Ebola and the American Christian Right: Fine-tuned Nincompoopery

Ebola virus

Ebola and the American Christian Right: Fine-tuned Nincompoopery

This country’s Christian Right, at least some of its more prominent voices, spokespeople, are at it again, defying reason in their rush to see signs of the Second Coming wherever. In this respect many of them see the Ebola virus, and the possibility of it exploding as a full-scale pandemic, as “a sign.” But then they tend to see everything as a “sign” of the Second Coming, be it Middle Eastern wars, the Black uprising against police abuse at Ferguson, Missouri, 9-11, the 2008 global financial crisis, you name it.

Many of them not only see Ebola as a “sign” but, like the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as a welcome sign suggesting the day of the Lord is closer at hand. Perhaps. But their campaign seems well coordinated the overall Republican Party campaign to use the Ebola crisis issue as a last ditch vehicle, a kind of “October Surprise” to push Republican candidates over the top in the upcoming mid-term elections but exaggerating the fear campaign concerning Ebola’s possible spread here in the USA. Don’t be surprised if the campaign loses some of its luster and hysteria after November 4.

The religious right’s grasping on to ebola is reminiscent of a recent idiot cocaine-brain-soaked U.S. president, who, carried away with his air force jump suit, and speaking of the unending war on terrorism he was about to launch, said,  “Bring Them On.” So it is with Ebola. Bring it on…it would simply dumb if it weren’t so cruel, actually taking joy in the suffering of others, West Africans in this case. They are such a frightening, seethingly fascist element in our midst, the Christian Right, one that continues to grow and influence our body politic. Imagine, smiling, “rooting on” human suffering because it fits their pathetically narrow framework of the cosmos.

Here are a few case studies:

John Hagee has long called for Washington to attack Iran, Syria, anywhere frankly that might hasten the apocalypse. The spokesperson for the 1.8 million strong Christian’s United For Israel, explained the true causes of the Ebola epidemic for those of less mentally and intellectually endowed and in need, as I have been all my life, of “spiritual guidance.” In case you didn’t know it, Ebola is “God’s punishment for dividing Jerusalem.

OK…let’s work through the logic of this one. How did Hagee make the jump from West Africa, to Occupied East Jerusalem? “God” is upset that Jerusalem has been “divided.” When did that happen? Hmmm – here I thought both sectors of the city were just occupied by Israel since the 1967 war and that since, each Israeli government as done its best to gobble up pieces of the Arab sector and build illegal settlements there. Has the occupation ended and East Jerusalem become the capitol of an independent Palestinian state? And “God” is so upset by this prospect that he has inflicted the Ebola virus on…the people of West Africa. Right.

Thanks John, I read somewhere you played college football; I guess, like ex-President Gerry Ford, you got hit in the head one too many times. Hagee will be speaking (again) at one of his favorite Colorado watering holes, the Faith Bible Chapel of Arvada this weekend (October 18) to celebrate its “Night to Honor Israel,” an annual event for the chapel. The Faith Bible Chapel has a long-standing active relationship to help build West Bank (Palestine) settlements. Watching some of Denver’s most prominent rabbis and Jewish community leaders honor Hagee at the Faith Bible Chapel a few years back (I was there protesting Hagee’s presence) made me wonder.

Not to be outdone by Hagee, Rick Wiles, Colorado Springs Christian talk show host, chipped in his words of wisdom about Ebola commenting how the virus could affect this country’s social problems: “the virus “could solve America’s problems with atheism, homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, pornography and abortion.” He goes on to warn “If Ebola becomes a global plague you better make sure the blood of Jesus is upon you.” Let’s think about the genocidal implications of this statement for a moment – “could solve …problems” by wiping out the said populations. It has a nice Nazi ring to it, no?

Wiles’ comments hearken back to a 1988 quote from Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s hubbie. But then British Royalty have long flirted with and have been drawn to – fascist trends. Many of them had something of a hard-on for Hitler; many of them still believe in eugenics, the White Man’s Burden and other illusions, pretexts for oppression. Some of the most reactionary among them, like the good prince himself, have long hidden behind the veil of population control. These days they rarely articulate which populations they’d like to control, but more often than not it is the non-white peoples of the Third World, Africa in particular. It is, no doubt, in the spirit of Sir Francis Galton, the “father of eugenics”  that the good prince was quoted as saying “In the event that I am re-incarnated (good luck Phil), I would like to return as a deadly virus, in order to contribute something to solve overpopulation.” A touch of Malthus? Eugenics? Rosenberg? He must love Ebola which strikes down Black Africans to Westerners at the rate of about 1000 to 1.

Then there is Don Vennidge, spokesperson of Children of God for Life, who issued a press release claiming that the Obama Administration is “completely irresponsible” for fast tracking a vaccine to counter the Ebola virus because several of the potential vaccines “are made using aborted fetal cells” despite the fact that “moral alternatives are equally effective.” Is it that the vaccine might work and thus slow, however briefly, the Christian fundamentalist longing for the apocalypse such folks drone on about ad nauseam?

Finely tuned ninconpoopery? Could be….but with extensive media outlets and an ocean of funding to repeat their flaky (and bigoted) messages to lost souls of which there are many in this country. Goebbels’ classic statement about repeating lies often enough seems to strike a chord. Beyond that there is the fact that all this religious mumbo jumbo clouds explanations for what is actually happening, to a certain degree justifies it. God’s will? God’s punishment? Who is getting left off the hook here?