Yeah, Right, Whatever

"He's always talking about symbols of evil, using Jesus as a political pawn," said Rod Murphy from a group called, "10,000 Jesuses."

"The GOP and Bush sound like they have a mandate from Jesus, and I am sorry, but that is not the Jesus that I grew up with," Murphy told Cybercast News Service, noting his opposition to the war in Iraq.

"[Bush] talks all the time and his fundamentalist base about ... Jesus," said Ben Stern of Potomac, Md. "He makes his faith very public, yet at the same time he is doing things I consider -- and I am not even a Christian -- that Christian doctrine ... is in opposition to," said Stern, who carried a sign reading, "Who Would Jesus Bomb?"

Bush has not acted like a Christian, according to Stern, because of the "amoral way he is [defecating] on the little guy and, you know, racial minorities."

..."He always says that he is talking to God, but what he should be doing is saying, 'I am wrong and I need forgiveness," Richter said, referring to Bush's policies in Iraq.

We're still looking for a few good Jesuses ....

It's important to let Mr. Bush and the American media know that their talk of 'values' is misplaced. The idea is to take back the symbols of Christianity for those who actually practice it in spirit, if not in name. (So, are you Christians? Or do you just invoke the name of Jesus Christ when the mood strikes you?)

Jesus, the idea of Jesus and the man, has become a profound symbol for many Christians. (No, He's not a "symbol" to me- He is my Lord and Savior. No symbolism there.) ...Recently, in the last decade or two, we've witnessed a hijacking of Christian terminology and thought by institutions on the far right of the political spectrum. (No, recently, in the last decade or four, secularists have done everything in their power to REMOVE Christ from the mainstream community.)

... We don't believe, for example, that 'the Christ' would appreciate a church that supports the pre-emptive war on Iraq (not even to save millions of innocents from tyranny and potentially a forced religiosity that demeans and demoralizes its "believers"?), our use of napalm (renamed Mark 77 to avoid controversy) and cluster bombs. We don't think he'd like a church supporting an administration that ignores international conventions on torture (ignore? They didn't ignore it- there was an investigation ongoing before it was made public. The people who committed the torture are being prosecuted). Nor do we think he'd much like the rapacious culture the fundamentalists align themselves with when supporting Republican radical free market ideology (by the way, we also don't believe Jesus would shop at Wal-Mart, which has a history of using Haitian laborers who toil for 12 cents an hour).("radical" free market economy? So... in your world, Jesus is a communist? Too bad that's not Biblically backed up). We don't think he'd approve of churches that support an administration whose tax code disproportionately hurts the poorest in our nation, while helping the very richest. (Written by somone who obviously never read and has absolutely no understanding of the tax code in this country.)

On the other hand, we think that Jesus would accept gays and women who have had abortions and he'd be furious with the clerical hypocrites who would suggest otherwise. (The Church is open to all sinners - ie- all of us- all have fallen short of the Glory of God.) In fact, like the merchants of old, he'd probably cast those clerics from the temple. Just call it a wild hunch. (I agree with this, to a point. The Church needs to be open to all, but... no where in Scripture does it say that we are to be tolerant of sin. When one goes to Church, it is presumed that one goes in order to become closer to God and turn away from sin. A person active in the gay lifestyle is sinning. A woman who has had an abortion has not only sinned, but is also hurting. It is the moral obligation of believers to minister to her and help her heal as much as she can. Anyone who shuns her (presuming she's not planning on having more abortions) should be cast out.)

...One idea we've had is to march on the mall dressed as Jesus, 10,000 Jesuses to represent the dramatic differences within Christianity itself on what it means to be Christian. Perhaps, more realistically, we should have 10,000 prophets or 10,000 saints because many religious traditions bleed into Christianity, just as Christianity has influenced many other institutions, religious as well as secular. (So, you're saying that you're not really as interested in a personal relationship with Jesus, just a dramatic interpretation of your views of the Almighty. Hmmm... sounds a bit like what you're accusing President Bush of.)

A few enligtening examples:

* Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor," and "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's." He did not say, "Ensure the wealthiest elite in our nation get the easiest tax load; especially when this cuts funding to educational and health programs that help the poor." (Jesus also said "render unto God what is God's" and that it was for the individual to help the widow and orphan, not government.)

* Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." He did not say, "Make your living building death machines at Northrup Grumman or Boeing or GE. Ensure your wealth even further by authorizing and condoning no bid contracts in the crassiest example of war profiteering in this century." (Jesus also said to protect the innocent and fight evil.)

* Jesus said, "Turn the other cheek." He did not say, "Drop 500 lbs bombs on the civilization centers of ancient Mesopatamia." Nor did Jesus say, "torture prisoners in a sexually humiliating manner to advance the cause of nation building. Or, shoot wounded soldiers in the head while they lie before you, supine and desperate." ( First, Jesus was talking about personal, one-on-one relationships, not nation against nation. God allows for just war. Read the Old Testament.)

* Jesus said, "Let he who is without sin caste the first stone." He did not say, "Condemn those who disagree with you as being Godless heathens who will be thrust into the bowels of hell for not accepting Jesus as their personal saviour." (Actually, Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.[John 14:6])

* Jesus said, "I pass judgement on no man," He did not say, "Judge all those whose religion you do not understand or whose sexuality you fear."(Jesus said "For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. [John 5:26-27] As for "religion you do not understand", see John 14:6)

* Jesus said, "I give you a new commandment: love one and other." He did not say, "love only people who go to church." Nor did he say, "love only white, non-gay, Christian borne-again Americans with good grooming habits and no history of pre-marital sexual relations." He did not say, "Love only people who may know the verses of the Bible, but who have forgotten how to throw the merchants out of the temple and so support one of the most repressive and intolerant regimes in America's history." (Jesus did say to love one another. That is the fulfillment of all of the Commandments.)