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Apocalypse Macabre Evangelicalism's Ultimate Obscenity

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Apocalypse Macabre Evangelicalism's Ultimate Obscenity Apocalypse Macabre Evangelicalism's Ultimate Obscenity Joseph Edward Barnhart t has been argued many times that the human species is irresponsible kind to make this reckless charge against human- violence-prone. Territorial imperative, original sin, defense ism. But leaving that aside, we may consider that fundamen- against perceived threats (real or imaginary), frustration- talists do not flinch from asserting that the torments and tor- aggression—these are only four of the more popular theories tures of hell as they conceive them will be more intense, more offered to account for this tendency toward violence. In this excruciating, and certainly more enduring that those agonies article, I wish to explore the conjecture that a religion might suffered in the Nazi death camps.' The point here is not to become a cultural creation that contributes to the rise of intense engage evangelicals and fundamentalists in a debate as to and brutal aggression against "aliens" and "outsiders." whether hell really does or does not exist, but to show that According to the belief system of Christian evangelicals, their position projects a Cosmic Concentration Camp that is the Jews who were tormented and murdered in the Nazi con- infinitely more violent and brutal than those that Hitler and centration camps will one day have their bodies resurrected for Stalin perpetrated on earth. The late E. J. Camel!, considered the specific purpose of uniting them with their souls in ever- by many to have been one of the more moderate evangelicals, lasting torment. The popular pre-millennialist writer Hal Lind- wrote that "hell is that place beyond which nothing more awful sey summarized clearly this fundamentalist and evangelical can be conceived."' doctrine of violence: It is useful to ask not only how a religion could conceive of such an atrocity, but how it could support it, especially in The soul of everyone of every era who dies without receiving light of the fact that modern fundamentalists have become in God's provision for forgiveness of sin will go to "Torments" some sense pro-Israel. In answering this question, we would be and stay there until his body is resurrected from the grave at misled if we construed this pro-Israel stance as a pro-Jew the end of the Millennium and united with his suffering soul. stance.' Israel as a collective entity stands as a major theme in the fundamentalist scheme. Transporting individuals back to Currently, Tim LaHaye, Jerry Falwell, and other funda- Israel is fulfillment of a putative major prophecy. The fact that mentalists are attempting to portray humanism not only as the individual Jews may become pawns in this fundamentalist cause of virtually all modern problems but as the cause of the scheme seems to have been either ignored or rendered unim- Nazi concentration camps in which millions of Jews and others portant. Fundamentalist leaders have made much of the "great- were brutalized.' It is, of course, scapegoating of the most est period of Jewish conversion" at the end of the battle of Armageddon. The Jews who happen to be alive at that incen- Joseph Edward Barnhart is professor of philosopha' at North diary time will observe that God has obliterated their enemies Texas State University. (Russia and the Arabs in particular). And in a mighty upsurge of repentance, one-third of the Jews surviving the great battle Summer 1984 31 will convert. They will, in effect, become Jews for Jesus, recog- evidence demonstrating that masses of relatively innocent citi- nizing Jesus as the only true Messiah. The remaining two- zens deserve justly deserve—to be tortured without relief. In thirds, however, will be consigned to endless torture.' No Jew fact, no such evidence is presented, but rather a substitute is who remains faithful to his Judaism will be exempted from the offered, something that might be called "mystical evidence." mass mayhem against his people. Only those who convert to Here is how it works. Christianity will escape the most horrible atrocity imaginable. First, in the fundamentalist/evangelical scheme, everyone In partial defense of this projection of sustained torture, is defined as a creature deserving eternal torture merely by the fundamentalists and evangelicals insist that the victims could fact that he was born into sin, which is itself a mystical process have escaped their fate had they confessed themselves guilty with "mystical evidence." Second. the Creator, taking all sin and deserving of hell. It is, of course, no secret that a number personally as an infinite threat against his holiness, must dole out infinite (endless) punishment. Third, the Creator offers the "...the doctrine of a divinely sanctioned Eternal Con- sinner an escape from divine wrath, but most sinners do not centration Camp for fellow human beings is an insidi- accept it. Hence, they doubly deserve the Creator's endless retribution. ous background that serves to desensitize the moral One of the purposes of this article is to gain some under- conscience, making it more susceptible to aggression standing of how a large portion of the population in the United and violence." States (to say nothing of Iran and other Muslim countries where hell for infidels is taken as a matter of fact) can so easily of governments on both sides of the iron curtain still indulge accept a Cosmic Concentration Camp as part of the justifiable in the ancient practice of torturing in order to extract "con- scheme of things. Indeed, some Christian fundamentalists have fessions" from political prisoners. The fact that many—perhaps held that they could not worship a God who did not send most—of the prisoners may be entirely innocent of the crimes unbelievers to an endless hell.'' they are charged with makes no difference. A former agent of The first point I wish to make is that many believers the Israeli Secret Service, Wolfgang Lotz, contends that even simply inherit the doctrine of eternal torment as a part of their political idealists who refuse to sign the false confession cannot cultural endowment. Their acceptance of it is more ritualistic finally endure the torture. Eventually they confess, sometimes than a deep-seated emotional and intellectual commitment that after having been injured or permanently crippled.' This may has been arrived at with deliberation. be compared to the fundamentalist contention that in hell sin- Second, the idea of the Cosmic Concentration Camp does ners will indeed confess the justness of their torment and the not exist in their consciousness with any sustained vividness of virtue of their divine tormentor.' a concrete nature. In short, it is an abstraction for many The point is that Christian fundamentalism and evangeli- perhaps most-- fundamentalists. Professor Robert W. Ross in calism are the heirs to those traditions that employed the his book So It Was True: The American Protestant Press and ancient practice (and rationalization) of torture as a device for the Nazi Persecution of the Jeu•s" writes insightfully of the extracting confessions from innocent people. Having no present holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis: "In the end, [Protestant] power to carry out their torture here and now, however, funda- editors and writers seemed unable to cope with something as mentalists, in particular, make use of the threat of torture. unreal, even unimaginable, as the mass slaughter of millions of They are quick to argue that Jesus spoke more of eternal people, among them six million Jews. in an organized, bureau- torment than eternal bliss. Billy Graham, especially in the cratic, planned extermination." 1950s, used to bemoan the fact that ministers did not preach The key word here is unimaginable. It seems difficult for on hell as frequently as they had in generations past.' anyone believing in hell to imagine concretely in any sustained The threat of torture to extract a confession or compliance way that his relatives, friends, and neighbors are in fact being is nothing new among human beings. That a religion would tortured. Fundamentalist Hal Lindsey has tried to imagine in use threats to extract religious confessions might seem sur- detail some of the scenes of "world-wide destruction," "violent prising to those who have not considered that religion is some- judgment." and "holocaust from the East." But even his vivid times employed in the service of evil, not only condoning evil imagination refuses to look concretely at his friends and rela- (in this case, torture), but rationalizing it, legitimating it, tives in hell. He explains, "Perhaps the reason God will not making it normal and acceptable. It does appear unjust and allow any believers to attend this awful moment of truth is vicious to torture forever one's fellow citizens (especially those that we wouldn't be able to bear having a friend or loved one who have not raped, murdered. etc.): that is, to torture rela- turn to us and say with bewildering accusation, 'Why didn't tively innocent people. The punishment does not seem to fit rou warn me....' the crime if no crime has been committed. At this point, funda- Even here, Lindsey focuses not on the torment of his mentalist and evangelical theologians begin to resemble closely imagined friends, but on their accusations. Some fundamen- the theoreticians of the Nazis' brutalities and Stalin's purges, talists have argued that the agony of friends and loved ones in for their role is to portray apparent and conspicuous viciousness hell will be entirely deleted from the minds of the survivors in as an appropriate means leading to higher good.'' IndeedJ hell heaven. Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas assures his is not regarded by fundamentalists to be a necessary evil to readers that "the blessed in glory will have no pity for the good, but an ingredient of total goodness." damned." Furthermore, while the plight of the damned will It would seem to be a Herculean task to find empirical not be a direct cause of joy for the blessed, "the punishment of 32 FREE INQUIRY Jerry, Pat, Billy, and Oral at the Last Barbecue.
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