The Rude Pundit: Photos That Make Christian Conservative Brains Short Out

[meegbear]

Yes, the photo, of Barack Obama becoming the first American president to publicly celebrate the Hindu holiday of Diwali, is about a week old, but the reaction to it from the nutzoid right wing is as steamy fresh as a new cow pie in a Vermont meadow on an October morning.

Yesterday, the Rude Pundit received his weekly prayer job orders from the Family Research Council's Super-Duper Prayer Team. The Rude Pundit signed up for the Super-Duper Prayer Team under a nom de rude, and every Wednesday, he gets a list o' crap what needs the prayin'. This week, amidst a whole buncha prayers about stopping the homosexuals from making America friendly to, you know, homosexuals, there was this shocking news from the aptly-named Newsweek: "As the ethereal sounds of a Hindu priest's chanting of this Sanskrit prayer from ancient Hindu scripture filled the East Room, President Obama lit the ceremonial White House diya --and he used this Sanskrit word for lamp ... Never before had a sitting U.S. President personally celebrated the Diwali holiday..."

Aw, motherfuck. And here we thought he was Muslim. This is gonna require some prayer. And here's what the Super-Duper Prayer Team was told to intone to the right god: "May God open the eyes of our President and the American people to understand the cost of diminishing the God of our Fathers and our nation's Christian heritage, while honoring foreign gods and promoting other religions and rituals. May God protect us from confusion to come if our leaders begin to promote a pantheon of gods."

Now, you might think, "Umm, wasn't Jesus from, like, the Middle East? Doesn't that make him, like, a 'foreign god'?" Sorry, there, gal or dude with your little thinkin' head. "God" is an American God, motherfuckers, and he is Christian, whether he likes it or not.

As usual with our prayerturbation orders, we're given a bunch of bible verses to inspire us. Here, among the usual Ten Commandments and shit, we get 1 Kings 2-11. That describes how King Solomon was led astray from Big American God by several of his women. See, the very verses mentioned tell us, he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. How the hell are we supposed to get past that to even think about praying?

For other fun, there's also this snark from the Washington Times: "America's minority religions certainly are getting a nice reception at the White House these days." And plenty of blogs and forums lost their shit over the lighting of a lamp.

This is not an endorsement of such things. Indeed, there should be no public ceremonies of any faith at the White House. But it's always a wonder what sets off the right, from the smallest gestures. You know who liked it? India. You know who organized it? Kal Penn. Goddamn, is there nothing Kumar can't do?

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com/

[Capt. America]

1. This is America you douchbags. He is the President of ALL Americans, not just the "Christians".

Of course, Shrub was the Preznit for Christians only.

[happyslug]

8. Even the pope acknowldeges the Holiday, and has been doing it for years

For 2000:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20001020_diwali_en.html

And this year:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20091017_diwali_en.html

Just to point out how far out of the normal the religious right in America is. they will reject this act of honoring a holiday of another religion, while even the Pope will join in on the celebration of the Holiday (The pope gives a similar treatment to Moslem Holidays and other religious holiday but I want to keep this the holiday in the main story).

[driver8]

13. Don't even get me started!

"We will win this war because God is on our side"...

Oh yeah? God is going to help you kill people because he likes you better?

I hate this shit.

[roguevalley]

23. we are on our own when we kill each other. it would be like asking

me which one of my young ones I would allow die because the others were better.

[fascisthunter]

16. danke... well said

[redqueen]

2. ""God" is an American God, motherfuckers, and he is Christian, whether he likes it or not."

:rofl:

Love it. :)

[RagAss]

22. LOL !...pissed my pants !

[Warpy]

3. Good rant, Rude

I hope Obama keeps outraging the Christian bigots by honoring other traditions. It just hastens the day most of the fundies burn out over prolonged outrage and are reduced to sitting in a corner, drooling and babbling, out of the way and incapable of doing anything else.

[MineralMan]

5. Next: Wiccans Celebrate Winter Solstice in White House!

If only...

[rhiannon55]

24. That would be great

Hearing our prez explaining to Americans the history and meaning of the Winter Solstice would be almost more than my Wiccan heart could stand. I'd think I died and went to Summerland.

Ooh...he might even say Blessed Be or something! :loveya:

[grace0418]

12. The unfortunate part is that they birth litters of 17 kids before they burn out.

There always seem to be more "Christian" bigots where those came from.

[Warpy]

19. One batch of cousins was a family of ten kids

and they've produced damned few grandchildren. Most have no children, the strategies have run from a vasectomy as a wedding present to late marriage to no marriage. They're all well over 45 now, so that's it for the whole bunch.

Growing up in a family like that leads few people to want to repeat it.

[grace0418]

20. I'm the youngest of eleven so I know exactly what you're talking about.

We're just trying to have our first now (I'm almost forty) and we only want one. Several of my siblings are childless, and the rest have very small families.

[grace0418]

21. self-delete

dupe

[MineralMan]

4. Oh, my word...our President acknowledging that there are

more religions practiced in the USA than fundamentalist Christianity? The horror!

Predictably, the Limbeckers are up in arms.

[teenagebambam]

6. I was at Bush's second inaugural prayer service

at the National Cathedral in DC....where not only did a Preacher and a Rabbi speak, but also a Muslim Iman and an Eastern Orthodox Priest. Where was the prayer team then?

[Ezlivin]

10. The Prayer Team was in the men's restroom doing the sacred foot tap

And I believe their prayers were answered orally.

[peace frog]

7. but but but... Obama is a MUSLIN!!11

:crazy:

[eridani]

27. No! A Satinist! Or a Linenist! Not a Muslin, ferchrissakes! n/t

[SidDithers]

9. Another Rude Pundit righteous rant...

and, as always, thanks for posting :hi:

Sid

[gkhouston]

11. Nah, they'll just think Obama photoshopped himself into an Indiana Jones movie. n/t

[juno jones]

14. "...May God protect us from confusion to come if our leaders begin to promote a pantheon of gods."

Dunno, more the merrier was always my philosophy.

That and "Take me anywhere, I'm along for the ride."

[MineralMan]

15. Yah. If one god is good, then many must be better. Logic.

I think I'll worship Aphrodite and Bacchus. Wine and wymyns. It's all good.

[rhiannon55]

25. and let's not forget about Pan

He's much more fun to worship than Jesus ever was.

[badgerpup]

28. Kwan Yin, the Green Man and Ganesh are my personal trinity...

...dunno why, just they kinda 'spoke' to me. :shrug:

[juno jones]

32. If everone worshipped those two, the world would be a nicer place.

I encourage you to do so. Quaff some nectar for me, eh? :hi:

[krabigirl]

17. These wingnuts are such idiots. It's nice that he is honoring all faiths.

There are so man Indian immigrants in this country nowadays. And they don't want to convert to Christianity! hahaha on the wingnuts.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

26. From the current issue of Hinduism Today

http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5031
Full article at Link


Friendship Evangelism
Hindus, especially young students at universities, need to be alert to insidious Christian tactics

by Maruthu Pandian Dharmalingam


The subtle conversion program which christians call "friendship evangelism" is becoming a common experience for Hindus of all age groups. It is an active force on Malaysian university campuses. The main targets are Hindu students between the ages of 21 and 30 who are often unaware of the ulterior motives behind "friendships" initiated by Christian peers. We need a more alert, informed Hindu student body or we will see more and more young Hindus being cleverly converted to Christianity even before they realize it.

I was just 21 when I enrolled in a Kuala Lumpur medical school in 2001. My mother was terminally ill and hospitalized. She died the following week. I was grieving and depressed. Upperclassmen are assigned as "fosters" to help orient freshmen. One foster started giving me attention and soon became my closest campus friend, developing a three-year relationship during which he tried his best to convert me to Christianity. Freshmen coming from an innocent, sheltered home environment are very open. I was no different. A new friendship is accepted as a comforting source of security in a new world outside of home. From his name I knew he was Christian, but initially religion did not factor into the friendship. Besides, I had always respected and mixed freely with people of various religions and traditions.

=====

[BrklynLiberal]

18. Most of those RWingnuts probalby suffer from some sort of brain disease.

Really...they are all so incoherent.

[Odin2005]

29. "prayerturbation orders" LOL!

:rofl:

[tmyers09]

30. HA!

I love The Rude Pundit so much.

[Arugula Latte]

31. Michael Scott ("The Office") sings an Adam-Sandler-style tribute to Diwali:

http://www.spike.com/video/office-michaels-adam/2783725