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Wednesday, June 21, 2006

God is a Fag: Dr. Robert Morey on the Feminization of Christianity

Dr. Robert Morey is a Reformed Christian apologist from Southern California, who seems to relish in pissing people off. He is perhaps most infamously known as the author of “Islamic Invasion,” a critical look at the history of Islam, which argues for the pagan origins of the Muslim faith (as to be expected, his irony detector is apparently broken).

He has also struck up a friendship with Pastor Gene Cook, has appeared on Gene’s internet show, and once for a fascinating discussion with Robert Price.

(Speaking of which, it occurs to me as odd that the same close relationship between Reggie Finley and Robert Price that prompted Gene to characterize Reggie as Price’s “bitch” is very similar to the relationship shared by Gene and Morey. Better informed minds than my own have already commented on the blatant psychological projection that seems prevalent in our favorite Reformed apologists, but I digress.)

Gene took the opportunity to ask Dr. Morey about the insulting parody he recently produced which was filled with personal attacks on Reggie Finley. It seemed as if Gene was looking for some validation, since he had received a lot of criticism for it, predominantly from Christians. I think Gene was hoping to hear Morey give his approval, but he avoided making any specific pronouncement, and instead began to attack the complaining Christians, calling them “wusses,” and “girly Christians.”

Now, it should be no surprise to anyone familiar with Christianity that vicious internecine squabbles are part and parcel of the religion, and this is particularly true of Reformed Christianity, for whom criticism, both giving and receiving, is practically a virtue. It’s no wonder that Reformed organizations are a decidedly minor niche within the greater Christian corpus- even Dr. Morey’s own California Biblical University and Seminary boasts a faculty of one (the good doctor himself).

But it’s an empirical truth of religion that deities reflect the psychology of their believers, and I thought Dr. Morey’s diatribe against the feminization of Christianity too interesting to pass up.

His main thesis is that Christianity has lost its masculine traits (assertiveness, anger, violence) over the past century in favor of an overemphasis of its feminine traits (love, forgiveness, peace). He argues that an embrace of the masculine nature of Christianity is necessary for the full “metamorphosis” into a True Christian. For this to take place, one has to reject the “feminized” culture that surrounds us. Rejection of alien culture is a prevalent Biblical theme in the Old Testament, and though Dr. Morey takes note that covenantal theology teaches that Christians are given the freedom to make their own decisions about how to interact with the infidels today, he also has some very specific ideas on how this is meant to happen (not in a contradictory way, of course).
Morey: Now remember your colonial history. Three of the generals that accompanied George Washington to free this country from the tyranny of England were clergymen. The Baptist and Presbyterian ministers were at the forefront of the Revolutionary War. They had out their muskets, and they went to war in the Indian Wars. They cleared the forests, built log cabins, they settled the West, they tamed the West, they went out with their six-shooters and dealt with outlaws- in other words, there was a masculine Christianity that reflected the Reformation.
Hot damn! Forget Jim Caviezel, we need John Wayne to play Jesus! Talk about masculine- there’s nothing more fulfilling of manhood than killing people and cutting down trees. I know that my testicles wouldn’t drop until I had learned how to use a chainsaw properly- both on wood and on the necks of unbelievers. Speaking fondly of Jesus (played by the Duke) marching into the Temple grounds to drive out the moneychangers, Morey contrasts this with the development of a new kind of Jesus (perhaps played by Sean Hayes).
Morey: He was the mighty Jehovah Jesus, with a scourge in his hand, and he was strong and virile and masculine. And he- if there was a picture, he was not a white, European, California blue-eyed surfer boy. Guess when these new paintings of Jesus came out? Covering this period in the 1800’s when Jesus was now pictured as a delicate, white, weak, effeminate, long-haired, fag, from San Francisco. He was a hairdresser! He was a fairy, a FAG, from San Francisco. And he would never do anything to hurt anybody.
But it’s not just the visual imagery that puts Dr. Morey off- he doesn’t like the changes made to Christian hymns.
Morey: Have you ever sang one of these evangelical hymns? Sticky-sweet? “I love you, Jesus-“ That you felt your masculinity be a little uneasy?

Gene: Yeah.

Morey: I don’t have a male lover. Do you have a male lover?

Gene. No… no.

Morey: I… I love my wife. Gene, you’re a dear brother, I can love you with phileo- for our audience, because they don’t even know that- with brotherly love.

Gene: Mm-hmm.

Morey: I’m not interested in taking you to the sack.

Gene: [laughing]

Morey: All right?

Gene: Well that, that’s a relief.

Morey: That’s a relief. And thankfully, you wouldn’t be interested anyway.
That certainly is a relief. My goodness, imagine if these two men had sexual feelings for each other? That wouldn’t be masculine at all, would it? Well, at least for one of them (I’ll leave it to the reader to decide which). Fortunately, they have the good sense to announce their lack of sexual feelings for each other loudly and publicly, with no sense of self-consciousness whatsoever.

So, in conclusion, Dr. Morey longs for a return to the kind of Christianity where being a man meant decapitating your enemy, heterosexual(!) intercourse, and mocking anyone who believes differently from you. Love, forgiveness, and self-worth are overrated and represent a false Fag God that has been championed by the church at large.

Ultimately, of course, Dr. Morey is just begging the question of his own interpretation of the Bible against the myriad of other interpretations that have been proposed throughout Christian history. The Bible is the ultimate Rorshach test, since its contrary scriptures allow every man to see whatever god he wishes to see. Thus, his position isn’t so interesting on theological grounds, as it is a glimpse into his own psychology.

Post a Comment


13 Comments:

At 6/21/2006 3:44 AM, Blogger BlackSun declaimed...

One of the biggest problems with traditional religions is their patriarchal worldview. (Think burqas, or the 'holy trinity' with father, son, and holy spirit--not a female in sight). These ways of thought have supressed women for centuries, both as an attempt to counteract women's sexual power AND their evolutionary competitiveness. Now this moron wants to turn back the clock on even religion's feeble memetic evolution.

For men to become whole, it must become socially acceptable for them to express their feminine side. Whether that means a choice to be gay, or simply an allowance for a man to be artistic or sensitive, the goal is to achieve balance. Femininity must be seen as equally valid, and a complement to assertiveness. Much of women's social gains in the last 50 years have been achieved by becoming more masculine. (If you can't beat 'em, join 'em).

This is just one more illustration of why religious thinking must be abolished if there is to be any hope for human freedom. Both sexes should be outraged at the institutions and people who perpetuate this repression.

 
At 6/21/2006 6:11 AM, Blogger Francois Tremblay declaimed...

WHAT A LARF! This is a new "Jesus" variant I haven't heard of- Macho Jesus! LOL!

 
At 6/21/2006 9:13 AM, Blogger Vic declaimed...

Well, you know, "Real Men Love Jesus". or so the bumper stickers tell me.

But they don't tell the full story. Jesus 'loves' real men, too...

 
At 6/21/2006 9:24 AM, Blogger Rees declaimed...

So he's kind of an anti-Jungian, then, rejecting the need for an integrated psyche. Interesting.

One wonders, what is the place of actual women in this new manly Xianity he's building?

 
At 6/21/2006 10:32 AM, Blogger Zachary Moore declaimed...

He didn't mention femininity in any positive context, nor women, except those women who, like Deborah, exhibited 'masculine' traits.

He somewhat tautologically opined that "if you read the Bible, you see that men were men, and women were women." One could presume then, that the proper role for women in his Christianity is as subservient receptacles for his overflowing masculinity.

 
At 6/21/2006 11:43 AM, Blogger Francois Tremblay declaimed...

Why is he wearing a blue shirt with his Star Trek uniform?

 
At 6/21/2006 12:42 PM, Blogger Zachary Moore declaimed...

I think that's a (masculine, mind you!) ministerial robe he's wearing.

 
At 6/21/2006 12:52 PM, Blogger Aaron Kinney declaimed...

This reminds me of the song by the indie rock group The Frogs, off their "My Daughter the Broad" album.

The name of the song? "God is Gay"

 
At 6/21/2006 1:48 PM, Blogger Francois Tremblay declaimed...

How the fuck does a manly man get off wearing a robe? Or does he think he's so inherently manly that he can pull it off?

 
At 6/21/2006 4:16 PM, Blogger Zachary Moore declaimed...

Well, he's loudly and publically announced that he's not a homosexual, so that probably buys him enough masculinity credit for wearing something loose and flowing.

His other two criteria of masculinity are killing people and cutting down trees, but I have no idea the extent of his experience in those two areas.

I suspect that he makes up for his inability to spill blood and sap by increasing the volume of his mockery.

 
At 6/22/2006 3:50 PM, Blogger nsfl declaimed...

I've only recently come to truly appreciate the apparently flaunting way that some of these Reformed/Presuppositionalists display their unethical behavior, with unadulterated scorn, mockery, and contempt for those who disagree with them. I suppose the idea of John 13:34-5 is utterly lost on these poor bastards.

 
At 6/26/2006 4:47 PM, Blogger Frank Walton declaimed...

Who but a girlie man like Dan Morgan complain about Robert Morey's testosterone level.

Anyway, to be up front with you guys I don't approve of the word "fag" (incidentally, South Park has a hilarious episode on the use of the word) but here are my two cents on your blog:

I think Gene was hoping to hear Morey give his approval, but he avoided making any specific pronouncement...

That's a lie. Listen to the audio again, and you'll hear Morey praising the audio clip that Gene made.

Now, it should be no surprise to anyone familiar with Christianity that vicious internecine squabbles are part and parcel of the religion...

And it would be no surprise to receive a more overt, viciousness from atheists: See here and here. Since my refutation of Daniel Morgan I've been called "nigger" "spick" "cunt" etc. All from atheists!

...Dr. Morey’s own California Biblical University and Seminary boasts a faculty of one (the good doctor himself).

That's a lie. They have Justin Alfred, Dr. George Hutchinson, Dr. Emad Tanagho, Dr. Robert McGregor Wright, Dr. Anees Zaka.

As for transcribing the audio. I would recommend the reader reading this to look up Gene Cook's website and download the audio and see if Zach Moore is telling the truth of Robert Morey, or just making strawmen arguments.

Ultimately, of course, Dr. Morey is just begging the question of his own interpretation of the Bible against the myriad of other interpretations that have been proposed throughout Christian history.

LOL, And so would the atheist beg the question due to the myriad of interpretations from atheists throughout history.

 
At 6/27/2006 11:34 AM, Blogger Zachary Moore declaimed...

Walton: Anyway, to be up front with you guys I don't approve of the word "fag"...

Whatever floats your boat. A word is just a word- it can be used in a complimentary or perjorative manner. Morey, it is clear, intends the latter.

Walton: That's a lie. Listen to the audio again, and you'll hear Morey praising the audio clip that Gene made.

Is it? According to the audio recording:

[The Infidel Guy Parody clip ends]

Gene: So there you go.

Morey: You see, some people can't take that.

Gene: Well... you'd be surprised. I got more criticism from Christians than I did from the atheists.

Morey: Oh, of course, the wusses.

At that point, Morey launched into a short diatribe about the "girly" Christians who get their "panties all hiked up" when others deal with unbelievers. Not once did he offer anything specifically praising Gene's efforts, he side-stepped right into his attack on "feminine" Christians. Now, I suspect that if pressed on the issue, Morey would likely come out in support of Gene, but I find it interesting that he had the good sense to avoid any direct praise when he first heard it.

Walton: And it would be no surprise to receive a more overt, viciousness from atheists...

Which are also despicable, to be sure- but I was pointing out squabbles within the Christian community. Those without a god-belief also disagree, and vehemently, but the irony is significantly less when those involved aren't all laying claim to a supposedly infallible document.

Walton: That's a lie. They have Justin Alfred, Dr. George Hutchinson, Dr. Emad Tanagho, Dr. Robert McGregor Wright, Dr. Anees Zaka.

As adjunct faculty, my good man. And yes, there is a difference. And yes, I did know he had several adjuncts helping him, but the website itself makes it clear that it's essentially a one-man show: "Each program is coordinated by Dr. Robert Morey with a pool of qualified staff that can serve as mentors and advisors." And I noticed that Dr. Tanagho is a physician, with no theological credentials. Curious choice.

Walton: As for transcribing the audio. I would recommend the reader reading this to look up Gene Cook's website and download the audio and see if Zach Moore is telling the truth of Robert Morey, or just making strawmen arguments.

Did you just volunteer yourself? I've done many transcripts of Gene's show and others' in the past, and I haven't had any complaints. They're often quite useful- very often people say things in the course of a radio show that they may not realize later. For example, when I appeared on Gene's show, this exchange transpired which I had to remind him about later:

Zach: Well, OK. But your- your belief system is based on… I mean, it’s not based on nothing. If somebody came up to you when you were still an unbeliever and said- and basically told you everything that there is to know about Christianity, would you believe?

Gene: Well, see, from the Reformed perspective, you have to know that I must be born again, because I’m spiritually dead. And so as much as I would like to say I would believe, the fact is that I hated God, even though I wouldn’t express it in those words, I was His enemy, I was estranged from Him and He rescued me. He opened my eyes and He opened my ears. And so I- I couldn’t believe, in the natural state until God was so gracious to reveal Himself to me in the person of Christ.

Zach: OK, but, how did you see that revealed?

Gene: Through the preaching of His Word.

Zach: OK, so out of- out of the Bible, right?

Gene: The Gospel.

Zach: The Bible is central to your worldview. Right?

Gene: The Bible- the Bible… yes, you couldn’t say it any clearer than that. The Bible is very central to my- in fact, is foundational to my worldview.

Zach: Exactly. Exactly, so, if there is a problem with the Bible, then there is a problem with Christianity. And because I have found a problem with the Bible, then that pretty much- in my mind- calls into question your worldview.

Gene: Well maybe, the problem isn’t with the Bible, but the problem is with your understanding of the Bible.

Zach: That could be, but I have to trust myself, because who else am I going to trust?

Gene: Well… you have to trust yourself.

Zach: Exactly!

Walton: LOL, And so would the atheist beg the question due to the myriad of interpretations from atheists throughout history.

Very true, but as Gene said above, I have to trust myself, don't I?

 

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