Christianity

I don't normally do this, because I'm not usually playing music while I work. But with pseudo-Islamic fundamentalists attacking London and pseudo-Christian fundamentalists salivating over the Supreme Court, I needed some tunes. Here's what's on the party shuffle:

1. "Wooden Jesus" - Temple Of The Dog
2. "Good Morning Good Morning" - The Beatles (finding a lot of help from my friends here)
3. "Congratulations" - Traveling Wilburys
4. "If It Makes You Happy" - Sheryl Crow
5. "Gimme Some Truth" - John Lennon
6. "How Many More Times" - Led Zeppelin
7. "Is This Love" - Bob Marley
8. "Greenville" - Lucinda Williams
9. "Meatplow" - STP (oh to understand...to make amends)
10. "War Pigs" - Black Sabbath

[Warning: Religious Content Advisory. Those easily offended by blasphemous remarks about the Pope and the Catholic Church should not read this, because you'll just be offended, and I don't want to ruin anyone's day.]

Ding dong! The presence of perfection has been restored to the surface of the Earth. Don't we all feel better now? We have a Pope whose strong resume includes political activity at a very young age (in the Hitler Youth), military service (as an anti-aircraft gunner) and strong anti-Communist credentials. Some will say that all that is in the past and he transcended to a higher state of righteousness that permits him to see Truth so clearly that all of us who do not bow to his patriarchy are doomed to hell and damnation. This is supposed to be reassuring?

There's lots of excitement in the media and on the blogs about the new Pope. No doubt the news programmers are fretting that the Conclave didn't last longer. Now they can't milk a few more days of "the news is that there's no news" coverage out of the Vatican. Lord knows they don't want to have to be covering those unsexy stories like Iraq or the Ivory Coast or Darfur, or how the radical conservatives are undermining the Constitution as being against Jesus. No, they'll go back to their baboon shows, maybe try to revive interest in the Michael Jackson trial.

But let's talk about the Pope. Some people have expressed praise or alarm that this Pope longs for the good old days, back when those not under the authority of the Holy Roman Empire were considered heathens. It's true, he's all for treating women as breeding slaves, with no birth control. It's true, he believes that a penis is required for priesthood. It's true, he believes every sperm is sacred. It's true that he does not respect other faiths like John Paul II seemed to. But then, what else is new from the modern incarnation of the Holy Roman Emperor? What else could we expect from 2000-year-old thinking?

Traditionalists claim that this is exactly what we need: "traditional values."

I would just like to point out that 2000 years ago, slavery was not only accepted, it was considered a kindness. 2000 years ago, women were treated as property, to be abused, imprisoned, executed at the discretion of men. 2000 years ago, there was no concept of freedom as we know it today. Rulers ruled by divine right -- or were considered divine in and of themselves. (That's a good gig, something the Romans may have picked up from the Egyptian Pharaohs.)

Of course, we should not forget that the Roman Catholic Church is intended to celebrate Jesus Christ, who spoke of peace and love and taught by example. In celebrating and advancing the honoring of Him, previous Popes have donned armor, climbed onto horses and led armies on conquests, spreading the True Faith at the point of sword and pike and arrow. Fortunately, today we already have a self-appointed hand of god to mete out death to the infidels, and he has a bigger defense budget than even the Vatican could afford. So the new Pope can rest easy there, and focus on the real problems of today: free women and homosexuals, scourges in the lives of straight men everywhere.

I feel for the women in Catholic-run countries. For being women, the Vatican considers us lesser things, and seems to feel that the penis creates certain entitlements to holiness, power, authority and righteousness. And for claiming that I am a human being entitled to equal rights and protection, I'm marked by them as evil.

Well, that street goes both ways.
Is this blasphemy if I'm not a Catholic? I don't know. But when it comes down to it, I don't really give a hoot about who the Pope is. It's six of one, a half dozen of the other.

So there it is. Now if you'll excuse me, I was looking for the path of the Dharma. It was around here somewhere....

The Rising Tone of Violence

Living in one of the bluest of the blue states has its rewards to be sure. Besides its breathtaking natural beauty, Washington, or at least my little corner of it, is so far removed from the increasingly hostile tone of the red state religionists who are finally beginning to show their true colors. With such a disproportionately large share of political leverage firmly in their hands and the prospects for a handpicked federal
judiciary never brighter, the fundamentalist demagogues have not hesitated to turn up the intensity of their bombastic tirades against “Godless liberals� and “Marxist leaning activist judges.�

The assault force cadres of the new Christian nation have done their jobs well. Anyone in Congress or in a position of real public authority knows all too well that there is a
steep price to be paid for being viewed as antipathetic or obstructive to the legislative agenda of “values� and “Godliness.� Defying Christ’s many admonitions to His disciples not to force His name on non believers, today’s promulgators of Christian supremacy seem to revel in the rhetoric of fear and vengeance.They promise the faithful that the swift and savage hand of God will punish the willfully evil who seek to plunge the nation into a sea of hedonistic sin.

Such voices are not new to American evangelism. As far back as the 1830’s, the prophets of the Apocalypse preached a populist but rather narrow theological perspective to those who would listen and accept their call to salvation. It is widely agreed that modern Christian fundamentalism was popularized in early eighteenth century England by ecumenical groups such as the Plymouth Brethren. Incepted by one John Nelson Darby, these early adherents to a literalistic biblical interpretation sought to reform what they considered to be the socially liberal Anglican Church. Darby, an Irish, ex-Anglican priest, became preoccupied with the bible’s end times prophecy, claiming to have discovered a hidden biblical code which foretold of seven dispensations, or thematic historical periods through which the Christian church would pass until the rapture, tribulation and eventual return of the Messiah to rule on earth for a thousand year reign.

Exported to a largely rural America over the next few decades, evangelism (as it came to be known) spread throughout the dirt poor regions of the country. With its emphasis on the conversion experience and subsequent renewal of the spirit the effect was cathartic and immediate on a population that clung to the promised rewards of eternal blessings and riches that surely awaited the true believer as he took his rightful place in the heavenly afterlife.

If there was ever a people that needed the comfort of a better life ahead it was the conquered white farmers and scratch poor in the American South that had suffered so mightily during the civil war. Towards the end of the great struggle, especially within
the decimated confederate armies, there arose a “great awakening� as it was called, and by the hundreds the tattered and demoralized men in Lee’s and Johnston’s armies came to the Lord at impromptu “revivals� where itinerant stump preachers sounded out the message of mercy and redemption for a defeated nation. The abuses and excesses of Yankee Reconstruction only added fuel to the religious fire as most of what was lef of the white south struggled to feed their families while at the same time having to endure the often spiteful boot heal of the northern occupying troops that were garrisoned throughout the various southern states. Life was damn hard and the grief of having lost so many in their
holy cause only added to the widespread despair of the common folk. It was in these miserable conditions that the roots of modern evangelism took such a tenacious hold and, along with Its charismatic offshoots, it flourished and grew in great leaps and bounds throughout the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Whether it be the threat of retribution from newly freed slaves following the civil war or in defiance of determined voter registration campaigns by “northern agitators� of the early 1960’s, the fundamentalist Christian lay and clergy formed the backbone of the brutally repressive backlash against efforts to legitimize and franchise the large black population of the Jim Crow south. It was these devout Christians who organized and directed the violent terror campaigns against African American farmers and share croppers who dared to cross a white man or demand even his most basic civil rights. I find it ironic that so many of the black pastors of today are willing to jump so eagerly into bed with the historical and biological descendents of the same murderers and bigots that imposed the worst apartheid
system in modern history on their own recent ancestors. They ought to be ashamed of themselves. Of course, they have no capacity for shame, the reasons for which are fodder for another, future essay.
Their black congregations would do well to consider the truism that, at least in this world, the lamb is never quite so close to peril as when he is deceived into beleiving that he and the lion shall lie together in peace.

It was white Christian pastors that preached the doctrine of “states rights� in the early days of the civil rights movement and it was from the fundamentalist theology that the moral justification for the concept of racial purity (code for: white supremacy)was drawn. It was obvious to the bible believing southerner that God had never intended for the races to intermix. The supporting scriptural references were readily supplied to the doubtful and any white man or woman who dared to march or protest
was to be considered fair game for any punishment up to and including death. Never forget that the Ku Klux Klan’s regalia and artifacts were (and still are)dripping in Christian symbolism.

I grew up in the civil rights era South. Alabama, to be precise. The belly of the beast, one might accurately say. As a child with a precocious streak as wide as the lower Mississippi delta I asked lot’s of uncomfortable questions about the blatant inequalities
between black and white in my everyday world. More often than the not, the banal bigotry that framed the answers I got was laid at the feet of the baby Jesus upon whose name all manner of atrocities were heaped.

Miraculously, within ne short lifetime, the main body of evangelical doctrine has shifted from embracing outright racism of the worst sort to a new message of open arms
to all people of color and the complete lifting of the long standing taboo on inter-racial marriage. Why this rather sudden and radical change in attitude? One doesn’t have to look very far to find the answer. In order for fundamentalist core belief in the pre-millennial, revelations prophecy (whereby Christ returns to earth to rule His kingdom for a thousand year reign.) there have to exist various “signs� or “seals� in order to usher in the new dispensational order. These indicators depend heavily on the vision of earth firmly in the hands of Satan as evidenced by widespread hedonism and various forms of false religions. Welcome to the homosexual agenda to advance the cause of Godlessness and state sanctioned perversion which is to signal the beginning of a
dark period of persecution for all believers and in which the faith of all Christians will be tried and tested in order to prepare them for the Rapture.

Evangelical Christianity requires a constant supply of “evil doers� in order to justify its own rather parasitical existence. It feeds off of the fears and prejudices that distill
themselves down to the base level of our lowest common denominator. Rarely does it appeal to the higher, more noble aspirations of humankind. Fatalistic and condeming
of man as a whole for being lost in the suffering of his own sin, his only redemption after conversion is in the return of Christ to save an unworthy planet from being consumed by its own propensity to evil. Not a very uplifting religious ideology by any standard.
Furthermore, as the script for mankind’s agonized fate was written thousands of years ago and it virtually unalterable, there is really no use in trying to improve earthly conditions or avoid global holocaust. Such efforts are viewed with disdain by evangelical theologians as in their eyes they are nothing more than the arrogant indulgences of the wickedly prideful. They view Jeffersonian democracy much in the same light and tolerate it only
when it serves there traitorous purpose. In fact, it is my belief that there is almost a pathological streak of resentment towards the creative genius that designed our nation and protected it from the meddling of the “not quite bright� so that it would not
go the way of every other previous attempt at democratic self governance. It riles them to no end that our constitution is so conspicuously without reference to any of the Christian icons.

The nation is, I believe, in great danger. Those who would doubt the ruthlessness of tday’s well financed and highly politically leveraged zealots need only to reflect on the rather tarnished and tawdry history of modern Christian fundamentalism. Whether Reconstructionist, Dominionist or Evangelical in name, there is a single common thread that all of these various factions share which is a predicated belief in the bible as absolute and inerrant truth and, in particular, an eschatological fixation as revealed in the book of Revelations. Because it is hard for any rational and free thinking individual to conceive of such a blind and unquestioning belief system there is a tendency to dismiss the fundamentalists as cultists or deluded to be sure but hardly dangerous. How could such an extremist movement ever gain a serious grip on the levers of American political power? Such thinking is foolish at best and, certainly by this late date, belies an underlying unwillingness to confront the unpleasant truth. We are much further down the road to theocracy than most people realize.

Don’t think for a second that the hardened core of their leadership class is not willing to go to any length or stoop to any deed in order to accomplish their ultimate goal of a
“Christianized� America. They have proven time and again that they will, even violently if necessary, remove anyone who stands in their way. The GBLT Community happens To have been unfortunate enough to become the target of choice for the evangelical propaganda machine and it is my personal view that, ultimately, in a more formally Christianized society, they would be subject to the worst kinds of marginalization and persecution. When one really pays attention to the intensity of hate and condemnation of homosexuality in general that has crept into the national dialog in recent years it is not a great leap to imagine
the most horrific of possibilities. Unfortunately, the rhetoric has become even more strident in recent months as the circling sharks smell the blood of their prey, soon tobe finished off for good. With a zealot federal judiciary the deal is as good as done.
It may take some time (although I highly doubt it) but it is my firm conviction that we would see passing legislation designed to remove any remaining civil rights that identified gays may still possess. Witness some of the more extreme legislative
efforts in recent months such as the gay book ban bill that was recently floated in the Alabama state legislature. If enacted, the bill would forbid all state libraries (including those at state universities) to buy, reference or lend any book which so much
as mentioned homosexuality or had been authored by anyone known to be homosexual.The legislator who submitted the bill has been a frequent visitor to the White House in recent months, I might add.

In summary, we are on the verge of becoming a one party state, controlled by a hardened, totally committed cadre of ideological fanatics. They are un American, un democratic and could give less than three fourths of a flying fuck about the constitution or our Bill of Rights. If you are tempted to minimize the potential for disaster at the hands of these would be Theocrats then please, take the time to read about them in their own words.The following are two excellent sources of well documented and accurate information about the real agenda of the religious right. http://www.theocracywatch.org and
http://www.yuricareport.com/

There is so much more to the promise of America than what these moral cowards would allow. I never miss the opportunity to counter their usually slimy sales pitch.They absolutely hate me here locally because I’m not afraid of them. They have no
real courage of their own convictions and if cornered will back down every time. America is far better than to have the likes of Pat Robertson, Franklin Graham or, for that matter, GW Bush elevated to leadership status in any capacity. Personally, I hope there really is a God or mercy on that fateful day of judgment that we all must face because the bloodguilty of the evangelical rank and file are gonna’ need it when God gets finished counting the dead children of Iraq and, God knows, sinner that I am, mercy would be the last thing on my mind.

from a lonely outpost in the far reaches of the Blue State Intifada.

Lauren

Reprint from The-Goddess, Oct. 04 Cross-posted

I'm bumping this up in response to seeing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Real Time with Bill Maher this week. He actually spoke about the Dominion Theology movement and the fact that the head of the Dept. of the Interior is a member of what he called a group of "Christian Heretics". He cited an "unholy alliance" between polluters like the Coors family trading money for political clout for these Right Wing Extremists. This is not some crack pot conspiracy theory, This is a very real movement that is affecting your quality of life right now and endangering our future.

A Crash course in the Christian Supremacist Movement
I've been doing research on the "Religious Right" this week and at the risk that you think I'm being overly dramatic, I honestly tell you that I'm scared shitless. I think the liberal intelligentsia has failed to grasp what's happening in America. Make note of these words:

• Dominion Theology, Dominionism, Dominionist
• Kingdom Now theology
• the Reconstructionist movement, Christian Reconstructionism
• Tribulation, pretribulationism, midtribulationism, posttribulationism
• the Vineyard movement
• Coalition on Revival (COR)
• Charismatic
• Evangelical
• the Fellowship or the Foundation
• Promise Keepers
• The Family - described as "an invisible association", who's members include:1
  • Don Nickles (R., Okla.)
  • Charles Grassley (R., Iowa)
  • Pete Domenici (R., N.Mex.)
  • John Ensign (R., Nev.)
  • James Inhofe (R., Okla.)
  • Bill Nelson (D., Fla.)
  • Conrad Burns (R., Mont.)
  • Jim DeMint (R., S.C.)
  • Frank Wolf (R., Va.)
  • Joseph Pitts (R., Pa.)
  • Zach Wamp (R., Tenn.)
  • Bart Stupak (D., Mich.)

  .

I'm sure the names Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, D. James Kennedy, the late Francis Schaeffer and Billy Graham are familiar. The movement began with them. For a complete background, please read Katherine Yurica's beautifully researched article The Despoiling of America. There are numerous sources on the internet, so I'm just going to distill the main points here.

They want to establish an American Theocracy. Their goal is to remove the checks and balances in the Constitution, and consider George W. Bush to be their leader, installed in his office by none other than "God" himself.

" "Why is this man in the White House? The majority of Americans did not vote for him. He's in the White House because God put him there for a time such as this." - Lt Gen William "Jerry" Boykin

"Gen. Boykin has repeatedly told Christian groups and prayer meetings that President George W Bush was chosen by God to lead the global fight against Satan."2

Boykin and Bush are both fond of thinking of the war in Iraq as a "Crusade".

They favor the death penalty in many cases, including things like heresy, adultery, abortion and homosexuality. (BE VERY AFRAID of the fact that Ashcroft is after women's medical records!)

They have been systematically working to gain control of all three branches of government, and have made great inroads thanks to Bush's appointment of these Christian extremists to the judiciary, where they can attack Roe V. Wade and separation of church and state issues, and to key cabinet positions, where they are systematically supressing scientific findings that contradict their ideological goals. They've inplemented a global "gag rule" and are actively campaigning against any organization that promotes condom use or abortion. John Ashcroft's Dept. of Justice won't prosecute hate crimes against minority religions, and they are using the Patriot Act for drug crimes. They refuse to prosecute Christian extremists in this country - even when they blow up clinics - as terrorists. They've been running the Pentagon through the Office of Special Plans.3

They promote the homeschooling of children, so they push for vouchers as a way to destroy the public school system; and they have their own Universities like Liberty U. and Patrick Henry, which are the source of many of the current administration's interns.

They see poverty as God's way of punishing the undisciplined, and they believe that things like lying and cheating are fine as long as it's done to further the return of Jesus. Bush's consultations with Apocalyptic Christian groups concerning his policies on Israel are well documented.

But when he starts invoking church doctrine in a holy war against "evildoers," well, that's enough. If, like me, you happened to have seen the Frontline documentary The Jesus Factor, then you saw the president speak in coded language to his evangelical followers. You saw the president say that the Bible is the "guidebook" for federal social policy. You realized that Bush really does believe he's God's right-hand guy. When you were through shivering with fear in your bedroom closet, you knew for certain that President Bush is a fanatic who will get us all killed if he isn't stopped.
Neal Pollack, Church and State

It's all about the Apocalypse. There's the popular "Left Behind" series of 12 books describing the Second Coming. There's a sort of kid's guide to the end of the world, a "Left Behind" graphic Novel and special Military and Political versions as well. ArmageddonBooks dot com offers the Apocalypse series and End Time novels with names like "666," "Nephilim" and my personal favorite "Jesus, the Computer and New York City." These sell in the millions and they're all about how Jesus will take them to heaven and leave us heretics here to burn.

"When President Bush adds God to their formulation and says God's purpose or intention is somehow linked with American military preeminence, that's a very dangerous thing. [After September 11,] President Bush and the White House basically choreographed a liturgy at the National Cathedral. President Bush was a chief homilist. In the pulpit of the National Cathedral, he made a war speech. He called the nation to arms in the pulpit of the National Cathedral, and he claimed a divine mission for our nation to rid the world of evil. That is not only bad foreign policy or presumptuous foreign policy--I would say it's idolatrous foreign policy to claim God's purpose for that mission. And in the language that Mr. Bush has used, he does this again and again and again. Our role, and his role as president, this is acclaiming a righteous [decree] that Pax Americana is God's foreign policy. This is a very unsettling thing." quoted in Church and State

It's getting hard to tell our Saviors apart, though. I've already linked to the story where the Pope thinks W. may be the Anti-Christ. Then we hear that a coronation was held in a SENATE (!) building with congress people carrying the crowns on pillows as Sun Myung Moon declared himself "sent to Earth . . . to save the world's six billion people. . . . Emperors, kings and presidents . . . have declared to all Heaven and Earth that Reverend Sun Myung Moon is none other than humanity's Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent."4 He's a big time campaign contributor, so the pols in D.C. tolerate him. Or maybe they needed a false prophet? Or maybe George is the false prophet and Sun is the real deal? Maybe they're all fakes? This is making the triple sixes on my scalp itch.

I'm kidding about the 6's, as far as I know, but this is not a joke. The Left is treating these people as a joke, but it's far from funny. We are looking at a new strain of Christian Supremacists and they think they're playing for their very salvation. I live in the South, where these people don't have to resort to the stealth methods that they do in Washington. Most church-going Christians are good people trying to do the right thing. The problem is that good people are easily lead into bad things when their leaders know how to manipulate their fears, prey on the limits of their experience or education, and tell them what they want to hear while they do as they damn well please. These leaders are deeply entrenched in the oil and aerospace industry and many of them are in positions of power. That's a lot of money, a lot of connections, a lot of influence. Enough to send our troops to war for NO reason. Enough to loot our Treasury. Enough to destroy our global alliances and damage our credibility. Call me paranoid if you must, but remember that there were probably Germans who saw what was happening with their crazy little savior, too. I wonder if anyone listened to them?

Fourth in a four part series entitled:

How to talk to a Christian -

because we have to, whether we want to or not.

Why should a rational person use religious symbolism? For the same reason an American ought to learn Spanish. It makes it easier to communicate with someone who doesn't speak your language.

But do we really need religion? That's a subject for long debate, but my opinion is "yes". I love religion. I'm not crazy about the things people use religion for, but that doesn't mean that religion itself is bad. It just means that people who don't question authority are easily manipulated by governments and religious hierarchies. I actually believe that some form of belief system is better than no belief system at all. It gives the world context, and makes it easier to navigate. I believe we crave it psychologically. It gives people hope, and comfort, and it can bring out our best qualities: mercy, compassion, joy. Some people use science in the same way others use religion, to give structure to their perceptions of the world. There are times when that approach can be just as harmful as religion. Science is great, but it doesn't have all the answers, and thinking that it does can cause a lot of problems. Global warming, for example. But that's a different subject. I personally believe that science and religion have to be congruent, and mine are. That's a different subject, too - I've written about it in my discussion of the Bright Movement titled "Looking toward a Bright Future" posted at The-Goddess.org.

The question is, how do you talk to someone who believes "God" spoke blank verse Middle English and wants you to stone your neighbors for working on the sabbath? Well, first, you don't laugh at their religion. Second, you realize that you need to know what their religion is, and study it. Then you speak to them in their own language. It makes them comfortable, it shows that you take their religion seriously and there are more points in our favor in the Bible than in theirs.

For example:

Matthew

Chapter 5:
Verse:
3 Blessed are the poorin spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers:for they shall be called the children of God.

NOTE: No mention that "blessed are the war mongers" nor does it suggest, as Falwell put it, that we should "blow them away in the name of the Lord".

Chapter 19:
Verse:
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor,and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

NOTE: No dispensations offered for manipulating California energy markets and ripping off little old ladies, or stealing anyone's retirement fund. Enjoy the heat, Kenny-boy.

Luke:

Chapter 10:
Verse

29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him,
and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more,
when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him,
Go, and do thou likewise.

Chapter 14:
Verse
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee:for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

John

Chapter 8:
Verse
7 He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
32 And ye shall know the truth,and the truth shall make you free.

James

Chapter 2:
Verse
4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
6But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

The teachings of Jesus repeatedly emphasized caring for the poor and the sick. The Republican agenda has done just the opposite. It has benefitted the wealthiest among us, at the expense of the middle class and the poor. They are trying to wipe out social programs not controlled by the church. This is very dangerous for several reasons. First, class warfare can get ugly. Think French Revolution. Second, part of the reason we're in this mess is that our public school systems are failing. People don't understand that we are not a Christian nation; that, in fact, our government was deliberately designedto prevent a theocracy from taking over. Children who are home schooled or raised in parochial school will never learn this from those sources that we count on to create good citizens. Why are Christian Schools and Universities accredited when we know at least part of their curriculum is false?How are people going to develop higher levels of moral and intellectual thought if their misconceptions are never challenged?

There are times when you have to shake someone's faith a little to get them to consider that other ideas might be as valid as theirs. I hate doing that, but if someone is ready to kill or be killed for faith, I'm going to question it. In the end, all we have is conjecture. If you must use logic, know your subject. When people try to recruit me, I point out that I'm not Pagan because I haven't studied Christianity, I'm Pagan because I have studied it and found it full of contradictions and philosophies I don't believe. For example, I will sometimes ask a person why they aren't a Buddhist. How do they know Jesus was the Savior? They never met him. The people who wrote the New Testament did so after his death, and some of them never knew him. Who told you Jesus was the Savior? How would they know? Do you trust that person or authority that much? Who says it's the word of God? How do you know the "Saints" weren't just a bunch of tribal hash smokers seeing "God" in the smoke. Maybe the Bible is what happens when a Nomadic people encounter UFO's. Have they read Chariot of the Gods? Why not? If a guy who looks like the blonde hunky Jesus in your Bible showed up at the door, would you invite him in or call the police? What if he looked like an actual Middle Eastern Jew, with dark hair, skin and eyes? Would he be welcomed in your house? Would his twelve companions? I doubt it. I doubt I'deven be welcome if my religion were known, and I'm perfectly charming- ha ha.

Most of the tenets of Christian Legalism have nothing to do with actual scripture. Few of the most rabid legalists have actually read the Bible and even fewer have the education to understand it. What about the Apocrypha? Why did Catholic priests have the authority to leave books out of the original Bible? Are you going to believe the Dead Sea Scrolls, or the interpretation written by Shakespeareand a few others, who were under orders of a King and a Pope to alter certain passages to their liking? I have an uncle who says that the Holy Spirit worked through all of them so that the King James Version is the "literal word of God". How far is logic going to go with someone like that?

You can also point out that Jesus said:I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.[Matthew 15:24]

• Gentiles weren't included in his teachings until after the death of Jesus.
• So does his work apply to them or can only Jews be saved?
• Why should you trust the word of someone who never knew Jesus to contradict "his own words"?

Do you use Rosaries? Jesus said:"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do:for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." [Matthew 6:7]

• Rosaries are Pagan in origin. The beads are the petals of a rose, which is a symbol for the labia of the Goddess.
• Are you a Christian or a Pagan if you pray the Rosary?
• If Jesus didn't approve, why are Christians doing it?
• Why did Bush appeal to the Pope for help when most evangelicals think Catholics are Pagans?
• Why did Catholics support Bush when the Pope said Bush might be the AntiChrist*?
• Doesn't anyone believe what the Pope says anymore?
• Why do Christians not object when Bushtells us a lie?

As I've said, though, logic will only get us so far. We have to address fear, include hope, and make sense. That's not easy. We are looking at the task of re-educating an adult electorate on our most basic American values. Short of buying ad.s on the Super Bowl, I don't know how we'll do it on the scale needed.

For a great discussion of Christian Legalism, go to http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-Christian-legalism.html It's a Christian site that addresses Christians, but it's a good explanation of the difference in Legalism and Grace. We need all the Grace we can get.

End of Part IV

*Wayne Madsen, New Catholic Times, May 18, 2003 "Pope fears Bush is antichrist, journalist contends"
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0MKY/is_9_27/ai_108881880
©Morgaine Swann 2004