Voter apathy guide; or why not voting in this election could kill you

By P. Benetti

Originally printed 4/15/2004 (Issue 1216 - Between The Lines News)

So it's an alarmist title. As the old saying goes, you're not paranoid if they really are out to get you, right? Let us examine why such a title is merited, and answer the questions of who "they" are, what "they" want, as well as why you and every other Queer person should be motivated to action as never before.

"They" are the Religious Right, the Christian Coalition and other followers of a political movement known as "Christian Reconstructionism." They are far more insidious and dangerously focused than people like Fred Phelps of God Hates Fags fame. There are relatively few of them, yet they have managed to take control of the Republican Party and its apparatus at the local, state and national level, and are poised to take control of the judicial system as well.

"So what," you may say, believing there are more reasonable people than there are religious zealots. There are. There is only one problem; we don't vote. Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, in the 1990 publication of "The Millennium" states, "With the apathy that exists today, a small, well-organized minority can influence the selection of candidates to an astonishing degree."

It doesn't matter that we (moderates and progressives) may be in the majority, as long as we sit on our hands in mid-term and local elections and let them have their way. And believe me, if they have their way we have a lot to fear. That extremists have taken over the Republican Party should be evident in the choice of issues being placed before voters. Gay marriage is only the most obvious front of the culture war. There are also bills being considered to allow tax dollars to fund new church construction, subvert a woman's right to abortion, and drastically increase censorship.

What they really want is theocracy in America.

When we think of theocracy we tend to think of the Taliban, or Islamic nations. While there are a few Islamic theocracies, the term refers to any government whose leaders claim a mandate from God. Typically civil liberties don't fare well under theocratic regimes, and democracy is incompatible with it; the party line is mindless obedience to the rulers because God ordained them. Of course, anyone who dares to disagree with these "divinely appointed" heads of state then becomes a heretic, and unbeliever, an abomination in God's own nostrils. All punishments that follow are of necessity Biblically prescribed.

The last time a Christian theocracy was in control of anything (the Spanish Inquisition was its enforcement arm) there were witch-burnings and "heretics" were stoned to death.

What can we look for post-election if these people have their way? These are a few of the core beliefs of Christian Reconstructionists as expressed by some of their leaders and by Religious Tolerance.org:

"We want to fund programs that save Americans one soul at a time." President George W. Bush, January, 2004, in a speech in New Orleans.

"The civil government of our nation, its laws, institutions, and practices must therefore be conformed to the principles of Biblical law as revealed in the Old and New Testaments." The Christian Statesman.

"Feminist ideology highlights the damaging tendency of feminism's sexual liberation to undermine the sanctity of marriage and deprive women of lasting happiness." Family Research Council.

"People will be executed for adultery, blasphemy, heresy, idolatry, prostitution, evil sorcery, etc. The Bible requires those found guilty of these "crimes" to be either stoned to death or burned alive." www.religioustolerance.org.

"The status of women would be reduced to almost that of a slave. A woman would initially be considered the property of her father; after marriage, she would be considered the property of her husband." http://www.religioustolerance.org.

"The Bible permits slavery...the biblical laws concerning slavery are among the most beneficent in all the Bible...." David Chilton, Productive Christians in an Age of Guilt Manipulators (Tyler, TX: Institute for Christian Economics, 1981), pp. 61-62.

"The church today has fallen prey to the heresy of democracy." R.J. Rushdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law (Nutley, NJ: Craig Press, 1973), p. 747.

"The civil government should execute homosexuals...this has to be taught and preached to society 'til almost all accept it. Then there will hardly be any homosexuals and other similar problems which would require execution." Rev. R. Aasman

It is important to remember that these views represent a determined minority. It is also of the utmost importance for every Queer person reading this to become as involved in the political process as possible. It isn't enough to simply overwhelm their online polls; we need to show up at the voting booths and proclaim our right to exist through our votes.