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March 30, 2006

Religious Right in Hiding?

I was absolutely flabbergasted to read the headline of this article by Pastor Chuck Baldwin this morning: "Where is the Religious Right Hiding These Days?"

Ever since emerging from their four year hibernation in 2004 (just in time to reelect President George W. Bush), the Religious Right has returned to its extended state of unconsciousness. Oh, that's right, they did roll out of bed long enough to lobby for Supreme Court Justices Roberts and Alito. (No doubt, they were given a wake up call by the White House along with an invitation to dinner.) When it comes to numerous volatile issues, however, the Religious Right is once again proving its utter worthlessness!

It doesn't seem to me that the Religious Right has been hiding - far from it. But I do agree with Baldwin on this point:

Do you really believe the Religious Right would sit silently by while a Democratic president tried to explode federal spending the way Bush has done? Do you really believe they would sit back sheepishly while a Democratic president placed American troops under foreign commanders? Do you really believe, that during a time of terrorist activity, the Religious Right would drift off into unconsciousness while a Democratic administration facilitated the biggest growth of illegal immigration ever seen in this country? You know the answer.

However, because President Bush is a Republican and claims to be a Christian, the Religious Right is willing to give him a pass. They should be ashamed of themselves!

It isn't difficult to find other instances of Christians standing by while horrors occurred because the horrors were being perpetrated by "their guy." For instance, one of the men convicted of war crimes following the Rwandan massacre in 1994 was a Seventh-Day Adventist pastor, who lured hundreds of Tutsi Christians to his church for refuge and then helped orchestrate a brutal massacre of them all. In a country that was 95% Christian, the people placed loyalty to tribe and political power above their faith, and 1 in 14 of the country's citizens was butchered. I dare say the majority of massacres we have witnessed throughout history have been due largely to people laying aside their religious principles in the pursuit of power.

We are seeing the same prioritization of politics and party over principle by Christians in this country today. If history is any indication, this will not change. That places the burden squarely on the rest of us to be vocal about our commitment to humanity and decency and our refusal to allow this great country to be destroyed by those who pursue the power to suppress and control the masses over a peaceful coexistence and genuinely loving society.

Posted by Becky at March 30, 2006 09:24 AM