What some Alabamians are saying about the Roy Moore scandals
AL.com, Alabama’s biggest news website, just published an opinion piece on Moore. The columnist was careful not to take sides, but he did look at the situation Biblically, and he made the gentle suggestion that some people who are standing by Moore might be compromising their values, or might not fully understand just what Jesus said. “For Christians,” he wrote, “the question is not if we follow Jesus, but how.”
Well, that’s a good, healthy conversation for Christians to have. Meanwhile, the column prompted some comments that are a reflection of just how divided Alabamians are over whether Moore is being framed, or is a pedophile. One pro-Moore writer, name of Evangelico, displayed the hysteria and irrationality that mark large swaths of the Christian right when he said, “Jesus Christ was the holy, eternal Son of God. The only source of eternal life. How dare someone like this columnist drag the name of Jesus Christ through the mud to justify ungodly government programs such as DACA, and Obamacare.”
This is the sort of blithering nonsense we’ve come to expect from radical religious Republicans over the last thirty or so years. Muckraking televangelists like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson got filthy rich accusing Democrats of being ungodly atheists in the 1970s and 1980s; political hacks, ranging from Pat Buchanan to Ralph Reed, Rick Santorum and Mike Pence, carried their water even further, suggesting that liberals were anti-American, thereby stoking fear and resentment amongst their under-educated followers, particularly in rural areas of the Bible Belt. The result is that these Christians now get to define God’s political agenda. We now know, according to Evangelico, that God hates DACA and Obamacare. (Presumably, God approved leaving the Paris climate accords, and is in favor of tax cuts for corporations.) How Evangelico can read the mind of God is a bit of a mystery.
To be fair, several other commenters rejected Evangelico’s assertion. “Apparently God was a little bit of a socialist in the OT. It is very GODLY to give unto the poor – especially healthcare. Jesus healed the sick for free and would approve of the ACA. You should pray about it if you call yourself a Christian,” wrote SECorBust, in words that even a non-Christian can agree with. As one who is uncomfortable with overt expressions of religiosity intruding into the public sphere, I at least welcome sane Christians, as SECorBust seems to be, when they take steps to distance themselves from their more rabid co-religionists.
Another Alabamian columnist at the website provided a handy chart about some of the differences between Moore and the Democratic nominee for Senator, Doug Jones.
One would think that rational Alabama voters would weigh all these factors in deciding whom to support, but, pace Donald Trump, it’s entirely conceivable that the chart could include another distinction:
“Stood in the middle of 20th St., in downtown Birmingham, and randomly shot people.”
Roy Moore: Yup. Doug Jones: Nope.
Would it change Evangelico’s mind if Moore were a mass murderer? Probably not–unless, that is, God told Evangelico to stop supporting Moore. But the God whom Evangelico claims to hear would never do anything against Roy Moore, because that God–the father of Jesus Christ–wants Republicans to be elected all across the U.S. That God doesn’t care about the moral fitness of Republicans. He is willing to suspend every moral edict Jesus uttered, if it means electing Republicans. Lest you think this sounds sacrilegious or even blasphemous, keep in mind that this is what Evangelico believes. God told him so. “You must vote for Roy Moore, Evangelico. He is the man I want to be Senator. Don’t argue with me, Evangelico. Just do as I say. That’s a good boy. Oh, and don’t forget to give money to your pastor. I am the Lord, your God.”
Speaking of pastors, 50 of them came out publicly in favor of Moore. They said he is “an unmovable rock in the culture wars,” using a phrase made infamous by the Catholic provocateur, Pat Buchanan, when he launched his political attacks on the Clintons, in the early 1990s. At the 1992 Republican convention, Buchanan yoked GOP politics to Christianity when he claimed that a Clinton victory “is not the kind of change we can tolerate in a nation that we still call God’s country.” Buchanan, like Evangelico, knows for certain just how God would vote. Buchanan was an unmovable rock, unpersuadable by any evidence, common sense or legal principle, guided only by his theological biases. So are Evangelico and Roy Moore. Nothing can ever make them change their minds. God has spoken to them.
“Speaking of pastors, 50 of them came out publicly in favor of Moore.”
I assume that group doesn’t include the couple of pastors here in my state who recently were either accused or charged with sex crimes.
Bob Rossi, my guess is that those pastors haven’t been caught yet.
Surely we can do better than Roy Moore. He has no respect for women, nor does he have respect for the rule of law. It is time for Indpendents in this state to stand up and speak out. It’s time we put country before party! I found Governor Ivy’s comments very upsetting especially since she finds the women speaking out against Roy Moore credible. Her plan to vote for him anyway is a sad example of Party before anything!
Thanks for your comment, Joan. This isn’t just about Roy Moore–it’s about the sickness and depravity represented by Donald Trump and the entire Republican Party. Roy Moore has become the poster child.
I agree. It is also a referendum on the truth. The entire Trump presidency has been an attack on truth and basic human decency.
Joan, that’s actually the basis of my revulsion with trump. It’s partly his policies, but we’ve had presidents before with whom I disagreed. As you point out, it’s trump’s awfulness, as a human being, that most horrifies me. “The attack on truth and basic human decency” is a fine way of putting it. I regret that I won’t be around to read the history books 50 years from now, but there’s no doubt in my mind that they’ll portray the trump era as the darkest, most degraded moment in the history of America.
I believe your assessment is right. It’s time everyone takes a stand against the attempt to corrupt our system of checks and balances and the bill of rights. The mainstream news media and people like Bill Maher are champions of these rights. I also applaud the Senate Democrats, Independents and the Few Republicans willing to stand against Trumpism and all the nastiness it stands for. It is going to take all of us to stop Trump and people like him. Alabamian Democrats, Independents, or whatever group you belong to, forget Christmas shopping for one day, and get out and vote for Doug Jones or a write-in candidate on Dec 12. SAY NO TO ROY MOORE and people like STEVE BANNON!
Joan Bell, I hope they heed your words!
Should’ve realised I was talking to a fellow New Yorker:) I was raised in Flushing. I left at 18 and have lived in the south for the last 35 years, first in VA then AL. In NY they think I’m a southerner and here they call me a Yankee (can’t win for losing)! But I do love my adopted state and want the best for it and this country.
“Alabama’s biggest newspapers urge voters to ‘reject Roy Moore'”
CNNMoney – November 19, 2017
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/19/media/alabama-newspapers-editorial-roy-moore/index.html
Excerpt:
“The three biggest newspapers in Alabama have a message for their readers: ‘Stand for Decency, Reject Roy Moore.’
“The Alabama Media Group stripped the editorial across its Sunday front pages. The unusual step comes 10 days after misconduct allegations first surfaced against Moore, the Republican nominee for the state’s Senate seat.”