AlterNet: America’s Holy Warriors is a story by Chris Hedges, author of American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America. The book and the essay are both well worth reading, especially by those who think my essays on the Religious Reich are “over the top.”
They really do want to create an American theocracy and they are building an army of their own (including the Blackwater mercenaries) while infiltrating and subverting the American military and police forces.
Also at AlterNet is War on Iraq: Ten Things I Learned from the Pentagon’s Prayer Team, by Jeff Sharlet. This is another story about Christian subversion of the military, and should be on every Pagan, UU, and New Ager’s reading list.
These folks really don’t care about democracy, just power.
First Round Experiment: Presented AlterNet: America’s Holy Warriors to someone who is more informed than most. This is what I got in return:
Can’t be creedist against such companies either.
&
If they’re doing wrong, our well designed system and its balance of powers will eliminate them through due process.
Just saying…
Creedism is bigotry and prejudice (pre-judgement, before the facts are in). Opposition to a religious group can be rooted in bigotry or in careful research and postjudice (judgement made after the facts are considered).
Religious lunatics with guns are scary enough. Ones with entire armies are even scarier.
Balance of powers works only when everyone is playing by the rules. Theocrats, like their adored George W. Bush, view all rules other than their own with contempt.
Tell him/her I said so! 🙂
I had to try it out on others (as a reality check gauge). When I got to a certain sentence in the first article (above), the other balked and…it active listening absolutely plummeted and stayed seriously diminished. Rather typical response out there.
Creedism is a word that’s hardly even on the radar…isn’t even in my spell checker (Microsoft Word). Isn’t on http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/creedism either. I think that severely (!) damages perception and focus during research when it is done (what people don’t say/define).
I’d estimate that probably only 10 (optimistic?) in every 1,000 people will read alternate news sources, filter through **several** stories on a topic (and it takes at least that just to start), and develop a feel for the trends/momentum/motivations (patterns). How many out of 10,000 not only do the above (and suspend judgment until they have enough information) but also escape from the clutches of group think?
I have tried to get across the point that balance of powers only works when people are playing by the rules. I’ve read/offered them articles (same “test group”) on how many are **not** playing by the rules…but it doesn’t seem to sink in. An odd forgetfulness seeps in. Connections aren’t made. Seems to be entirely too much “that can’t happen in America” sort of thing when it isn’t ignorance.
(If people don’t hear creedism defined/standardized then they usually miss the differentiation processes.)
Well, it isn’t in dictionaries yet because I coined it many years ago and not that many people are familiar with it. It seems to communicate clearly enough, on the pattern of “racism,” “sexism,” etc.
You’re right about the little research done by the average American. That’s why I’m working on a book aimed at the mainstream, with lots of pictures and simple words.
America is known for many things, but thinking clearly about political and social issues isn’t usually on the list.
You’d think the word creedism would be clear, pattern and all, but…nope. I’m convinced that for most, word absent is concept dead (similar to that “Woman absent is woman dead” quote) — has to become a household word before it really hits national/international consciousness, the wheels start turning, and so on.
Well, that’s why I try to drop the meme whenever I can. It comes up at Daily Kos fairly often now, so it’s starting to get out to progressives at least.
Cool. I use the word/meme at least four places online and in person, of course.
Wish it could burst through to national consciousness without the vehicles of martyrdom or fad.
“These things must be done delicately…”
Just keep dropping it into comments in popular blogs. The MSM will start using it in a year or two.