In a new book, American Fascists, Chris Hedges argues that conservative Christians are. The fascist charge is both cliched and easily refuted. How easily? Read Ryan T. Anderson’s post about Hedges at First Thing‘s blog. Here are the money paragraphs:

What really animates Hedges’ anger at religious conservatives, however, is their recent political power and success on the state level at banning same-sex marriage—an issue that has been central to Hedges since his father made him start a gay-rights group at college. According to Hedges, the religious right demonizes homosexuals: “Gays and lesbians, like other enemies of Christ, are not fully human.”

The truth, of course, is that Hedges is the one who is in the business of demonizing. How open is Hedges’ “open society” if it excludes evangelicals, Muslims, Orthodox Jews, and faithful Catholics from political debate? He protests, at one point, that “democracy keeps religious faith in the private sphere.” Yet, a mere seven pages, later he praises the “acts of faith” of Cardinal Mahoney, the archbishop of Los Angeles, for his stand on immigration, Al Gore on global warming, and select “clergy and rabbis” on gay rights.

In fact, Hedges isn’t opposed to the presence of faith in politics. Faith and politics can meet—if they’re Chris Hedges’ faith and Chris Hedges’ politics. This isn’t surprising, given Hedges’ admission of his own intolerance toward his opponents. As he sees it, “there arise moments when those who would destroy the tolerance that makes an open society possible should no longer be tolerated.” That moment is now, and those people are the religious right—who for Hedges “have no religious legitimacy.” His contempt is clear: “Debate with the radical Religious Right is useless. . . . It cares nothing for rational thought and discussion.”