There’s more to Christianity than to “claim to be a follower”. One must show some fruits. And to separate one’s perosnal pirty and individual inner devotions from actual impact upon life in society, and seeking a just society (because Jesus himself constantly taught this). Why the Religious Right takes these lame political gestures (I identify them as “lame” becuase of the complete and utter lack of policy apparatus toward the ends of building a better world. In fact, the Bush administration is the worst I have seen in this country in my lifetime.

It seems to me that it very well could be a vendetta of the ideaologues, who will not be happy until they dismantle everything that they have perceived as standing in their way: regulations that stand in the way of making better profits, like having to be “concerned about the environmental impact”. It would be EASIER if these were removed as barriers. Bush administration: Here ya go dudes! We don’t need them regulations no more! Have at it! And thank you very much for those contributions.” And oh yeah. here, take some of these tax breaks too. Anything you want. ”

Ironically, 99.9% of these conservative churches are people who will sufer under their hero in the White House. If they think Bush loves them, they are sadly deceived. The economy will continue south, as the Bush Republicans , far from paying down the National Debt, have Dick Cheney saying “Reagan proved deficits don’t matter”. Scary, blind, and ultimately in bed with evil. That is where these policies are taking us. Of course, all this may not get us when its all said and done. We may not live at all to see the downward spiral continue, becuase this administratkion thinks it can defeat terrorism by conventional military.

I have absolutely NO FAITH whatsoever in the intelligence apparatus of this administration. They flat out ignored the warnings and pleadings of Richard Clarke to go after Al Quieda for 8 months after taking office. Bush would not meet with his Terrorist Czar, Clarke, until Septmber 11th, 2001, despite repeated efforts and pleas for a hearing. Hello, anybody in there? And now Bush appoints his own yes man, hardly a bipartisan. I guess the Administration is tired of being second guessed. Need to get another spon doctor in there.

There are Churches and Christians who abhor what is happening, and see the actions and the results of this administration’s impact in very human terms. They are the Churches and Christians who recognize politics when they see it (and look for actual results following the “campaign rhetoric”, unlike the Fundamentalist and Religious Right Christians who quickly capitulate to the Nati onalistic orge of guluttonous waste of the US economy and the environment, and the rapid dissmantling of years of internaitonal relationship building. They blindly follow leaders who reinforce their own bigotrty of “The American Way” and tell the rest of the world to go to hell, and are offended at the suggestion that this is a self-centered attitude. The Religious Right also rail against ecumenical groups who are “too theologically liberal” and “too anti-American”.

I am appalled at what passes for Christianity today. I know better, but there is a world out there who sees little difference between the actions of a “Christian Nation” and ” a religion of bigotry, blindness, slefishness, and violence”. The “American Way of Life” is not too high an ethical standard these days.

Obviously, I am angry. It rises up when I hear the idealogues defending what they do, in terminology that masks the darker side of what they do and attempts to put on it a positive spin. What else would they do? How easily the Religious Right accepts these things at face value, in spite of the evidence. I guess that continues the tradition of the historical vulnerability of the Religious Right toward propaganda. It’s a worldwide human phenomenon that the sould will capitulate to almost anything if it is convinced that they must follow their idealogues in their esoteric vision that often employs violence in its service. In that, the United States under Bush and its apostate Church (apostate in its abandonmant of the Jesus ethic of non-violence into just the opposite: falling prey to the age-old fallacy that violence ultimately solves ANYTHING.) The Church of Jesus has become the Church of “Bush’s America”, and believe that they are , as Bush “waxed theocratic” in his equating the American People or “The American Way of Life” with “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness shall not be able to put it out.”

But in the case of America, the darkness pulls us down with it, and we descend into the madness to fight them on their terms: violence on violence. That light that shines in the darkness is “the Word”, not the U.S. The “Word” is a very different word. It makes no sense apparently, in this world, and all the Churches who have allowed their voices to be muted and , in way too many cases, to be “turned to the dark side ” and be deceived by the structures of evil that we’ve allowed to be built up around us.