I’ve been putting off writing about Sarah Palin because I needed time to get some perspective — something, unfortunately, the news media take little time to do.
Eve Ensler’s piece in the Huffington Post called “Drill, drill, drill” was helpful in wrapping my head around this woefully enigmatic choice for Vice President. She says in part:
I don’t like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.
But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story — connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.
What I find interesting about Ms. Palin from a religious perspective is that her faith seems to radical, so at odds with the direction that many churches are going — much of which is in line with feminist ideals. We’ve seen the greening of evangelicals. We’ve seen Rick Warren become increasingly involved in social issues (or maybe he’s just promoting them more). And, we’ve seen the rise in more progressive evangelicals like Jim Wallis.
So how come this over-the-top, super-conservative, gun-toting woman is appealing to the masses when it seemed we were moving in the opposite direction? People keep saying it’s because she appeals to conservatives, which I understand. What I question is whether those conservatives have a grasp on what that her beliefs consist of.
The reality is this. Sarah Palin’s faith, which has slipped through in her speeches (when they are unscripted), is an extremist one. I don’t use that term loosely, and you can read it as you will. She is a member of the Assemblies of God which the Wall Street Journal noted recently,
…espouse[s] core beliefs not widely ascribed to by major Christian factions. Many members pray in undecipherable sounds or “tongues.” The denomination’s Web site says some scholars believe that the “end times” foreshadowing the end of the world was confirmed in 1948, with the founding of the state of Israel, marking the Jews’ return to the Holy Land, fulfilling a Biblical prophecy.”
It’s one thing to see that in print, quite another to see it in action. Many of you might have seen the viral video from Ms. Palin’s church that was sent out via Alternet after it was pulled from YouTube. While I can’t vouch for everything that is in it, the link I provide does provide documentation about where the footage comes from. Even if only part of this 10-minute piece is true, it is disturbing.
As those of you who read this blog on a regular basis know I am a firm believer in supporting people of faith. It is not my job or my responsibility to tell others how to live their lives or convince them of what they should or should not believe. Unfortunately, I do not think that Ms. Palin feels the same way. Giving her the keys to the White House (even if it’s only the back door) is tantamount to letting the inmate run the asylum.
