Christian Fascism in Australia?

[redstar2000]

From Australia...


Beware the religious invasion of our polity

Brian Rotman in the London Review of Books sums up American chosen-ness thus: ". . . in America, where every dollar bill proclaims the nation's trust in God, where school children pledge allegiance each morning to God and the United States, where Jesus rules the patriotic lives of tens of millions . . . belief in the Almighty and the ongoing maintenance of American national identity are inseparable. Nowhere is this more evident and dangerous than in the fusion of evangelical Christianity and extreme-right imperialism that now controls the levers of American power. In thrall to the Bible and convinced once again of its Manifest Destiny, American exceptionalism continues to remake the world in its own image."

Whatever happens in America happens in Australia 10 years later. Already Australia is drawn into the aura of American arrogance and ruthless militarism. Is it possible that the organisations that have been so influential in controlling the Republican Party and the national agenda, could also be infiltrating political institutions here?

We tend to reassure ourselves that the average Australian is too naturally sceptical to fall for religious demagoguery, but the sinister elegance of the Dominionist program is that it doesn't care what the hoi polloi think as long as the ruling elite are doing God's will. And here we enter the realm of speculation.

When Peter Costello and John Howard turn up at Pentecostalist "prosperity" churches, apparently endorsing the new version of the Gospels that proclaims that God makes the good rich, are they attending as true believers or are they cynically appealing to a new constituency?

Full Text (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/04/16/1113509965969.html?oneclick=true)

(Thanks to Comrade Blackberry for forwarding this item to me.)

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[Monty Cantsin]

this is a really big problem….there is a growing movement of Christians fundamentalists in the outer suburbs of Sydney which like the article said middle class people thinking that god is great because he brings wealth to the faithful. As a political movement john Howard has said that religious beliefs are personal and his not going to bring them into politics but then Costello goes to big church groups to talk up the government and tell people how much he loves Jesus. What is interesting about all this though is that they only christen party that got anywhere was the “family first” party with 4% of the national vote but I think that’s more the flash name rather then what they stand for….they hide what they are, saying their not a christen party even though the founders are all Pentecostalists who make commends about lesbians being the spawn of the devil and evil bastards. But the greens are growing much faster with 7% or so of the national vote and the socialist alliance got 2% (not sure about that because it wasn’t an official source). But I think no one will vote for them when they all realises what they stand for because the are as Bob Brown(Green Party) called them “the Christian Taliban”


edit: the link doesnt work....

[redstar2000]

Jesus H. Fucking Christ!!! :angry:

This is the second time this has happened in the last couple of days. I post a link and check to make sure that it works...and then someone else tries it and up pops a motherfucking registration form!

You know what? I'm going to start posting the full text and those bastards can take their copyrights and shove them up their asses!!!

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[Monty Cantsin]

you know what? the last person to tell you the link didnt work was me....

[Palmares]

Sorry to go off-topic, but why didn't Comrade Blackberry post this?

[redstar2000]

Maybe because he's busy working on my new site...I hope! :P

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[marxist_socialist_aussie]

hey dude, I got into it fine (I'm registered there) but, I do question wether this trully will happen because, Australians in the end are pretty cynical. Yet, that said, it is a bit scarry to notice the rise of these pentacostal churches. there is one around 15-20minutes drive from my house and I've heard what they talk about and preach there and it is fucking nasty. So much hate against those who are different, like gay people, but then again, recently one of these type of ministries up in Sydney got done in court through the racial and religious vilification law for saying some stuff about Islam, so things like that give me a bit of hope. Not good though, bloody bible bashers.

[fernando]

What does this have to do with fascism?

[Blackberry]

Originally posted by Cthenthar+Apr 19 2005, 02:08 PM--> (Cthenthar @ Apr 19 2005, 02:08 PM)Sorry to go off-topic, but why didn't Comrade Blackberry post this?[/b]
1. I forwarded the article to RedStar2000 in the thought that he might have found it useful information for future posts.

2. I had no idea that the article was going to be re-posted on here, let alone have my handle acknowledged as a forwardee(?).

3 Personally, I don't post news articles in full.

4. I don't post here anymore (oops, just did!), and very rarely read any of the posts.

One thing, though:


marxist_socialist_aussie
I do question wether this trully will happen because, Australians in the end are pretty cynical.

There is a contradiction in this so-called Australian cynicism of politicians.

From what I have generally observed, people in Australia like to pride themselves on being extremely sceptic and cynical in relation to politicians, but in the end they have made a habit of voting for these same figures they allegedly have great scepticism and cynicism of.

[redstar2000]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19 2005, 03:22 AM
What does this have to do with fascism?
Christian fascism (or clerical fascism) was a variant of fascist rule in Europe between the world wars in which extremely despotic regimes ruled with the active cooperation of the Catholic Church. Examples were Poland, Austria, Hungary, Croatia (after the fall of Yugoslavia), and, I think, some others.

Even Mussolini's Italy had a strong Christian fascist element.

Today in the U.S., what is called Christian fundamentalism or "the Christian Right" should properly be called Christian Fascism -- because that's what they actually want.

Obviously, some of these same elements are beginning to influence "mainstream" politics in Australia.

Not a good sign.

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[red_orchestra]

It is a sad thing to see the intense- religious right making a come back in some parts of the world. Jehovas Witness, Mormons (JC Latter Day Saints- types exclusively), Pentacostals, and other Evangelicals are all a part of this right wing swing.

humm, me thinks they won't last very long.

[Blackberry]

Originally posted by RedStar2000
Obviously, some of these same elements are beginning to influence "mainstream" politics in Australia.

Not a good sign.

Quite right.

The Hillsong Church in Sydney, an evangelical church, has become an (in)famous example of Christian fundamentalism taking hold of politics in Australia.

If you take a look at this picture (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200407/r25355_62701.jpg), you can see that it is like a stadium more than a church.

They get some 17,500 attend every weekend.

It is a lot more youth-orientated than churches normally are, very much seeking to put "fun" into church.

In fact, July last year they had a music album that hit number one on the mainstream chart, and they have also shipped millions of CDs overseas.

In addition, it has had people such as Treasurer Peter Costello and Health Minister Tony Abbott make speeches there.

Surprise, surprise, Abbott was the one who brought abortion back onto the national agenda before, during, and after the election and campaign.

To see just how political the Hillsong Church is, read this article (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200407/s1154350.htm).

[chebol]

Lib anger over guns flashed at meeting
By Damien Murphy and Gerard Noonan
April 18, 2005

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Lebanese Catholics recruited to the Liberal Party by the Christian right allegedly flashed pistols to intimidate opponents at a meeting to establish a new branch, according to a complaint lodged with NSW Liberal headquarters.

The recruits were spearheading an attempt by the Christian right to win control of preselections for federal and state seats in several upper North Shore Liberal electorates, including the Berowra seat of the federal Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock.

Branch stacking and counter-branch stacking has become so rife that the state Liberal Leader, John Brogden, specifically asked delegates at Saturday's Liberal state council at Homebush Bay to stop the factional brawling.

"I ask that you put aside your personal interests when it comes to preselection," Mr Brogden said. "We need to put our best foot forward.

"I don't care whether the candidate is a man or a woman, young or old; we need the best candidates."

The party's disputes panel has received several submissions from members about the inaugural meeting of a proposed Beaumont Hills branch in Kellyville on January 7, during which police were called to break up a melee.

The meeting became unruly when more than 100 right-wing supporters started arguing with several left-wingers, who arrived in buses with the MP for Hawkesbury, Steven Pringle.

One submission said several Lebanese supporters of a local political hopeful, David Baynie, had demonstrated that they had brought pistols, and that this had the effect of intimidating other members.

Mr Baynie, a developer with interests on the upper North Shore and the Central Coast, did not reply to requests by the Herald for an interview yesterday.

The increasingly powerful Christian right, and the Liberals' left faction, known as The Group, are battling for control of preselections in Berowra and Alan Cadman's federal seat of Mitchell, as well as the state seats of Epping, Hawkesbury, The Hills and Baulkham Hills.

Some of the branch stacks would even embarrass the Labor Party. The biggest Liberal stack in Berowra has happened in the Cherrybrook branch, where membership has risen from 18 a year ago to 202.

More than half the new members have been recruited from the Lebanese community.

Membership in the Dural branch has risen from 22 last year to 101 now. The Dural-Oakhill branch has almost doubled in size to 126. Berowra has 12 Liberal branches with a total membership of about 800.

Although the recruitment drive puts the Christian right in a strong position, it is not aimed at unseating Mr Ruddock, once one of the Liberals' leading moderates.

Now 62 years old, Mr Ruddock will be allowed to retire at his own choosing.

However, the Christian right leader and state upper house MP, David Clarke, is recruiting in order to wrest future Berowra preselections from Liberal moderates.

Meanwhile, the Liberals have established a selection process review committee to inquire into preselections and make recommendations for improvements.

The Beaumont Hills meeting and its aftermath is understood to comprise part of the committee's final report that will be submitted to the state council in June.

The conservative right wing recently ousted the left in elections for the Young Liberals and the women's council.

Elections for positions on the powerful state executive begin this week and will provide more insight into just how successful the sustained branch stacking by both sides has actually been.

[marxist_socialist_aussie]

true, they get large numbers for a church but that in itself speaks volumes, 'for a church', here there isn't that high a rate of atendance for churches anyway. Also, I think to link skepticism about politics and religion is slightly off base since, when you take Howard. people don't trust him about most things, but Aussies care about their own hip pocket and Howard has given them (the middle and upper classes) the economy and money they want. Furthermore, he is the one who is tough on refugees and in the end, Australian's don't like people of difference, hell, we basically like 'white' folk. Yet, I think with religion, we don't embrace it overly now and those evangelical churches do not get the best of press coverage here. Also, with Costello and Abbott, that was simply a political maneuvure and most of the public saw through it, even if they still voted for them. I am not saying they aren't something to be concerned about, all I am saying is that I don't believe they are that big a threat, at least at the moment.

[Commie Rat]

alll i can say is Famliy First Party *shudder*

right wing secular cristian nuts

who happen to be running for Austrailan Parliment

im glad that next to no one voted for them

[Monty Cantsin]

i know i said no one will vote for Faimly frist next election but why do you think no one will?

[Black Dagger]

Definately, but how many will be up to how far the next leader of the liberal party (costello) is willing to push his christian image. The liberals are very godo at appropiating surging third party platforms, they're absorbed all of one-nations support (by adopting their anti-immigration policies/rhetoric) and costello has already started refining and publicising his image as a devout christian, in hope that he can appropiate the supporters of family first.

[Commie Rat]

Black dagger what is your thoughs on The Stolen Generation and the govenments white washing of the whole issue