David Barton is the Single Best Historian in America Today
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Sat Oct 11, 2008 at 03:20:47 PM EST
 
Introduction: According to candidate Mike Huckabee, history revisionist David Barton is the best historian our country has to offer the nation. Barton's best seller, The Myth of Separation of Church and State, violates the basic tenets of the Baptist faith Huckabee was ordained into and is still a member. This view by Huckabee about Barton was uttered at the Texas Restoration Project meeting in Austin, Texas, October 9-10th. Helping to host and speak at the event were Barton, Huckabee and Governor Perry - the state GOP official. On a first-to-call basis, the pastors of the state's churches, as well as their wives, were invited to come and stay free of charge in a $250/night Hilton Hotel room. Over 1,000 showed up, and it was announced that several hundred more wanted to attend, but could not because there was no room for them. Perry sits atop a state platform that wants to pull the nation out of the U.N., abolish the U.S. Department of Education, appeal minimum wage and do away with Social Security. Not to mention the platform affirms giving state money to religious schools and wants to dispel the myth of separation of church and state.
The Free Market Voter Guides were present claiming that around 60% of Texas legislators belonged to religious right organizations. The other 40% who responded did not claim affiliation with the groups, but mostly listed churches and the NRA as favorite organizations of choice. If these records are correct, affiliation with the religious right is the most important identity group for those seeking public office in Texas.

Former Texas legislator, Bob McEwen, convened the meeting by telling the press if they were there in the audience to "get out." This was because the press misrepresents the group the leader explained. McEwen said we were there to get out the vote. He said we have religious persecution in our country - yet 60 million evangelicals live here, but half of them don't even vote. In spite of this historic fact, he said America was birthed by the pulpits of the nation.

Huckabee and good buddy David Barton were up next, and between sessions provided photo opts for admiring pastors. Huckabee said this was a spiritual, not a political meeting, and he preached to the crowd. In spite of the get out the vote drive and lamenting of the false concept of separation of church and state, the mixture of pulpit and ballot continued. One of the guests at my table had his photo taken with Barton. He greatly admired the speaker and told me he had been to D.C. on a tour with David. He explained to me that Barton was so smart, yet the government did not appreciate him. He then explained that Barton was having a hard time convincing Congress of his views because, "It is hard to cure stupidity." I had the same idea several times sitting there in the audience myself.

Governor Perry, up next, said it was sad that the churches helped out in the Hurricane Ike disaster, but were not allowed to delve into more serious issues in the state. Perry next took a jab at 501(c)(3), saying that pastors ought to be able to instruct the flock on elections. Former Texas Aggie Perry made some comments about separation of church and state which drew a huge hiss from the crowd. This was not unlike the response Texas Aggie crowds give at football games when they do not agree with the referee's call.

Huckabee introduced his friend David Barton as a man God raised up for the moment. Mike knew of no other man in the country having such a great impact on the land.

Next, Barton did his Christian-nation thing and stated the Bible had something to say about minimum wage and estate taxes. Evidently, that meant the text was against them both. A common religious right position in voter guides is that minimum wage is immoral. Barton told several stories of heroic Revolutionary War pastors who left the pulpit and led the men of the church into killing English troops. He lamented that this is what is needed today to restore the nation: That is, motivated and active pastors who lead out. Barton then said that separation of church and state, which he stated - is not in the Constitution - and only applies to the state interference in the church - a common religious right position.

One musician stated that things are so bad in the nation that when he went by Baylor University recently, a Baptist school, had affirming words about Jeremiah Wright on one wall and another statement said, "Muslims rule." Just exactly where this official position at Waco was stated was not listed, much like many other claims.

In the morning session, Barton again told the press to get out if they were there. I could understand why Perry and Huckabee did not want some of this information out in the public. John Green, a Baptist pastor from Lufkin, Texas, led the opening invocation. He was given a praising introduction by Barton. Green affirmed what Barton had stated earlier that divine intervention led to the creation of the Declaration of Independence. Green incidentally comes from the same town that sent out an apology letter from city officials for ever having Barton in to speak. Green is a member of the fundamentalist Baptist convention in the state that claims to believe in separation. This fundamentalist Baptist convention head has spoken at another Texas Restoration meeting in the past.

Barton threw out some red meat to the crowd, warning the preachers that now the nation can officially arrest them if they read certain portions from the book of Romans in the church. The obvious connection is that hate crimes legislation meant they could not read Paul's view of homosexuals in the Bible. Barton went on to say that now churches cannot refuse to hire gays in New Jersey because of legislation. Such accusations seem peculiar to D.C. insiders who have refuted such claims - but people like Rick Scarborough and others continue to pass this information on to churches.

Voter guides from Barton's organization were placed at the tables where we sat. There was a sign-up sheet to list name, email and church information. Morning speakers reminded us that the glory of God has been lost in the nation, and the Bible and prayer have been expelled from schools. The key question was what the church would do about these things. Barton proceeded to defend his position that the two key issues of the election centered around abortion and gay rights. He said the Bible taught that these were the key priority issues and poverty, environment, justice, civil rights and the prospect of an unjust war all sat as minor ethical issues compared to the other two. He explained that in the past few elections, laws have been enacted by Christians to limit abortions. That was - he admitted - until the 2006 elections. He conceded pro-life forces lost ground. His conclusion was that a get out the vote effort in 2008 could reverse this. David stated that what a person believed about abortion defined how one would vote regarding all other legislative issues. Barton reminded the group that judicial appointments will define our culture. He then explained to the pastors that for the past 50 years government has told pastors what to say in the pulpit. The Texan then complained that the government did a terribly inefficient job of helping the poor. It would better for the churches to hand out this money and do drug and prison rehab. He restated, "The church has got to be involved in the election."  

Recently, I received a letter from a hard right pastor from Nebraska who openly admitted the Constitution is a humanistic document, and he asked Christians to rise up and overthrow it. Barton and crowd take another view. They see the government documents accommodating the Christian faith as the official faith of the nation.

It was clear from the meeting that the pastors were to go back to their congregations and fire them up about the coming election. It was also clear that the pastors were to lead the charge, much like the ones in the American Revolution. As to who was paying for the hotel accommodations was not so clear. Just the expense for 500 hotel rooms assured someone was counting on these preachers to produce.




Display:
I would sure hate to see the worst!

by khughes1963 on Sat Oct 11, 2008 at 07:45:19 PM EST
When I first read the root of this thread, my stomach hurt too much to reply.

It's rare to encounter such deliberate, willful ignorance!!!  Indeed, it's no wonder I got a stomachache!

The problem is, the "ordinary citizen" doesn't have a clue to what's going on- and then rejects what we tell them as us being "tin hatters".

by ArchaeoBob on Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 01:41:49 PM EST
Parent



'He then explained that Barton was having a hard time convincing Congress of his views because, "It is hard to cure stupidity." I had the same idea several times sitting there in the audience myself.' After reading this I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Barton and Huckabee don't realize the importance the concept and reality of separation of church and state had for the early Baptists. That really shows their stupidity.

by offbeatjim on Sat Oct 11, 2008 at 09:55:41 PM EST

If, by some miracle, Mr. Obama should dodge all the landmines being set out for him, and win the election, along with a larger majority Dem. Congress, Barton, Huckabee and their ilk will only fight even harder for pastors to take the fight to the general public. Wilkyjr's reporting of the amounts of money used to get these people gathered up tells me that we will be battling this for a long time to come.

by trog69 on Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 05:18:23 AM EST
I'd like to know how Perry gets re-elected by the very people who are directly hurt by his policies? I cannot fathom how this occurs.

by trog69 on Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 05:21:22 AM EST
Parent
Sadly, the anti-Perry vote was split between the Democrat and a couple of independents so Perry was re-elected on less than 40% of the vote.

Mind you, odds are he would have been re-elected anyway because Texas is one of the most conservative states in the nation (despite the best efforts of us Austinites!)

That may slowly be changing given demographic changes in the minority Hispanic population and the reduction in religious affiliation of young people, but I don't expect anything but Republican governors for many more years yet.

The biggest challenge Perry will likely face next time is primary competition from Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison who is supposedly considering a run (probably because the Republicans will be in the minority in the Senate for the next few years at least.  I have no idea if she would be any better than Perry.

The only bright spot on the horizon for Dems in Texas is the chances of retaking the state House next month.  They only need to win more four seats than last time, and then they can start to undo the damage wrought by the unholy alliance between the Republicans and Tom Delay (who is still under indictment to this day).

by tacitus on Mon Oct 13, 2008 at 12:04:14 AM EST
Parent




The title to the story is supposed to be under quotations, as this is quoting Huckabee.  I do not believe Barton is the chief of historians!  It would have been better to  just name this story the Texas Restoration Project.  

by wilkyjr on Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 10:04:09 AM EST

Considering the lack of knowledge by the common person on even recent history it would be catastrophic if Barton had such a chair. He could get sympathetic officials to insert his views into schools with greater ease. What is worse than no information? The wrong information! He is the kind of revisionist historian that would rewrite the history of the United States for a new Christian Nation of the near future! Just imagine everyone in such a country being taught that and having it as a basis for their point of view to the rest of the world. I can and am in the process of writing such partially based on Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" and how life in such a place would be a caricature of what it is today. A far more dangerous and narrow place of pageant , glorified militarism, magical thinking and Madison Avenue spin on reality. Remember there is no Bill of Rights in the Bible but a long list of offences to which the Death Penalty would liberally be applied!

by Nightgaunt on Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 01:20:29 PM EST

As Rev. Wilky has pointed out before, Baptists traditionally favored the separation between church and state because their religious principles conflicted with those of the established Puritan/Congregational church in New England. Barton fails to see the dangers the Founding Fathers saw in a religious establishment. I guess for Barton and his allies, a religious establishment is OK as long as they are the religious establishment. Maybe we should remind them we don't want to become the Republic of Gilead.

by khughes1963 on Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 04:03:21 PM EST

I would expect that he has done far better from this gig than as a high-school history teacher. The Christian Right see strategic lying as a justifiable means to their end.

by NancyP on Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 05:04:03 PM EST
There is a lot of end justifies the means thinking going on there.

by khughes1963 on Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 08:04:29 PM EST
Parent


When I spoke with a couple of pastors there, (I was under cover) about this idea of the state arresting us for reading Romans from the pulpit, they believed Barton. They stated such was going on in Canada and would be here if
they did not do something.  When I raised the issue of how this could be when Rev. Phelps goes to funerals of U.S. soilders holding up posters with demeaning remarks they had no
answer.

by wilkyjr on Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 05:35:11 PM EST

It seems to me that David Barton is little different from the thousands of people on the internet who claim to have been the first to divine a piece of knowledge that everyone else has somehow missed.

Usually, it's in the realm of science that these people -- the pseudoscientists -- live, discovering  ruins of ancient civilizations on Mars, finding evidence that NASA never went to the Moon, or, more dangerously, claiming that the pharmaceutical industry is deliberately keeping the people of this nation sick so they can continue to reap massive profits.

Even in the realm of history, Barton is just another one among many -- Holocaust denial, HIV denial (a favorite of the religious right), 9/11 conspiracies, JFK, even Elvis.

They all have one thing in common -- the rejection of years of careful research and documentation by experts in the field in favor of a claim based on little more than intuition and barely enough shoddy research to allow them to make their superficial claims sound plausible to the uninformed public.

Obviously with Barton there is a major ideological motivation to his work, but I suspect that underneath his motives are little different from others of his ilk.  He imagines himself on an intellectual par with expert historians or perhaps even greater.  He revels in his belief that he has discovered something that others in his field were unable to discover (or perhaps have conspired to keep from the public).  And all that is compounded by the fact he as become a celebrity in right-wing circles and has an adoring fan base that allows him to make a very good living peddling and promoting his nonsense.

In many ways, he's the historian's equivalent of William Dembski, one of the founders of the Intelligent Design movement.  Dembski quit doing any real science years ago when he realized he could make much more money than real scientists by writing books promoting his pseudoscientific beliefs and going on lecture tours.

All very sad, but a fact of life in modern America, I'm afraid.

by tacitus on Sun Oct 12, 2008 at 05:38:13 PM EST

I know Phillip Johnson, a leading cdesign proponentsist, is an HIV denier.  But what is the deal?  What is threatening to them about the proposition that HIV causes AIDS?

by brother maynard on Mon Oct 13, 2008 at 01:16:46 AM EST
Parent
I haven't studied the issue in detail, but I suspect HIV-denial stemmed from the fact that HIV/AIDS was originally seen as the "gay plague" and that there was a huge resistance in right-wing circles (most famously, President Reagan himself) against pumping money into researching the causes and a cure for AIDS.

There is certainly resentment in some quarters in the amount of money being pumped into researching HIV and AIDS compared with other medical issues and the right's general squeamishness over "homosexuals" probably adds to that feeling.

But I don't know what the main driving force is, really.  Perhaps it's merely the fact that they  believe that the HIV to AIDS link in some way legitimizes homosexuality or lends it more time and money looking for cures than they believe the gay "reprobate behavior" deserves.

by tacitus on Mon Oct 13, 2008 at 02:17:12 PM EST
Parent





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