Sunday, October 24, 2004

Collection of Bush Heresies

Due to the damage the Bush administration has done to this country, most of us here know that this election is one of the most important in American history.

We've seen the erosion of civil liberties, crumbling of strong alliances, increased growth of international anti-American sentiment, massive loss of American jobs, and the destruction of a country in a war based on the lies of our Vice President, our Secretary of Defense and his deputy, a war with no end in sight that is costing us billions of dollars and the lives of the next generation of this country.

However obvious it may appear to us that John Kerry must defeat George Bush, there are nearly as many of those that support Bush as those that support his challenger, not to mention the undecided voters. One of the largest reasons that so many in this country support our President whole-heartedly is due to his claim on Christianity. However, as a mailing from the Sojourners organization clearly demonstrated to me Friday, Bush should not be viewed as a righteous, upstanding Christian due to the fact that he is largely responsible for the growth of a number of heresies in the modern Christian church through his abuse of religious language for political gain. These heresies include
  • The teaching that the words "the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it" apply to the United States, when they really apply only to Christ.
  • The belief that the nature of the war on terrorism demands its success takes precedence over ethical and moral norms such as an abhorrence to torture and the intentional bombing of civilians.
  • The idea that American is a "Christian nation" that represents virtue.
  • The notion that those that oppose the current policies of the American government are inherently "evil-doers" and stand with the terrorists.
I don't know how many ASZ readers hold Christian beliefs, but surely all of you know Christians who are planning on voting for Bush. Karl Rove has worked very hard at shoring up the Republican evangelical-Christian base, but lets work against him, even just a bit. Read this statement from Sojourners that has been signed by over 200 Christian theologians and ethicists, and send it to some of your conservative Christian friends. Make it clear to them that opposition to Bush is actually better suited to their Christian beliefs.