[Vision2020] Chilling Parallels: Christian and Islamic Fundamentalism

Tue, 13 Jan 2004 10:21:10 -0800

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Dear Visionaries:
Here is a column that I'm submitting to the Daily News and the Idaho Statesman.

CHILLING PARALLELS: CHRISTIAN AND ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISTS
by Nick Gier

         There are some chilling parallels between Christian and Islamic 
fundamentalists.  Both divide the world between believers and unbelievers, 
and instead of allowing God to make the division, they preemptively make 
God's decision for Him.  Both have also declared war on the secular culture 
of liberal democracy, the most peaceful and prosperous means of social 
organization ever devised by humankind.
         Of greatest concern, however, is the fundamentalist view of the 
violent end of the world.  A common scenario is a great war in the Middle 
East in which the armies of God destroy the armies of Satan.  Radical 
Muslims of course identify Israel and the US as the forces of evil, but 
Christian fundamentalists see Islam as the ultimate enemy.  The horrifying 
implication is that the Jews and innocent people of the Middle East are the 
primary victims of this holocaust.
Some Christian fundamentalists make yet another division: an ethnic one 
that declares that one culture is superior to all others.  Michael Hill, 
founder of the League of the South, proposes that an independent 
neo-Confederacy of fifteen states would have the duty to protect the values 
of Anglo-Celtic culture from black Americans, who are "a compliant and 
deadly underclass."
Since 1998, the League of the South has had close ties with the 
32,000-member Sons of Confederate Veterans, who in 2000 elected Kirk Lyons 
to its national executive board. An outspoken racist, Lyons was married by 
neo-Nazi Richard Butler in 1990, when Butler still had his compound in 
Hayden Lake. Lyons has led an amazingly unsuccessful legal campaign to have 
Southern whites defined as a "protected class."
  The League and the Sons of Confederate Veterans organize public protests 
with the Council of Conservative Citizens whose website decries "negroes, 
queers and other retrograde species of humanity." (Try replacing the "Cs" 
in their acronym with "Ks"!)  One League leader said that we "need a new 
type of Klan."
Both Doug Wilson and Steve Wilkins deny that they are racists or 
neo-Confederates, but Wilkins is on the board of directors of the League of 
the South.  The League's website uses small Confederate flags as hot 
buttons for information about the board members.
Even though he admits that the Stars and Bars was displayed at one of his 
social functions, Wilson now claims that neo-Confederates should "burn the 
flag and wear the ashes" (Daily News, Jan. 9). I would love to see Wilkins 
and Wilson do this in front of the UI Student Union at their "history" 
conference in February.
If Wilson has no sympathies with neo-Confederates, why is he associating 
with Wilkins, and what is he doing speaking at the Southern Heritage 
Conference or writing for Chronicles, a journal whose editors boast that 
they are all members of the League of the South?
Christian nationalist George Grant, who believes in the death penalty for 
gays and lesbians, will join Wilson and Wilkins at the February 
conference.  Grant and Wilkins are promoting a novel entitled "Heiland," 
which has been compared to the "Turner Diaries," a book that inspired the 
bombing of the Oklahoma Federal Building. The book's hero leads a violent 
overthrow of a "godless" federal government.
Another parallel between Christian and Islamic fundamentalism is a 
theocratic form of government in which religious laws become the laws of 
the land. In his regular column in Wilson's Credenda Agenda, Greg Dickison, 
member of Wilson's Christ Church and a Moscow public defender, states that 
"if we could have it our way," then there would be capital punishment for 
"kidnapping, sorcery, bestiality, adultery, homosexuality, and cursing 
one's parents."  But a woman who touches a man's genitals will be spared 
death: she will just have her hand cut off.  Behold, the Moscow Taliban!
I disagree with Bill London that Doug Wilson has "retreated" (Opinion, Dec. 
31) In the 28 years I've known him, he has never conceded anything. But he 
does obfuscate, distract, equivocate, and contradict himself.  We always 
knew where Richard Butler stood, but Wilson appears to take the stand that 
will best serve his purposes for any particular moment.
I have fought religious fundamentalism all of my adult life, primarily 
because I believe that it is one of the most destructive forces in the 
world today.  These views do not deserve our respect or tolerance, but call 
for our strongest condemnation.
Nick Gier taught philosophy and religion at the UI for 31 years.  The 
quotations from neo-Confederates were taken from Intelligence Report 
(Summer, 2000), pp. 32, 14.

Nicholas F. Gier
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Idaho
1037 Colt Rd., Moscow, ID 83843
http://users.moscow.com/ngier/home/index.htm
208-883-3360/882-9212/FAX 885-8950
President, Idaho Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/ift/index.htm

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<html>
<div align="center">Dear
Visionaries: 
Here is a column that I'm submitting to the Daily News and the Idaho
Statesman. 
CHILLING PARALLELS: CHRISTIAN AND ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISTS 
by Nick Gier 
</div>
<x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab>There
are some chilling parallels between Christian and Islamic
fundamentalists.&nbsp; Both divide the world between believers and
unbelievers, and instead of allowing God to make the division, they
preemptively make God’s decision for Him.&nbsp; Both have also declared
war on the secular culture of liberal democracy, the most peaceful and
prosperous means of social organization ever devised by humankind. 
<x-tab>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</x-tab>Of
greatest concern, however, is the fundamentalist view of the violent end
of the world.&nbsp; A common scenario is a great war in the Middle East
in which the armies of God destroy the armies of Satan.&nbsp; Radical
Muslims of course identify Israel and the US as the forces of evil, but
Christian fundamentalists see Islam as the ultimate enemy.&nbsp; The
horrifying implication is that the Jews and innocent people of the Middle
East are the primary victims of this holocaust. 
Some Christian fundamentalists make yet another division: an ethnic one
that declares that one culture is superior to all others.&nbsp; Michael
Hill, founder of the League of the South, proposes that an independent
neo-Confederacy of fifteen states would have the duty to protect the
values of Anglo-Celtic culture from black Americans, who are &quot;a
compliant and deadly underclass.&quot; 
Since 1998, the League of the South has had close ties with the
32,000-member Sons of Confederate Veterans, who in 2000 elected Kirk
Lyons to its national executive board. An outspoken racist, Lyons was
married by neo-Nazi Richard Butler in 1990, when Butler still had his
compound in Hayden Lake. Lyons has led an amazingly unsuccessful legal
campaign to have Southern whites defined as a “protected class.” 
&nbsp;The League and the Sons of Confederate Veterans organize public
protests with the Council of Conservative Citizens whose website decries
&quot;negroes, queers and other retrograde species of humanity.&quot;
(Try replacing the “Cs” in their acronym with “Ks”!)&nbsp; One League
leader said that we “need a new type of Klan.” 
Both Doug Wilson and Steve Wilkins deny that they are racists or
neo-Confederates, but Wilkins is on the board of directors of the League
of the South.&nbsp; The League’s website uses small Confederate flags as
hot buttons for information about the board members. 
Even though he admits that the Stars and Bars was displayed at one of his
social functions, Wilson now claims that neo-Confederates should “burn
the flag and wear the ashes” (Daily News, Jan. 9). I would love to
see Wilkins and Wilson do this in front of the UI Student Union at their
“history” conference in February. 
If Wilson has no sympathies with neo-Confederates, why is he associating
with Wilkins, and what is he doing speaking at the Southern Heritage
Conference or writing for Chronicles, a journal whose editors
boast that they are all members of the League of the South? 
Christian nationalist George Grant, who believes in the death penalty for
gays and lesbians, will join Wilson and Wilkins at the February
conference.&nbsp; Grant and Wilkins are promoting a novel entitled
“Heiland,” which has been compared to the &quot;Turner Diaries,&quot; a
book that inspired the bombing of the Oklahoma Federal Building. The
book's hero leads a violent overthrow of a &quot;godless&quot; federal
government. 
Another parallel between Christian and Islamic fundamentalism is a
theocratic form of government in which religious laws become the laws of
the land. In his regular column in Wilson’s Credenda Agenda, Greg
Dickison, member of Wilson’s Christ Church and a Moscow public defender,
states that &quot;if we could have it our way,” then there would be
capital punishment for “kidnapping, sorcery, bestiality, adultery,
homosexuality, and cursing one's parents.”&nbsp; But a woman who touches
a man’s genitals will be spared death: she will just have her hand cut
off.&nbsp; Behold, the Moscow Taliban! 
I disagree with Bill London that Doug Wilson has “retreated”
(Opinion, Dec. 31) In the 28 years I’ve known him, he has never
conceded anything. But he does obfuscate, distract, equivocate, and
contradict himself.&nbsp; We always knew where Richard Butler stood, but
Wilson appears to take the stand that will best serve his purposes for
any particular moment. 
I have fought religious fundamentalism all of my adult life, primarily
because I believe that it is one of the most destructive forces in the
world today.&nbsp; These views do not deserve our respect or tolerance,
but call for our strongest condemnation. 
Nick Gier taught philosophy and religion at the UI for 31 years.&nbsp;
The quotations from neo-Confederates were taken from Intelligence
Report (Summer, 2000), pp. 32, 14. 
 
 
<x-sigsep></x-sigsep>
Nicholas F. Gier 
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Idaho 
1037 Colt Rd., Moscow, ID 83843 
<a href="http://users.moscow.com/ngier/home/index.htm" eudora="autourl">http://users.moscow.com/ngier/home/index.htm 
</a>208-883-3360/882-9212/FAX 885-8950 
President, Idaho Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO 
<a href="http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/ift/index.htm" eudora="autourl">www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/ift/index.htm</a></html>

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