It's a mistake to change that. Political campaigns in which candidates and surrogates argue about which ones are real Christians are --- unamerican.