Here we are, folks, halfway through the second four years of the second Bush administration. In the past six years we've seen Republicans and Democrats alike back "speculative facts" in the form of WMDs, a near-perfect smear campaign against the very "smear-able" John Kerry (props Karl Rove), an economic scandal involving Cheney's Halliburton, questionable democracy within the Patriot Act and events down in Guantanamo and, oh yeah - the war is still going on. But despite all of the aforementioned, one thing tops it all, reaching past politics and into the moral texture of our country.
That thing in question is the neo-conservative manipulation of Christianity. Ever since his inauguration, President Bush has stood behind a platform of righteousness through religion. He may not bet the sharpest tool in the shed and he's perhaps one of our more stubborn presidents, but damn if he's not a good and decent man! Nowadays, being a liberal is sold as lacking morals in lieu of compassion. God forbid. The liberal-minded pro-choice view on abortion is harshly criticized by conservatives as something close, if not echoing, murder. "God is Pro-Life," proclaim countless car bumper stickers.
On that same line of thought come neo-conservative ideas on welfare. The administration's proposals to cut down on welfare, proclaiming it wasteful, seems a little harsh seeing as how little the amount spent on welfare actually affects the country's economy. It seems odd that the same man who is so very Christian would go against one of the more famous beliefs of Jesus: if one has too much money, he should lend some to his neighbor. I guess Bush forgot about that one in between cutting taxes and asking for more and more money for the War on Terror.
In the powerful documentary "Jesus Camp," the intense affect of this new kind of "religious politics" on Born-Again Christians is shown. Taking place at the "Kids on Fire" summer camp in Devils Lake, North Dakota, Pastor Becky Fischer teaches virtue. Citing the devoutness of Muslim suicide bombers, Fischer states, "what [the Muslims] do is teach their children from the moment they can understand. Think of what we could do if we took the same kind of initiative." Fischer preaches of "God's Army" defeating the Muslim terrorists, while the children do all but bow to a cardboard cutout of George Bush. Now, wait a minute. What's going on here?
One of the most important elements in creating this democratic society was the separation of church and state. In "Camp," the young children run around attempting to convert all those they deem "unfit." In one scene, young Rachael runs over to a trio of older black men and asks them "if you died right now, do you think you would go to heaven or hell?" The men, bewildered, reply that they would go to heaven. Rachael walks back to her post, confused. She then looks at her fellow camp member, Levy, and says, "I thought they were Muslims." Oh, that's fine. Just as long as you're making vicious stereotypes in the name of God.
Religion cannot become an integral part of politics. Speaking as a devout Catholic, I never want my children to say an "Our Father" before homeroom, while all of the Jewish kids sit, awkward and out of place. Our country was founded on diversity. Fischer's teaching children to become "God's soldiers" is plain un-American. The very enemies we fight now, in Iraq and Afghanistan, are pushed to terrorize based off of manipulations of Muslim texts. If history has taught us anything it is that religion without humility and tolerance can be just as destructive as any kind of weapon. Examples range from the Crusade, to the Spanish Inquisition, to the Salem Witch Trials, and all the way up to Becky Fischer training a regiment full of "soldiers", polluting their heads with the idea that God wants them to defend their religion through war.
Sure, saving the world from terror may seem like the "right thing" to do, and right up the ally of JC, but what about turning the other cheek? Did we forget that little part in the Gospels? As a matter of fact, speculation that the war in Iraq is simply a vengeful attempt by little Georgie to finish what his father started suggests that the primary emotion in the war's initiation is wrath, one of the seven deadly sins.
As liberal as I clearly am, it seems irrelevant to the point I'm trying to make. Using religion as a political tool is more than constitutionally unsound, it's morally unsound.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
