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News & ArtsTuesday, February 17, 2009
Religion How About "Self-Righteous Fuckwits?" No? "Moralizing Crypto-Fascists"? "Cocksucking Hypocrites"?
Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 7:47 AM
The religious right doesn't want to be known as the religious right anymore. Too many negative associations created over the years by the, um, the religious right's attempts to micromanage the private lives of other Americans.
1
Is this a contest to re-name the Religious Right?
How about the Religious Wrong?
Nah, too obvious. Must have more coffee, then ponder.
How about the Religious Wrong?
Nah, too obvious. Must have more coffee, then ponder.
3
I get how people in my circle hate being thought of as the Religious Right and Moral Majority, because it conjures up images of Robertson and the like. I don't like being refered to as an Evangelical Left, Progressive Christian, or a Red Letter Evangelical. Generalizations are not appreciated. If people want to be seen as individuals then they are going to need to step to the plate and form their own beliefs, and stop being dependent on the Religious Right to tell them what to think, believe and vote. So, perhaps those on the right should find a name that specifies how they differ from those Christians on the left. How about the "Pro Life, Homesexuality is a Sin Conservatives" the PLHSC for short.
Nah, to longwinded and lame. It seems I need more coffee, too.
Nah, to longwinded and lame. It seems I need more coffee, too.
7
I've always called them what they are "Radical Religious Extremists" They are Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Christian, Jain, all and any religious group that foments hate, deprives others of Civil Rights they enjoy, or otherwise stand in the way of all humans being treated equally under civil law.
8
From the article:
""It amazes me how often in public discourse really pejorative phrases are used, like the 'American Taliban,' 'fundamentalists,' 'Christian fascists,' and 'extreme Religious Right.'"" - Gary Bauer, president of American Values
Maybe that should provide a little clue into what people think about you, Gary. And since when did "fundamentalist" become a pejorative, anyway? There are an awful lot of churches that refer to themselves that way, and it's a perfectly accurate description. Look it up.
Anyway, I suggest "Cynical, Manipulative, Shameless Blowhards."
""It amazes me how often in public discourse really pejorative phrases are used, like the 'American Taliban,' 'fundamentalists,' 'Christian fascists,' and 'extreme Religious Right.'"" - Gary Bauer, president of American Values
Maybe that should provide a little clue into what people think about you, Gary. And since when did "fundamentalist" become a pejorative, anyway? There are an awful lot of churches that refer to themselves that way, and it's a perfectly accurate description. Look it up.
Anyway, I suggest "Cynical, Manipulative, Shameless Blowhards."
9
In an American namecalling contest, remember: whoever gets their snappiest pejoratives to stick wins additional years of enduring conflict.
14
Why do we have to dirty the term cock sucking by associating it with these backwards pieces of shit? Cock sucking is awesome, Dan. You know this.
15
the self-weeders.
it's good for religious white people to try to keep each other from breeding. they're all going to end up with autistic, infertile, sun-crisped spawn anyway if they don't get busy and try to breed with brown.
goodbye to the liberal and right wing white ppl on both sides who try to spread their philosophies behind the masks of both god or do-gooderism. your time is over.
notice how no other color goes around the world trying to change people?
you had your time, when it was cold and people migrated to the northern climes and needed fair skin to absorb vitamin d. now you've been hugely instrumental in bringing the pollution that will hurt your children more than ours. you made your profits, dispersed your guns and have rejoiced at the death of our children all the while self-riotiously blaming our cultures.
say what you want, but did you ever notice that no white people can drive in the sun without dey sunglasses. ck it out on the freeway sometime.
for real.
evolution is favoring brown -- get over yourself, white folks.
it's good for religious white people to try to keep each other from breeding. they're all going to end up with autistic, infertile, sun-crisped spawn anyway if they don't get busy and try to breed with brown.
goodbye to the liberal and right wing white ppl on both sides who try to spread their philosophies behind the masks of both god or do-gooderism. your time is over.
notice how no other color goes around the world trying to change people?
you had your time, when it was cold and people migrated to the northern climes and needed fair skin to absorb vitamin d. now you've been hugely instrumental in bringing the pollution that will hurt your children more than ours. you made your profits, dispersed your guns and have rejoiced at the death of our children all the while self-riotiously blaming our cultures.
say what you want, but did you ever notice that no white people can drive in the sun without dey sunglasses. ck it out on the freeway sometime.
for real.
evolution is favoring brown -- get over yourself, white folks.
16
Using simplistic terms to define a group of people is unwise. I share some of the same ideas that Catholics have but I don't believe in the Pope's teachings.
17
and ps stranger staff, dyeing you hair edgy colors don't make you colored and neither does loving the rainbow, or visiting israel and working on a commune one summer if you're of ashkenazic descent. however, sephardic jews are brown whether they like it or not
21
Good lord, slog is getting a lot of racists these days. The troll population is starting to reach unsustainable levels, and unless something is done we're going to see a lot of slow deaths to starvation or disease. Maybe we could put this sfritz nut and the crazy divershitty guy in some sort of cage match together. Two trolls enter; one troll leaves Alternately, perhaps we could get some billy goats and start a predator reintroduction program.
22
Try as they might, the Religious Right (aka the Moral Majority) are stuck with their nommes de guerre.
It isn't the labels that make people dislike them; it is what they do! So, they can call themselves "Potted Plant" if they want, but until they change their behaviors they aren't going to see any shift in popular opinion.
In other words, the problem isn't with the marketing, but rather with the product itself! No amount of marketing effort is going to make a bad product a good one. Their product is broken! They need to fix the problem and worry later about changing their image.
These people have done more to damage Christianity and religion in general than any secularist or atheist could dream of doing. When people see Pat Robertson's photo, for example, they don't think "oh, what a nice man". Instead, they remember the many hateful lies he's told and the hateful way in which he deals with those he doesn't like. Ditto for James Dobson, Rick Warren, etc.
If the Religious Right wants America to like them more, then perhaps they will spend time actually studying what Jesus taught and less time trying to inject their opinions and morals on the rest of us.
It isn't the labels that make people dislike them; it is what they do! So, they can call themselves "Potted Plant" if they want, but until they change their behaviors they aren't going to see any shift in popular opinion.
In other words, the problem isn't with the marketing, but rather with the product itself! No amount of marketing effort is going to make a bad product a good one. Their product is broken! They need to fix the problem and worry later about changing their image.
These people have done more to damage Christianity and religion in general than any secularist or atheist could dream of doing. When people see Pat Robertson's photo, for example, they don't think "oh, what a nice man". Instead, they remember the many hateful lies he's told and the hateful way in which he deals with those he doesn't like. Ditto for James Dobson, Rick Warren, etc.
If the Religious Right wants America to like them more, then perhaps they will spend time actually studying what Jesus taught and less time trying to inject their opinions and morals on the rest of us.
23
I'm just stunned that Tony Perkins opened up his mouth and said he wants to be more inclusive. The head of the Family Research Council is upset that the term "Religious Right" isn't inclusive enough! Is Christian Today trying to take on The Onion now?
I love you Tony Perkins.
My favorite Tony Perkins video:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7cntr_…
My second favorite Tony Perkins video (sorry Dan):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTySVskUc…
I love you Tony Perkins.
My favorite Tony Perkins video:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7cntr_…
My second favorite Tony Perkins video (sorry Dan):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTySVskUc…
24
Didn't we see articles like this about the word "liberal" some years back? About how it's time to reclaim it from being a pejorative term? And where did they get the idea there never were nor should there be pejorative terms in politics? I mean, that's why it's called politics.
28
talibangelists - definitely.
i've never heard that before - jen did you just make that up or has it been floating around for a while and i just missed it?
i LOVE it.
i've never heard that before - jen did you just make that up or has it been floating around for a while and i just missed it?
i LOVE it.
29
I like @25.
As Jonathon @22 said, they can call themselves anything they want. Any name they give themselves will quickly turn into a pejorative term, simply because it's describing THEM.
As Jonathon @22 said, they can call themselves anything they want. Any name they give themselves will quickly turn into a pejorative term, simply because it's describing THEM.
32
Just wanted to say that as a practicing Lutheran (who is also a proud democrat), that the religious right makes it very hard for me to be an open Christian. I am rather quite about my faith, because of these people and the hatred they spread around.
The second I even mention to anyone that I am religious, they suddenly think that I'm a fan of Jerry Falwell or something, which I totally am not. Something else that bothers me is that I once had a friend ask me if all Christians were Republicans. It shocked me that he thought that then again, he grew up attending a fire and brimstone church and private school. He was all surprised that I'm a Democrat. To say the least, I'm still hoping to teach him that there's a separation of church and state. I also hope to deprogram him with some of those "values" and cultural assumptions that he learned from the religious right.
ps- It pisses me off that they want to change their name. I hope that someday they will wake up and realize that maybe people think of them negatively because they preach negative things that would even make Christ weep.
The second I even mention to anyone that I am religious, they suddenly think that I'm a fan of Jerry Falwell or something, which I totally am not. Something else that bothers me is that I once had a friend ask me if all Christians were Republicans. It shocked me that he thought that then again, he grew up attending a fire and brimstone church and private school. He was all surprised that I'm a Democrat. To say the least, I'm still hoping to teach him that there's a separation of church and state. I also hope to deprogram him with some of those "values" and cultural assumptions that he learned from the religious right.
ps- It pisses me off that they want to change their name. I hope that someday they will wake up and realize that maybe people think of them negatively because they preach negative things that would even make Christ weep.
34
32, you guys need to come up with a name for yourselves, too, something that separates you from the talibangelists, some name that indicates that your kind of xtain is more interested in helping the poor and children who are already born than in restricting human rights and sexual freedoms.
35
@ 32 That's were the names Red Letter Christians, Evangelical Lefts, and Progressive Evangelicals come from. Christians wanting to be disassociated with the Moral Majority.
36
Sfritz, I drive without my sunglasses all the time. I guess I've just refuted all your well-thought-out arguments. Score one for Whitey!
39
pretty silly to assume we would agree to call them by a different name when they haven't changed their beliefs or their tactics one bit.
40
38: How can you be the patriots when you don't want your country to grow?
When you don't want your country to maintain it's position of # 1?
How can you be the patriots when you don't support your country's interests?
No growth.
No defense.
No economy.
Yes to illicit drugs.
Yes to promiscuity.
Yes to strange sexual behavior or "sexual freedoms" as you call them.
Is this what some you mean by patriot?
When you don't want your country to maintain it's position of # 1?
How can you be the patriots when you don't support your country's interests?
No growth.
No defense.
No economy.
Yes to illicit drugs.
Yes to promiscuity.
Yes to strange sexual behavior or "sexual freedoms" as you call them.
Is this what some you mean by patriot?
41
I did not make up talibangelists, it was just my favorite suggestion in a similar conversation on another blog. Another one I liked: "Whited sepulchres" (it's from the Bible)
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