Do As They Say, Not As They Do

Which is the bigger group—fundamentalist preachers and politicians who have cheated on their wives or those who haven’t?

Revelations that Radical Right politician Newt Gingrich cheated on his wife at the same time he was trying get President Clinton impeached for lying about cheating on Hilary simply confirms that the hypocrisy of arrogant, self-righteous, moralizing religious crusaders knows no bounds.

They talk the talk, but they don’t even crawl the walk.

Take the Bush Administration. No other presidency in my lifetime has paid such lip service to values, as if God himself anointed them custodians of human virtue. And yet their actions have demonstrated quite the opposite, exposing dishonesty, hubris, vengeance, cronyism, myopia, bias, indifference and incompetence. Their tenure is so disgraced, discredited and toxic that they can no longer point a finger at anyone lest ten come pointing back.

And what of Republican power brokers? Abramoff in jail, Libby guilty, DeLay on trial, Reed disgraced, Norquist exposed. It’s tough to recall a more corrupt, cancerous group of thugs in the history of the Beltway.

And what of fundamentalist Christian leaders? Beyond the notorious dealings of Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Jones and David Koresh, we have the recent scandal of Evangelical leader Ted Haggard having drug-fueled sex with a gay escort. And let’s not forget Pat Robertson’s long history of shocking and abominable public statements.

Which brings me to The Lost Tomb of Jesus, a recent Discovery channel docu-drama about a group of ossuaries (bone caskets) found near Jerusalem that may contain the remains of the family of Jesus of Nazareth, including his wife and son.

Before it even aired I could hear shrieks and moans coming from the fundamentalist right, terrified and angered at a potential assault on the rigid pillars of their orthodoxy. And sure enough, the Discovery channel decided to produce a special "discussion" segment after the show—maybe bowing to pressure—to give "other perspectives," knowing the network was going to get a lot of heat from religious fanatics.

But the panel of theological experts did less to undermine the facts of the documentary than to undermine the topsy-turvy nature of their own "faith." Few things are easier than spotting inconsistencies in the statements of religious professionals, and this show was no exception. One of the panelists, Dr. Judy Fentress-Willams of Virginia Theological Institute, made a stark statement about the Lost Tomb of Jesus documentary that I was compelled to respond to. The issue explains itself…

Dear Dr. Fentress-Williams,

On the Discovery Channel's post-"Lost Tomb Of Jesus" panel discussion, you suggested that we bring critical thinking (or its equivalent) to our assessment of the show’s content. Frankly, I was surprised.

With all due respect, it seems that critical thinking has played an insignificant role in the history of Christian faith, and certainly plays a minor role in American Christian faith today. I never hear "people of faith" defending fundamentalist beliefs on the basis of reason, rationality or common sense. Indeed, a literal reading of the Bible or any other major religious text flies in the face of reason, rationality and common sense.

If fundamentalists adopt critical thinking, it will certainly lead them to reject "sacred texts" as perfect, infallible historical documents, and to accept as fiction many of their most cherished assertions and miracles. It will likely render the Bible much like Homer’s Odyssey—a story whose seeds are historical fact, but whose fruits are magical, mythical exaggerations and fantasies.

As an American, I will defend-to-the-death the right of any citizen to believe whatever they want. But I also reserve the right to call things as I see them. How is blind faith anything but antithetical to critical thinking? As far as I can see, faith in a literal interpretation of the Bible—or any other religious text—is terrifying in its rejection of reason, rationality and common sense. It produces, by its nature, arrogance, intolerance, judgment and division.

Yes, what is left out of the "Lost Tomb Of Jesus" is significant, but so are the gospels left out of the New Testament. So are the stories, psalms and books left out of the Old Testament. The "Lost Tomb" is part fact, part fiction, part persuasion and part entertainment…and so, to any standard of common sense, is the Bible.

I’m happy to assess the "Lost Tomb Of Jesus" in the light of critical thinking. I only wish fundamentalists of all faiths were willing to assess their beliefs in the same light.

Whenever anyone uses absolutes to proclaim their moral virtue and dictate how the rest of us should live, and especially when they allow double standards, they are really exposing their own fear, insecurity and narrowness—as well as creating the perfect conditions for hypocrisy.

- JT Compton