Newt Gingrich, pagan hypocrite
By Michael J.W. Stickings
As Think Progress is reporting, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, and Oliver North -- and what a three-man tag-team of right-wing extremism that is -- appeared yesterday at the Rock Church in Hampton Roads, Virginia, to speak on "Rediscovering God in America."
As you might expect, there's simply too much material to cram into a single post (and I have no intention of giving any more of my time to such nonsense), but one of the lowlights was Huckabee comparing the anti-gay victory in California's Prop 8 last November to the colonists' victory in the American Revolutionary War. (And it is the right that accuses the left of not respecting the American Founding?! Like Washington was just the leader of a gang of bigots. And no word on whether Huckabee knows that the pro-Prop. 8 side was heavily funded by the Mormon Church. To him, it all came "from God's hand.")
And then there was Newt, who said this:
What the hell does "only in the United States does citizenship start with our creator" mean? That America is oh-so-special because it's fundamentally a Christian nation? Well, I suspect that Locke and Jefferson, among others, would take issue which such a ridiculous claim. America was built on a philosophical foundation of natural rights, not a theocratical foundation of Christian dogma.
And then there's the "surrounded by paganism" claim. Of course, it should go without saying that non-religiosity, including secular humanism, is not "paganism," which is, broadly speaking, a religion itself -- sorry, but I'm not a polytheist -- but such a simple truth just can't go without saying when it comes to the lies, deceptions, delusions, and ignorantly ideological utterances of Newt and his ilk.
Besides, I'm not sure Newt was being so Christian when he was getting blown by his various mistresses (but not, he claimed, committing adultery, because oral sex apparently doesn't count) -- or when he demanded a divorce from his first wife Jackie in her hospital room, where she was recovering from uterine cancer surgery -- or when he refused to pay alimony and child support after their divorce -- etc., etc., etc.
How all very... pagan of him.
And how all very typical.
As Think Progress is reporting, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, and Oliver North -- and what a three-man tag-team of right-wing extremism that is -- appeared yesterday at the Rock Church in Hampton Roads, Virginia, to speak on "Rediscovering God in America."
As you might expect, there's simply too much material to cram into a single post (and I have no intention of giving any more of my time to such nonsense), but one of the lowlights was Huckabee comparing the anti-gay victory in California's Prop 8 last November to the colonists' victory in the American Revolutionary War. (And it is the right that accuses the left of not respecting the American Founding?! Like Washington was just the leader of a gang of bigots. And no word on whether Huckabee knows that the pro-Prop. 8 side was heavily funded by the Mormon Church. To him, it all came "from God's hand.")
And then there was Newt, who said this:
I am not a citizen of the world. I am a citizen of the United States because only in the United States does citizenship start with our creator... I think this is one of the most critical moments in American history. We are living in a period where we are surrounded by paganism.
What the hell does "only in the United States does citizenship start with our creator" mean? That America is oh-so-special because it's fundamentally a Christian nation? Well, I suspect that Locke and Jefferson, among others, would take issue which such a ridiculous claim. America was built on a philosophical foundation of natural rights, not a theocratical foundation of Christian dogma.
And then there's the "surrounded by paganism" claim. Of course, it should go without saying that non-religiosity, including secular humanism, is not "paganism," which is, broadly speaking, a religion itself -- sorry, but I'm not a polytheist -- but such a simple truth just can't go without saying when it comes to the lies, deceptions, delusions, and ignorantly ideological utterances of Newt and his ilk.
Besides, I'm not sure Newt was being so Christian when he was getting blown by his various mistresses (but not, he claimed, committing adultery, because oral sex apparently doesn't count) -- or when he demanded a divorce from his first wife Jackie in her hospital room, where she was recovering from uterine cancer surgery -- or when he refused to pay alimony and child support after their divorce -- etc., etc., etc.
How all very... pagan of him.
And how all very typical.
Labels: conservatives, hypocrisy, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, paganism
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
10:31 PM
6 Comments:
Michael,
Just a quick correction, but paganism isn't a single religion. It's many, many different religions falling under a common word.
Still funny as hell, though. I think the last time pagans got any political mileage was after Falwell's comments about 9/11.
By
Donna, at 10:12 AM
RE the following being "pagan":
or when he demanded a divorce from his first wife Jackie in her hospital room, where she was recovering from uterine cancer surgery -- or when he refused to pay alimony and child support after their divorce
No, can't say that it is.
All this is very dishonorable behavior, and there are certain pagan religions that place a very high value upon honorable behavior, truth, keeping one's word, etc.
Me = pagan for 20 years. Longer story than that, but for now, trust me on this one.
By
Anonymous, at 3:24 PM
I don't get it... Newt Gingrich uses "paganism" as if that's a bad thing.
By
Mustang Bobby, at 4:26 PM
"Besides, I'm not sure Newt was being so Christian when he was getting blown by his various mistresses(but not, he claimed, committing adultery, because oral sex apparently doesn't count)" Please explain why it counted for Bill Clinton?
By
Unknown, at 5:15 PM
I very much doubt the Stoics (Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, etc.)would have much approved of Newt Gingrich or his behavior.
By
patrick, at 8:28 PM
Some very good point here.
Donna: You're right. Paganism is a sort of catch-word for any number of different religions.
What Christianists like Newt mean by paganism, of course, is anything that isn't either Judeo-Christian or any other major world religion (e.g., Hinduism). What they mean by it is essentially amoralism.
Tracie and Patrick: What I meant was that Newt was being "pagan" in the sense that he means it. He is, when he wants to be, a Christian moralist. He claims that paganism is amoralism, the opposite of his Christian moralism, but he certainly acted contrary to that moralism. I apologize for not being clear. By no means was it my intention to suggest that Newt was being genuinely pagan -- he is certainly no Epictetus or M. Aurelius.
MB: Of course, Newt doesn't know what paganism really is. At least, that's what I take from his use of the term.
mlr52: That's the thing. Newt held back, sort of, from the Republican attack on Clinton because of his own, er, transgressions. The Salon article I link to gets into that. If it counted for Clinton, but not for Newt, it's only because Republicans are hypocrites.
By
Michael J.W. Stickings, at 10:04 PM
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