Hijacking Faith – Guest Post by Betsy Dornbusch

By now lots of people know about Mitt Romney’s Gaffe.  Well, the whole campaign has pretty much been one big Gaffe, right? But if any missed the latest, this is the money quote from a secret recording at a fundraiser with millionaires:

“There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what… These are people who pay no income tax. My job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

This quote, nor Mr. Romney’s way of thinking, doesn’t shock me. I suppose it should. I kind of wish it did, that I cared enough about politics to get all up in arms about it.

That Mr. Romney is well-traveled and well-heeled but so willfully and narcissistically ignorant of humankind, including his own countrymen, should shock me too. But I have a tough time getting shocked these days. His determination to be an ignorant asshole, using death, misunderstood cultural offense, and violent protest to further his goal of being elected is disheartening, but unsurprising.

Really, one wonders why Mr. Romney wants to be President. It certainly isn’t out of any ingrained desire to serve.

Which brings me to the bit that does shock and piss me off: out of the other side of his mouth Mr. Romney claims to be a faithful Christian. He is a perfect example of an elitist evangelical—the sort who “knows” what’s best for everyone. I fear he’s translated the Christian idea that without acceptance of Christ some people won’t be saved into “some people aren’t worth saving.”

With my tendency to classify Mormons and other “new faiths” as evangelical, and my opinion of evangelicals as reformationists of a faith that was doing just fine, thank you very much, I believe such groups often drift further from core teachings of Christ.* Also, it seems to me, the newer a group, the more self-centered, hypocritical, and vocal its members seem to be. Not only that, but less is spoken of the true tenants of Christ (peace, love, faith, aid) than efforts at social control by way of humanized, unspiritual “rules.” It really becomes a question of  Who are you trying to convince?

To me, Mr. Romney exemplifies by action the worst sort of Christian, and I’m horrified people might think my faith resembles his. Christ would never hold the views of disregarding half of His nation for any reason, certainly not for being poor. Christ would never take advantage of others’ hatred and death to further His own goals. Christ expected those of wealth to be fair and forgiving to those who aren’t, while Mr. Romney plays a great Unmerciful Servant, especially considering he was forgiven a great debt by the nation he derides as half full of lazy moochers, as well as destroyed several companies, and several thousand jobs along the way. 

Most of all, though, Christ was about peace. What peace did Mr. Romney hope to achieve by incorrectly attributing diplomatic efforts on the part of the ambassador and people directly involved with the protests against the anti-Islam film to President Obama?

Mr. Romney fits the elitist evangelical mold perfectly: self-centered, hypocritical, and vocal. With those deficiencies, he is doing his best to pervert and hijack the Presidency. His parallel perversion and hijacking of Christianity may be easy for some to disregard, but for those of us of faith, it’s more frightening and offensive than dirty politics. The more Mr. Romney talks, the more I wonder Who are you trying to convince? Few things make me worry more than when I ask that question of people in power.

*Full disclosure: my current reformed Anglican denomination, split from the Catholic church 450 years ago by a certain Henry VIII for personal and political reasons, and established in the US in 1607, was pretty damned vocal in its time, though I think we’ve quieted some since. Plus, I grew up American Methodist. Also quite vocal and insistent early on, thanks to Mr. Wesley.

 Betsy Dornbusch is a writer and editor. Her short fiction has appeared in print and online venues such as Sinister Tales, Big Pulp, Story Portal, and Spinetingler, as well as the anthologies Tasty Little Tales and Deadly by the Dozen. She’s been an editor with the ezine Electric Spec for six years and regularly speaks at fan conventions and writers’ conferences. She’s the sole proprietor of Sex Scenes at Starbucks where you can believe most of what she writes. In her free time, she snowboards, air jams at punk rock concerts, and has just started following Rockies baseball, of all things.

20 thoughts on “Hijacking Faith – Guest Post by Betsy Dornbusch

  1. Christine Hardy says:

    But what Romney said was absolutely true. Sad, but true.

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  2. Christine Hardy says:

    ..and you better believe the Obama campaign is counting on that 47% or whatever it is to vote for him. This has nothing to do with valuing people or not; it’s pure politics and figuring out where to focus limited campaign resources. Romney just never should have said it out loud, in public. That’s back room strategy talk. The liberals have just taken that ball and run with it.

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  3. Travis Heermann says:

    Christine, the only way to make a cogent argument is to include specifics. Which part of Romney’s statements in that video are you saying are true?

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  4. Betsy says:

    It’s not true. There’ve been graphics all over the place that being in a position to pay taxes has nothing to do with who you vote for, nor whether they won’t take care of their own lives. He’s prejudiced and a liar and there’s no excuse for it.

    ROMNEY’S OWN FATHER WAS ON WELFARE, for crissake.

    I hate that term “The Liberals” It’s so fucking derogatory. I’ve heard plenty of republicans talking about it too and they’re shocked. I’m friends with several.

    Warning to those who comment: Don’t bother bringing up Obama to me. This post isn’t about him and I’m no huge fan of him either.

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  5. Betsy says:

    But yeah, I get you that it was really just politico speech. I’m glad it came out. I always knew he was a hater. Now it’s been confirmed. Seriously, I’ve always had a really baaaad feeling about the guy, even way early on. And since I don’t claim a party I try hard to give people the benefit of the doubt.

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  6. Christine Hardy says:

    What is true is the line that was quoted at the beginning of the post that people who don’t pay taxes and are dependent on the government will not vote for a Republican. Nobody in Camden, NJ, for example, is going to vote against a democrat, let alone an African-American. It’s just a simple fact. So it would be a waste of his time to try to campaign in an area like that.

    Liberals. That’s what you are. I’m a conservative. How is that derogatory?

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  7. Christine Hardy says:

    And, sorry to comment again… it really is true that there is a large percentage of the population who want a nanny state and will vote for whoever gives them the biggest handout. I seriously think you guys are the elitists, living in super healthy, high altitude “biking capital of the world” Colorado. Spend some time on the streets of Philadelphia and Camden. Try walking into a McDonald’s in the wrong neighborhood or get on the wrong subway car and see what happens.

    It’s pretty dismal and the attitude of a lot of the people is not geared towards self-improvement. We POUR money into these cities and most efforts to help are thwarted by the residents themselves, including physical destruction of improvements. I don’t know what the answer is. It’s an incredibly sad, unfathomable tragedy.

    Romney was stupid to say it out loud. But it’s true.

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  8. Travis Heermann says:

    Christine, if we allow that 47% of the U.S. population doesn’t pay taxes (which is mostly BS on its face), you clearly have no better grasp of who that 47% is than Mitt Romney does. A significant chunk of them are HIS OWN BASE.

    http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/mitt-romneys-47-percent-pay-income-taxes/story?id=17263629#.UFqE367AET4

    http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/charts-47-percent-romney-tax-data

    Furthermore, your comments about Colorado are absolutely irrelevant, and more than a little uninformed. I have lived in Colorado for all of two months, so to suggest that has any bearing on my stance is ridiculous.

    I come from a tiny town in rural Nebraska, where the total number of Democrats in the county could be counted on your fingers and toes. With the exception of the city of Lincoln, Nebraska is one of the most Republican of all states. I didn’t know it at the time, but my family and likely most of the people I knew and grew up were below the poverty line. I have spent years of my adult life living under conditions where my family and I would have qualified for food stamps at the very least, but we didn’t take them. And we STILL had to pay taxes.

    And the thing that boggles my mind is that the most poverty-stricken areas of the country are staunchly Republican. They are also the states that receive the most Federal funding at taxpayer expense.

    I have also traveled the world in places such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Fiji and seen poverty that privileged Republican white folks can scarcely imagine, except in late night Sally Struthers infomercials. Your anecdote above, thus far, is based on nothing more than fear that the Democrats are going to take your money away and give it to some Philly crack whore.

    And lastly, none of your comments are backed up by evidence. You’re merely making opinion statements that parrot the beliefs of the right-wing media outlets.

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  9. Christine Hardy says:

    Yes, I am making generalizations and talking in hyperbole. So was Romney I believe. I don’t know what the correct % is, which is why I didn’t quote it. I’m too tired tired and overwhelmed and just burned-out on politics to keep track of this presidential campaign. I didn’t watch the video, I’m just responding to the quote, which I have heard decried ad naseum this week despite deliberately avoiding the news. I hear Betsy talk all the time about how wonderful Colorado is and how screwed up the east coast is. How everyone is uber healthy and they all smile and wave to each other from their SUVs.

    In my experience, the most poverty stricken areas are not Republican. The middle of the states may be Republican, but the big cities are usually overwhelmingly democratic. At least around here. During the last election, there were Black Panthers at the polling places intimidating white voters and saying that Obama was going to win no matter what. That doesn’t help matters.

    Please understand… I absolutely believe we have to help the poor and people who are in bad situations. I don’t try to avoid paying taxes and if any of my taxes or money I give to Camden Fellowship House or any other charity helps someone then I’m really glad. I’m not trying to come across as a jerk, although I know I sound that way. I just know from what I hear around me – what people actually say – that there is a segment of the people who definitely have an entitlement attitude. I don’t know how big it is. I just know it exists. I can only talk in anecdotes because I’m not a demographer. I am only speaking to what I personally hear or see or get first-hand reports of.

    It is also a fact that there are a lot of voters who will vote for a person of a particular background just because he is of that background. To claim otherwise is just ignorant. It’s part of the equation and everyone knows it. Politicians count on it. Just as anyone who disagrees with the current president is accused of being a racist. He’s bulletproof. We all know he’s going to get re-elected and this whole race is a sham anyway.

    Romney definitely shouldn’t have said what he said, but there is *some* underlying truth to it. That’s all I’m trying to say.

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  10. Christine Hardy says:

    And just to clarify, I’m not saying that everyone in a certain income bracket will vote a certain way. Just that there *are* people who want to depend on the government and feel that the government “owes them.” I’m not spouting rhetoric; it comes from their own mouths. I have relatives who do construction work in Camden and Atlantic City and they tell me what they have to put up with on the job and how bad things are. And yes, new construction projects are opposed and even sabotaged at times, even though they mean local jobs and tax revenue. We have friends who live at the poverty line and they don’t all expect handouts… but some do. Some will vote for the Democrat no matter what because they know it means social programs will be protected.

    When I talk about people voting for candidates of a similar background, I’m including all backgrounds. There are plenty of New Jersey voters who voted for Gov. McGreevey just because he’s a “good Irish boy”.

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  11. Christine Hardy says:

    Travis, please just delete my 1 a.m. comments. The truth is I don’t know what I’m talking about, I’m just really fed up, tired, sick and so on and felt that once I started I had to keep defending my position. I was skimming this post from my mobile originally and didn’t see the full quote when I originally replied. I just saw the first half. The second part is pretty bad. Really bad. I don’t want people to think I agree with him, because I don’t.

    There are people who just want the government to take care them. That is true. There are also people who will do anything to bring themselves out of the hell they’re living in and just need a chance to do it. Callously dismissing half of the population is just horrifying. It pains me because I have no one to vote for in this election. Romney was my only viable alternate. But I sincerely believe there’s no contest so it doesn’t matter anyway.

    I’m in a really crappy mood and picked you to argue with which was a bad idea.

    I’ve given up trying to argue with Betsy.

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  12. Betsy says:

    Travis, she was referring to an unrelated text I sent her.

    I agree, having lived here nearly 20 years. Colorado is super elitist and wealthy. However, people work hard and sacrifice to maintain the sort of lifestyle we want.

    I grew up in Kansas City, Chicago, and Topeka. I think I’ve got an idea of how “the other half” lives. I also spent years working with underprivileged kids in the schools in Wichita. These parents were seeking out a better life for their kids, most parents worked, many at multiple jobs, many were single moms. Through this federally funded program (to the tune of a couple hundred grand, not much) I watched kids who had no opportunity, who did terrible in school, who had discipline issues, move forward into making good grades and getting firmly focused on post-secondary education, which was the program’s goal. We had measurable success among 80% of the kids I worked with. Federally funded. Wouldn’t call it part of the nanny state.

    I’m fiscally conservative and liberal socially (meaning, mostly, get the fuck out of my bedroom).

    And both of you missed the point of my post and have lazer focused on what Romney said, not that he is the worst sort of Christian (using that term loosely in reference to him) and I resent being lumped in with assholes like him.

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  13. Betsy says:

    Man, I totally agree. There is no great alternative. I do think Obama is a thinker, and fairly measured in his approach, which works even if you don’t agree with him (at least for me. he’s too fiscally liberal for me but some money had to be pumped in, I think.)

    But really I was talking about faith in this…

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  14. Christine Hardy says:

    Yes, Travis, Betsy has made CO sound like a utopia compared to the East Coast in many of our conversations. It’s her fault.

    As far as the religion thing goes, I’m not touching it. I’ve done enough damage as it is. I’m going to have some chocolate now, I think.

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  15. Christine Hardy says:

    Oh what the hell… It might make you feel better. Mormons aren’t Christians so don’t even compare yourself to them or let anyone compare you to them, Betsy. They say that they are, but the Latter-Day Saints have actually taken the Christian faith and twisted it to include some really crazy stuff. I was raised in Kirtland, Ohio, a major Mormon stronghold, and took the time to dig into their beliefs. I have tried talking to Mormons online and they absolutely refuse to discuss their “secret” beliefs but they also have not contradicted anything I’ve asked them about that I’ve learned in my research.

    Mormonism is a Christian cult, meaning that they took traditional Christianity and changed it. They do not believe the things we believe about who Jesus Christ is, who God is, what salvation means and what our eternal destiny. They believe that we can become demigods if we live a good enough life and we will all rule our own planets. Jesus is the “local god” of planet earth, not the lord of the whole universe. Your eternal destiny is based on works, not on faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ.

    So, don’t be upset. They *are* elitists. It’s part of their whole belief system.

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  16. Christine Hardy says:

    Oh, and I tried to visit a Mormon temple in person to learn about their faith but they refused unless I had my husband’s permission and he came with me. Yeah, like that would ever happen.

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  17. Travis Heermann says:

    I have been focusing on Romney’s comments rather than his faith, because it would be realllllly easy for me to jump on the “Mormonism is a cult!” thing.
    There’s a reason they’re so secretive about it; it’s the only way they can stay under the radar.
    It takes about three seconds of internet research to start getting a grasp of just how outlandish LDS beliefs are. Planet Kolob and magic underwear are just the border of WTF Land.
    Here’s the difference between a religion and a cult: in the cult, there is one man at the top who knows it’s a scam. In a religion, that person is dead.
    So, Joseph Smith dies and Voila! New ‘religion.’
    I was in Salt Lake City for the World Horror Convention in March, which happened to be at the same time as THE major LDS convention. I was mostly just icked out the whole time, and it had nothing to do with the horror convention. What I was seeing around me was much more frightening.

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  18. Christine says:

    I was actually referring to the theological definition of cult, in that they break off from a major religion and change its tenets. But yeah, it’s a cult in the more commonly thought of way, too.

    The thing to keep in mind, though, is that most Mormons I’ve talked to sincerely believe that they ARE Christians. They are very shocked and offended when I start to lay out the theological differences. They have no idea what, say, the Nicene Creed – the foundational statements of faith for all Christians including Catholics – includes.

    It’s very sad, actually, that so many people are so desperately deceived.

    Reply

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