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That's the domain of the more conservative churches that are out there. Liberal interpretations of faith are more about raising questions than they are about providing answers.
Do the churches today do anything but tell people what they WANT to hear?
It varies from denomination to denomination, church to church. Some (like the RW "mega-churches") provide people with easy answers in an uncertain world. Others, like the Presbyterians, for instance, tend to push people in the direction of asking more questions in searching their faith. I'm a UU, and there is no other denomination out there that encourages "questioning" as much as we do.
Do they tell their congregations to STOP buying the damn SUVs because we are the stewards of the earth, and we are not to waste God's gifts?
Some do, but not enough. I know that in my congregation, many people are fairly affluent, and do not give enough attention to the wastefulness of their lives. However, it can be much more effective to lead them to ask questions about what effect their lives have on the world as opposed to just telling them to "STOP buying the damn SUVs".
Do they tell them that as a society, we need to look out for the least of us?
Most denominations -- even the RW ones -- actually do preach this. It just depends on whether they preach that being among the "least of us" is somehow the result of a sin that can only be cured by bringing that person into line with the Church's teachings, or if they preach that we as an entire society must be aware of the inequities around us and move to correct them.
If it's the religious folks turning out in droves to vote for Bush, WHAT exactly are mainstream churches teaching people these days?
I'd hardly say that "religious folks" turned out in droves to vote for Bush. I would agree that Evangelicals did. Likewise with ultra-orthodox Jews. But there were significant segments of the faith community that voted for Kerry.
The divide here goes back largely to the urban divide here in the US. People outside of urban centers have traditionally lived with the community churches being the centers of community life. Conversely, when you get into more metropolitan areas, the church is not quite so much a center -- even for people who attend services regularly. There's also the way in which many RW denominations use membership as an identity that people use to differentiate themselves from all those who are "excluded", almost in a tribal fashion. Finally, there's the mass resistance to, and fear of change among the vast majority of less urbane sections of the populace. Churches are really just the superficial layer of these phenomena, rather than the root cause.
Is there some alternate bible of hate, war and stealing these people use? I just don't get it.
The Bible can be used to justify just about any damned thing you want it to. The problem lies with those who selectively use scripture to support their beliefs, without looking at the passages they pick out in a larger context.
Personally, I find the most important part of the Bible to be the Beatitudes (blessed are the meek, blessed are the peacemakers, do unto others, et. al.). To me, everything else is pretty much window dressing.
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