MODERATE CHRISTIANS APPEAR TO HAVE AWAKENED

[NVMojo]

March 2, 2006

For several years now I’ve been wondering when moderate Christians would crank up the nerve to stand up against the Bush propaganda machine. There have been few cracks in the massive wall of conservative Christianity that the Bush machine has erected, hand-molded and hammered into a formidable political machine, primarily in the red states, and more specifically the south.

Since its’ inception, this administration has molded and re-defined Christianity in the United States to revolve around two basic premises; dislike, if not actual hatred of gay people, and elimination of women’s reproductive choices. The Pat Robertsons, Jerry Falwells, Franklin Grahams and James Dobsons have hijacked religion in this country, hand-fitting it to achieve their sometimes-anything-but-Christian political ambitions, with the implicit help of the Bush administration, primarily through the machinations of Karl Rove.

I sense things are a-changin,’ and it’s way past time that they did.

At the end of February, 55 Catholic Democratic members of the House of Representatives finally had enough. In a Statement of Principles, signed by all of these members, they stated:

"We are committed to making real the basic principals that are at the heart of Catholic social teaching: helping the poor and disadvantaged, protecting the most venerable amongst us, and ensuring that all Americans of every faith are given meaningful opportunities to share in the blessings of this great country…(which) includes reducing the rising rates of poverty; increasing access to education for all; pressing for increased access to health care; and taking serious the decision to go to war.”

more...

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_thomas_l_060302_moderate_christians_.htm

[IsItJustMe]

1. Hell I figured they wanted chimp in there to usher in the Apocalypse.

He's doing a hell of a job in that area.

[Flabbergasted]

2. I don't think moderate christianity was ever truly on board with Bush

They share some similar principles but Bush was always viewed, especially, last election as the better of two evils. I think what we are actually seeing is a few cracks in radical christianity. The closer they get to their goals the more out of touch with the country they have gotten as well as more destructive.

[shrike]

7. I never was

Though I wasn't exactly concerned about him winning the election until I actually saw the smarmy bastard in a "debate" with Gore. (He looked like a little kid, so proud that he knew the answers. I felt like I was watching a prizefight, where one fighter was paid to lose -- though I don't feel that way now, about Gore.)
Although I'm a Catholic and a lot of Smirky's minions don't consider me a "real" Christian.

[blm]

3. The poor fools were sucked into the broadcast media portrayal of Bush as a

straightshooter, a man of integrity, and a faithful Christian, when in reality he is NONE OF THOSE.

[ristruck]

4. Here is one

I have been a Christian for over 20 years and I am one of these of which you speak. I have reversed my views on this administration, republican politics, the manipulation of the the Christian right, and have gone through a slow but now complete transformation in my political views. Progressive politics actually match the scriptures closer than any of the cheesy and pretentious marketing of religion that we have seen. My first post on this board was a few days ago and like a reformed smoker who cannot tolerate smoke I can no longer tolerate the smoke that these guys try to pass off as Christian.


Dear America;

I humbly and sincerely apologize for voting for Bush not once but twice. I have been awakened to the lies and I could make a list but a broken former republican is not in a position to do anything at this time but ask for forgiveness. I am truly sorry for my votes and for being so gullible to believe the corrupt, cynical, and downright evil marketing campaign that now in hindsight was so clearly false and superficial.

[Fovea]

5. I sincerely welcome people

who have seen past what they have been told to believe.

While I am not a monotheist, I have to say that I think Thomas was the most worthy of the apostles, because he required the Son of God to show him the truth.

It takes a lot of faith in your ability to live the truth to ask to be shown it. After that, you are a servant of the truth, or you are knowingly living a lie. Most people prefer a comfortable plausible deception to a painful truth. And the truth as revealed to this Pagan is that Abu Ghraib is not the sort of thing a Christian or Pagan should tolerate.

If we both agree to witness the truth as our best lights show it to us, then nothing remains to ask forgiveness for. My gods express truth, as does your holy trinity.

We may see them from the lens of different mythos or dogma, but the human condition is the common core.

Welcome to DU. It is a stormy place, and a place that can be challenging, but it is a place where a lot of true statements puncture spin.

[salin]

6. Welcome to DU

very painful cognitive dissonance to work through - but very clarifying when it is worked through. Appology accepted, and encouragement to speak to others you find who are waivering - but fighting the cognitive dissonance - your story to those individuals could be powerful and assuring as they work through their own painful journey.

[blm]

8. Welcome - I never felt pleasure when I would see the crushed looks in the

faces of family members or acquaintances who avidly read the Left Behind books then discovered the decades of alliances LaHaye and his ilk had with RevMoon.

When they factor in Revmoon's over 50yr alliance with the Bush family, they become truly disgusted at the implications of using totalitarian religious doctrine to gain control for fascist governance. I imagine that is familiar to you.

[cliss]

16. Welcome to the DU, ristruck.

A nice post.

I went through the same metamorphosis. It took a long time! I first started to suspect that something was terribly wrong with Bush, even before he was 'selected' into office back in 2000. It was the contested election. There was a TV program about the 2 contenders, Bush and Gore. Bush was sitting in a beautiful room, obviously angry. There was Poppy and a few other people. Bush was angry, you could tell. I had never seen Bush before, just vaguely heard of him before (I'm not much into politics).

There he was, angry and sulking. He waved his hand, and said, "This has been very hard on my family", meaning they'd better get this over quickly because I'm mad.

I thought to myself, "Oh crap. What if he wins?"

I just had REALLY bad vibes from this man, he struck me as really repulsive. And the rest is history.

At that point, I started obsessing about Bush and what had happened to this country. I became furious. Started reading the Internet, to try and figure out what the hell is going on. It was ahorrible period of disillusionment. Found the DU. Surfed in on a wave of anger. Felt better because I found out I'm not alone. In fact, we're the majority.

[SoulDrift]

9. Christian Alliance for Progress

I've been impressed by this group's postings. Hoping more churches catch on.

[blm]

10. welcome to DU.....

.

[SoulDrift]

13. Thankya

I'm not big on introductions, I rather just start contributing..

[Skittles]

11. way, WAY too late for me to respect them

gee, they're just NOW doing the right thing??

[sarcasmo]

12. I second that motion. Five years to awaken, give me a break.

[justicewanted]

14. Looks like some "supposed" liberals need to wake up.

To have anger and hate toward someone that has been lied to by people they trusted, seems like you would be more at home on fr than here. I never voted for Bush, but it took the Iraq invasion to open my eyes to how corrupt the republicans are. Once I started searching the internet and found sites like Buzzflash, and Democratic Underground it opened up a whole new world of information that I never had access to before.

Dont hate the regular people out there that voted for Bush because they relied on the main stream media. Hate the con men not the conned.

[LouisianaLiberal]

15. I agree.

My sister was a right wing Christian, and until the election of 2004 (she voted for Kerry) I would not have imagined ever getting her to vote for anyone left of Tom Delay.

Over the years we have been discussing the issues, and last night she said she believes Bush might be the antichrist. She was distressed that other Christians can't see that Bush does not act like a Christian. I am very proud of her, and although we have disagreed about politics for the last twenty years, I have never questioned her integrity.

Please keep in mind that many on the right are not necessarily bad people (though of course most at the top are downright evil). Many don't have the strength to question the ideas that they have held all of their lives.

Many are beginning to wake up and see that the Repub party is a money making machine that wants permanent power and is not interested in governing or doing the right thing.