Moved by the Spirit to Govern (fundies take aim on Latin America)

[KamaAina]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&ncid=2026&e=5&u=/latimests/20040607/ts_latimes/movedbythespirittogovern

In countries throughout Latin America, evangelicals such as Vieira are stepping out from the shelter of their churches to enter the fractious world of secular politics. These Protestant Christians are increasingly speaking out, teaming up and getting elected in a region that remains overwhelmingly Roman Catholic....

Much of the evangelical bloc's agenda would be recognizable to conservative Christian brethren in the United States. The group opposes any liberalization of Brazil's already-strict abortion laws. Gay marriage is anathema. So are legalizing drugs, handing out clean needles to addicts as a public-health measure and distributing condoms in schools.

One of the group's biggest victories in Congress last year was amending a bio-safety bill to outlaw the cloning of human embryos to harvest stem cells for research. On the local level, the evangelical governor of Rio de Janeiro state, Rosinha Matheus, has outraged scientists by authorizing public schools to teach creationism....

Previously disdainful of worldly politics, the leaders of these churches now embrace it. And beyond exhorting the faithful to exercise their franchise — voting is mandatory in Brazil, anyway — the churches field or endorse candidates, mobilize workers and plot election strategy with increasing astuteness. Some candidates have legally added "Pastor" or "Bishop" to their names so that those identifications would appear on ballots and attract the attention of Christian voters.

Criminetly! Looks like, if the worst happens in Nov., I may have to go farther afield than I thought in search of a safe haven... Is the whole world about to plunge headlong into a new Dark Age?! Can we stop it??!!

[PROGRESSIVE1]

1. JK should use the CIA.....

to stop them!

As President I would.

[LittleApple81]

2. Yeap. They are doing a bang up job in many the Latin countries.

The last time I went to my country of origin, there were big stadium size prayer thingies all over the place and they were full to capacity.

[Speck Tater]

3. Now if we can pump up the whole Christian extremist thing

in this hemisphere while the whole Muslim extremist thing gets pumped up in the other hemisphere we'll have the making of a horrendous global religious war. Won't that be exciting?

Makes me wish there was a way to find a cure for religious fanaticism. It is a disease, after all. Shouldn't the UN World Health Organization be funding research in this direction?

[girl gone mad]

4. "The group opposes..

any liberalization of Brazil's already-strict abortion laws."


I'd like to know what they are doing for the thousands of homeless children who live on the streets of Rio de Janero and are forced to steal and prostitute themselves to survive? Last I heard, they were locking them up in prisons and giving police a license to kill with no questions asked.