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I Am A Conservative Christian, And The Religious Right Scares Me
Constitution Party National Website ^ | 12/15/2004 | Chuck Baldwin

Posted on 01/03/2005 2:56:16 PM PST by cougar_mccxxi

I Am A Conservative Christian, And The Religious Right Scares Me

by Chuck Baldwin

For those readers who are unfamiliar with my biography (http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.sketch.html), let me here provide a thumbnail sketch of my conservative bona fides:

I attended, graduated, or received degrees from fundamentalist Christian schools such as Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, Michigan, Thomas Road Bible Institute (now known as Liberty Bible Institute at Liberty University) in Lynchburg, Virginia, Christian Bible College in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and Trinity Baptist College in Jacksonville, Florida.

I am currently in my thirtieth year as the Senior Pastor of the Crossroad Baptist Church (Independent) in Pensacola, Florida. I was the Executive Director of the Florida Moral Majority in the early 1980's. I was an active member of the local Christian Coalition.

I have marched and protested against abortion clinics. I have led several pro-life rallies and even led our church to construct A Memorial To Aborted Babies (http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/abortion_crosses.html). I have conducted small and large (some drawing crowds numbering in the thousands) pro-life, pro-family rallies and meetings in the Pensacola area and in many towns and cities across the state of Florida.

When Ronald Reagan was running for President, I helped Dr. Jerry Falwell register more than fifty thousand new conservative voters in my state. I have attended White House functions with former President Reagan and former Vice President George H.W. Bush.

I supported and defended Chief Justice Roy Moore and his fight to display a Ten Commandments monument at a pro-Ten Commandments rally in Montgomery, Alabama and even on national television.

I am an annual member of the National Rifle Association and a life member of Gun Owners of America. I have been the featured speaker at several pro-Second Amendment rallies.

No one can honestly question my commitment to pro-life, pro- family, conservative causes. That being said, the Religious Right, as it now exists, scares me.

For one reason, on the whole, the Religious Right has obviously and patently become little more than a propaganda machine for the Republican Party in general and for President G.W. Bush in particular. This is in spite of the fact that both Bush and the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., have routinely ignored and even trampled the very principles which the Religious Right claims to represent.

Therefore, no longer does the Religious Right represent conservative, Christian values. Instead, they represent their own self-serving interests at the expense of those values.

It also appears painfully obvious to me that in order to sit at the king's table, the Religious Right is willing to compromise any principle, no matter how sacred. As such, it has become a hollow movement. Sadly, the Religious Right is now a movement without a cause, except the cause of advancing the Republican Party.

Beyond that, the Religious Right is actively assisting those who would destroy our freedoms. On the whole, the Religious Right comports with those within the Bush administration and within the Republican Party who, in the name of "fighting terrorism," are actually terrorizing constitutional protections of our liberties.

The Religious Right offered virtually no resistance to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the passage of the Patriot Act, or the recently created position of National Intelligence Director. Neither did the Religious Right offer even a whimper of protest as President Bush and Republicans in Congress created a first-ever national ID card in the new intelligence bill, which eerily has more in common with early Twentieth Century German and Russian intelligence institutions than anything envisioned by America's Founding Fathers.

Another disconcerting feature of today's Religious Right is its attempt to Christianize political entities which it supports and to demonize political entities which it opposes. This trend is especially scary.

When people are told that they are voting "Christian" by voting for Republican Party candidates, it is being intimated that they are voting non-Christian by voting for any other candidate. This is not only silly on its face, it is downright dangerous!

I don't remember anyone saying people voted "Christian" when they elected the outspoken Christian candidate, Jimmy Carter, President. Yet, Carter, in his personal life, demonstrated as much, if not more, Christianity than does George W. Bush. If you recall, Carter even taught Sunday School in a Southern Baptist Church while President.

However, in spite of the fact that President Bush and the Republican Party in Washington, D.C., have repeatedly supported copious unchristian (not to mention unconstitutional) programs and policies, Christians act as if Bush and his fellow Republicans have ushered in the Millennial Kingdom.

More than that, the Religious Right appears to believe that G.W. Bush is the anointed vicar of Christ. But instead of wearing the garb of a religious leader, he wears the shroud of a politico and a military commander-in-chief.

As such, in the minds of the Religious Right, Bush's war in Iraq is a holy crusade. America is fast taking on the shape of the old Holy Roman Empire and President Bush is quickly morphing into a modern day Caesar.

The willingness of the Religious Right to give President Bush king-like subservience is easily seen in the way they demonize anyone who dares to oppose him. This is very unnerving.

Are we heading for a modern day religious inquisition, this one led not by the Catholic Church but by the Religious Right? Are we witnessing the type of marriage between Church and State that America's founders originally feared?

I used to believe that liberals were paranoid for being fearful of conservative Christians gaining political power. Now, I share their trepidation.

Of course, the sad truth is, neither George W. Bush nor the Republican Party in Washington, D.C. represents genuine Christian or even conservative principles. If they did, they would take their oaths to the Constitution seriously and then neither liberals nor conservatives would have anything to fear, for the U.S. Constitution protects the rights and freedoms of all men.

Unfortunately, when the seed of Bush's unconstitutional policies come to fruition, it will produce large scale fallout economically, socially, and politically. And sadder still will be that, instead of blaming Bush's infidelity to constitutional government and conservative principles, people will blame Christianity and conservatism itself. The result of this miscalculation will doubtless be a massive tide of support for more and greater unconstitutional government, but only under a different name.

Chuck Baldwin


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KEYWORDS: a; am; and; atotalnutjob; brokennews; christian; chuckbaldwin; churchandstate; conservative; constitutionparty; cp; i; iamafalseprophet; iamafraud; iamawhacko; iamsimonthesourceror; libercrankians; me; religious; right; scares; the
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I love Popeye
41 posted on 01/03/2005 3:12:32 PM PST by evets (God bless president George W. Bush)
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To: Neever
Anyone who uses the word 'scared' and Bush in the same sentence is a hard core liberal.

You just did. Sorry, but you left it hanging out there.

42 posted on 01/03/2005 3:13:12 PM PST by munchtipq
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To: cougar_mccxxi
Did you notice that the sky was falling?

Just wondering.........

43 posted on 01/03/2005 3:13:53 PM PST by Lakeshark (Whatever...................................................................:-)
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To: cougar_mccxxi
Another piece of garbage from the alleged 'pastor', Chuck Baldwin:

Is Bush the Antichrist?

44 posted on 01/03/2005 3:14:05 PM PST by Diddle E. Squat
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To: LauraleeBraswell

He's Chuck Baldwin -- A pontificating nut.


45 posted on 01/03/2005 3:14:14 PM PST by The KG9 Kid (Semper Fi!)
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To: cougar_mccxxi
The mammon church should scare you even more than politicians who will always be politicians.
imo
46 posted on 01/03/2005 3:14:29 PM PST by joesnuffy (Moderate Islam Is For Dilettantes)
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To: cougar_mccxxi

Guilty - but would someone do me a favor? What, or who, is the "Religious Right?" Who are the leaders? What is so "evil" about what they stand for? Why is it that "conservative" Chuck Baldwin thinks he needs to construct a "straw man" to oppose what he appears to be opposed to? His characterization of our regard for President Bush is phony and incorrect.


47 posted on 01/03/2005 3:14:37 PM PST by LiteKeeper (Secularization of America is happening)
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To: Howlin
I wonder why he had to go to so many.

Maybe like Al Gore, he kept flunking out of theology school.

48 posted on 01/03/2005 3:16:09 PM PST by My2Cents
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To: Mr.Clark
Yet, Carter, in his personal life, demonstrated as much, if not more, Christianity than does George W. Bush.

Did he?
Carter was just plain stupid.
I know. I lived through his term.
Carter made more of us young democrat voting Americans come to be Reagan conservatives than anyone who was or is presently a Republican.
Fact.

This is how "good" Republicans self-destruct, from the inside. They break step and whine.
Too stupid to handle success are we?
First Christie Todd Whitman's stupid book and now this guy's dumb proclamation of fear.
Two great examples of our fear of succeeding.

49 posted on 01/03/2005 3:16:09 PM PST by ThirstyMan (Why is it, all the dead vote for Democrats?)
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To: mlbford2; MarkeyD
I'm an atheist and the radical secular/socialist left terrifies me. That said, I'm not sure I can quite agree with: I know quite a few conservative atheists who feel the same way.

The fundamental link between conservatives is the shared Judeo-Christian morality that underpins their politics...I am not sure you truly can be a conservative atheist. That is not to say that you cannot be on the right side of politics, but just that you cannot be truly a conservative.

50 posted on 01/03/2005 3:16:26 PM PST by blanknoone (The two big battles left in the War on Terror are against our State dept and our media.)
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To: cougar_mccxxi

I even scare myself sometimes! /sarcasm


51 posted on 01/03/2005 3:16:33 PM PST by TexasCajun
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To: cougar_mccxxi

So what's your point in posting this? Another Bush hater wrote a column about hating Bush. I'd be interested to know what your thoughts are on the religious right. Does it scare you?


52 posted on 01/03/2005 3:17:08 PM PST by SittinYonder (Tancredo and I wanna know what you believe)
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To: cougar_mccxxi

This person sets up straw menand posits a situation that patently does not exist thus throwing into doubt for me all he said in the first part of the piece.


53 posted on 01/03/2005 3:17:34 PM PST by ThanhPhero ( Nguoi hanh huong den La Vang)
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To: cougar_mccxxi
Christians act as if Bush and his fellow Republicans have ushered in the Millennial Kingdom.

They do? Well, as we all know, Christians are a simple sort of folk.

More than that, the Religious Right appears to believe that G.W. Bush is the anointed vicar of Christ.

They do? More evidence of their touching simplicity.

As such, in the minds of the Religious Right, Bush's war in Iraq is a holy crusade.

Well, as long as it is only in their minds, which are rather simple, not to worry.

The willingness of the Religious Right to give President Bush king-like subservience is easily seen in the way they demonize anyone who dares to oppose him. This is very unnerving.

One might even say it is sKerry.

54 posted on 01/03/2005 3:17:47 PM PST by siunevada
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To: cougar_mccxxi
Consider the source. This guy is trying to pull Conservatives from the Republican party and if successful, will efectively "Perot" the next Republican candidate. The left will be ready, no doubt.

If you recall, Carter even taught Sunday School in a Southern Baptist Church while President.

And he was willing to kill thousands of unborn children at the same time.

America is fast taking on the shape of the old Holy Roman Empire and President Bush is quickly morphing into a modern day Caesar.

This is worthless babble. Caesar? LOL! You moron, Bush won't be re-elected. Sheesh, what a dope.

Are we witnessing the type of marriage between Church and State that America's founders originally feared?

How can you even charge this given the fact that we can't even say MERRY CHRISTMAS in our public schools, or even quote the Declaration of Independence?

So what is this guy's suggestion? Vote for him and his Constitutional Party candidate? If so, then we're guaranteed to have activist, pro-abortion judges, eroded gun rights, higher taxes on married couples. You'll be more likely to see (IMHO) elimination of the tax exemption of churches, the fencing in of anything Christian except when in the home or church, the proliferation of sexual perversion (since there will be no limits on anything coming from Hollywood).

This guy is a NUT.

55 posted on 01/03/2005 3:17:51 PM PST by ConservativeBamaFan
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To: cougar_mccxxi
Yet, Carter, in his personal life, demonstrated as much, if not more, Christianity than does George W. Bush. If you recall, Carter even taught Sunday School in a Southern Baptist Church while President.

Carter has embraced every communist thug and dictator on the planet. Being a Sunday school teacher doesn't change that he is a world class schmuck.

56 posted on 01/03/2005 3:17:59 PM PST by peyton randolph (CAIR supports TROP terrorists)
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To: Neever

The fact that this guy's last name is "Baldwin" I find very suspicious to say the least. Could this guy be Alec on Crack?


57 posted on 01/03/2005 3:18:35 PM PST by wmileo
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To: Mr.Clark

>>I'm a Christian conservative, and I have some problems with the movement, but this guy is nuts.<<

You ripped the words right out of my mouth.

I have found that I have some problems with ALL movements for one simple reason: The all include flawed human beings...

But this guy goes way over the top.


58 posted on 01/03/2005 3:18:44 PM PST by RobRoy (Science is about "how." Christianity is about "why.")
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To: cougar_mccxxi

Yawn.


59 posted on 01/03/2005 3:19:08 PM PST by Chad Fairbanks (I'd like to find your inner child and kick its little ass)
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To: cougar_mccxxi

bump 'til later


60 posted on 01/03/2005 3:19:37 PM PST by knarf (A place where anyone can learn anything ... especially that which promotes clear thinking.)
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