February 20, 2005

These days, whilecarping about Muslim fundamentalism, we tend to ignore some Evangelical Christians, or born-again Christians, whoare fanning the flames of hatred with completeabandon

ON Nov 20, 2003, as US presidential campaign was heating up, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair addressed a joint news conference in London. A reporter asked Mr Bush whether he believed that the Muslims prayed to the same supreme being as the Christians. The president responded in the affirmative. “Yes,” he exclaimed. The question was prompted by Bush’s persistent assertions that freedom was a gift from the Almighty to mankind. The president’s seemingly innocuous comments at the London press conference evoked an immediate reaction from Evangelical Christian leaders, his most ardent supporters in America, who dismissed his statement as rooted in religious naivete. The true God, they affirmed, was Jehovah, the one they worshipped.

The reaction of some Evangelical Christians, variously referred to as fundamentalists, Christian right or born-again Christian, was emblematic of their generally antagonistic attitude towards followers of other faiths — Muslims, Hindus or Buddhists — with the possible exception of Jewish people. Their leaders, Pat Robertson and Jerry Farwell, have on more than one occasion made hostile comments about Islam. Alone among major Christian denominations, they have been engaged in active proselytizing, attempting to convert followers of other faiths to Christianity. At present, they profess great friendship towards the Jews, not because of any inherent love for them, but only because they perceive them as convenient facilitators in fulfilling biblical prophesies, the promised second coming of the Messiah in present-day Israel. According to their interpretation of the scriptures, the establishment of the state of Israel on the entire occupied Palestinian lands is divinely ordained and is an essential prerequisite for the appearance of the Messiah. They, therefore, enthusiastically support the expansionist policies of the current Israeli government.

Although a minority within the mainstream Christian sects, some Evangelicals occupy high places in the US government. The powerful House Republican leader, Tom DeLay, an Evangelical Christian, has been an ardent supporter of Israel. Israeli leaders have made adroit use of this large reservoir of fundamentalist Christians to generate funds and gather political support for their agenda. The so-called Christian Zionists have contributed millions of dollars to support the resettlement of foreign Jewish immigrants in Israel. However, for all their zealous support, the Evangelicals are viewed by many Israelis with some wariness as many suspect that their ultimate motive is the mass conversion of the Jews to Christianity.

The growth of the Evangelical movement in the US in the latter half of the 20th century and its ability to exert a major impact on the political landscape of this country has been spectacular. Twenty-three per cent of all voters in the 2004 presidential elections identified themselves as Evangelicals. They claim major credit for orchestrating Bush’s victory in the 2004 elections. Most reliable statistics indicate that four times as many Evangelicals voted in favour of President Bush as for Senator Kerry, and their large turn-out on the election day might well have given the edge that the president needed in a close race. Indeed, they now constitute a highly dependable base for the Republican Party and a source of steadfast support for conservative causes. Hundreds of conservative Christian TV and radio stations suffuse the airwaves across this country, preaching their views and promoting their dogma. Compared to Europeans, Americans have always been a more religiously observant people. The evidence is not difficult to find. During the six years of my stay as a student in England in the ’60s, I can recall only a few occasions when someone showed any curiosity in my religious affiliation. By contrast, in America, people have no hesitation in inquiring about one’s faith and openly discussing their own. Comparison of survey results published by the Times of London in December 2004 with the exit polls in the United States on Nov 2, 2004, also illustrates this difference. It showed that almost 69 per cent Bush voters attended Church regularly, while only 10 per cent of voters in England did so.

The growth of Evangelicalism in the West has coincided with the spread of religious fanaticism worldwide, the emergence of Muslim, Jewish and Hindu extremism. However, unlike Muslim extremists — Al Qaeda and a constellation of jehadi groups operating in Pakistan, for example — Evangelical Christians are not known to have indulged in significant terrorist acts. Their main assault is directed against the principle of the separation of Church and state in this country. America was founded by European immigrants who in the 17th century were fleeing from religious persecution in England and elsewhere and were determined to establish a society where complete freedom of worship would prevail. The principle that the state shall not support or establish an official religion or prefer any one religion to another is enshrined as the first amendment in the US constitution. Religious minorities in America — Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus — as well as various civil rights organizations are ever vigilant that these traditions of secularism and separation of state and religion are not undermined or weakened, for if they were, the identities of the minorities might be submerged in and overwhelmed by the vast Christian majority.

The Evangelical Christian groups have not directly challenged the secular nature of the country’s constitution. Nevertheless, they assiduously espouse certain causes which they cleverly disguise as moral, rather than religious, issues. Their emphasis on these issues has been so relentless and so effective that many voters in the last election cited them as their primary motivation for voting for President Bush. Foremost among the so-called moral issues is the topic of same-sex marriage. The issue was raised persistently by some gay rights advocates, but was never taken seriously by the public, until the Massachusetts Supreme Court in an ill-advised decision ruled last year that the marriage between members of the same sex was legal. That decision galvanized opposition forces and the issue became a strong rallying cause for conservation groups. Some 11 states acted swiftly to declare such marriages illegal and the issue has now largely disappeared from public discourse. Nevertheless, it seems to have served the interests of the Republican Party well.

Legal abortion rights for women constitute another volatile issue that has generated much heat and emotion. Abortion or premature termination of pregnancy has traditionally been opposed by the Catholic church, but lately Evangelical Christians have also ardently embraced this cause. In a landmark decision in 1973, commonly described as Roe versus Wade, the US Supreme Court ruled that state governments could not prevent women from having their pregnancy terminated during the first three months. Opinion polls have consistently shown that a large majority of American women wants to have this choice, however disagreeable it might be. Nevertheless, the opposition to abortion has not been limited to peaceful protests. Some extremists have at times firebombed family-planning clinics and attempted to physically restrain patients from going to these facilities. They have in a few instances murdered doctors performing these procedures even when such interventions were medically necessary. The opposition has now intensified to the extent that vital medical research that promises cure for some deadly and disabling diseases cannot proceed for fear of the possibility that it might involve the use of cells drawn from fetal tissue.

The powerful influence of conservative groups is in some cases re-configuring the teaching of science courses. Schools in this country have long taught the theory of evolution that is rooted in the belief that human beings evolved from simpler organisms over millions of years of earth’s history. This conviction is supported by both compelling geological and now genetic evidence. The Evangelicals, however, oppose the teaching of evolution in schools, claiming that it runs counter to their religious beliefs. They argue that the theory of creationism, based on the biblical premise that the earth is a mere 6,000 years old as opposed to 4.6 billion years as estimated by scientists, should also be taught in schools.

Many of the issues raised and championed by conservative Christian groups in this country can be debated, both for and against. However, many Americans are troubled that some religious extremists seek to undermine the secularist and inclusive traditions of this country and to replace them with their narrow doctrines. Others worry that should they succeed, the prevailing environment would stifle the generation of free thought and emergence of new ideas, thwarting the advancement of science and civilization. However, there is every reasons for optimism that this scenario is unlikely to unfold. The political clout of the Evangelicals notwithstanding, the majority mainstream Christian groups, Catholic and Protestants alike, do not subscribe to their narrow, inflexible philosophy. Most churches continue to preach a version of religion that is tolerant, that is compassionate and highly inclusive, values that have traditionally been cherished by this country.

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