In A Word – Bogeyman: Yes Virginia, there is such a thing. It's called the religious left.
Gerald Eisman
July 26, 2006
In A Word – Bogeyman: Yes Virginia, there is such a thing. It's called the religious left.
Bogeyman: A terrifying specter; a hobgoblin.
Just when you think you have the moral high ground, up pops the most awful of specters, a ghost of unknown proportions, materialized to bring the battle for moral high ground to those who felt they had the monopoly. The religious right, those wonderful people who decried gay marriage and abortion and vilified those cursed Democrats and Liberals as Godless, has come under a hail of brimstone of their own. Now it is they who are being attacked. Their enemy, the religious left.
Bearing their own brand of a faith-based agenda, clergy from all denominations are lobbying Congressmen and Senators, rallying for moderation and change and making their positions known to the public. A few of the points they are pushing are, ending the war in Iraq, doing something to abate the continuing trend of global warming, combating poverty worldwide, raising the minimum wage, adjusting the immigration laws, and eliminating cuts in federal spending for the poor.
There is even a small group of clergy; Rev. Robin Meyers of the United Church of Christ in Oklahoma is a member of one, who deigns to marry gay couples and attempts to counsel against abortion while rejecting calls by the right to abolish them entirely.
"I join the ranks of those who are angry because I have watched as the faith I love has been taken over by fundamentalists who claim to speak for Jesus but whose actions are anything but Christian," he said. A fundamentalist, it appears, thinks he knows everything about religion but, in truth, knows very little about anything. To really see a fundamentalist at his worst, watch what he does to his fellow man in the name of God.
Rather than a weapon to be held over one's head as a perpetual threat, religion should be the motor of life, the central heating plant of personality, the faith that bestows joy to action, hope to struggle, and dignity to humility. Instead, as described by many on the left, rather than adding a zest for living, it leads to the practice of confusion and dismay. The bogeyman has called the religious right to task and is now challenging their ideas and underlying motives for their actions. Succinctly put, God seeks spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
The battle between left and right has escalated both politically and religiously. The left has become more active than it has been since the 60's when men like Martin Luther King and other clergy were key figures in the civil-rights and anti-war movements. Since then, the religious left faded into the scenery and couldn't be found. They became like the Jehovah's Bystanders; witnesses who didn't want to get involved. Until now, that is.
In an attempt to be recognized, the religious left is making itself visible in ways more associated with the right. Some left clergy even went so far as to appeal to congress to pass the embryonic stem cell research act, which Congress did pass. Unfortunately, George Bush vetoed the bill, his first veto in five and a half years as president.
The religious right, however, is still a very formidable force, and one to be reckoned with. The left, however is growing stronger and will eventually become the equal of that "moral majority" of fundamental zealots. Still, at the present time, the right remains a much larger influence than the left. They still have the names like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell and overwhelming numbers of conservative talk show hosts on radio and television.
One of the bogeymen, Rev. Meyers said, "The call of the gospel is to help the poor. The strong ought to help the weak instead of the strong helping the strong get stronger. That's what the Bush administration is all about."
Most of the religious right seem to be unfazed by the resurfacing of the left. "The religious left," stated Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, "is a shadow of what it was in the 60's." True, but shadows grow much larger as the sun sinks lower on the horizon.
What a great world this would be were people to spend as much time and energy practicing their religion as they do arguing about it. Many in the left clergy are making it their goal to avoid labels. Rev. Jim Wallis, who heads a faith-based group in Washington called the Sojourners, has been accused of being associated with the religious left. Though not denying it, Wallis preaches the need to bring the nation to what he refers to as a moral center.
"I'm an Evangelical Christian who thinks that justice is a biblical imperative. The monologue of the religious right is finally over and a new dialogue has just begun," he said. Thus spoke the bogeyman.
Bogeyman: A terrifying specter; a hobgoblin.
Just when you think you have the moral high ground, up pops the most awful of specters, a ghost of unknown proportions, materialized to bring the battle for moral high ground to those who felt they had the monopoly. The religious right, those wonderful people who decried gay marriage and abortion and vilified those cursed Democrats and Liberals as Godless, has come under a hail of brimstone of their own. Now it is they who are being attacked. Their enemy, the religious left.
Bearing their own brand of a faith-based agenda, clergy from all denominations are lobbying Congressmen and Senators, rallying for moderation and change and making their positions known to the public. A few of the points they are pushing are, ending the war in Iraq, doing something to abate the continuing trend of global warming, combating poverty worldwide, raising the minimum wage, adjusting the immigration laws, and eliminating cuts in federal spending for the poor.
There is even a small group of clergy; Rev. Robin Meyers of the United Church of Christ in Oklahoma is a member of one, who deigns to marry gay couples and attempts to counsel against abortion while rejecting calls by the right to abolish them entirely.
"I join the ranks of those who are angry because I have watched as the faith I love has been taken over by fundamentalists who claim to speak for Jesus but whose actions are anything but Christian," he said. A fundamentalist, it appears, thinks he knows everything about religion but, in truth, knows very little about anything. To really see a fundamentalist at his worst, watch what he does to his fellow man in the name of God.
Rather than a weapon to be held over one's head as a perpetual threat, religion should be the motor of life, the central heating plant of personality, the faith that bestows joy to action, hope to struggle, and dignity to humility. Instead, as described by many on the left, rather than adding a zest for living, it leads to the practice of confusion and dismay. The bogeyman has called the religious right to task and is now challenging their ideas and underlying motives for their actions. Succinctly put, God seeks spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
The battle between left and right has escalated both politically and religiously. The left has become more active than it has been since the 60's when men like Martin Luther King and other clergy were key figures in the civil-rights and anti-war movements. Since then, the religious left faded into the scenery and couldn't be found. They became like the Jehovah's Bystanders; witnesses who didn't want to get involved. Until now, that is.
In an attempt to be recognized, the religious left is making itself visible in ways more associated with the right. Some left clergy even went so far as to appeal to congress to pass the embryonic stem cell research act, which Congress did pass. Unfortunately, George Bush vetoed the bill, his first veto in five and a half years as president.
The religious right, however, is still a very formidable force, and one to be reckoned with. The left, however is growing stronger and will eventually become the equal of that "moral majority" of fundamental zealots. Still, at the present time, the right remains a much larger influence than the left. They still have the names like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell and overwhelming numbers of conservative talk show hosts on radio and television.
One of the bogeymen, Rev. Meyers said, "The call of the gospel is to help the poor. The strong ought to help the weak instead of the strong helping the strong get stronger. That's what the Bush administration is all about."
Most of the religious right seem to be unfazed by the resurfacing of the left. "The religious left," stated Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, "is a shadow of what it was in the 60's." True, but shadows grow much larger as the sun sinks lower on the horizon.
What a great world this would be were people to spend as much time and energy practicing their religion as they do arguing about it. Many in the left clergy are making it their goal to avoid labels. Rev. Jim Wallis, who heads a faith-based group in Washington called the Sojourners, has been accused of being associated with the religious left. Though not denying it, Wallis preaches the need to bring the nation to what he refers to as a moral center.
"I'm an Evangelical Christian who thinks that justice is a biblical imperative. The monologue of the religious right is finally over and a new dialogue has just begun," he said. Thus spoke the bogeyman.
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