by Karen Cobb, Common Dreams, October 25, 2204. From the article:
I was told in Sunday school the word “Christian” means to be Christ-like, but the message I hear daily on the airwaves from the “christian” media are words of war, violence, and aggression. Throughout this article I will spell christian with a small c rather than a capital, since the term (as I usually hear it thrown about) does not refer to the teachings of the one I know as the Christ. I hear church goers call in to radio programs and explain that it was a mistake not to kill every living thing in Fallujah. They quote chapter and verse from the old testament about smiting the enemies of Israel. The fear of fighting the terrorists on our soil rather than across the globe causes the voices to be raised as they justify the latest prison scandal or other accounts of the horrors of war . The words they speak are words of destruction, aggression, dominance, revenge, fear and arrogance. The host and the callers echo the belief in the righteousness of our nation’s killing. There are reminders to pray for our “christian” president who is doing the work of the Lord: Right to Life, Second Amendmendment, sanctity of marriage, welfare reform, war, kill, evil liberals. . . so much to fight, so much to destroy...
by Karen Cobb, Common Dreams, November 30, 2204.(Note: this is a follow up to the above article). From the article:
...The majority view my words in the spirit they were written, (a mixture of “love and sorrow”), and then others reading the same words reference my “hate filled rhetoric and judgmental attitude.” The condition of the heart interprets what we see and hear. This is why the scriptures say “Those who have ears to hear let them hear.” We are not wrestling against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). The majority of the responses were words of gratitude for having expressed what they had wanted to say or have been saying. There were also those who supported much of what I said but had specific questions concerning war. The article appeared on some Muslim websites and Muslims in the US, the Middle East and other countries commended me for speaking peace and recognized the creator in my words. The last category of responses is something that can only be identified as christian hate mail.
I am humbled beyond comparison and honored to give voice to the heartfelt cries of at over 2500 people who responded positively to the message I gave. There is a great movement that is forming behind the scenes, and the results can be a resurrection of the simple message of Christ that extends to all people. We can live and speak the message of love. We can proclaim publicly the morality of social justice, thoughtful environmental practices, racial equality, and economic justice. One can not be a Christian and worship mammon and the sword. It is Christ’s grace that allows us to extend that grace to others as humble servants. Jesus explained that where two or more agree, our humble prayers will be answered (Matt. 18:19) Many of us are in agreement concerning the misuse of Christ’s message in the world today. As we simply make our request to him we can know that our prayers are heard if they are with the sincerity of a child . It is the heart of the child who holds the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Matt: 18:2) ...
By Bill Moyers, Sojourners Magazine, August 2004. From the article:
And they hijacked Jesus. The very Jesus who stood in Nazareth and proclaimed, "The Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor." The very Jesus who told 5,000 hungry people that all of you will be fed, not just some of you. The very Jesus who challenged the religious orthodoxy of the day by feeding the hungry on the Sabbath, who offered kindness to the prostitute and hospitality to the outcast, who raised the status of women and treated even the tax collector like a child of God. The very Jesus who drove the money changers from the temple. This Jesus has been hijacked and turned into a guardian of privilege instead of a champion of the dispossessed. Hijacked, he was made over into a militarist, hedonist, and lobbyist, sent prowling the halls of Congress in Guccis, seeking tax breaks and loopholes for the powerful, costly new weapon systems that don't work, and punitive public policies.
By Dr. Glen Harold Stassen. SojoMail, October 13, 2004. From the article:
I am a Christian ethicist, and trained in statistical analysis. I am consistently pro-life. My son David is one witness. For my family, "pro-life" is personal. My wife caught rubella in the eighth week of her pregnancy. We decided not to terminate, to love and raise our baby. David is legally blind and severely handicapped; he also is a blessing to us and to the world.
I look at the fruits of political policies more than words. I analyzed the data on abortion during the George W. Bush presidency. There is no single source for this information - federal reports go only to 2000, and many states do not report - but I found enough data to identify trends. My findings are counterintuitive and disturbing.
Abortion was decreasing. When President Bush took office, the nation's abortion rates were at a 24-year low, after a 17.4% decline during the 1990s. This was an average decrease of 1.7% per year, mostly during the latter part of the decade. (This data comes from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life using the Guttmacher Institute's studies).
Enter George W. Bush in 2001. One would expect the abortion rate to continue its consistent course downward, if not plunge. Instead, the opposite happened.
The Religious Language of George W. Bush: A Theological and Political Analysis
From an Australian Christian website. This article discusses Bush’s religious language in light of manecheism (an ancient Christian heresy), messianism, and the manipulation of prayer.
by Amy Sullivan, The New Republic Online, October 5, 2004 (excerpt below)
...What most—including many of the president’s fiercest supporters—don’t know, however, is that Bush doesn’t go to church. Sure, when he weekends at Camp David, Bush spends Sunday morning with the compound’s chaplain. And, every so often, he drops in on the little Episcopal church across Lafayette Park from the White House. But the president who has staked much of his domestic agenda on the argument that religious communities hold the key to solving social problems doesn’t belong to a congregation.
(Editor’s Note: we have never felt that church attendance has been or should be a litmus test of one’s faith. We reluctantly include this article because it may be of interest to some.)
by Jim Wallis, from the Boston Globe, 7/13/2004. From the article:
MANY OF US feel that our faith has been stolen, and it's time to take it back. A misrepresentation of Christianity has taken place. Many people around the world now think Christian faith stands for political commitments that are almost the opposite of its true meaning. How did the faith of Jesus come to be known as pro-rich, pro-war, and pro-American? What has happened? How do we get back to a historic, biblical, and genuinely evangelical faith rescued from its contemporary distortions?
by David Batstone and Mark Wexler, from Sojourners Magazine, July, 2004. From the article:
How then, less than a decade later, has the Religious Right become a powerful sector of the Republican Party, holding veto power over most any GOP maneuver?
“The Religious Right has been institutionalized within the Republican Party,” confirms Kenneth Wald, a professor of political science at the University of Florida at Gainesville. “Just look at the leaders of the GOP.”
The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party: Taking Over the Republican Party
From theocracywatch.org. From the article:
In March, 1986, I (Joan Bokaer) was on a speaking tour in Iowa and received a copy of the following memo (Pat) Robertson had distributed to the Iowa Republican County Caucus: “How to Participate in a Political Party”
Rule the world for God.
Give the impression that you are there to work for the party, not push an ideology.
Hide your strength.
Don’t flaunt your Christianity.
Christians need to take leadership positions. Party officers control political parties and so it is very important that mature Christians have a majority of leadership positions whenever possible, God willing.
One of their tactics was to tie up the meetings for hours until people left. Then they appointed themselves leaders and made key decisions. Once they took over the local leadership throughout the State of Iowa, they could control the state party apparatus. After their success in the Iowa ‘88 primary, they used the same tactic in several other states—precinct by precinct.
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