Disarming the Evangelical Movement

If you reside in the United States of America, it's almost impossible not to notice that we are locked in a great discussion. While the dialogue has political, social, economic and environmental implications, the crux of the matter is philosophical. In fact, I dare say this nationwide conversation goes to the very heart of American ideals!

Will America remain the land of equal opportunity? Will we continue to embrace the idea of the proverbial melting pot? Will we continue as a nation to embody the words on the plaque of the base of the Statue of Liberty, "Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free"?

There is a vocal and growing movement afoot that seeks to change the American persona forever. Led by Evangelical Christians, their goal is to create a theocracy in place of a republic, a land where religious dogma replaces secular law and science.

For those of us who vehemently disagree with their myopic vision, our task is to disarm -- not defeat -- them. If we approach this situation like an epic battle, then we have already lost.

I find that it is the irony of ironies that Al-Qaeda (i.e., "terrorists") -- supposedly one of the chief enemies -- and the Evangelical Movement itself often employ the very same strategy to try to achieve their ends. For both, the debate is a war and their chief tactic is to goad the other side into a reflexive knee-jerk reaction. The more aggressive the reaction, the more they reap benefits from it.

In terms of US foreign policy, Al-Qaeda goaded the US government into two ill-fated wars. Understanding that war is never a neat or tidy affair, Al-Qaeda has gotten considerable mileage out of each American attack. Painting themselves as the victim of an occupying and imperialistic military force, they have utilized US military aggression as both a recruiting tool and a method for strengthening the resolve of their members.

In this same vein, the Evangelical Movement in this country works diligently to goad liberals and progressives to attack them on all sides. They use these attacks to paint themselves as victims. They tell the faithful that liberals, progressives, radicals, secularists, humanists and atheists are bent are wiping out ANY vestige of Christianity from all corners of the nation. And, just like Al-Qaeda, our aggression towards them becomes both a recruiting tool and a method for strengthening the resolve of their supporters.

We need to begin to approach this discussion from a different direction. If we continue to match their vitriol with our own vitriol, all we end up doing is strengthening their movement! This, of course, has been their strategy all along -- They are allowing us to do all the heavy lifting for them.

So, what can we do differently? In my opinion, the number one thing we can do is to be more proactive. We need to start standing up for the things we believe in, instead of merely reacting to those things we disagree with.

If we value human rights, then we need to roll up our sleeves to develop programs in our local communities that embrace said rights.

If we value justice, then we each need to work harder at treating all the people in our lives in a just and fair manner.

If we value peace and nonviolence, then we must model peacemaking and nonaggression in our dealings with everyone we come in contact with.

If we value the concept of freedom of speech, then we must afford this right to those we disagree with the most.

And, if we value love over hate, then we must show that we can love those who we may vociferously disagree with.

Trying to defeat the Evangelical Movement is a nonstarter. The harder we fight, the more we strengthen them. The time has come to a take a page from the Taoist sages and to be like water. When an obstacle impedes the flow of a river, the water does not beat itself against the obstruction. No, it changes course. It moves around, over and/or under the obstacle and, at the same time, it slowly and gradually erodes the obstruction in its path.

We must learn to refuse to accept the way the Evangelical Movement attempts to hijack public discourse. We must frame issues in our own way and not worry so much about how they frame it. We must put forth and work toward the kind of world that we envision and quit worrying so much about the kind of world that they envision.

In other words, we need to disarm them with all the love we can muster. In the end, like water, love eventually erodes hate.