Separation of Church and State: A Sane Person’s Guide To Taking Back The Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, And Flock-Seeking Frauds By John Fugelsang

A book review by Dr. Lloyd Sederer

What do you get when you breed a Roman Catholic Nun with a Roman Catholic Priest, who both left the Church to marry? You guessed right if your answer was John Fugelsang, a stand-up and radio comedian/satirist who for several years had a 3-hour, weekly, call-in radio show on Sirius XM.

On his show, Fugelsang proved to be really quick witted and given to satire. He did not suffer fools (though he never shamed them). But they were quickly off the air, and he was on to the next guest. John’s narratives and call-ins comments brought needed comedic relief to his treatment of any subject; everything was fair game, as the show’s title (Tell Me Everything) promised. 

Adding more color to the program’s commentary was his comedic radio pal, Frank Conniff; and I suppose me during my 1 hour “guest” appearances. During my appearances, we often started the show with one of my film or TV Series reviews. Which were abundant since I was the Medical Editor for Mental Health at the Huff Post and had an upper hand in getting what I wrote published. I loved his show because nothing I had experienced in the public square matched John’s show in its pace, wit, and knowledge of the ongoing carnival of politics and social trends (even more so today).

John now has his first book, published by a premiere House, Simon & Schuster, “Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back The Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, And Flock-Fleecing Frauds”, couldn’t be more germane as the US progressively is moving from democracy to autocracy.

Separation of Church and Hate is a relentlessly exhaustive lampoon of what you can say - with reason, kindness, and, when warranted, inciteful humor - to a knucklehead Catholic extremist (and others!) who wrongly tout the Bible to support their clueless,  self-promoting, and degrading diatribe meant to dismiss and hurt someone. For example, to speak back to unfair and maligned comments about poor people, gay people, those favoring abortion, and legal and illegal immigrants, and many more. Fugelsang has collected the many ways that Jesus is being used to support very un-Christian, toxic social views and behaviors. It is clear he has heard and seen a bounty of clueless and cruel American verbal exchanges, often meant to elevate the speaker by standing on the chest of the listener. Give them the mike and rubbish will follow.

John is a Catholic schooled from an early age about the Bible, and how a good Catholic should treat others in all stations of society, especially those suffering and needing a hand. He had seen too much of the polar opposite by extreme Catholic fundamentalists doing harm to those in need, including poor people, varied ethnic groups, immigrants, gays, and many others not born with a ‘silver spoon ‘in their mouths. These would be Catholics debase those living a life of scarcity and unsafe families and communities. They pretend to be Catholic but have abandoned Catholic values and work forcefully to make life worse for those who need medical care, housing and healthy food, education, and safety from violence. Who need opportunities to build a better life for themselves and their families. I could go on but not as well as John Fugelsang.

John is an encyclopedic student of the New Testament, where Jesus serves as our teacher with parables of kindness, giving, and love. Here are a couple of John’s examples* (there are hundreds in the book) of responses to an ill-informed “Christian” who evidently forgot that Jesus taught inclusion and kindness. 

Claim: “Life begins at conception…  abortion is killing a child”. “It must be stopped, defund Planned Parenthood!”. “Make the FDA outlaw abortion pills”.

Response: Exodos 21, “God does not assign a fetus the value of a woman.”  Jesus is saying the life of a woman is more important than the life of a fetus. 

Claim: “Rapists and thieves are coming into our country! Trump is right to build a wall.” “They are from “shithole” countries (per Donald Trump)”.

Response: Mary and Joseph fled to Bethlehem from Nazareth to obey orders for a Roman census (Luke 2:1-11). And then fled to Egypt for fear that Jesus would be killed.  Jesus was from what would qualify as a foreign, impoverished country (Matthew 2:13).

*Any errors here and below are in my reporting

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You are right when you dispute hateful claims and actions by toxic, Christian extremists. 

Now you have an encyclopedia of facts, brilliantly written with clarity, precision, and humor, which calls out hateful and demeaning speech that is antithetical to Jesus and his teachings. John Fugelsang is on a continuing mission for a kinder, safer, and loving life for all, not just the 1%. His weapon is humor, accurately, relentlessly, and fearlessly applied. A good Christian. Bless him. 

I know I will not be able to absorb and remember near to 300 pages of text, however well done (unless it is a Lee Child novel). But I am grateful to John for helping me learn so much about Christianity, how humor (once again) makes everything digestible, and to feel hope for our upside-down, and angry world. Thank you, John.

PS: I was not asked by John or anyone to review his book. I took that privilege myself.

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There are 2.4 billion Christians on our planet. Jesus taught inclusion, forgiveness, giving, non-violence, and most of all love. Wouldn’t it be another miracle if more of us (Christians and their forbears the Jews) live each day guided by the light Jesus brought us, a light so powerful it still illuminates so many lives over 2,000 years later. It is as if he is still here, on earth, waiting to be heard and used. 

Why do things, especially good things, take so long to happen? I gather hope from Winston Churchill, and I paraphrase, “You can trust the Americans to get it right, after they have tried everything else.”

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Lloyd Sederer is a writer, public health doctor, and non-fiction writer.

www.askdrlloyd.com