[BOOK REVIEW] "HIJACKING AMERICA: How the Religious and Secular Right
Changed What Americans Think" / by Susan George, 2008 // "AMERICA
NO SHUKYO UHA" (American Religious Right)by Iiyama Masashi, Chuko
shinsho, 2008
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| Shibata Yukinori (Jesuit Social Center) | |||||||||
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Fundamentalism, nowadays, has become a synonym for wild Islamic terrorism.
Nevertheless, in the United States of America, already from the 1920s and
30s, groups of fundamentalists defeated in their fight with the modernists,
seceded from their denominations and established fundamentalism. Again,
those who could not follow the extremists created groups like the Evangelicals
(American religious right). Such Fundamentalists and Evangelicals supported
the invasion of Iraq of the Bush Administration.
The 2 books presented here provide an analysis of the historical realities
of Neo-conservatives and Christian Fundamentalism and the Evangelicals
that became a majority force during the Regan Administration (1980s) and
are believed to influence greatly the policies of the Bush Administration
during the 2000s.
American Religious Right is a compact book of 250 pages that compiles modern American religious
map. The book starts introducing each branch of the Protestant Churches
and the changes in each of the American Protestant denominations, the Value
systems of the Religious Right and the successive American regimes in relation
to the Religious Right. The introduction of each Protestant denomination
and the transition of various Protestant Branches in the USA are matters
of special interest. It is a very informative and simple Religious History
of the United States of America.
It is shocking to observe that the USA is a more Religious State than people
usually think. There atheists count for about 8% and over 40% go to Church
every week. While 70% of Americans believe in afterlife, only 35% of French
people do it. About 28% of English people believe in the devil, but 65%
of Americans do it. Among industrial countries Americans, by far, are religious.
The fact that Americans are religious is a good thing, but it is surprising
to hear that about 40% of American people believe literally in the creation
of heaven and earth.
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Although they also believe in the Evolution Theory, 40% of them believe
that the process of evolution is the Intelligent Design of a Supreme Being
(God) and only about 1/4 of the population believe in Darwin's theory on
Natural Selection.
Such literal Biblical interpretation that stresses the points of view of
the Religious Right, concerning abortion and the hate of homosexual love,
as well as the adhesion to traditional family values, an absolute belief
in the free market and intolerance towards other religions, the establishment
of a Christian State influence American politics. All this became the basis
of Neo-conservatives. Susan George offers a similar view in her book: Hijacking America: How the Religious and Secular Right Changed What Americans
Think.
The author has conducted a detailed survey on the situation of American
politics and portrays vividly the influential increase of the Religious
Right into the successive American establishments. The influence of the
lobbying activities of neo-conservatives together with the Religious Right
is, particularly, quite noticeable.
During the 60s and 70s, when the "Liberals" advocated publicly
for civil rights and against the Vietnam War, the "Right" felt
in danger of losing ground and with the support of conservative foundations
lobbied intensively politicians and scholars. As a result, the conservative
Republican Party was born and the Federal Supreme Court became conservative,
(parents refused to send their children to public schools teaching Evolutionism
and equal gender rights), Home Schooling spread quickly. Susan George deeply
regrets that the "Left" foundations did not succeed in their
lobbying as much as the "Right" did.
In the USA nobody thinks that Religion should not intervene in secular
problems. Certainly, as the Popes have stated, "Religious believers
have the right and obligation to speak up on moral issues." But, on
the other hand, how should the Church conduct when conflict situations
arise? That's a difficult issue.
(Shibata Yukinori, Jesuit Social Center, Tokyo)
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