By: David Conde
It is rare these days not to find a preacher, minister or priest pontificating on the evils of those that are against the status quo. They are among the loudest voices advocating for the supremacy of the past.
The notion of separation of church and state has been clearly forgotten in favor of questionable morality associated with political expediency. The term White Anglo Saxon Protestant (WASP) is no longer a throw away line, but central to an effort to have the church, in whatever form, become an official part of the state.
A close relative attended Sunday church and came away dissatisfied because what was to be a talk of service, compassion and its redemptive qualities became a political statement about how those that inherited the legacy of the religion are being victimized by people that want their power. The belief system included in the agenda of what used to be fringe groups was presented in a way that promoted a tone of exclusivity that made minorities outsiders.
I myself witnessed a church sermon that amounted to a political statement against the present in favor of what used to be. The two events some three years apart got me to thinking about Christianity and the dynamic tension it has experienced over its history between freedom to love God and totalitarian domination in the name of God and his Son.
Most Christian churches express a comprehensive belief in the Old and New Testament. This is reflected in the Bible that includes both and is amplified by the term “Full Gospel.” Although the Old Testament is very different from the New, they both have in common shared histories as state sponsored religions. That characteristic has allowed the use of extreme measures to control people and punish those that do not believe in the same way.
Christ was born to the world as an embodiment of the next chapter of Jewish belief history. The Messiah had a different story to tell about the fulfillment of the law.
St. Paul, a Roman, took those teachings and created the European Christian church that eventually became the official religion of the Roman Empire. This dictatorial institution later sought to silence other Christian voices even in the lands of Christ’s birth in the Middle East. Some would say that the birth of Islam was perhaps connected and a direct result of Christian Authoritarianism.
Spain used the Catholic Church to unite the country using some policies that betrayed Christ’steachings. The Spanish Conquistadores and priests that brought these policies to the Americas created a medieval way of thinking and a world left behind by the Renaissance.
Many of the original European settlers came to America seeking religious freedom. They however, turned around and established an understanding that political activity could only flow through church participation. This tendency to want to establish a state religion was noted by our founding fathers and judged there to be a need to separate the two which was more in line with our democratic principles. I suspect that they were more concerned with religion control- ling the state than vice versa.
The tendency has reared its head again. This time it is attempting to help assure White supremacy and its domi- nance of government.
Just like the corruption and authoritarianism in the waning days of the Roman Empire into the Middle Ages, religion in America is on the path to doing the same in the 21st Century. The only hope for our democracy is an institution called the Constitution.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of La Voz Bilingüe. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
