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Sunday, August 17, 2008

Obama, McCain, Saddleback, and "Clean Slate" Christianity

Posted by Jill | 1:01 PM

As regular readers of this blog know, I have very little use for organized religion. From where I'm sitting, if believing some doctrine helps you get through this God-forsaken level of reality, then more power to you. Believe away. Where I draw the line is in any attempt to turn any religion into some kind of official belief system, sanctioned by the state.

I work with a woman who's an evangelical Christian. She's more of a "do good deeds" Christian than a "kill the gays" or "kill the liberals" or "keep evolution out of the public schools" kind of Christian. She has never once tried to proseletyze me, for all that she often spends vacations in inner-city neighborhoods leading a group of teenagers in efforts of conversion. It's live and let live, and we've both been fine with that, even though she knows where I stand.

What's always bothered me about the kind of Christianity that's about faith not deeds is that it demands nothing of the believer. Even if I were inclined to believe that a Jewish guy got nailed to a cross 2000 years ago to cleanse the sins of the world, I don't think I'd see it as a free pass to do whatever the hell I want. And yet, for some believers, particularly some of the more holier-than-thou types in politics, believing this doctrine does exactly that.

It seems to me that if someone went through that kind of torment for us, the least we should do is strive to be worthy of that kind of sacrifice. And yet, time after time, we have seen so-called Christian politicians invoke the sacrifice of Joshua of Nazareth as a kind of all-purpose cleansing cloth for the soul. "God has forgiven me" or "Jesus died for my sins" doesn't hold anywhere near the moral weight, as far as I'm concerned, as weighing the morality of one's deeds when faced with moral choices, and choosing the moral path just because it's the right thing to do. I wonder if this kind of "clean slate" Christianity just makes it too easy. Whether it's David Vitter patronizing prostitutes in New Orleans and then railing about the sanctity of marriage, or Larry Craig referring to Bill Clinton as "a very nasty boy" and then years later looking for sex with men in an airport rest room, or yes, John Edwards falling for some of the worst pickup lines in recorded history and still not being able to handle the idea of two guys who want to get married, I wonder if this Doctrine of Easy Forgiveness, instead of creating a moral standard to which we should strive to reach, actually creates a sense of infallibility -- that because Jesus died for our sins, we can do whatever the hell we want without consequences. After all, if all you need do to get into heaven is to believe this story, and that deeds don't matter, what's the point of doing good? I mean, if it doesn't buy you, say, a better table at the Pearly Gates Cafeteria, why not have the fun?

I thought about this after reading the very different responses given by Barack Obama and John McCain last night when asked by Rick Warren what Christianity means to them on a daily basis. From a PR Newswire press release:

When Warren asked Obama about what Christianity means to him on a daily basis, the Senator responded, "It means I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and that I am redeemed through Him. That is a source of strength and sustenance on a daily basis. I know that I don't walk alone. But what it also means, I think, is a sense of obligation to embrace not just words, but also through deeds and expectations that God has for us. And that means thinking about the least of these - acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with our God."

In response to that same question about his personal Christian faith, McCain replied, "It means I am saved and forgiven."

What Obama seems to be getting at here, is that the sacrifice of Jesus is not a get out of jail free card, but instead a reminder of what we are capable of enduring when we must, and also of the obligation that sacrifice demands of us; that we are redeemed through following the path of sacrifice and justice and mercy.

Contrast that to John McCain, the one who used the passive voice to describe "the failure of" his first marriage, as if it was just some kind of "stuff happens" random event, instead of the act of a man with so little moral center that he thought it perfectly OK to cast aside a wife who waited for him for five years, just because she had encountered adversity in the form of an automobile accident, and trade her in for a young, pretty heiress who could bankroll a political career. To John McCain, the crucifixion places no obligation on him whatsoever. That Joshua of Nazareth got nailed to a cross is his own misfortune, not McCain's -- but John McCain still gets to reap the benefits of that sacrifice.

As if anticipating people like me writing things like this, McCain went on:

"Our Judeo-Christian principles dictate that we do what we can to help people who are oppressed throughout the world. I would like to tell you that I still think that even in the worst places in the world today, they still harbor this hope and dream someday to be like us and have freedom and democracy. We remain, my friends, the most unusual experiment in history and I'm privileged to spend every day of my life in it. I know what it is like to be without it."

But that's a political statement, not a spiritual one. The minute he adds "Judeo-" to the "Christian" in that discussion, it becomes about politics, not about Christianity, because Judaism does not allow for the divinity of Joshua of Nazareth. He also falls for the notion that our country is somehow divinely-inspired, and as such is a kind of Jesus-for-the-world; a beacon of democracy, as if democracy were codified in the Bible he claims to take as a holy book. His expansion of his remarks is about dogwhistling to the audience, not about an expression of what Christianity means to him personally. What it means to him personally is right there in his first sentence: "I am forgiven." Spoken as only a narcissistic man with a guilty conscience can.

Someone once told me that the reason it always seems to be conservative Christians who get caught in the infidelity trap when it occurs in high-profile politicians is that Satan specifically targets Christians -- as if God and Satan were the stars in some kind of cosmic Kevin Smith movie, playing skee-ball for money, with souls as the currency of choice -- and Satan gets extra double bonus points for Christians who succumb to temptation. I'll throw John Edwards into this equation too, because as a Southern Baptist, he also fits the profile of the "faith not deeds" Christian.

I disagree with this notion, because it's part of a narcissistic theology that posits a spiritually cataclysmc event in the history of mankind as being All About Me. Jesus died for ME. Satan targets ME. It's all about ME.

Sorry, but ME and YOU and US just aren't that important in the larger sphere of things. Morality, the ability to weigh two options and make choices, even when one choice involves sacrifice, is what sets us apart as humans. And nothing, not even the excruciating pain of a man who may have lived and died over two millennia ago, takes away our responsibility to honor that ability. Not even John McCain gets to escape that responsiblity -- or the consequences of making the wrong choices.

Labels: religion

13 comments

13 Comments:

Anonymous said...

This is the best synopsis of yesterday's CNN program I've read. You've really outdone yourself with this analysis.

8/17/08, 5:27 PM

The Minstrel Boy said...

the main thing that bugs me about the whole "christian" movement is that they begin their arguments from such a backward place. i get tired of explaining to them that no, this is not a christian country, no, the founders were not mostly ministers, no, they didn't purposefully establish christianity as the national religion.

they went out of their way to ensure that there would not be an established religion. john adams, and the delegates from maryland had come from colonies that were religious in their construction and government and had seen the inevitable corruption that was systemic in those places. rhode island became a colony as a direct result of the intolerance of massachussetts. the baptists, a small fringe sect in georgia were mightily concerned that a state sanctioned religion would wipe their movement out.

the first synagogue in newport rhode island went so far as to write the first president, george washington, to see if they might "expect tolerance" for their beliefs under the constitution.

washington, in a letter that is still displayed in the entry hall of that synagogue, wrote back that tolerance would not be forthcoming because that would imply that they would be existing at the whim of a majority. instead, they would have liberty. the liberty to believe and behave how they will.

jefferson famously wrote:

it makes no difference to me if nieghbor worships one god, many gods, or no god at all. it neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

it wears me out having to waste so much time breaking down their absolute misconceptions. usually it leaves me with no energy at all for trying to deal with them.

i tell them to read "the federalist papers" and leave it at that.

then i go home and shower.

8/17/08, 5:33 PM

Anonymous said...

...or Larry Craig referring to Bill Clinton as "a very nasty boy" and then years later looking for sex with men in an airport rest room...

Well, except that "very nasty" means something entirely different these days than it did when we were kids. Sounds to me like Craig was pretty hot for WJC.

8/17/08, 6:16 PM

Fran said...

Applause, applause, applause. Brava to brilliance. You have done an outstanding job here.

I do not want to hijack the comments, so I will try to be brief. As a religious person I found this post and this interpretation beyond compare... DCup is right, you have outdone yourself, but I am saying it from a different perspective.

Please indulge me - I would like to address the minstrel boy with due respect, not all Christians feel the way you describe. I know many who do and I can promise you that they are as offensive to you as they are to me. I agree with everything you say other than the use of the word "whole" and the implication that we are coming from a backward place.

Trust me, even as involved as deeply as I am in organized religion, I am ever aware of its dangers and the need for others to impose their will. That is not the country we are living in, although many will want to make it that way.

Obama, sincere or not, spoke as I would expect someone who follows Christ to speak. McCain spoke as someone who goes through the motions.

This is no place for me to discuss the dynamics of salvation, but I can say that you did a good job of doing just that when saying that something might be expected of people.

And that a bunch of asshats who walk around with their entitled forgiveness and then act with impunity is not exactly what the point was or is.

OK, shutting up now. This post is brilliant at breakfast or any other time.

Thank you so much.

8/17/08, 8:05 PM

Fran said...

8/17/08, 8:05 PM

Greg said...

Great post, Jill. I agree wholeheartedly.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26)

8/17/08, 8:42 PM

Christy said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

8/17/08, 11:00 PM

Wormwood's Doxy said...

Fran sent me--and I agree with her and Dcup. Great post.

All the Christians I know *do* believe that actions are more important than signing up to a set of beliefs---Jesus himself said that only those who had fed the hungry, cared for the sick, clothed the naked, and visited those in prison would enter the kingdom of heaven.

Of course, I'm a progressive Episcopalian, which means that to most of the crowd to which BaB and the Minstrel Boy refer, I'm not a Christian at all. So there is that...

Pax,
Doxy

8/18/08, 7:45 AM

Anonymous said...

Oh well said well said. IFran sent me too. I'm so glad I came over. I'm checking you out and sigh, probably adding ANOTHER must read feed to my list. I'll put you on my next blogroll update next week end. Great post!

8/18/08, 4:03 PM

Unknown said...

I am a pastor who just came across your blog - and agree with much of what you have said concerning Christians. There is a term called "easy believism" that describes do-nothing Christianity. Obviously I believe that Jesus did die for the sin of humanity. But the bible describes true Christianity as a life that has been transformed by God's power. There are thousands of real Christians today who are persecuted, tortured and killed for their faith... the real thing. I have never responded to a blog - but so appreciate your thoughts on this subject and the candidates. JD

8/18/08, 4:08 PM

Odd Chick said...

I am a follower of Jesus's reality of the world and believe everything He said. But, sadly, I also agree with you about the majority of Christ's followers - Christians, somehow most of us left Him out and led our own lives self-righteously under His banner. Again, that's why He took the hit because we would never get it right.
I do have to disagree with your shallow analysis of McCain. He has lived a very sacrificial life, not a perfect one, but his heroic actions in the face of severe trial, proves the very point you made about walking the talk, and you totally left that out.

8/19/08, 1:28 PM

Mauigirl said...

Great post - totally agree about the "clean slate Christianity." The people I've known who are what I consider to be true Christians are those who walk the talk - an old boss of mine was one of them - he used to take his vacation in poor areas of the United States and work with Habitat for Humanity to build houses for the poor. He always treated everyone kindly - was never mean-spirited - was generous and loving. He did not judge. He was (and is) a true Christian.

These other people who think they have a get-out-of-jail-free card are not.

8/21/08, 12:43 AM

Jaliya said...

Hi, Jill ... this is my first visit to your site ... I linked via FranIAm ... I didn't see the program, but have been reading up on it. Interesting to note that Rick Warren is TIME Magazine's cover story this week.

What comes to my mind is the "active" vs. "passive" responses by Obama and McCain. I can see how those with a literal and simplistic view of salvation could unconsciously (?) believe that since Christ died for everyone's sins, and that humanity is fallen and evil from the get-go, we may as well give in to our basest impulses and do what we're destined to do. We're already forgiven, right? -- so we can do whatever we want.

I see a link between this tone of belief and the insistence on rights, with the emphasis -- as you wrote -- on "MY" rights.

What about responsibilities, I wonder...

Obama's statement implies a consideration of responsibilities, and a willingness to act on them. I do not subscribe to Christian belief, but respect Jesus as a sage, a master of ethics. To my eye, he was all about responsibility -- "Walk your talk" was his underlying message. "Do unto others," he said. "Love one another." His statements are written in the active voice. He's not inviting his followers to sit back and pander to the passive voice. (I notice John's post and his words, "easy-believism.")

We all take information and wisdom into our minds, and conform it to our own beliefs, don't we ...

8/21/08, 11:17 AM