The Family is a secretive fundamentalist-Christian political organization established in 1934 to oppose the New Deal. Last year I posted a thread about a story that Hillary Clinton was connected to it. There wasn’t much interest and I haven’t thought much about it since. But just yesterday I caught two interviews with journalist Jeff Sharlet, author of a new expose book. on the Family. One interview was on the left-wing radio news show Democracy Now!, the other on The Daily Show. On both, what he has to say is fucking scary. According to him, the Family:
Is a training ground for future politicians, and has ties to many very powerful ones, including foreign dictators.
Worships power. Their interpretation of the New Testament is that it’s all about power, not love. They admire (though they condemn as evil) figures such as Hitler, Lenin and Stalin.
I guess the issue for debate is: Is this anything to be worried about? Or is Sharlet blowing it out of proportion?
I’ve seen Sharlet on sevceral different shows now, and I’ve been meaning to pick up this book. I can’t tell if it’s something I really need to be afraid of. It looks like they’re skirting lobbying laws, and Inhof admitted to using taxpayer money to evangelize in Africa.
At the least, they sound like a bunch of colossal douchebags who have invented their own brand of power-worshipping Christianity. Sharlet (who lived at C Street with them for a while) says that they believe there are two different standards of morality – one for the regular folks, and one for those in power. They believe that those in power are chosen by God and are excused from moral standards that apply to the peons.
They also think that Hitler, Stalin and Lenin best exemplify the teachings of the New Testament and set them as standards to emulate.
These guys think god chooses all leaders. They feel Hitler, Stalin and Mao were in position because God wanted it that way. It does not matter what a pol does with his personal life. We have no right to judge them. God put them there for one of gods mysterious ways and man should never question. Sanford should keep his position .His transgressions are mere peccadilloes when compared to god putting him in that position.
The Family runs a 5 million house in Washington DC where they allow certain chosen leaders to stay for free. It is a perversion of religion that they have twisted into a justification for anything the powerful do. They have a budget of about 11 million a year. It is run by Doug Coe who is Hillary’s religious adviser.
To them Unions are satanic and ungodly. They say Jesus did not come to take sides, he came to take over. Some residents and backers are Grassley, Prior, Sanford, Enign.and Brownback.
It is not just America. They backed Slad Barre in Somolia. They have access to powerful pols and were instrumental in getting his military aid doubled. America had to turn its eyes away while he took care of the dissidents brutally. Barre said he would accept Jesus under these conditions. He lied.
They claim Jesus is pro privatization of roads, water, and as much of the government as possible.
Y’know, a lot of apparently powerful/influential/well-connected RW organizations are also very secretive: The Family, the Council for National Policy, the Federalist Society . . . You have to wonder, what do they think they need to hide?!
Hmm…I have seen the link made elsewhere but nothing I’d consider worthy of citation. Seems a mistake made by others as well and I apologize for the misinformation (I should have delved a bit further to verify).
That said I recall an interview with Sharlet on The Rachel Maddow Show where he related a conversation where one of The Family was talking about how they should view one of their members being found to have had sex with an underage person and they opined that while it seems bad the rules are different for those in power making it somehow ok. It was this that led me to go with my earlier citation.
I am paraphrasing a lot but that was the general upshot of it.
I see. The Family International wants sexual license, up to including pedophilia and incest, for everybody. The Family wants it, up to and including rape, only for the elite. Big difference.
The author is Jewish and he lived in the Family home for a while. When he asked about him being a Jew and being allowed in there, they said a persons religion is irrelevant if they follow the rules. That is that leaders are gods chosen people and above criticism from mere people. But you can do whatever you want against public morality. It is not their place to be critical of gods chosen leaders.
Huh? The Federalist Society is wide open as organizations go - they go so far as to seek out prominent dissenting views to invite to their conferences so as to ensure a full debate. And if you are criticizing secrecy for secrecy’s sake, you should include the Council on Foreign Relations, which enforces this requirement pretty strictly and cannot be characterized as right wing at all.