A Centrist Catholic's Response to the truly dangerous Christofascists pretending to be "Conservatives"

Submitted by rob the guy (United States), Jan 29, 2013 at 18:29

I will try to explain, in detail, how modern neo-conservatives and the more dogmatic Conservative Christians and also the Anti-Goverment Loons have no idea what liberals are, what they stand for or how the general philosophy works.

THE "PINKO-PARANOID" IS BEYOND DATED AND ABSOLUTELY INSANE ALARMISM! IT TRULY SOUNDS REDICULOUS AND IT'S BEEN DONE WITH EVERY SOCIAL PROGRAM SINCE 1900. USSR IS GONE, MARXISM DISSOLVED. STOP.

For Once In A Hundred Years, Shut Up About "Creeping Marxism"! It's Embarassing to Our Education System! We are known worldwide for being the most right-wing country AND Communism is long dead! Learn what Marxism/Communism actually means if you can't help yourselves. It only takes a little bit of study to grasp and a little cold war history to know the status of. It's become the easiest way to tell how warped someone's knowledge of political science, history and current affairs are. When used as a political epithet, non-lunatics can very easily identify mindless growing fringe of stupidity that has overtaken mainstream "American Conservatism" in the 2000's. There are NO Soviet spies any longer. The Marxism-Leninism that we fought through the last century has become almost completely extinct as a relevant political tendency. We have Cuba (who now allows religion), Nepal(a mess), a half-ass version of Marxism/Liberation Theology in Venezuela, Psuedo-Capitalism in China(who has no interest in world revolution or actual communism), and Psycho-Confusion Fascism which has no Communist qualities whatsoever in North Korea.

RELIGIOUS ISSUES:

FOR THE MOST PART, HAVE NOT CHANGED OR BECOME "GODLESS", MOST PEOPLE ARE JUST TURNED OFF BY THE MILITANT POSTURE OF EVANGELICAL CONSERVATISM AND IT'S REJECTION OF SCIENCE. IF ANYONE IS MAKING MORE ATHIESTS IT'S YOU GUYS!

Not only are you wrong in respect to America's history, it's innovative energy source, the Liberal philosophy towards religion (which is unchanged since Jefferson), but more to the point, theologically and philosophically! Theologically, if you call yourself "Christian" (a term with quite the long list of definitions today), you would have no focus whatsoever on the laws in Deuteronomy! There are hundreds and the homosexual law seems to be the only one you people acknowledge! In fact, it's become the only thing that most "Conservative Christians", who also call themselves "Patriotic Americans" ironically seem to define themselves with! There is nothing "Christian" or "American" about such ignorance! As for the attempt to require contraception in healthcare (which is no longer the case), this "Catholic" belief does not apply to non-Catholics nor do about 90% of Catholic Americans who just don't really agree with Rome! No one said Catholics had to use condoms, they said American institutions must offer healthcare (which happens to include contraceptives!), and as someone who doesn't agree with abortion myself, contraception is the biggest tool in lowering abortion rates!

For centuries Conservative Protestants have LOATHED, FEARED and ATTACKED Catholics assuming we would "ruin your values" and for listening to Papal authority on theological concerns! Jews got it even worse but since WW2, anti-Semitism has become distasteful to the same demographic who once persecuted them, so it's become Philo-semetism, which is just as bigoted in my opinion (as well as transparent). But now that Catholics and Jews are off the fear market, the Satanic Panic has been deemed ridiculous, Communism fallen, you have targeted Islam, sometimes Hindus and Sikhs and Non-Theists as the "existential threat". SOME Catholics have aligned with conservatism so all of the sudden, even Southern Baptists care about them if it suits the right-wing agenda! So instead of fearing a "Papal States" of America, you fear Sharia Law - AND extinct Marxism at the same time! Note, these two ideas are completely in opposition to each other! As for Sharia, you HAVE to be kidding me! There are less 1% of Americans following Islam and they are going to change our legal system? Are you completely out of your minds? Paranoid from drug abuse? I don't know, but it's no wonder we less productive as a nation! It's not "Liberals", it's time wasted being afraid of your own shadows!

America has been PLURALIST since it's very inception! (See Thomas Paine, John Adams, Washington, and mostly Jefferson for further clarity). In fact, from a European perspective, it's the ONE thing that made us "American" besides anti-Monarchism! We have also had a tacky history of hazing and fearing every new At first it was a bunch of different Protestants who hated each other but coexisted, then radical reformers like Anabaptists/Quakers etc, then Mormons, then Catholics, then Jews, then more recently Buddhists-Hindus and other Eastern religions, now Muslims and Atheists. Yet America still stands! Ironically, our most beloved founding fathers were either "freethinkers" or Deists (Today, you would consider them falling at different points between Unitarian Universalists and Agnostics). Those that were self-identified devout Christians participated but were much less influential than the "liberal" theists I named.

If the majority of non-Theists side with liberals, it's because they support separation of church and state and are reacting to the rise of Conservative Christianity in Politics in recent years, which understandably would be a threat to them (and all other religions). Most Agnostics/Atheists that I know could care less about what anyone else believes or what our money says! American has European and therefore Christian roots...but was NEVER, EVER (since the Revolution) a Christian nation! Most of the "God" references came in the 1900's to distinguish us from Communism. I feel we should keep them as clearly party of our accumulated heritage, but it doesn't mean we reject others! What could be less Christian!

FUSIONISM: LIBERTERIANS AND CONSERVATIVES ARE AN MARRAIGE

IT"S PRETTY MUCH A BIZARRE HYPOCRISY: THE LAISSEZ-FAIRE DEREGULATED MARKET IS RECKLESS, WAS NOT "AMERICAN" POLICY SINCE POST-CIVIL WAR ERA, IS ULTRA-MATERIALIST, AS WELL AS THE ANTITHESIS OF CHRISTIAN VIRTUES.

How can you rationalize demonizing Liberalism but support Libertarianism? If you run Libertarian philosophy(if it can be considered as such) to it's logical conclusion, you actually enable the society you fear! It's as foolishly utopian and dangerous as Communism but has even less humanistic compassion and is basically "Libertinism" with a much more materialistic, and ignorant understanding of humanity...also is about as unethical as an idea can be!

Liberalism on the other hand, is, has been, always will be pro-Capitalist by definition, and rejects Socialism. Conservatives confuse the Liberal support of equal-opportunity for universal equality aside from ability and hence reach the fullest potential of democratic meritocracy. This means an equal starting line and fair wages according to ability, NOT EVEN CLOSE to a communist full redistribution of wealth removing financial opportunity! The social safety net - read, welfare, social security, disability - is a Western and very Christian concept which, aside from peace and tolerance, is the most pronounced teaching in Jesus' in the Gospels!

Conclusion: Liberalism vs. Conservative Idea Of "Liberalism"

A welfare safety net, social security, and religious/humanitarian tolerance and gender/racial/etc equality (which define a Liberal agenda) are impossible concepts to a Communist State and are 100% incompatible with Marxism!

For the record, this is what Communism actually means -Revolutionary overthrow of bourgeois class and Dictatorship of the Proletariat(working class), Collectivism, Totalistic Redistribution, conversion to the socialist mode of production, repression of competing ideology, mandatory Atheism. All these ideas are completely and fiercly OPPOSED by Liberals.

Liberalism is the actual ideology that Marx and Engels were trying to start a revolution against! Not hardline Christianity!

Stop assuming EVERYTHING that isn't within your worldview is somehow "liberalism", it's rediculous. Pornography, for one example, would be more of a libertarian concern (although i'm sure many on all side support/oppose it) Please stop with the Red-Scares, Fear-mongering, Assuming Any Media That Isn't "Conservative" Is A Liberal Network Conspiracy (It's sensationalism, not "liberalism"), Religious-Supremacy, Anti-Science, Anti-Dissent, Historical Revisionism, Golden Age Delusions that never happened, Scapegoating, Bigotry justified by Scripture you don't even adhere to, Fear of "Others" conspiring to destroy American Values - Especially since those values which we are known for and which Islamists, Fascists and Marxists despise us for are actually diversity, cultural assimilation balanced with relativism, women's equality, electoral democracy, pluralist religious policy, secular government, freedom of media, and a powerful education network with major technological innovation, and perhaps most of all FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. This is what "American" means compared to other countries (though many of adapted)! Return to the non-crazy Days of Fiscal Conservatism, Preservation of Nature, Pro-Efficiency, Less Hawkish Non-interventionism as well as RESTRAINT in policy to keep the progressives from moving too quickly. Intervention was once a bad LIBERAL policy which you guys have decided to inherit and ruin our reputation worse than Vietnam did.

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