If Christianity is a religion of love and forgiveness, why does Christian radio always piss me off?
I just heard a radio program on my local "Christian" radio station, 94.7 The Spirit. The program was about global warming, specifically, An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore's new movie about global warming. The host was Janet Parshall.
Janet has been involved in the Christian radio business for years. Her website bio says, "Throughout her career, Janet has been a devoted advocate of the principles and policies that strengthen the family." I didn't hear much advocacy for families. Her show seems to be more concerned with attacking Democrats and defending President Bush's policies.
My first question is this: How is it that a "Christian" radio station can talk about global warming? Why does that even fall under the purview of "Christian radio?" What qualifies a "Christian" radio host to have a scientific opinion about global warming? And why is it that her opinion is in line with the Republican administration, and contrary to the scientific consensus?
My answer: It's because these people are not Christians. They are money grubbers and bootlickers. Global warming has the potential to be the greatest human tragedy this world has ever seen. Climate change will devastate the poor and the sick.
Yet Mrs. Parshall criticized Al Gore for asking Americans to "freeze in the winter" and give aid to poorer countries to help them develop cleaner energy. It's Communism, she said. (You can listen to it here. It's the June 1st show.)
What Would Jesus Do, indeed.
I decided to do a little more research into the Janet Parshall show. I did a google search for "global warming site:http://www.jpamerica.com/" and found that she's addressed the issue of global warming three times.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Joey
"How is it that a "Christian" radio station can talk about global warming"?
Because it's allowed.
2 - Joey
Okay, Okay... I don't want to sound flippant about the subject. And I am concerned, but put a few things into perspective.
1. We live on a dynamic planet
2. We live in a dynamic universe
3. Global warming has been occurring since the ICE AGE stopped. I know that sounds stupid, but if you think about it... it is a correct observation.
4. For giggles... the Yellowstone Caldera has blown 2x in geological history (that scientists can determine through strata analysis). In doing so the ash fallout destroyed life on the land mass both times, and was fairly close to covering 2/3's of the size of the U.S.
5. It WILL blow again - use a geological frame of reference for a time line.
Who know's a meteor could strike first...
That's the problem with living on a dynamic planet. We're probably not going to extinguish ourselves. The forces of 'nature' inherent to our world, could very easily do it for us.
Anyone can talk about it, there are countless books and websites (authoritative in content), that spell it all out. What's the surprise here?
Why are you surprised that a radio station of a particular persuasion discusses things. What if they were discussing the origin of Number Theory, or the brotherhood of Pythagoras, and the brotherhood's "discovery" of perfect numbers. Or how Pythagoras came up with principles of musical harmony? People think. It's what we do. Why should that confound you so?
3 - duane
Well, it has nothing to do with "strengthening the family," it has nothing to do with espousing Christian principles, and it has nothing to do with spreading peace, love, and joy.
4 - Future Geek
A Christian radio host talking about Global warming is kind of like an atheist evolutionary biologist talking about theology.
Sure it's allowed, but why should you listen to what they have to say about it?
5 - Joey
Why not? It adds to the discourse. Why do people believe in theories... when they are only guesses?
6 - Margaret Romao Toigo
I thought Joey's observations about our dynamic planet were most astute. However, those truths do not relive us of our responsibility to keep our air, water and food supplies reasonably uncontaminated and fit for human consumption.
I am as skeptical of Christian dominionist rhetoric as I am of environmentalist rhetoric that includes the words, "corporate lapdogs." Is it really about caring for our environment or is it fear mongering for the sake of anti-capitalism?
In a free market, it is the people who decide with whom they will do business, it is the people who make the corporations work, and it is up to the people to consume less, to keep ourselves informed, and to avoid doing business with companies that are not good corporate citizens.
Capitalism gives the people a voice every time they decide what they will of will not buy and from whom they will buy it. Look to the masses, we have exactly the environment, economy, and culture we choose to purchase.
"Global Warming" may very well be happening and it may very well be humanity's "fault," for having naturally progressed to the point where we have become industrialized.
But it might not be us at all. Nobody really knows for sure and everyone's taking his or her own little leaps of faith, here and there.
As for partisans towing the party line on some Christian radio station, so what? The producers are just giving their listeners what they want to hear.
7 - Michael J. West
Sure it's allowed, but why should you listen to what they have to say about it?
More to the point (in my estimation), why would its intended audience want to hear about it? Geez, they can hear about global warming or lack thereof on damn near every AM station on the dial. I thought that people who listened to Christian radio chose it because they wanted to hear Christian messages INSTEAD OF the usual rhetoric.
8 - Joey
What if Christian listeners only dialed in Christian radio, because they were not assaulted with bad language, sexual innuendo etc... Christian radio then becomes the Christian listener's "home" station. There they would hear news, talk, preaching, praise and worship music... a station delivering the whole package without the offensive qualities of modern radio. In effect you would not only have the audience, but the advertising dollars that go with it... delivering a comprehensive package to the target audience.
That's good business. Christians will tend to go to businesses run by Christians. Furthermore, Christian businesses make of point of letting Christians know who and where they are, in print as well as the airwaves. The Christian also understands that by using Christian businesses a percentage of what they pay for services will also return back to the Christian community in the form of tithes to the business owners respective churches.
The same goes for Jewish businesses, who really started the practice of keeping it all within the group.
9 - Future Geek
Joey said:
"What if Christian listeners only dialed in Christian radio, because they were not assaulted with bad language, sexual innuendo etc... Christian radio then becomes the Christian listener's "home" station."
Joey,
That's exactly my point. All those people listening are getting a slanted perspective on global warming. Ms. Parshall had only climate change skeptics on her show. What does that have to do with Christianity? Why couldn't she have both sides do an honest discussion of the issue?
If you are only listening to the Christian station, you are not getting the full picture and the facts about global warming. Instead you get a slanted, ideological perversion of Christianity.
10 - shArk
Lessee...
Would I rather listen to Christoids talkin' about Science...
or a pack of baboons read Joyce's Ulysses aloud??
hmmmm... life's full of tough choices...
11 - shArk
re: "...Christians or Corporate Lapdogs?"
Godammit.
I'd love to vote, but I don't see "Dangerous Deluded Fuckheaded Idiots" on the list.
[shrugs]
12 - shArk
M. Toigo: "...Look to the masses, we have exactly the environment, economy, and culture we choose to purchase."
I hate to agree... but...
...
...
...
...
...
[cut to Shark putting 9mm Glock in his mouth and pulling the trigger]
13 - shArk
MORE REALLY ALL-AMERICAN, LIBERTARIAN, CAPITALISTIC WET DREAMY FUCKING INCREDIBLY DELUDED AND DEPRESSING BULLSHIT:
M. Toigo: "...In a free market, it is the people who decide with whom they will do business..."
[cut to Shark with cartoon thought-balloon over his head that says, "YOU MUST BE FUCKING JOKING!" -- while standing in Wal-Mart studying his "choices" among 35 different kinds of Toilet Paper -- all made by the same company... in China.]
14 - Future Geek
M. Toigo said:
Look to the masses, we have exactly the environment, economy, and culture we choose to purchase.
Well, Americans and Europeans get to 'choose to purchase', but it is the poor of the world who will face the consequences of our out of control consumption.
As for us becoming informed citizens and choosing to purchase wisely... well, it's kind of hard to learn the facts when Exxonmobile is giving millions of dollars to politicians and thinktanks to muddy the waters. That's my point.
Is it really about caring for our environment or is it fear mongering for the sake of anti-capitalism?
Hey, you called me out. All this environmental stuff is just a smokescreen so I can establish a socialist state and give your wealth away to the brown people of the world. You are so astute.
Sorry about the term 'corporate lapdog.' I was going to say 'whores' but I thought I'd keep it clean for the front page.
Look, if the consequence of unfettered capitalism is the death of thousands or millions of people, well then I am an anticapitalist, and I would hope you are too.
The problem is that there are a few very powerful and rich corporations pulling the strings here. That's not a free market, that's monopoly, and it's very dangerous.
15 - duane
Shark? Long time.
16 - Michael J. West
[cut to shArk having extremely little else to keep him entertained]
17 - Margaret Romao Toigo
shArk, there are many different brands of toilet paper on the market and most of them are made in the USA by American corporations, which are made up of lots and lots of people and are supported by even more people because without the people, corporations would not exist.
(I will admit, however, that I really don't know what sort of toilet paper Wal-Mart sells as I do not shop there.)
Indeed, Future Geek, it is the poor of the world who will face the consequences of our out of control consumption. So what are you doing about it? Are you controlling your consumption? Do you read labels, keep up with the news and consider the products you purchase carefully?
You and a number of others seem to be well-informed about climate changes and other issues regarding our environment. Perhaps those millions of dollars that ExxonMobile gave to those politicians and think tanks "to muddy the waters" didn't pay off for them so well after all.
If some people want to limit themselves to Christian radio, that's their business. But why concern yourself with the people you are least likely to reach when there is a vast moderate middle who is well-informed and who will listen and perhaps take heed?
"All this environmental stuff is just a smokescreen so I can establish a socialist state and give your wealth away..."
That was sarcasm, right?
No, I am not at all concerned that environmentalists are conspiring to establish a socialist state so that they may force us to live as we did before the Industrial Revolution, any more than I believe the religious right has the potential to gain sufficient power to drag us all kicking and screaming back to the days before the Sexual Revolution.
The trouble with terms such as "corporate lapdog" and "corporate whore" is that they are so obviously propagandistic. You're not going to convince anyone of anything with such nonsense, all you'll be doing is preaching to the already-converted choir.
Unfettered capitalism is anarchy, not freedom. The rights of the people must be protected and defended against the business practices of those who violate the rights of the people, which do include the right to air, water, and food that are reasonably uncontaminated and fit for human consumption.
Those powerful and rich corporations that appear to be "pulling the strings here" are made up of millions of people and they are supported by many more millions of people who are living the free market, working and redistributing the fruits of their labors.
No one is forced to be in that world (and there are plenty of alternatives out there if one is willing to work hard and make sacrifices), but many choose it because of the natural human need to belong to something bigger than oneself, to be a part of this great civilization humanity has achieved over the past two centuries.
18 - Julian Todd
Boy what a nasty radio program. I found this place because I watch for the name "Myron Ebell".
Look, there's several ways to look at this Christian thing. This is how religions or political parties always behave when they are in power. When they are not in charge, they talk about popular things like peace, love and justice, then when they get in control it's as vile as the Spanish Inquisition.
I think the most serious moral issue above all else is LYING. Most people are reasonable and want to do good, but large numbers of them can be made to do bad stuff by being lied to.
I get great hope that just anyone can check up on their computer the names of these "guests" to see if they are being paid to lie. However, I am also despairing that when earlier direct and consistent lies are exposed, such as those which enabled the Iraq war in 2003, there are no repercussions whatsoever. Not one person was guilty. No one is outraged. It never happened. Forget about it already. They just don't care. This is true evidence of moral corruption.
Myron Ebell and Iain Murray know full well that global warming is happening. They know how many credible scientific papers they are having to skip through to find those nuggets they can use out of context to further their lies. It's that clear. I just wish we had some sort of cultural understanding that could promise that when matters like climate change or the non-existance of WMD becomes too apparent to ignore, people would go back through these interviews that they made and hold them to account. What they're doing is worse than rape in my view; the damage is enormous.
19 - shArk
Duane, yeah, hiya, xxoo. I miss you too. I remember those fabulous free physics lessons and the attempts to define "Science" for the Christoid anti-evolutionists -- who apparently never read a dictionary and also skipped science class in the 7th Grade.
Yah. I drop in every six months or so just to remind myself that the FUCKING APOCALYPSE is still heading our way.
[cut to Micheal J. West not only stealing my style -- but with nothing better to do than to criticize me because he has little else to keep him entertained]
20 - shArk
BTW, Mickey, SHARK posted more "entertainment value" in 15 minutes than has been posted on this entire site for the past year or so. And you should get down on your knees and pray to Gawd I stick around to make this boring piece of shit site a tad more interesting.
Gotta run! The new article on "The Apprentice" is up!
21 - Eric Olsen
Shark, always nice to see you - good to see the solipcism is intact
22 - gonzo marx
Shark!!!
luv you maaAAAAaaaan!
e-mail me if ya get the chance, underscore between first and last at the hotmail place
i'll get back to this piece later....
Excelsior?
23 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Where was it that I read this? Ah yes, "The World According to Garp"
"Every business is a shitty business."
Commercial radio, publishing, selling butter and eggs - the same rule holds.
You want the tree hugger viewpoint of things? Go to Pacifica Radio. You want the corporate whores? Go elsewhere - including CPB.
24 - Bliffle
Christians and corporatists have hign affinity because they both feel comfortable in large oppressive hierarchies. And they think everyone should be content to be so governed. Popes and CEOs, Bishops and VPs, etc., they both speak knowledgeably and admiringly about the components of hierarchy.
To christians and corporatists alike science and technology are threats because they have no respect for power, only for discovery and change, and that threatens their grip on statements of the imposed reality the corp and the church presume to define. So their solution is the same solution they always use: oppression and domination.
They are natural allies. It's always been that way.
25 - duane
Bliffle: ... science and technology are threats because they have no respect for power, only for discovery and change ....
You've captured something there. Very nice. It's interesting that, for example, ID proponents try to portray "science" as a monolithic hierarchy based on authority, when it's actually a bunch of people trying to prove that everyone else is wrong. I hadn't thought about the Christian-corporate connection before. Can't comment on that, although I understand the analogy.