An essential part of freedom to be your true self is freedom itself. Today is Independence Day in the United States. The freedom to be your true self is a precious kind of independence. It is freedom from mental slavery.
I read an extraordinary post today by one of my favorite bloggers, Richard Eskow, “It’s Time to Re-Declare Independence – Politically, Economically and Spiritually.” Read more…
Categories: American Politics, Bible Authority Tags: be true to your self, be your true self, emancipate from mental slavery, emancipate yourself from mental slavery, emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, Eskow, how to be your true self false self, independance day, independence day, independence definition, mental slavery, Richard Eskow, slavery and freedom, to your own self be true, true self, what is mental slavery, your true self
In “‘Republicanity’—The GOP Transformation is Nearly Complete,” Gary Laderman makes a case that the “Republican Party is no longer a political party—it’s a full-fledged religious movement.”
His short post is filled with insightful assessments of the deliberate collapsing of any efforts to separate religion and politics. I recommend it highly.
I want to emphasize one point that he makes about the role of authority in this brand of political religion and religious politics. Read more…
Phil Zuckerman and Dan Cady wrote a provocative article, Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus.
“The results from a recent poll published by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reveal what social scientists have known for a long time: White Evangelical Christians are the group least likely to support politicians or policies that reflect the actual teachings of Jesus. It is perhaps one of the strangest, most dumb-founding ironies in contemporary American culture. Evangelical Christians, who most fiercely proclaim to have a personal relationship with Christ, who most confidently declare their belief that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, who go to church on a regular basis, pray daily, listen to Christian music, and place God and His Only Begotten Son at the center of their lives, are simultaneously the very people most likely to reject his teachings and despise his radical message” (Why Evangelicals Hate Jesus). Read more…
By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.
Jonathan D. Fitzgerald makes the case that the focus on personal salvation in evangelical belief results in amoral concern about life in this world in his post, “The Unfortunate Effects Apocalyptic Beliefs Can Have On Morality.”
He begins with his childhood understanding of “The World” as a threat to the salvation of Christians. Read more…
Categories: American Politics, Bible Authority, Bible Babble Politics Tags: american politics, apocalyptic beliefs, bible authority, bible interpretation, christian believers, Climate Change, eschatology, fitzgerald, fundamentalists, John Shimkus, jonathan d. fitzgerald, mindset, morality, personal salvation
What freedom story are you seeking? What do seekers seek? Why do people go from church to church, and from churches to ashrams, from temples to yoga studios, from Presbyterianism to Scientology? Why do Christians convert to Islam? Why do black Baptists become Black Muslims? Why do Catholics stay home and Lutherans consult tarot cards? Why do people join cults? Why do people flock to evangelical megachurches? Why do they replace the Bible with “The Course In Miracles?” Why do seekers put their hopes in “The Secret” and purported revelations from channeled entities? What are people seeking to find with all of this coming and going? What are you looking for?
Continued on Freedom From Bad Bible Bullies
For Your Freedom,
Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.
Categories: Bible Authority, Freedom Story Tags: bible authority, bible interpretation, change your life, freedom story, life experiences
By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.
American politics witnessed another example of Bible Babble Politics in the creative retelling of history by Representative Todd Akin on Thanksgiving.
In Akin’s version of history, the Pilgrims came to the New World to escape “unbiblical” socialism. Read more…
Categories: American Politics, Bible Authority, Bible Babble Politics Tags: Acts, american politics, Ananais and Sapphira, christian politics, church and state, congregationalism, european socialism, freedom of religion, pilgrims, separation, separation church and state, separatists, socialism, thanksgiving, todd akin
By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.
The claim of biblical inerrancy of the “Word of God” is the foundation of Bible authority for Evangelical Christians. However, this faith claim can be believed but not proved. Read more…
Categories: American Politics, Bible Authority, What Is The Bible Tags: american politics, authority in the bible, authority of scripture, authority of the bible, bible authority, bible inerrancy, bible inerrant, bible inspiration, bible interpretation, bible interpretations, bible is the word of god, biblical, biblical authority, biblical inerrancy, enthymeme, evangelical, gordon conwell theological seminary, inerrancy, inerrant, inspiration of scripture, logical problems, politics, religion, syllogism, the word of god, word of god
By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.
What happens when fundamentalist Bible interpretation becomes the source of policy decisions in American politics? It produces bad government policy and more examples of Bible Babble Politics.
For a prime example of Bible Babble Politics, consider the words of John Shimkus, who wants to be the chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce when the Republicans assume leadership of the House of Representatives. Shimkus claims that he is “uniquely qualified” to lead this committee. Read more…
Categories: American Politics, Bible Authority, Bible Babble Politics Tags: american politics, bible interpretation, bible verses, Climate Change, Gop, House Committee On Energy And Commerce, John Shimkus, religion, republican legislator, Shimkus, Shimkus Climate Change, Shimkus Climate Change God, Shimkus Energy And Commerce, Shimkus God Climate Change, toronto star, word of god
By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.
Bible authority questions about the King James Version must consider the connection between biblical language and “Godspeak.”
I am a fan of crossword puzzles. Occasionally the New York Times Crossword will provide a clue for a “biblical” word. The correct answer will be something like “shalt” or “hath.” Although I don’t get too annoyed by clues in crossword puzzles, every time I see this, I see it as a perpetuation of the idea that King James English is authentic biblical language in a way that ordinary English of the early 21st century is not.
Instead of calling this type of language “biblical,” I am going to call this “Godspeak.” Godspeak is a unique and strange language, spoken only inside certain churches and used on the pages of the King James Bible.
For some Christian believers who consider the “Authorized” King James Version as the official “Word of God,” King James English is also considered somehow as the official language of God. This means that all communication with God must be conducted in Godspeak.
….
Post continued on Freedom From Bad Bible Bullies blog.
Subscribe to “Bible Babble Politics Email Newsletter” to find out how radical claims about Bible authority hijack political freedom in American politics.
For Your Freedom,
Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.
Revised version of post originally published on Impolite Topics
By Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.
Bible end times candidates are winning elections in American politics. However, many of these candidates are very careful about revealing what they believe about religion and government and Bible end times. You might have voted for Bible end times candidates without knowing it.
Unfortunately, many observers of the American political process don’t quite understand the religious ideology behind these right wing candidates. Those who do understand are few and far between—and they are concerned.
No one understands the Bible end times ideology better than Frank Schaeffer, whose father Francis Schaeffer was one of the founders of the Religious Right.
I still see a religious connection in public policy though that I think a lot of commentators miss — for instance, that lots of the energy behind this mid-term election came from the ghosts of the Religious Right.
….
What I am saying is that unless you take the time to understand the End Times folks you will never “get” the mid-term election result (Schaeffer, End Times.)
Schaeffer’s article, “End Times” — Election Results Reflect Biblical Republican Paranoia” is powerful reading about the connections between American politics and the particular kind of end times religious fundamentalism that is shaped by the kind of bad theology that is based on Bad Bible.
Feeding the paranoid delusions of people on the fringe of the fringe contributes to a dangerous climate that may provoke violence in a few individuals. It’s also one of the big reasons that the nutty fringe is now the “center.” If you believe the Bible is literal and true and that this is the “End” then the crazies look sane and the sane look crazy. Welcome to the new congress (Schaeffer, End Times.)
Subscribe to “Bible Babble Politics Email Newsletter” to find out how radical claims about Bible authority hijack political freedom in American politics.
For Your Freedom,
Kalinda Rose Stevenson, Ph.D.