The New Road

Not so godly after all

After visiting the South recently I kinda guessed something like this would happen:

This past week, leaders of five mainstream Protestant denominations came together to speak in one voice. Standing shoulder to shoulder, leaders of the Episcopal Church USA, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church together condemned the 2006 Federal budget proposed by President Bush as unjust by biblical standards. They couldn't be more correct.

"The 2006 Federal Budget that President Bush has sent to Capitol Hill is unjust," they said. "It has much for the rich man and little for Lazarus," harkening to Jesus' parable of the beggar Lazarus at the gate of an anonymous rich man. Lazarus, you'll recall, finds his reward at the side of Abraham in heaven when he dies, while the rich man burns in hell.

It's a grand and ancient tradition. The biblical prophets would be on the White House lawn, the steps of the Capitol, in the chambers of Congress, the Law in one hand, a fistful of indignation in the other, condemning the outright aggression of this administration against the poor.

It's clear to me that Bush and the Republicans aren't for all religions. Well, that's clear to anyone. What's less clear to everyone, except me, is that the religion of the Republicans is restricted to white evangelicals in the middle and upper classes, period. Others need not apply.

Republican are very much still the party of the segregation and of the "dixiecrats". Despite their belief in the golden rule we still had Republicans knocking on doors before the election telling Democratic voters that the election was on November 3rd. Republican police officers in Florida knocking on the doors of black voters and discussing the when and where of how to vote while tapping on their guns. Republicans in Ohio calling black voters to tell them that their court records would be checked before they were allowed to vote.

Despite their Christian belief in the sanctity of human life they still applaud the torture at Abu Ghraib and talk gleefully about the use of white phosphor in Fullajuh. Some even go so far as to consider Musulims subhuman and call for their extermination.

That's not the Christianity I know. If that's the moral compass of Christianity then somebody needs to get their compasses cleaned.

I'm not a Christian and I never have been but I will put in out there right now that I have a better moral compass than Bush, the neo-cons or his supporters. Particularly when it comes to understanding that all men, regardless or race or creed are created equal. Everybody has the right to exist. Nobody has the right to say that certain people don't have the right to exist. And torture is never right or proper. It's simple common sense. If you need a book to tell you that you need your head examined. And if you think I need to read the Bible in order to understand basic morality, you are nuts.