Feminists, Fundamentalist Christians, and Islam - Quirks of Commonality and Difference

It is amusing to observe who is defending whom, and who is critical of whom and for what reasons.

Here are two examples:

1)Feminists defense of Islam and
2)Fundamentalist Christians deep concern about Islam

First, the Feminists. Feminists, of course, have been known over the past several decades for promoting women's rights. One of the early efforts was seeking the right to vote (the women's suffrage movement. ) Since then, feminists have worked toward a broad array of enhanced rights, from equality in the workplace and in marriage, and reproductive rights - including the right to abort their pregnancy (aka "killing their unborn offspring"). Feminists also tend to be "liberals" in the "social and moral" sense. As such, they tend to defend just about any non-traditional behavior that comes to their attention. Gayness is defended and embraced. If they attend church at all, it would no doubt be a demonination like Unitarian or liberal Episcopalian or liberal Presbyterian who reinterpret selected Biblical moral pronouncements into irrelevance - the epitome of cafeteria spirituality. You probably know the pronouncmenet I'm especially referring to.

Among the non-traditional and aberrant behaviors feminists like to defend are those of Islamists, in all their radically intolerant glory. I have mused on more than one occasion why a bunch of women who promote libertarian behaviors and the right to do just about anything, traditionally moral or not, would defend and support those who belong to a religion that teaches the absolute opposite? There is no other large organization on earth that relegates women to a more submission and subservient status than does Islam. Can you imagine a feminist living under Sharia law? It would be fun to watch. In essence, they are defending the right of people to not only be intolerant, but to also impose their intolerance upon us. Yikes!

Fundamentalist Christians (FCs) provide a different perspective relating to Islam. These are the high level moralists of Christianity. Along with Catholics, they will be on the abortion clinic picket lines. They are in the forefront of promoting Christians running for office and work toward adoption of laws that many would criticize as "legislating morality." (Actually, that is the purpose of our laws - consider laws against murder or stealing, for example.) Of course, being "saved" through Jesus Christ is the core of their belief. But beyond that, they believe that government should be influenced to legislate Biblical Christian values to a greater extent than they already do (what is included in this broad category could be debated until the second coming!)

This is where fundamentalist Christians and Muslims have much in common. Both groups believe that the American culture is corrupt and decadent. FCs and Islam both promote government legislation and enforcement of religious moral law - except Sharia law is more precisely defined, codified, and radical by Western standards. Nonetheless, you would think these groups could foster some common bond based on these shared ideals. But that will never happen. FC's even have trouble accepting Mormons as something other than a misguided, brainwashed cult. And Mormons and FC's hold most of their Christian beliefs in common, although most FCs and Evangelicals will fail to admit it! So, despite their mutual propensity to enforce their religious principles on the rest of society, FCs and Muslims will not likely join forces soon. In fact FCs are more likely to consider Islam a religion of Satan - almost as evil as Mormonism. Yikes!

Evangelicals have warped sense of priorities...

...especially where Mormons are concened. For many Evangelicals, being anti-Mormon is more improtant than being concerned about right to life or the Islamic threat. Very strange.

I used to watch Pat Robertson a couple of decades ago in my darker days. I used to respect the man during that period. Some may speculate that when a man reaches 77 years of age, his decision-making abilities begin to recede a bit. The starker reality is that many "evangelical", and especially "fundamentalist Christians" tend to be ignorantly, and rabidly anti-Mormon (aka Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints).

Talk about flip flop! His endorsement of Rudy was a head-spinner!

Robertson has a long history of preaching against abortion. That had been one of his most passionately held opinions in his decades of televangelism. The only reason I can discern for Pat's pathetic priority, and one that reflects the attitude of most fundamentalist Christians, is his disdain toward Mormons. He apparently prefers to support an abortion candidate than the candidate who is by most accounts more closely aligned with his conservative social values than any other: Mit Romney. Why do you suppose this is so?

Some "evangelicals" I have known have a very narrow view of Christianity. If you don't believe the precise doctrine they believe, you are not "Christian", as they define it. Many spend more time worrying about Mormons than Muslims! They lose their ability to distinguish between degrees of good and evil. And they do this out of blind prejudice rooted in ignorance.

In Pat's case, he apparently spends more time worrying about Mormons than about abortionists who kill babies or Islamic doctrine that fosters hate, terror and intolerance.