Why does the religious right prop Bush up over Jesus?

[smiley_glad_hands]

They only talk about Christianity if its in context of George W. My wife and I are convinced that W is the anti-christ.

[4morewars]

1. Because Jesus was a liberal

I am pretty sure *w is the anti-christ, though.

[smiley_glad_hands]

3. Exactly.

No one wants to admit that Jesus was a Liberal!

[MikeG]

2. Wouldn't you say W is putting one over on them to get their vote?

Most evangelicals won't get a big tax cut.

[smiley_glad_hands]

4. Yes I would agree.

[girl gone mad]

5. watch Frontline tonight.

they are talking about Bush and the Religious Right.

[girl gone mad]

6. dupe.

[girl gone mad]

7. dupe.

sorry.

[pretzel4gore]

8. what role does racism play?

seems the entire rightwing fueled by unspoken race consciousness...the 'survival of fittest' idea applied to human societies, calvinist predestination, machiavelli, locke all mixed up to justify gluttony and murder and hatred....

[smiley_glad_hands]

11. Yes it seems very natural selectionesque---which is odd

for people who believe in creationism and hate Darwin.

[Arianrhod]

24. Those who ignore reality

are destined to repeat it.

[Only Me]

9. Read this Thread, then vistit Frontline website..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1498775


This is SCARY!!! Click on the picture of him with yellow button on left.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/

[smiley_glad_hands]

10. Will be watching it on Saturday on the web.

[Az]

12. The battle lines of the Culture war

Are drawn along the line of those on the side of dogmatic moral authority arrayed against those who support tolerance, acceptance, and moral relativism.

This society is a very diverse one. In such a society holding done one culture for the preference of another brings about social discord. This will tear our nation apart in short order. Thus we define our laws by a secular basis. One deliberately seperated from any particular religious proclomations and based on what can be argued effectively on a secular justification. Moral relativism.

This grinds on the nerves of those that believe that morality can only come from god. It grinds on them that the government does not enforce their particular ideas of morality. It grinds on their nerves that the government supports teachings that dismantle their absolute claims on the nature of the universe. Thus over time they have become staunchly opposed to the idea of a strong central government that supports the rights of individuals.

This new found hatred of a strong central government is very similar to the hatred that Corporate entities have for government. They despise the governments ability to intercede on citizens behalf when the Corporations try to pry the last nickel from their hands by any means possible. Thus the marriage between Corporate America and Hardcore Fundimentalist Christianity.

[smiley_glad_hands]

16. Sounds like the Modern Amerikan Fascist State.

[Arianrhod]

26. Not "new-found".

Remember, the Great Awakening occurred two years after the signing of the Constitution.

[DivinBreuvage]

13. Because Jesus is only small potatoes, after all

Nothing he was or did entitles him to equal status with a Moses or a Paul.

Moses and Paul help you get away with lots of things that Mary's son doesn't let people off the hook for. Do you want to hate gays? Do you want to exterminate the population of an entire city? Moses suggests it's ok. Do you want to own slaves? No problem, says Paul!

I had long suspected this, but according to my pastor, whom I have no good grounds to impeach, studies have PROVEN that the more fundamentalist a church is the more likely its leaders are to quote Paul and the less likely they are to quote Christ.

It is QUITE CLEAR that something in the ethic of Christ is very problematic and uncomfortable for right wingers to deal with.

There are going to be some hot times for some people who don't expect it, someday.

[bruce21040]

14. Bush is nowhere near a Jesus figure.

He is a self centered pompous ass that is looking to do no more than enrich his pockets with oil futures. His constant reference to God is a slap in the face to some of us. His Sunday prayers had best be filled with requests for forgiveness for all of the deaths he has brought to the world in his short and limited time in office.


As far as Jesus and the homosexuals.
In Leviticus, Jesus made reference to the Mosaic laws and said that they should be followed. In those laws, found in the book of Moses, Homosexuality was written as a sin.
Those that wish to hate homosexuals for whatever reason, choose to point out this fact as some sort of proof that all homosexuals are going to hell.

They tend to forget that Jesus also said that we were to forgive, and not to judge.
And, some people like to point out what the penalties are for various crimes. Penalties that were described in the old testament. What they fail to remember is that when Jesus died on the cross, he not only took our sins with him, but he also removed the requirement for man to judge, and punish. This would now be Gods position.

They also tend to forget that The way to eternal life is through the acceptance of Jesus as the Saviour.. I personally do not recall in that part of the deal where it excluded homosexuals from gaining entrance to Heaven.

Not all of the Religious right feel that homosexuals are going to hell.

[DivinBreuvage]

17. A thoughtful post, thanks

I mentioned homsexuality and slavery as just two examples of reasons why certain people who call themselves "Christians" prefer to refer to the Old Testament and the letters of Paul rather than to the Gospels: because those sections can be more easily interpreted to give people leeway to indulge their hatred and greed. As you point out, Christ's repeated emphasis on forgiveness, not judging, and the condemnation of hypocrisy make it pretty difficult for someone to, say, stand in front of a gay kid's funeral screaming "God hates fags", so it's easier to shove J.C. into the background and play down all that difficult stuff. I think nearly all of these people do understand deep down at a subconscious or almost subconscious level that they really cannot square their behavior with Christ, and that is why they assign him such a minor role in their talk and thought.

People don't hate gays because the Bible tells them to. They hate gays because they hate gays, and merely use the Bible to JUSTIFY it. Using the Bible to justify one's behavior also gives one that delightful security blanket of self-righteousness, which almost everyone loves to wrap themselves in at one time or another. I do it myself sometimes, when I'm not careful.

Certain men control and dominate their wives because they NEED to. They simply quote the Bible to JUSTIFY it and make themselves feel all cozy about doing it, or to assuage whatever inner doubts they might have.

[kiahzero]

36. A question of interpretation

Homosexuality was not "written as a sin."

The Bible condemns men being with other men as women as ritually unclean. That's pretty much it. It's not the "ringing condemnation" that some want to make it out to be.

[No2W2004]

15. because

Jebus can't get them federal funds

shrub's workin on it.

[PurityOfEssence]

18. They will do anything to advance their cause

and Junior is advancing their cause. Anyone who thinks he doesn't really believe is missing the point. Perhaps he doesn't, but he'll do anything to have them believe he does.

I personally think he is a true believer, and he's selfishly set himself up at the right hand of the Sky Chief; his actions fit too many traits of the true believer.

Far too many believers still harbor the prejudice that belief is inherently "good", and thus anyone who truly believes can't possibly be a thoroughgoing rotter like this little weasel. The disconnect that exists within many believers that all the good that exists in the world is the work of the lord, yet all the sadness, horror and other unfortunate happenings is unrelated is the same kind of mental self-deception that wants to dismiss truly nasty people as not real believers.

To the real Evangelical PROSELYTES, he is not someone being tolerated, he is greatness itself.

[Az]

20. The horrors committed in the name of love and truth

Far outweigh the horrors committed in the name of greed and malice. When one believes that one's truth is absolute others can be made to seem inhuman. Love of the soul can dettach a persons concern for their fellow human and move it to an entity merely occupying the body. Torture for the love of the soul is the way to turn love into horror.

[camero]

19. Because they love money more than anything

And Jesus said blessed are the poor and to woe be they that are rich.

[ComerPerro]

21. Because Jesus is good, but he isn't up for reelection in November

Besides, if they started talking about Jesus too much, to the point that they talked about him more than Bush, people would start to realize that Bush is nothing like Christ. They would also realize that Bush isn't really a Christian.

[LeftofU]

23. No, Bush is a christian and this is their agenda...

remember armageddon is right around the corner......Jesus said so.
He said it, we belive it, that settled it.

[Arianrhod]

31. I believe * is not only a Christian

but that he is demonstrating what happens whenever a Christian government takes control of a country. All of *'s public beliefs are fully in keeping with what the Puritans declared in the Mayflower Compact. All of his actions concord with what the Church has done throughout its history. Even Fallujah is reminiscent of the Albigensian Crusade.

There are certainly Christians who are aghast at what * stands for, and who would denounce him as a heretic or even a nonbeliever. But where are they? Apart from a handful on DU, where is the outrage from the "real" Christians? Why is there no national effort on the part of the "true" church to put things right?

I'm sorry to say this, but the silence that is so conspicuous among believers in our country speaks louder than any words of protest they may utter about "true" Christianity.

[ComerPerro]

34. well, yes, definately

I am not going try to say that there aren't people who try to actually live good Christian lives, meaning "to follow the teachings of Christ".

I know several people that do.

But, the sad fact is, the majority of so-called Christians in this country, and probably all over the world, are just selfish assholes looking for a way to get into heaven and justify their own intolerance, greed, and hatred.

And, while there is outrage from "true Christians", it is really just deafened by all the Pat Robertsons and Jerry Fallwells of the world.

[Arianrhod]

38. Well, that description probably fits most of humanity. :)

It takes genuine effort to overcome the animal nature within us, and no effort at all can be made until we recognize that nature to begin with. Christianity's first mistake, IMO, was to characterize mankind as something other than animal, other than nature. The philosophic intent behind such a description was probably good, but it had the effect of making people think they are above reproach.

IMHO, until we see ourselves as part of a larger whole we will never escape the self-absorption that produces human problems in the world.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

40. There have been plenty of liberal Christian protests

but they get no press coverage.

I had to read my own denomination's paper to learn that a group of liberal Christian leaders go to the Minnesota state legislature on a regular basis to lobby for better social services and more humane laws.

[Arianrhod]

32. Why is *

not denounced from every pulpit in the country?

[LeftofU]

33. too busy praising him

[proud patriot]

22. Because they have been led astray , by a CULT

Bush is the CULT leader and the people
who vote for him have been fooled and
brainwashed into going against everything
they love as with any CULT .

bush is no CHRISTIAN he has twisted and distorted
Jesus' word and teachings for political and personal
gain .

God Sees Him God sees Him

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LeftofU]

27. Don't you have a gay to bash or something....

[Az]

28. Um, I know I am talking to a tombstone but

Is this an example of the quality of diatri.... er argument we could expect from conservatives coming here?

If you have a conservative position and can defend it civilally I would expect that you would be able to suvive here. However the sample of conservative rants seems to suggest that this is unlikely.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

29. Really uninspiring batch of disruptors lately

it's just no fun arguing with unarmed dolts as witnessed on many threads this evening.

Their driveby posts are lame and tiresome. :boring:

I want to be entertained, dammit! These losers don't even have the IQ to last more than 20 posts!

[LeftofU]

30. I could'nt agree more. ya can't even bait'em....

[smiley_glad_hands]

35. Darnit, I missed the deleted post.

Could somebody PM me what was said. Had to go to sleep.

[cynic4life]

37. these people think that dubya

is the new jesus. I've heard some neocons using slogans like a vote for bush is a vote for God and country. and from what I remember of church Dubya does not act like God. So they must think the Jesus of old was a fake and Dubya is actually the true messiah

[Lydia Leftcoast]

39. Because their purpose is not actually religious

They know how poweful spiritual experiences can be, so they take the spiritual aspirations of well-meaning people and channel them into support for unChristian attitudes and policies. They accomplish it partly by a form of brainwashing, getting their followers so afraid of "Satan" that they do not trust any "non-Christian" sources of information--and "Christian" in their terminology definitely does not mean Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian, or any other mainstream Christian denomination.

Once you have these people so scared of the devil that they read only approved books and periodicals, listen to only approved radio stations, watch only approved TV and movies, buy only approved music, attend only approved schools, and socialize only with other "Christians," you have them in a total information environment.

You can tell them anything, and if it comes from a church-approved source, they will have been conditioned to accept it unquestioningly.

They attract people in the first place by offering a commodity that is in short supply in the typical suburb: community.

It's a great setup for a fascist political movement, and I have long believed that the mushroom-like rise of suburban megachurches is being funded by rightwing foundations, because there is NO WAY a church can go from zero to huge campus in a year the way that some of these outfits do unless they're getting outside funding.

[seabeyond]

41. bush/jesus

i saw this sign, and told some fundie christian friends boy bush has a new vice president, jesus. at least if the democrats where to run with jesus, i would think we would put jesus as top billing.

just a little shame to feel