Save us from the politicians who have God on their side (Guardian)

[joefree1]

Save us from the politicians who have God on their side

These American hijackers have made the world a more dangerous place

Max Hastings
Monday December 6, 2004
The Guardian

A week in the United States, such as I have just spent, is enough to make anybody feel a trifle fed up with God, or rather with the relentless invocation of the deity by American politicians, led by their president. No public occasion would be complete without the blessing of the Almighty being besought for whatever endeavour tops the agenda, most prominently the war in Iraq. The appeal to faith, seldom mere ritual, is usually founded upon conviction.

There is an attractive rationalist case for insisting that candidates for election anywhere in the world are required to sign a declaration forswearing religious affiliation. Had this been done in Ireland a couple of generations ago, think what we would have been spared.

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Some of us would feel more comfortable today if American and allied foreign policy could be discussed solely in temporal terms, without bringing God into the deal at all. One of the more grotesque landmarks of the Bush presidency was established this time last year, when the Los Angeles Times revealed that a top general was touring Christian fundamentalist churches assuring congregations that he knew "our side" would prevail in the struggle with Muslim extremism "because our God is a real God" and the other side's is a phoney.

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Today, the distortion of biblical teaching by American Christian fundamentalists, almost all allies of Bush, to support Israeli imperialist claims on the West Bank, significantly increases the difficulties of achieving a settlement in the Middle East. The political leverage exerted by the fundamentalists in the US against any surrender of biblical territory to Muslims is likely to grow greater, not less.

More ...
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9115,1367215,00.html

We need the Founding Fathers to come back and wake some of the Borg-agains up to what America is supposed to be all about.

"Persecution is not an original feature in any religion, but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law."
-- Thomas Paine

"When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obliged to call for help of the civil power, 'tis a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one."

-- Benjamin Franklin


"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution."

-- James Madison


"I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved -- the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced."
-- John Adams


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PaganWarrior/

[LiberalFighter]

1. It wouldn't make any diff if Founding Fathers came back and slap them

They would shoot the Founding Fathers under the charge of treason.

It is their way of justifying everything that they do.