A response to Christyranny

Last week, I blogged about dominion theology Christians. (The original post is here.) Writing to me off the blog, an old friend of mine responded. Having asked him if I might post his comment, here it is: I didn’t want to post on your blog because, as a white non-American Jew with democratic tendencies, you have to be careful what you say in this country. Also when you read what I write below you might not be so happy. I have often wondered on the Jesus question you raised. I’m often amazed at how the Christian ministry has sold out to the republican party almost totally because of abortion and the fact that two gay guys getting married can apparently affect the success of my marriage. I used to think it was stupid Americans who bought into this crap but it's amazing how many bright people in our area fall for it. Meanwhile we have gone from a strong stable economy to a banana republic where the debt will carry forward for years to come. It has reached the stage where you can't even make jokes about it at kids' soccer games because people take this lunatic administration seriously. And what's with the right wing commentors like Rush and Bill O'Reilly? One bullied his housekeeper to buy drugs for him and has been married 5 times (query whether the marriages that failed were caused by 2 gay guys 5 miles away or the fact that he is a creep), and the other was stupid enough to get taped hitting on one of his staff and talking about rubbing humous on her body. I can't believe these people are so stupid they don’t see what’s going on, which leads to the conclusion they are deliberately misleading people for whatever reason. I think you and I have an advantage because we have lived in other places in the world, but sometimes I really worry about what this country will be like for my kids. A purpose of a government should be to provide for people who can't provide for themselves, for whatever reason. It's sad if this country is reaching the stage where the people who can afford it don’t see that looking after others is just the right thing to do I wish the USA had the English/Australian parliamentary system where the leader has to go through a hostile question and answer period rather than just hiding in the White House A depressing blast but you started it (although rightly so). Then, perhaps to lighten the tone, he closed a later e-mail in the exchange with this: Personally I keep hoping for Jesus to return. I want to see what happens when he tries to get into one of those stupid clubs that doesn’t let Jews in. Infact Jesus could do a pretty good rif about coming back and still being Jewish. Of course, it's lovely to hear from old friends, and even better if they have views sympathetic to my own. But isn't the most remarkable thing about his response the opening couple of lines? "...you have to be careful what you say in this country." He was concerned about being read -- and not just mis-read -- but he was also concerned that I might not want to bear any ensuing brunt of retaliation against his views. I could make a joke here about the remoteness of anyone outside a circle of, oh, about twelve people ever reading anything posted on this blog. But that would belittle the extraordinary event of someone in America being afraid of possible repurcussions for speaking his mind. I wonder how the patriotic, freedom-loving Republicans who have sealed a political solidarity pact with the Christian right-wing feel about this kind of encroaching tyranny. ..