Civil Commotion

Two thousand years have passed with no Second Coming but the Christian apocalypse scam is still humming.

Robert Connor

Tim LaHaye, a co-author of the Left Behind series of books, has died.

Dr. Tim F. LaHaye, the son of a Detroit autoworker who grew up to become a respected pastor, international best-seller and prominent evangelical leader, died July 25, 2015 in a San Diego area hospital, just days after suffering a stroke. He was 90 years old.

Albert the Pious et. al. are still trying to define-away the ‘apostates’ who now follow a different authoritarian.

The only good thing Donald Trump has done — and it isn’t worth the harm he has done, and may yet do, to the country — is that he has shown how cynical and hollow the Evangelical Right really is, and how much malice lies at the bottom of their politics.

A quick round-up of some of the things your tax dollars are subsidizing with the money politicians took from you in order to purchase the votes of ignoramuses.

• Holy Land Experience to unload furniture, statues amid financial turmoil

  Holy Land Experience, which is struggling with a sea of red ink in recent financial reports, is selling hundreds of ornate couches, thrones, nativity statues, costumes — and even a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

• Ex-pastor brought to Mercer to face sex charges

  The former pastor of a local church charged with sex offenses has been brought back to Mercer County.

  State police charged Roy D. Harriger, 73, in December with four counts each of rape, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault.

• Former Maine youth pastor indicted on sex abuse charge

  A former Canaan youth pastor was indicted this week by a Kennebec County grand jury on an unlawful sexual contact charge involving a minor.

  Lucas Savage, 37, of Clinton could spend up to 10 years in prison on the Class B felony charge if found guilty.

• Pastor Ran A Rehab For Dead People

  A Tennessee pastor and his associate are accused of stealing state grant money to run a ‘drug recovery program’ that served the dearly departed.

  Prosecutors allege that Mount Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church pastor Clinton M. Lewis Sr. and associate Andre Trice took more than $60,000 in state grants over four years for a supposed substance abuse and recovery program. An audit of the program, however, found that some of those listed as clients never received counseling, while others turned out to be incarcerated or dead.

I’ve insisted over the years that the Christian message amounts to, basically, Y’all are no damn good. Well, what do you know? Bruce Gerencser, a former Baptist pastor, hears that also.

Is it any surprise, then, that many Christians have poor/no self-esteem? I know it has taken Polly and I many years to regain any sort of respect for self. Hammered by a lifetime of preaching meant to destroy self-worth …

Most of us are raised with some sort of vague idea that the devout are ‘better’ people, more honest, more trustworthy, et cetera, et cetera; we don’t really hear the degradation that is Christianity’s indispensable metaphysical claim — that to be a living human being is to be a foul blot on the cosmos and deserving of death.

This is ugly, degrading, harmful stuff and, really, ought to put clergy on the outskirts of society.