Get Religion, the missing pages

Gospel of Judas it ain't

Another dumpster (this time behind the office) uncovered the garbage stained missing pages to Get Religion! A Guide for Democrats. Can this book keep the Democratic party from striking out when thrown the religion curveball?

Chapters (continued)

5. To Get to Heaven You Need the Hell Knocked Out of You: Gays for God or What Part of “Love” Don’t You Understand: God and Gays, One Happy Family or God Hates Shrimp: God and Gays, One Happy Family

Like chapter four, here I tackle a one of the most controversial issues in American politics today. Once again, Democrats have accepted the way Republicans have defined the issues: God and Republicans on one side, homosexuals and Democrats on the other. Like in chapter four, I’ll reject these terms and show how Democrats can bring God on board the “gay” side of the debate.

6. I Support the Separation of Church and Hate: Religion in Our Schools or Don’t Pray in My School, I Won’t Think in Your Church: How Religion Can Be Part of Our Schools

This chapter tackles the question of whether religion should be allowed in public schools, in the shape of prayer or actual coursework. Currently, Democrats stand for no religion while Republicans stand for a little bit of religion, usually prayer and some teaching of morality. I’ll argue that Democrats need to out religion Republicans, and present a case for lots of religion in schools. Schools should teach classes in comparative religion and values as well as allow prayer from different faiths. Here our position should be: the more religion the better.

7. Join the Religious Left Today

The concluding chapter outlines the strategies that emerge in each one of the chapters. It provides a kind of cheat sheet Democrats can carry and turn to when frustrated about religion. It’ll include guidelines followed by a short explanation. These are some of the guidelines:

a. Whoever sets the terms of the debate has won half the debate.
b. Shift the terrain, refuse your opponent’s terms and set your own.
c. Ignorance is never an excuse to ignore religion.
d. Sometimes the best antidote to religion is more religion.

8. Appendix: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The appendix provides short introductions to key institutions as well as who matters in religion and politics in America, ending with an actual quotation. The Christian Coalition, Planned Parenthood, the Moral Majority and other institutions, as well as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Jimmy Swaggart, Ralph Reed, Cornel West, Jim Wallis, Michael Lerner, and other figures will be included. Here’s an example:

Pat Robertson founded the Christian Broadcasting Network and his flagship program, the 700 Club, attracts millions of viewers. After a failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 1989, he also founded the most visible successor to the Moral Majority - the Christian Coalition. That failure convinced him that the political success of the Christian agenda required more effective organization at the grassroots level and so the Christian coalition concentrates on building strength through local chapters. Its success at this task is a key reason why the Bush campaign was so effective in mobilizing the conservative evangelical vote this past election. In fact, one of Bush’s closest advisers throughout the race, Ralph Reed, was the Christian Coalition’s head until 1996 (before leaving to found his own political consulting business).

Favorite Quote: “The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.” (Washington Post, August 23rd, 1995).

PS. Yes, our staff scavenges in dumpsters.