[Texgreen] Two somewhat related items

[Jerry Chamkis]

      August 15, 2003
      OP-ED COLUMNIST=20
      Believe It, or Not
      By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

          =20
     Today marks the Roman Catholics' Feast of the Assumption, honoring the=
=20
moment that they believe God brought the Virgin Mary into Heaven. So here's=
 a=20
fact appropriate for the day: Americans are three times as likely to believ=
e=20
in the Virgin Birth of Jesus (83 percent) as in evolution (28 percent).

      So this day is an opportunity to look at perhaps the most fundamental=
=20
divide between America and the rest of the industrialized world: faith.=20
Religion remains central to American life, and is getting more so, in a way=
=20
that is true of no other industrialized country, with the possible exceptio=
n=20
of South Korea.

      Americans believe, 58 percent to 40 percent, that it is necessary to=
=20
believe in God to be moral. In contrast, other developed countries=20
overwhelmingly believe that it is not necessary. In France, only 13 percent=
=20
agree with the U.S. view. (For details on the polls cited in this column, g=
o=20
to www.nytimes.com/kristofresponds.)

      The faith in the Virgin Birth reflects the way American Christianity =
is=20
becoming less intellectual and more mystical over time. The percentage of=20
Americans who believe in the Virgin Birth actually rose five points in the=
=20
latest poll.=20

      My grandfather was fairly typical of his generation: A devout and act=
ive=20
Presbyterian elder, he nonetheless believed firmly in evolution and regarde=
d=20
the Virgin Birth as a pious legend. Those kinds of mainline Christians are=
=20
vanishing, replaced by evangelicals. Since 1960, the number of=20
Pentecostalists has increased fourfold, while the number of Episcopalians h=
as=20
dropped almost in half.

      The result is a gulf not only between America and the rest of the=20
industrialized world, but a growing split at home as well. One of the most=
=20
poisonous divides is the one between intellectual and religious America.=20

      Some liberals wear T-shirts declaring, "So Many Right-Wing Christians=
 .=20
=2E . So Few Lions." On the other side, there are attitudes like those on a=
 Web=20
site, dutyisours.com/gwbush.htm, explaining the 2000 election this way:

      "God defeated armies of Philistines and others with confusion. Dimple=
d=20
and hanging chads may also be because of God's intervention on those who we=
re=20
voting incorrectly. Why is GW Bush our president? It was God's choice."

      The Virgin Mary is an interesting prism through which to examine=20
America's emphasis on faith because most Biblical scholars regard the=20
evidence for the Virgin Birth, and for Mary's assumption into Heaven (which=
=20
was proclaimed as Catholic dogma only in 1950), as so shaky that it pretty=
=20
much has to be a leap of faith. As the Catholic theologian Hans K=C3=BCng p=
uts it=20
in "On Being a Christian," the Virgin Birth is a "collection of largely=20
uncertain, mutually contradictory, strongly legendary" narratives, an echo =
of=20
virgin birth myths that were widespread in many parts of the ancient world.

      Jaroslav Pelikan, the great Yale historian and theologian, says in hi=
s=20
book "Mary Through the Centuries" that the earliest references to Mary (lik=
e=20
Mark's gospel, the first to be written, or Paul's letter to the Galatians)=
=20
don't mention anything unusual about the conception of Jesus. The Gospels o=
f=20
Matthew and Luke do say Mary was a virgin, but internal evidence suggests=20
that that part of Luke, in particular, may have been added later by someone=
=20
else (it is written, for example, in a different kind of Greek than the res=
t=20
of that gospel).

      Yet despite the lack of scientific or historical evidence, and despit=
e=20
the doubts of Biblical scholars, America is so pious that not only do 91=20
percent of Christians say they believe in the Virgin Birth, but so do an=20
astonishing 47 percent of U.S. non-Christians.=20

      I'm not denigrating anyone's beliefs. And I don't pretend to know why=
=20
America is so much more infused with religious faith than the rest of the=20
world. But I do think that we're in the middle of another religious Great=20
Awakening, and that while this may bring spiritual comfort to many, it will=
=20
also mean a growing polarization within our society.

      But mostly, I'm troubled by the way the great intellectual traditions=
 of=20
Catholic and Protestant churches alike are withering, leaving the scholarly=
=20
and religious worlds increasingly antagonistic. I worry partly because of t=
he=20
time I've spent with self-satisfied and unquestioning mullahs and imams, fo=
r=20
the Islamic world is in crisis today in large part because of a similar dri=
ft=20
away from a rich intellectual tradition and toward the mystical. The heart =
is=20
a wonderful organ, but so is the brain. =20

=2D - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On June 21, 2003 we were invited by a friend and neighbor to attend a
celebration "... to honor those who have served in our country's aremed
[sic] services" at the Good Shepherd Community Church in Sandy, Oregon. I w=
as
somewhat apprehensive about it but I viewed it as an opportunity to observe
the blending of religion and patriotism in my community.

The church choir and orchestra sang and played several patriotic songs with
religious overtones . . . God bless America, America, etc.  A color guard
marched down the aisle and presented the colors.  Then several members of
the church who were veterans (and could still fit into their old uniforms)
came in with their children and grandchildren and a small American flag was
exchanged . . . a symbolic passing of the torch from one generation to
another.  After that, music from each of the armed forces was played and
those of us who were veterans were asked to stand and be recognized as the
music from our branch of service was played.

A connection was made between the church, the flag, and the members of the
church and community who were veterans.  How can you not support good old
Larry, the town's veterinarian for all those years?  Pretty much as I had
expected.

Then the pastor stood up and introduced a Major General William G. Boykin.
General Boykin, his uniform laden with medals and honors, began speaking.
Boykin has a slight southern drawl and an obvious sense of humor, both of
which makes him an effective speaker.  He modestly told us a bit of his
background.  Grenada; Panama; Somalia; the first Persian gulf war; Purple
Heart; Bronze Star; Combat Infantryman's Badge . . . medals down to his
waist.  A professional soldier . . . the kind of person you'd hire to run an
army.  He is currently the commanding general of the John F. Kennedy Special
Warfare Center at Ft. Bragg, NC. That makes him the commander of all the
Army special forces worldwide.

Boykin showed us a few slides from the recent war in Afghanistan, made a
joke about sending some of the prisoners on a "Caribbean vacation," a
reference to the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  A bit crude and
possibly offensive to some, but still nothing out of the ordinary.

General Boykin then showed a picture of Osama bin Laden and commented "This
is not our enemy."  Another slide of Saddam and again "This is not our
enemy."  Kim Jung Il was also described as "not our enemy."  My curiosity
piqued, I began speculating who our enemy really was.  General Boykin
explained that "our real enemy is Satan."

OK, now we were getting into the realm of out-of-the-ordinary . . . at least
for me.  I don't remember much of what else he said for a while because I
was a bit stunned about our "real enemy."  The next time I tuned in he was
saying "George Bush was not elected by a majority of the voters in the
United States."  That seemed to be a bit out of character . . . I was
surprised.  I thought he was going to acknowledge the dubious nature of
Bush's election.  But what he actually said not only surprised but outraged
and frightened the hell out of me.

Major General William G. Boykin's next words were, " . . . he was appointed
by God."

Now, I have known for some time that George W. Bush thinks he has some
special dispensation from God . . . at least I knew that on an intellectual
level.  But as the reality of that hit me, I began to know on a more
visceral level that not only does Bush think he's God's gift to the world,
but so does his staff.  Here is a two-star general saying in public and in
uniform that George W. Bush was "appointed by God."

Now, I can understand religion being a large part of someone's life.  I can
understand that personal philosophical beliefs can affect one's daily life.
But here is a high-level general in the Army professing to the world that
George W. Bush was appointed by God!  For the first time in a long time, I
became afraid of my own government.

I'm still scared.

Type "William G. Boykin" into your favorite web search engine and read more.
It should scare the bejeesus (pun intended) out of you.

Major General Boykin has been recommended by Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld to become a Lt. General . . . a promotion from a two-star general
to a three-star general.  He will become a major player in the U.S.
Department of Defense.

All in all, it was a brilliant program . . . the connection was made from
support of church-members and local community veterans to support of the
current administration's foreign policy to support of George W. Bush as
God's representative.  The message I came away with was if I want to stay on
God's good side, I'd better vote for George the Second in the next
presidential election.

As the saying goes . . . "God help us."

=2D-=20
Jerry Chamkis
jchamkis@bga.com