I magine for a moment living in Afghanistan when it was ruled by the Taliban. I doubt that any of us would willingly choose to live under such a regime. The Taliban are against almost everything we advocate: freedom, equality, tolerance, learning, and openness to other traditions. Imagine for a moment being a woman in such a society. Imagine being gay. The Taliban’s repression and rigidity turned an entire society into a kind of prison. The authoritarianism created a reign of terror. Of course, from our perspective, the Taliban seem very foreign and exotic. But let’s take a closer look at their world view. First, they are religious fundamentalists. They believe that all truth is contained in their holy book and that their interpretation of scripture is the only correct interpretation. Everything else is heresy. They also believe that it is their sacred duty to impose the one true way upon everyone. They seek to use the power of government to impose a reactionary religious agenda. Religious fundamentalists. Belief that all truth is contained in sacred scripture. Certainty that their interpretation of scripture is correct. Determination to use the power of government to impose a reactionary religious agenda. This, of course, has a disturbing ring of familiarity. The specific content of reactionary fundamentalist ideologies is different. They arise from different religious traditions and they have different sacred texts. Yet deep down they are all soul mates. They all believe that there are clear answers to life’s questions, that they have the answer, and that the answer is in their sacred book as they read it. And all fundamentalists believe that they are justified in imposing a social, cultural and political regime on those who disagree, because if you disagree you are a godless agent of evil. Fundamentalists share the belief that they should use the power of government to achieve their ends.
A couple of years ago I got into a bit of trouble when, at a press conference, I called Focus on the Family the American Taliban. I was trying to make the point that, just like the Taliban, Focus on the Family was trying to use the power of government to impose a reactionary religious agenda. Sadly, the problem is far, far greater than just our reactionary neighbors down Interstate 25. America has its own Taliban. Our Taliban is the religious right.
I know this sounds like name-calling. And I know that this characterization might seem needlessly inflammatory and confrontational. However, if we take a careful look at the world views of fundamentalist Islam and fundamentalist Christianity, the parallels are striking. If we simply substitute the Bible for the Koran, we see two ideologies that are virtually interchangeable. Both are intellectually rigid. Both reject a modern worldview. Both are patriarchal and authoritarian. Both seek to return women to a position of inferiority that they had centuries ago. Both are utterly intolerant of sexual orientations other than heterosexuality. Both see other cultural and religious traditions as inferior and evil. Both worship a God that is judgmental and who condones violence. Both are addicted to having scapegoats. The Taliban are hysterical in their opposition to Jews and the West. The religious right is hysterical about gays and lesbians. Now, just in case the term “America’s Taliban” is not inflammatory enough, I believe that America’s religious right is also neofascist. I am absolutely serious. Look at classical fascism as it existed in Spain, Italy and Argentina. (I am not including Nazi Germany in this list because most political scientists consider National Socialism as something different from fascism, even though there are many similarities.) Fascism, though it varied from country to country, had three essential elements: militarism, nationalism, and reactionary religion. Consider, for example, Spain under Francisco Franco. Without the legitimacy it received from the church, Franco’s regime could not have existed. The same was true for Mussolini in Italy. Now consider at how our own religious right supports extreme nationalism and militarism. This is an updated version of the classic fascist formula. This is what I mean when I say that the agenda of America’s religious right can be seen as a modern variety of fascism. Make no mistake about it, neofascism fueled by religious fundamentalism is thriving in America. Thankfully, it is far from a majority. However, the influence of the religious right is far out of proportion to its size. Just look at the tone of much of the debate around immigration. Consider the bitter and divisive anti-gay campaigns of the last 20 years. The debate about teaching creationism as science in our public schools is ongoing. In an obvious nod to the religious right, the majority of the Republican candidates for president this year said that they do not believe in evolution. The most extreme elements of the religious right have had effective veto power on appointments to the Supreme Court for a generation.
Now, my point in highlighting similarities between the Taliban and the religious right and similarities between classical fascism and the religious right is not to create panic. And I’m not engaging in irresponsible name-calling. However, anyone who is not troubled by fundamentalism in our culture does not appreciate the harm the religious right can do and is doing. In this morning’s chalice lighting we heard how even our secular public schools bend over backwards to accommodate fundamentalists and even tolerate the bullying of students who do not share their views.
A central problem for religious liberals and for progressive people is how to relate to the most reactionary and dangerous forces around us. This is what I want to explore today. What are we to do about the religious right? Should we be alarmed? Should we seek common ground and cooperation? Should we focus on education and gentle persuasion? Should we be in open conflict, raising a loud prophetic voice and seeking to block their every move? What is the moral and ethical thing to do? What is most effective? What guidance do our religious values give us?
As I look at the history of reactionary movements here in America and across the world, I see progressive people making the same mistake over and over. We never take the threat seriously enough. The sad truth is that progressive people in general and religious liberals in particular tend to be naive. We consistently fail to appreciate humanity’s capacity for evil. We under estimate the power of fear and ignorance.
At the level of public discourse, I believe that we need to be as cunning, passionate, and relentless as the religious right. I am so pleased to see our congregation’s growing involvement in public discourse over the last few years. Our peace liberty and justice task force does excellent work. Our day at the legislature trips are not only educational, but they serve as witness that religious people care about compassion and tolerance. We played a leadership role in establishing and supporting the Colorado Interfaith Alliance. At the national an international level, our association and our service committee do an outstanding job advocating for human rights and for peace. I know the number of us are not comfortable with taking stands. I know that there are people here this morning who believe that we should avoid controversy. I am sympathetic with their peace-loving impulses. I am also sympathetic to the view that we are ultimately a religious organization, not a political one. However, I also believe we should all be haunted by the memory of how churches helped support fascist regimes and how the German churches stood idly by as the Nazis came to power. I would rather be vigilant and even a bit strident rather than keep silent as the forces of fear and ignorance advance their agenda. The sad truth is that, under the guise of tolerance, we progressives end up being enablers of the most reactionary and dangerous forces in society. Evil can only carry the day if good people stand by and allow it. This is what happens when horrible repression and violence occur. Slavery and apartheid existed because decent people tolerated them. Racism and economic exploitation exist because good people tolerate them. Sometimes we simply must take a stand. Sometimes remaining silent is not tolerance, it is cowardice.
Of course, it isn’t enough to criticize. If we stay at the level of criticism and opposition, we do nothing to advance those values that we hold sacred: compassion, human dignity, acceptance of one another, cooperation, peace and stewardship of our fragile planet. Yes, at times, we must be fierce in the public arena. We must speak truth to power and defend the vulnerable. But that is only part of our work. We must also lead by example. We must show that there is a far better alternative to fundamentalism. Our individual and collective lives must demonstrate another way to live. We must show others that we religious liberals can lead reverent, moral, meaningful and joyous lives without taking shelter in authoritarianism, anti-intellectualism and narrow tribalism. Incidentally, I must add here that to be against the religious right is not to be anti-Christian. The essence of Christianity is love. True Christianity is about putting love into action. It is about creating a nurturing community, about protecting the helpless and helping the poor. Christianity is not about intolerance, authoritarianism and anti-intellectualism. The religious right is not a Christian movement. It is a perversion of the Christian tradition. In opposing the religious right and we can join hands with millions of liberal and mainline Christians. After all, our movement has its roots in liberal Christianity.
One of the best ways that we can advance the cause of compassion and justice is to grow our movement. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are seeking deep spirituality and religious community that is free of dogma, free of guilt and tolerant of other religious traditions. Hundreds of thousands are seeking a spiritual home where they can join hands with others to make a positive difference in the world. One of the best ways that we can counter the destructive tendencies of the religious right is to do a better job of opening our religious home to others. The recent growth of this congregation and dozens of our sister congregations is proof of the deep longing people have for liberal religious community. Sadly, our movement has not done nearly enough to embrace and include newcomers. If we are to be powerful force for good, we must harness not only our own power but also the power of others who share our values and our commitment to build a better world.
I have spoken about our public witness and our movement. Now I would like to talk about our personal interactions with our fundamentalists neighbors, coworkers, friends and family. While I believe very strongly that we must engage passionately in the cultural conflict that surrounds us, things are very different at the personal level. We have to remember that ultimately fundamentalism is driven by fear. People succumb to fundamentalism out of fear -- fear of the unknown, uncertainty about their place in the world, fear for their children, and fear of a world that seems out of control. Fundamentalism offers certainty, meaning and structure. The proper response to someone who is afraid is not to argue with him or her. It never works. The proper response is compassion, kindness and understanding. It takes time. It takes patience.
In the final analysis, the great question of how to relate to the religious right comes down to a question of how you and I can see the religious life. There is a profoundly mistaken notion that a deeply spiritual life involves retreating from the world. Yet if we look at all the great teachers and religious leaders throughout history, their lives teach us a very different lesson. The religious life is an engaged life. Yes, each of us needs times of reflection, rest, and renewal. But these periods of reflection must be preparation for a deeper engagement. No great religious tradition teaches escapism. Look at Jesus, at Gandhi, at Martin Luther King Jr., at Mother Theresa, and hundreds of others. The truly religious life is a life that puts love into practice. The truly religious life confronts those forces that diminish life, that cut us off from one another, that cause pain and suffering. In our time, one of the great dangers we confront is an epidemic of fundamentalism that is driven by fear and by ignorance. Our religious duty is to bear witness to another way. Our religious duty is to confront the forces of fear in the public arena. But this is only the beginning. We must do more. We must also be a viable alternative. We must open our hearts and our doors to the legions of people who see the world beyond hatred, beyond exploitation, beyond our narrow tribalisms.
My prayer is that together we have the strength, the courage and the conviction to be the alternative our world so desperately needs. May we have the courage to confront the forces of neofascism. May we have the commitment to build a movement that is a powerful force for good. And finally, may we have the understanding and compassion to help others move beyond fear. Fear and ignorance need not prevail. You and I are called to be witnesses for love, understanding and hope. Let us rise to the challenge. May it be so.
Amen.