The “anti-God” party

From Salon courtesy of a facebook friend:

In a local radio interview this morning, Virginia Republican lieutenant governor nominee E.W. Jackson said the Democratic Party is “anti-God” and that Christians should leave it.

Jackson has said in the past that he thinks believing in God and voting Democratic are fundamentally incompatible, so WLEE host Jack Gravely asked if he still believes it. Gravely explained that he’s a Christian and tends to vote Democratic, just like his parents and family. Jackson didn’t back down.

“You are saying for us, we’re all wrong, leave that party. And all I’m saying to you is, if you said it before, you still have to believe it, why did you say it?” Gravely asked. “Oh, oh, oh I do believe it,” Jackson responded.

More here.

Okay, I know that this is just one guy, and I know that, when pressed, most fundamentalist Christians will tell you that God doesn't care what party you're supporting.  But I've encountered this sort of thing personally, and I think that, even though they'd never admit it, there are, in fact, LOTS of fundamentalist Christians who think this way.

Back when I was teaching high school, I finally got a chance to meet a new government teacher.  He was younger than me, maybe in his mid twenties, and a guy who fit well into my school's conservative dominated social studies department: he was an ordained Southern Baptist minister doing this teaching gig until he could get a post at a church somewhere.  But that was cool.  At that point I had not thought of myself as a Southern Baptist for some years, but it was nice to meet a guy with whom I shared some background.  

Of course, my reputation there as a liberal preceded me.  This is important to note because of how he reacted when we shook hands.  He looked me in the eye as though he was being tested by the Devil himself.  I tried to make some small talk with him, asking him where he was from, where he had gone to seminary, that sort of thing.  His answers were short and curt, just enough to say that he had responded.  His chin was raised.  He seemed to have a sort of "I know what this is REALLY about" attitude.  He never stopped looking at me, never even shifted his gaze, like I was some sort of threat.  He very clearly did NOT want to be talking with me.  I thought the whole thing was very bizarre at the time, and it didn't really hit me until later that it was likely my liberal political orientation making him interact with me in this way. 

I mean, I could be wrong, of course, but that's the sense I had.  And it's not the only time I've gotten this cold shoulder from a fundamentalist who knew I'm a liberal.  And then there are guys like the candidate in the linked article who just come right out and say it.  I really think there's a strain within fundamentalism these days which takes it for granted that Christians vote Republican and scum communist sinners vote Democrat. 

Of course, the really ironic thing here is that I'm halfheartedly of the opinion that it's extraordinarily difficult for a conservative to be a Christian.  I mean, a conservative can probably pull it off, but like the camel having such a tough time going through the eye of a needle, which may or may not be a small gate into a Biblical city, it's not easy.  On the other hand, who the hell am I to be such an expert on one's own relationship with the Almighty?  I'm not an expert.  I don't really know, nor can I know.  People understand the Bible in radically different ways.  If they didn't, there would only be one church.  It is just as unfairly absurd for me to say who is and isn't a "real" Christian, especially based on their political beliefs, as it was for my government teacher acquaintance to do so.

I mean, if you say you're a Christian, you probably are.  The real question here is how you're weighing your political beliefs against your religious beliefs.  In this sense, I have a very strong suspicion that this Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate in Virginia is probably not doing too great of a job.

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