C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat To American Democracy (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Jeff Sharlet, an investigative journalist, turns the light on a frightening outfit that calls itself "The Family' whose headquarters is "C Street" One of the first rules of C Street is you don't talk about C Street. Nevertheless, Sharlet has been able to gather enough information, much of it from C Streeters that will talk, to put together an extraordinary picture of this group. C Street has a roster of well-known names of Senators, Congressmen, governors and assorted "spiritual advisors" streaming through - John Ensign, Mark Sanford, Chip Pickering, Robert Aderholt, Tom Coburn - the list goes on. The underlying goal of these (mostly) men is to re-make this, and other, countries' governments into ones that are "Christ and Christ Only" centered. They have the disturbing belief that they have been chosen by God to reshape the world in their very extreme fundamentalist Christian view. Nothing else they do in their lives counts. From the book: David Coe (a "spiritual trainer"): "Beau, let's say I hear you raped three little girls. What would I think of you, Beau?" Beau supposed that Coe wouldn't think well of him at all. But that wasn't so, Coe answered. Beau, he explained, was one of God's tools; that's what it means to be chosen. The normal rules don't apply. Morality - a human construct - doesn't even apply. "Moral orders," he said,"that's for kids. God's will is beyond morals." Coe uses Genghis Khan as a good teaching example; according to Coe, Genghis Khan had conquered not for greed, but because God told him to. When asked to explain his bloody conquests, Khan answered, "I don't ask. I submit." There is a large group of policy-makers applying this belief in contemporary politics, here in the US, and also exporting it to other countries (contributing to the torture and killings of homosexuals in Uganda, for instance). (Maybe this explains a number of the misdeeds by politicians lately, and why they seem surprised that they are held accountable.)This was a hard book to read - there was so much information to process, and so many names, but I think we all should be aware of this group and how they are shaping our country, and world. Scary stuff.“The fundamentalist threat to American democracy isn’t a person…it’s an idea. In its most modest shape it’s the question posed by a future air force officer: ‘Who are we to question why God builds up nations?’—imperial narcissism so blind that the questioner believes his fatalistic acceptance of his own power is a form of humility. In its bluntest expression it’s the ‘government by God’ preached at C Street. In its most awful, it is the ‘God-led politics’ of Uganda, the nightmare scenario of fundamentalism in power.” --Sharlet Some very interesting information, but primarily a political walkabout in various countries and amazing interviews with very scary politicians and soldiers who have huge authority over either powerless people or ignorant supporters unaware of the true nuttiness behind the mostly hidden Fundamentalist religious agendas. Despite the delusional religious anxieties and paranoia, the researched and interviewed individuals and NGO's present a smooth persuasive front of normalcy. This book reveals the incredible weirdness going on behind closed doors and the far-from-cameras activities taking place under the name of faith and religious rituals demanded by the Bible. These activities are plainly freaky and bizarre. Yet, military leaders and congressmen are doing them in all earnest faith, utterly aware that their bizarre beliefs and anti-democratic activities would lose them their constituents if someone made available a YouTube video exposing their prayer meetings and discussions. They are knowingly toning down their real agenda for the public. While I think the average voter would be horrified at the extent of Fundamentalist philosophy driving some American politicians and military leaders, who, by the way, are completely open that they are on a Crusade exactly like the ones in the Middle Ages, many of the richest men in America and biggest corporations are giving millions - MILLIONS - of dollars to these messianic crusaders, buying votes and influence for their causes. Only a few of the usual Republican supporters are as besotted with Fundamentalism as these Congressmen and certain non-government organizations (NGOs) are, but those few wealthy supporters, and they are almost all rich white men, are as extreme Fundamentalist believers as the politicians and organizations they pour their money into. While fascinating and terrifying in the exposé of hidden Christian Fundamentalist agendas which are propagating narrow, hate-based Christian religious beliefs under the false flag of moral leadership, I felt the book was 75% ranting. My low rating of the book is not because I think the facts or stories are untrue, or that I disagree that powerfully placed Christian fundamentalists are using deception to get rid of the freedoms America allows its citizen's to enjoy. (I feel even worse for those converts described in Africa who've accepted Christian fundamentalism, because it makes it easier for resource-stealing despots to beguile their off-the-grid populations into accepting their deprivations because 'it's god's will.' ) I disliked the author's constant, irritable editorializing and complaining about the lunatic prosthelytizing. Yes, I share Sharlet's views and opinions, but he too often interrupted his narrative with inflammatory commentary and overheated insults. I got very annoyed and skimmed a lot as a result. Plain investigative exposition was sufficiently demonstrative of his theme. Crazy religious people are in charge of key committees and jobs, they are promoting a Fundamentalist agenda in plain sight, and they are often successful because of powerful friend networking, duplicitous wordplay and hidden sleight-of-hand financial tricks, as well as boldfaced lying and superstitious blackmail. The ranting rage of the author really dragged down the reading of the book, but the facts are irrefutable.
What do You think about C Street: The Fundamentalist Threat To American Democracy (2010)?
I REALLY want to review this book so please email me if you're willing to swap it. Thanks.
—godskid
Scary look at the 'Christian' nutters trying to take over the world.
—DeAnna
Some of the book was derivative of his earlier book "the Family."
—EdHenderson
