Michael Weinstein Fights Cancer of Christianity
The Department of Defense recently pulled courses from the Joint Forces Staff College that allegedly disparaged Islam. Michael Weinstein tilted the irony meter with this response:
“This is simply a small cancer cell that is rapidly metastasizing,” he said. “This is representative of a larger more sinister force which is fundamentalist Christianity.”
To summarize the erroneously but self-described “religious freedom” advocate: Its wrong to paint Islam with a broad, stereotypical brush, but its ok to do the same thing to Christianity. So says the man who decries characterizations of America being “at war” with Islam, but who himself is at “war” with Christians.
Weinstein’s apparent lack of cognitive dissonance is no longer surprising. His “religious freedom” foundation, after all, isn’t about religious freedom. He’s freely admitted he formed the “foundation,” which has paid him nearly a quarter million dollars a year, to fight “evangelical religious fundamentalists.”
The surprising thing, if there is one, is that MSNBC has no qualms quoting him without qualification. Can you imagine the response if a pundit had blamed something on the “cancer” and “sinister force” of Judaism? If nothing else, its an interesting indicator of the differing standards of the media’s treatment of Christianity and Islam.
He’s not painting Christianity wth a broad brush. He says so explicitly in that quote, and he makes it clear in public appearances. He is concerned about the variety of fundamentalist Christianity that wants to legislate Christian practices and beliefs, that aggressively proselytizes, that sees the role of Christianity as having to exercise dominion in the public sphere. Most Christians don’t go for these things. He knows it. He is clear about it.
@BC
You misunderstand the situation, and while I know you’ve followed him for a few years, you’ve apparently misunderstood Weinstein as well. Weinstein is, indeed, broadly painting Christians with his comments.
As been described here for several years, Weinstein has used several adjectives to describe the “type” of Christians he is fighting, though sometimes his acolytes forget to use one and blame all Christians.
However, he decides who ascribes to those beliefs. Weinstein has “accused” people of being “fundamentalist” or “dominionist” with no proof they held any specific theological beliefs, much less Christian beliefs.
For example, Weinstein called Secretary of the Army McHugh a “Christian supremacist” and apparent supporter of “far right Christian fundamentalism.” McHugh is Roman Catholic, which is hardly considered a “fundamentalist.” Weinstein’s staff has even accused groups composed of Quakers and Coptics of being dominionist proselytizers.
In addition, Weinstein claims Christianity is the root cause of a variety of issues — from the Fort Hood massacre, to the issues around the Fort Bragg atheist concert, to the Afghan Koran burning — without any evidence he even knows the religious beliefs of those involved. Now he claims a conspiratorial “fundamentalist Christianity” is the problem behind a DoD PME course.
When you list the traits of those Weinstein is “concerned about,” you fail to realize there’s nothing wrong with what you describe. In other words, you’re admitting Weinstein is attacking the legitimate free exercise of religion, as protected by the US Constitution.
In the case of Fundamentalist/Dominion Christianity, the definitions are pretty much the same. But more importantly, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.”
They have many extreme beliefs among which is absoluteism, Christian World Supremacyand total committment to the “Great Commission” which has been expanded to include some rather forceful proselytizing. Command centered and coercive proselytizing exists in large measure in the armed forces aimed at conversion but beyond that the training of existing Christians to a higher level of obedience and religious committment is also SOP.
The agenda is straight forward. World conquest and conversion of all non-Christian world populations to Fundamental and Dominion orientedChristianity. This to be accomplished by amassing an all-Christian fighting force, and training them in the use of weapons of immense destructive power as a precursor to the return of Jesus Christ.
Dominionist Christianity is not new. From the days of the Crusades and before, elements of this normally peaceful religion have broken free of the original tenets and proclaimed their faith to be inviolable and dominant as proclaimed by God in Genesis.
Religious extremism has existed for a long time. Whether, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, etc., many sects have taken a wrong turn and become militant and unilateral.
Dominionism combined with military thinking and regimentation is a threat not to be ignored.