WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013 AT 6:51PM
Today's Show:
POPE FRANCIS & THE JESUITShttp://www.noiseofthunder.com/storage/NOTR_POPE.AND.JESUITS_10.02.13.mp3Chris discusses several new articles on the activities of Pope Francis, and the new direction he seems to be taking the Vatican and Church of Rome. After a clandestine series of interviews that were published in 16 Jesuit journals around the world, Francis is now reported to have said that the idea of converting people to Christianity is "solemn nonsense," at least, according to the Washington Post. The Pope also referred to the Vatican court as the "leprosy of the papacy," saying that the leaders of the Catholic Church have been "sickeningly excited by their courtiers." There is no question that Pope Francis has developed a reputation for controversy, bringing criticism from Catholics and Protestants alike, who believe he is compromising the central tenets of the Christian faith. But given his membership in the Jesuit Order, could there be more to this than meets the eye?
Very interesting audio - yeah, the Jesuits have found many subtle ways to infiltrate Christianity with their deceptions. You saw how they did it politically since 1980 by forming the "religious right"/"moral majority". Was just reading this...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_rightChristian right is a term used in the United States to describe right-wing Christian political groups that are characterized
by their strong support of socially conservative policies. Christian conservatives principally seek to apply their understanding of the teachings of Christianity to politics and public policy by proclaiming the value of those teachings
and/or by seeking to use those teachings to influence law and public policy.[1]
In the U.S., the Christian right is an informal coalition formed around a core of evangelical Protestants that
draws "support from politically conservative Catholics, Jews, Mormons, and occasionally secularists" who share their goals.[2][3] The movement has its roots in American politics going back as far the 1940s and has been especially influential since the 1970s.[4][5] Their influence draws, in part, from grassroots activism as well as their focus on social issues and ability to motivate the electorate around those issues.[6]
The Christian right is notable today for advancing socially conservative positions on issues including school prayer, stem cell research,[7] homosexuality,[8] contraception, abortion,[9] and pornography.[10]
Although the Christian right is usually associated with the U.S., similar movements have been a key factor in the politics of Canada, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland and Australia, among others.
Terminology[edit]
The Christian right is also "also known as the New Christian Right (NCR) or the Religious Right", although some consider the religious right to be "a slightly broader category than Christian Right".[3][4]
John C. Green of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life states that Jerry Falwell used the label religious right to describe himself. Gary Schneeberger, vice president of media and public relations for Focus on the Family, states that "[t]erms like 'religious right' have been traditionally used in a pejorative way to suggest extremism.
The phrase 'socially conservative evangelicals' is not very exciting, but that's certainly the way to do it."[11]
Evangelical leaders like Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council have called attention to the problem of equating the term "Christian right" with evangelicals. Although evangelicals constitute the core constituency of the Christian right, not all evangelicals fit the description. The problem of description is further complicated by the fact that
religious conservative may refer to other groups. Mennonites and the Amish, for example, are theologically conservative, however there are no overtly political organizations associated with these denominations.
History[edit]
The Christian right has been a notable force in both the Republican party and American politics since the late 1970s, when Baptist pastor Jerry Falwell and other Christian leaders began to urge conservative Christians to involve themselves in the political process. In response to the rise of the Christian right, the 1980 Republican Party platform assumed a number of its positions, including dropping support for the Equal Rights Amendment and adding support for a restoration of school prayer; abortion was also opposed.[4][5]
Since about 1980, the Christian right has been associated with several institutions including the Moral Majority, the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council.[12][13]
While the influence of the Christian right is typically traced to the 1980 Presidential election, Daniel K. Williams argues in God's Own Party that it had actually been involved in politics for most of the twentieth century.
He also notes that the Christian right had previously been in alliance with the Republican Party in the 1940s through 1960s on matters such as opposition to communism and defending "a Protestant-based moral order."[14]
Into the 1960 election, Catholics and evangelicals worked against each other, as evangelicals mobilized their forces to defeat Catholics Al Smith in 1928 and John F. Kennedy in 1960.[15] Secularization came to be seen by Protestants as the biggest threat to Christian values, however,[16] and by the 1980s Catholic bishops and evangelicals had begun to work together on issues such as abortion.[17][18][19]
The alienation of Southern Democrats from the Democratic Party contributed to the rise of the right, as the counterculture of the 1960s provoked fear of social disintegration. In addition, as the Democratic Party became identified with a pro-choice position on abortion and with nontraditional societal values, social conservatives joined the Republican Party in increasing numbers.[20]
In 1976, U.S. President Jimmy Carter received the support of the Christian right largely because of his much-acclaimed religious conversion. However, Carter's spiritual transformation did not compensate for his liberal policies in the minds of Christian conservatives, as reflected in Jerry Falwell's criticism that "Americans have literally stood by and watched as godless, spineless leaders have brought our nation floundering to the brink of death."[21]
Ability to organize[edit]
The contemporary Christian right became increasingly vocal and organized in reaction to a series of United States Supreme Court decisions, most notably Bob Jones University v. Simon and Bob Jones University v. United States. It has also engaged in battles over pornography, obscenity, abortion, state sanctioned prayer in public schools, textbook contents (concerning creationism), homosexuality, and sexual education.
Grassroots activism[edit]
Much of the Christian right's power within the American political system is attributed to their extraordinary turnout rate at the polls. The voters that coexist in the Christian right are also highly motivated and driven to get out a viewpoint on issues they care about. As well as high voter turnout, they can be counted on to attend political events, knock on doors and distribute literature. Members of the Christian right are willing to do the electoral work needed to see their candidate elected. Because of their high level of devotion, the Christian right does not need to monetarily compensate these people for their work.[6][22]
Political leaders and institutions[edit]
Led by Robert Grant's advocacy group Christian Voice, Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority, Ed McAteer's Religious Roundtable Council, James Dobson's Focus on the Family, and Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, the new Religious Right combined conservative politics with evangelical and fundamentalist teachings.[12] The birth of the New Christian right, however, is usually traced to a 1979 meeting where televangelist Jerry Falwell was urged to create a "Moral Majority" organization.[13][23] Soon, Moral Majority became a general term for the conservative political activism of evangelists and fundamentalists such as Pat Robertson, James Robinson, and Jerry Falwell.[21]
