Politics

Epilogue

34 Comments

stone wall photo
Photo By Jojo – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

*tap tap tap* Is this thing still on? So…It’s been a while. How is everybody?

Let me start by saying that this is NOT a reboot of SFL. As the last three years have gone by I’ve thought about this blog and all of you with nostalgia and warmth but with no real desire to return to regular writing here. It was fun while it lasted.

So why this post? I’m glad you asked.

A short walk from my house is a fundamentalist church that I sometimes pass by on a quiet Sunday morning and count the six aging cars outside. Six cars — never any more than that but sometimes even fewer. There’s a deceptiveness there in those tiny numbers, a temptation to assume that because the IFB movement continues its slow slouch towards irrelevance that fundamentalism itself is all but dead. Have a care. It is not dead but sleepeth.

Scan a social media feed, listen to a podcast, pick up a newspaper (if you’re of a certain age) and the kinds of behaviors that fundamentalism has long cherished leap off the page. Try as you might, you cannot avoid the yelling white men in the suits and ties. They bully and belittle. They spread fear and lies. They inspire people to the very worst bargains, offering safety in exchange for your son’s inheritance and security in trade for your daughter’s humanity. “If you’re not with us, you’re the enemy,” they say. We can’t all just get along.

It’s all very familiar — but this time Fundyland has gone mainstream, unencumbered now by the outmoded guise of morality or spirituality. It’s plain at last that many evangelicals may have long embraced the right but never righteousness. After all, why be good when you can be great instead? It seems that the proffered pottage of a little power is all it takes to steal the birthright of millions of the pious. So it goes. So it has always gone. All that has changed is the pretense.

So how then shall we live? What is our way of being in the world? The same as always, I suppose. Be kind. Speak the truth. Love each other. These things are needed now more than ever. Live them in your community. Encourage them in your friends and family. Vote them whenever possible.

The good news is that we’ve all seen this kind of thing before and we know that eventually it collapses under the turgid weight of its own hubris and avarice. Until then I hope to hear that you all are well. Thank you for everything.

~ Darrell

34 thoughts on “Epilogue”

    1. OH!!! THIS is what you meant when you said I was gonna owe you a butt cushion!!! You, Sir, are sneaky!

      Since you sent me the link, and I was DELIGHTED by this post, you shall get one of my exclusive high-couture butt cushions that have been featured on the runways of Milan.

      Just this once.

      (Hello everyone. I’ve missed you.)

  4. Thanks Darrell.

    I’d also say peopke from our background seem to have been the only ones unsurprised by the eagerness with which the religious right traded their professed morality for naked power.

    Nice to hear from you again here, at least one more time.

    1. Yes, if anyone ever wondered what it would be like if Fundies came to power…well, here we are. So glad the 2019 House will be able to operate as a check against this cruel administration that caters to its Fundy and Evangelical base. I used to think Evangelicals were somehow better than Fundies, – more decent at least, but now I know that isn’t true at all. Both groups are incredibly toxic.

      Good to hear from you, Darrell.

  5. Nice to hear from you again here, Darrell. All of this has been discouragingly familiar.

    (I think my first comment is in moderation, I couldn’t remember my username off the top of my head )

  7. It is good to see a few familiar names. Even better to live free of rules. I mostly try to live Micah 6:8 theses days. Instead of mindless rules, just do good and walk humbly. I don’t do it well, but try.

  8. Nice to hear from you again Darrell – we’ve missed you even in “darkest Africa”. Wise words I hope my American brothers and sisters heed them!

  11. Sadly, Fundamentalism will never go away, because narcissism will always exist. As long as people believe they can think of themselves as superior, Fundamentalism, not just in the Baptist world, but in every other faith will live strong.

    You’re right, the IFB’s are laying low, but they’re there. They continue to allow their leaders to lead them, to tell them how to vote and how to live.

    And, the controlling factor in it all is simply, fear. Get rid of fear, and watch the world change. For good.

  13. Okay, we all can’t go changing our names. You must stick with the name you were originally assigned.

  17. Your point is one I have struggling to articulate to others. The current political situation is very familiar to someone who grew up in the Hammond area although I haven’t really been able to put it together until now. If you take out the God/Jesus language it all looks the same. Jacky boy = DJT in almost every way other than haircut and the followers are the same.

    1. I’ve been thinking the same thing, since the beginning of this current administration. It’s only natural that some fundies would follow Trump. It’s simply what they’re used to in a leader.

  18. I just had thought to see if anyone was home. Thanks for posting! I think the Fundy challenge is greater than ever given the current incestuous relationship between a certain political flavor and Fundystan.

    1. OH…. MY…… GAWD!!!! SCORPIO!!!!

      YOU are the very person we’ve all been missing!!!

      You are definitely getting a butt cushion! My BEST ONE!

      And, go check your PM’s on the forum! You’re not getting away from us again, Dollcakes!!!

      We’ve missed you!!!

      1. Hey you! Yeah about the forum. I can’t get in. I did the “Forget Password” link and had a temp password sent to me but I get an error message when trying to log in. I do not know what I am doing wrong. Is there still a Help Desk?

  21. The IFB is like the Dark side:
    “But beware of the IFB. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Fundies are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the IFB path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will. “. -Pastor Yoda

  23. Darrell,

    Once again I’m reminded of your incredible grasp of the English language and pinpoint accuracy in describing all things IFB. Thanks for the update. I sure do miss eagerly awaiting your next daily post. Hope all’s well.

Comments are closed.