The Christian Fundamentalists have gone too far this time. In fact, I don’t believe a great many of them are even Christians anymore. They use the Bible, twisting and changing the meaning of its words to suit an unspeakable if not unholy agenda that in my estimation is more interested in following the religion of power, greed and world domination than it is in following Christ’s Path to redemption.
Now, before you think me a heathen or an atheist, I must say unabashedly that I am neither. I am a Christian and have been one for all my life. I don’t profess to be "born again" simply because I feel that Christ has been in my heart since I can remember. My faith is personal. I don’t push my beliefs on other people, and my motto has always been to "live and let live."
More below:
AlterNet has a very interesting but downright frightening story on its website. It’s titled As Bush's War Strategy Shifts to Iran, Christian Zionists Gear Up for the Apocalypse.
From the article:
As George W. Bush sets his sights on Iran, even Republicans are wondering how to constitutionally contain the trigger-happy king. But for an influential group of Christian fundamentalists -- White House allies that garner not only feel-good meetings with the President's liaisons to the "faith-based" community but also serious discussions with Bush's national security staff -- an attack on Iran is just what God ordered.
Who in the hell do these people think they are; so quick to claim that they know what "God ordered?" What gall, what nerve... what insanity. And, these people think this way without using drugs or alcohol? Jesus Christ teaches love and peace not war, power and greed. It is truly disturbing that these people have the ear of Dear Leader.
More from the article:
Biblical literalists, convened together through San Antonio megapastor John Hagee's Christians United for Israel (CUFI), are now seeing the fruits of their yearlong campaign to convince the Bush administration to attack Iran.
Hagee came to Washington last summer on the warpath, and many Republicans -- and even a few Democrats -- welcomed him as an alleged supporter of Israel. More than 3,500 CUFI members fanned out across the Capitol to meet with their congressional delegations. Televangelist power brokers, like rising star Rod Parsley of Ohio, who serve as directors of CUFI, now proudly display photographs of their meetings with senators, brows furrowed over the seriousness of the task at hand. But probably Hagee's most important meeting was smaller and not public, at the White House with deputy national security adviser and Iran Contra player Elliott Abrams
This is sheer, unadulterated madness and in my humble opinion, this marriage between Fundamentalists and the Republican party is an abomination from hell. They use each other for profit and power. The Republicans use the Fundamentalists for their deep pockets and their reliable vote, and the Fundamentalists use the Republicans for favorable legislature and a podium. That said, this kind of politics has no place in America. We must expose this hypocrisy and drive these people from our halls of government if we are to survive, literally.
Back to the article:
Armed with blood-red rhetoric and the hubris of the politically connected, Hagee filled his 5,000-seat church for a weekend-long event culminating in his Night to Honor Israel in October. To an eager audience preparing for the end times, analogies to Hitler and denouncement of "appeasement" were flying. Anti-Muslim rhetoric was at a fevered pitch. All of it was dressed up as love and benevolence for God's chosen people. But what masqueraded as Biblically mandated generosity toward the Jews was nothing more than a political rally for a war not just against Iran, but against Islam, and for the dominance of Christianity. (Hagee's brand, of course)
So, the Christian Fundamentalists, the neocons in Washington, and now the Jews are all teaming up to eradicate Islam? Where is the "love thy brother" creed? Where does "tolerance" fit in there? This is nothing but religious hatred, bigotry, and a delusional sense of "self-righteousness," that in itself needs to be eradicated.
The article ends with this:
Bush knows Hagee's minions are locked and loaded for a war to end not only all wars, but the world. He might have already signed a secret executive order authorizing military action against Iran. But last week Bush nonetheless lamely tried to bring the rest of the country on board with his tried (but by no means true) device of uttering the words "Iran," "nuclear weapons" and "9/11" in the same breath.
His saber rattling won't work for the majority of Americans outraged by his conduct of the Iraq war and opposed to its escalation. But for his listeners gearing up for the end times -- a segment of Christian Fundamentalists increasingly united around this issue -- Bush fired up the grandiose rhetoric of a final showdown: "The challenge playing out across the broader Middle East is more than a military conflict. It is the decisive ideological struggle of our time."
The Bush administration must be impeached and imprisoned. This hypocrisy must be exposed, along with the dark agenda – if we are to survive.
Sarah Posner, the writer of this article, also penned other articles for AlterNet including Lobbying for Armageddon.