II firmly believe that one day we will stand with these people in a serious battle with the forces of hate on the Christian right. Don't kid yourselves--there's no reasoning with these people, they hate us with a furious, self-righteous passion, and if it came down to it they would be more than willing to use violence to win.
If and when that day comes, I will be proud to stand next to people like John Danforth, who has a truly inspiring piece today in the NY Times.
In the decade since I left the Senate, American politics has been characterized by the increased activism of the Christian right, and the collapse of bipartisan collegiality. I do not think it is a stretch to suggest a relationship between the two. To assert that I am on God's side and you are not, that I know God's will and you do not, and that I will use the power of government to advance my understanding of God's kingdom is certain to produce hostility.
Many conservative Christians approach politics with a certainty that they know God's truth, and that they can advance the kingdom of God through governmental action. So they have developed a political agenda that they believe advances God's kingdom, one that includes efforts to "put God back" into the public square and to pass a constitutional amendment intended to protect marriage from the perceived threat of homosexuality.
Moderate Christians are less certain about when and how our beliefs can be translated into statutory form, not because of a lack of faith in God but because of a healthy acknowledgement of the limitations of human beings...for us, the only absolute standard of behavior is the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Repeatedly in the Gospels, we find that the Love Commandment takes precedence when it conflicts with laws. We struggle to follow that commandment as we face the realities of everyday living, and we do not agree that our responsibility to live as Christians can be codified by legislators.
Christianity is a beautiful religion. I am not a Christian but I actually believe that if everyone on earth followed Jesus' advice as I understand it, the world would be a beautiful place to live.
But the evil bastards that run the cancer that is the Christian right, the James Dobsons and the Pastor Teds, don't have a single shard of love in their cold souls; their agenda exists to divide and inspire hate, for short term gain, by any means necessary.
That's been clear to us for a long time; I recently read two very disturbing articles in Harpers that really bring the virulence of these people into clear focus, and I put the magazine down thinking to myself "we're screwed, these people are maniacs." Their legions of brainwashed drones--how do you convince somebody that their hero, the supposedly Christian president, is a small, evil, ignorant, power-hungry, cruel, hateful demogogue? The mountain of evidence, the piles of lies and facts and truths don't mean shit, because there's always an answer:
He's a Christian, and [you] people are evil.
How do you respond to that? I can't. But people like John Danforth, a former Episcopal minister, can.
When, on television, we see a person in a persistent vegetative state, one who will never recover, we believe that allowing the natural and merciful end to her ordeal is more loving than imposing government power to keep her hooked up to a feeding tube.
When we see an opportunity to save our neighbors' lives through stem cell research, we believe that it is our duty to pursue that research, and to oppose legislation that would impede us from doing so.
We think that efforts to haul references of God into the public square, into schools and courthouses, are far more apt to divide Americans than to advance faith.
Following a Lord who reached out in compassion to all human beings, we oppose amending the Constitution in a way that would humiliate homosexuals.
Go read it while you can, I hope it makes your day the way it has mine.