18 MAY 17.2008 • Q-NOTES
PERSPECTIVE
Anything But Straight
by Wayne Besen . Contributing Writer
The Bible without the bile
No matter who wins the presidential elec
tion, it is quite clear that the big loser in cam
paign ’08 is religion. By far, the most strident
political voices have come from renegade rev
erends that seem a bit hot under the collar.
These cantankerous characters (or carica
tures) have transformed their houses of wor
ship into a harbor of war ships with loose can
nons lobbing invective into an otherwise
serene national conversation.
The most cloying of the clergy is Barack
Obamas self-promoting preacher. Rev.
Jeremiah A. Wright. While he claims to repre
sent the interests of African-Americans, he
may be remembered for giving a black eye to
the black church, while sabotaging America’s
first legitimate African-American presiden
tial contender.
Wright has clearly turned the sanctuary
into a sanitarium. \\^en I see him jumping
around the pulpit and flapping his wings like a
chicken, I want to call Colonel Sanders, so
Wright’s ridiculous routine will finally come
home to roost.
I’m half-past fed up with hearing about
how we should respect Wright and his ilk
because he has an AIDS ministry and helps
the poor. The good work that people do in life
does not automatically negate the bad. For
example. President Bush has helped fund the
fight against AIDS in Africa. However, this
does not cancel out his disinformation cam
paign against condoms, which helps increase
infections. Likewise, Wright’s sickening ser
mons are so obnoxious and divisive that they
overshadow his laudable contributions.
At this point, the best thing this shameless
shaman can do is continue stabbing his for
mer parishioner in the back. The further apart
they grow, the more difficult it will be for
McCain to conflate the positions of Wright and
Obama in political ads.
While the eyes of the nation were focused
on Wright’s sinful spectacle, they largely
ignored a stinging denunciation of gay unions
by Hillary Clinton’s church. The United
Methodists voted to uphold church law that
says gay relationships are “incompatible with
Christian teaching.” If there was a vote oppos
ing interracial marriages on scriptural
grounds, is there any doubt Clinton would
leave her church?
Clinton averted our
gaze to her church’s
bashing of gays by
sending Chelsea on a
gay pub-crawl in
Philadelphia. While her
daughter frolicked with
bar patrons pounding shots, her church took
pot shots at loving same-sex couples. It would
have been refreshing if the possible
Democratic standard-bearer had taken a
stand against the gay double standard and left
her church.
Of course, the “liberal media” has been so
consumed with the Democratic demolition
derby that they barely noticed radical rev
erends on the Right. Now that Rev. Jerry
Falwell has departed, McCain has latched onto
Rev. John Hagee to prove his conservative cre
dentials. Hagee has called the Roman Catholic
Church “the great whore of Babylon.”
Hagee also believes that God sent
Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans to stop a
“homosexual parade there on the Monday
that Katrina came.” This messianic meteorolo
gist/madman appears twice daily on Trinity
Broadcasting network, which reaches 75 mil
lion homes. As The New York Times columnist
Frank Rich saliently points out, “any 12-year-
old with a laptop could have vetted this
preacher in 30 seconds, tops.” Unfortunately,
McCain’s crass political needs trump Hagee’s
dirty deeds and the worrisome words he
imparts to millions of worshippers.
And, of course, we hiust not forget Rev. Pat
Robertson endorsing the multiple marriage
machine, Rudy Giuliani, during his ill-fated
campaign. “The 700 Club” host once predicted
that natural disasters would destroy Orlando if
the city flew gay pride flags. He also — along
with Falwell — tried to blame 9/11 on gays,
abortion practitioners and the American Civil
Liberties Union.
Tbe rhetorical inanity combined with the
scriptural insanity is nothing short of a theo
logical calamity. I can’t imagine the next gen
eration drawing inspiration from this clerical
conflagration. Far from appearing as if they
stand on hallowed ground, these ministers of
mindless, hollow madness are driving civility
and common decency into the ground.
Basking in the warm glow of the election
spotlight, these pastors must feel quite pop
ular. I’m willing to bet, however, that they
will ultimately lose the popular vote, as -
today’s youth eventually walk out in droves
and find churches where bile doesn’t come
with the Bible. I
828-322-8103
101N. Center St.
Hickory, NC 28601
Open Thursday-Sunday
9:30 pm - until
www.ciubcaiiaret.net