| December 8, 2005
The Iron Fist of Jesus
The Inmates are Running the Asylum
How much damage will men like George Bush, James Dobson, Pat
Robertson, Sam Brownback, Ralph Reed, and Rick Santorum inflict
before reason prevails and they are unmasked as the twisted,
malevolent charlatans that they are? Fundamentalist Christians,
adherents to a nauseating perversion of Christianity (conjured
from their twisted imaginations and their distorted
interpretations of the Bible) wield a significant amount of
power in the United States, socially and politically.
Fund-raising, promotional, and organizational skills have
enabled these Corpora-Fascist Capitalists masquerading as
practitioners of the Christian faith to gain pervasive influence
over the Republican Party. Despite recent blows, Republicans
still control the Executive and Legislative branches of
government, and are well on their way to dominating the Judicial
branch by appointing judges who zealously rule in ways which
promote the Social Darwinism, elitism, bigotry, property rights,
and corporate power the Christo-Fascist Fundamentalist
Christians crave.
God Bless America? Surely You Jest
One of the rationalizations for the illegal occupation of Iraq
(and the murders of over one hundred thousand innocent Iraqi
civilians) is that the United States is engaged in a struggle of
"good versus evil". In spite of repeated heinous acts committed
for years by the United States in the Middle East, including
state terrorism resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands
of innocent civilians, installation and/or support of ruthless
dictators (i.e. Saddam Hussein, the Shah of Iran), and enabling
the Israelis to commit genocide against the Palestinians, these
pseudo-Christians have managed to convince many Americans that
the US is "good" and the "terrorists" (i.e. the Resistance to US
occupation in Iraq) are "evil". As the US government continues
to rape the Middle East, Christo-Fascists slap "God Bless
America" bumper stickers on their gas-guzzling SUV's actually
believing that the Father, the Son, and/or the Holy Spirit would
bless a nation governed by murderers, thieves and thugs.
Yes, I can visualize a Christian God sitting on his throne in
the kingdom of heaven gazing down upon humankind. As he surveys
humanity, he "wisely and judiciously" decides to answer Jane
Morgan's prayer for a 2005 Hummer to replace her two year old
Navigator. After all, he can't have Jane driving a "jalopy" to
worship him on Sundays, now can he? Spying eight year old
Mahmoud, a Palestinian in Gaza, God decides to let him die of
malnutrition because he is not a Christian, and in fact is an
"evil" Muslim who could become "terrorist" someday. Jerry
Falwell, who does not appear to be struggling with malnutrition,
would be most pleased with his Maker.
Not the Jesus I "Knew" When I was Younger
Growing up Methodist, my indoctrination into the Christian faith
was rather moderate. I do not recall our ministers preaching
fire, brimstone, or eternal damnation. Somehow I missed the
interpretation of Revelations in which the Christo-Fascists have
determined that Christ will return to Earth to "judge and make
war". For those of you not fortunate enough to be blessed with
the knowledge that Jesus will smite you down "with a rod of
iron" (or do much worse) if you are deemed unworthy, click on
this link to learn of your fate:
(http://www.christiancourier.com/archives/righteouswarrior.htm)
Powerful leaders of the Fundamentalist movement in America have
devoted a great deal of time and energy toward their goal of
convincing their loyal "Christian" soldiers that they will be
saved in the "impending apocalypse" while "non-believers" will
suffer beyond the scope of human imagination. Their dichotomous
view of Christ as a compassionate and merciful champion of
society's victims returning as a vengeful warrior bent on
inflicting misery on his "enemies" reflects their
psychologically impaired tendency to employ black and white
thinking almost continuously.
In April of 2004 (in the New York Times) David Kirkpatrick
wrote:
Writers and artists have been imagining the Second Coming of
Jesus for 2,000 years, but few have portrayed him wreaking more
carnage on the unbelieving world than Tim LaHaye and Jerry B.
Jenkins.
In their new apocalyptic novel, "Glorious Appearing," based on
Dr. LaHaye's interpretation of Biblical prophecies about the
Second Coming, their Jesus appears from the clouds on a white
horse with a "conviction like a flame of fire" in his eyes. With
all the gruesome detail of a Hollywood horror movie, Jesus
eviscerates the flesh of millions of unbelievers merely by
speaking.
"Men and women soldiers and horses seemed to explode where they
stood," Dr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins write. "It was as if the very
words of the Lord had superheated their blood, causing it to
burst through their veins and skin.'' The authors add, "Even as
they struggled, their own flesh dissolved, their eyes melted and
their tongues disintegrated."
Dr. LaHaye and Mr. Jenkins did not invent fire and brimstone.
But some scholars who study religion say that the phenomenal
popularity of their "Left Behind" series of apocalyptic
thrillers - now the best-selling adult novels in the United
States - are part of a shift in American culture's image of
Jesus. The gentle, pacifist Jesus of the Crucifixion is sharing
the spotlight with a more muscular warrior Jesus of the Second
Coming, the Lamb making way for the Lion."
Match Made in "Heaven"
Desperately yearning to rule with the "Iron Fist of Jesus", the
Christo-Fascists and Machiavellian toadies like Karl Rove were
instrumental in thrusting a grossly inept George Bush into the
office of the President to do their malevolent bidding. While
Bush has certainly made decisions which have displeased the
masters of the Christo-Fascists, and has at times distanced
himself from them, "God's Favorites" could not have conjured up
a more desirable denizen of the Oval Office, even in their most
gratifying wet dreams.
Under Bush (who believes he is fulfilling a divine mission),
America's regime continues its ongoing military, economic, and
social assault on the Arab world, which according to the Christo-Fascists,
is populated by "evil" Muslims ready to slice the white,
Christian throats of "good" Americans if given the chance. They
point to the handful of beheadings of Western hostages by
extremist Muslims as "evidence" of this "fact". The US continues
its complicity in committing genocide against the Palestinians
to clear the way for Jewish inhabitation of the "Holy Land", the
necessity of which is woven into Christo-Fascist mythology.
Legislative and judicial actions continue to chip away at the
gains made for social justice here in the US throughout the
Twentieth Century. Christo-Fascists have their coveted religious
war to set the stage for the coming of the Warrior Christ and
their regressive social movement to crush the threats to their
mythical beliefs (i.e. critical thinking, science, freedom of
religion, separation of church and state). Consummating the
marriage made in the Christo-Faschists' horrifying version of
heaven (one man's heaven is another man's hell, eh?), the
corporations and politicians comprising the military industrial
complex reap the huge financial benefits of perpetual war, a
significant percentage of the American public to support their
perpetual war (who do you think is still showing up in the polls
as supporting the war?), and loyal voters to help keep them in
office.
In the Land of Oz, Science and Reality Cease to Exist
Living in Kansas and having a child in a Kansas public school, I
have been following the farcical actions of the six Christo-Fascists
who represent the majority on the Kansas State School Board.
They recently decided it was time to rewrite the definition of
science so that it is no longer "limited to" searching for
natural explanations of phenomena. The board is also
implementing new standards which will open the door for the
introduction of the so-called "theory" of intelligent design
into science classes.
As an aside, I will say that as a Deist (or a reasonable
facsimile thereof), I believe in an intelligent designer, but
that in no way diminishes my acceptance in the Theory of
Evolution, which is supported by evidence and has withstood the
tests of time and scientific scrutiny. Evolution is by no means
complete, but there is no true theory of which I am aware that
rivals Evolution, and until one emerges, I want my child
learning Evolution. Comparing intelligent design and Evolution
is absurd. ID is a theological argument based on one simple
premise while Evolution is a legitimate scientific theory which
has much more to say about the progressions and history of life
on Earth than about the possible identity of its Creator or
Initiator. I embrace both the notion of intelligent design and
the Theory of Evolution simultaneously. However, intelligent
design is a spiritual concept and does not belong in a science
class.
Thankfully, rational thinkers came up with an appropriate
response to the school board's insanity. The University of
Kansas recently announced it would offer a religious studies
course which would include intelligent design in the curriculum.
Unfortunately, Fundamentalist Pseudo-Christians discovered that
Professor Paul Mirecki, the faculty member assigned to teach the
course, wrote highly derogatory remarks on the Internet about
them. The Christo-Fascist response? Several of their members who
have infiltrated the Kansas State Legislature are calling for an
investigation into the use of public funds at KU. On 12/5, Dr.
Mirecki literally felt the Iron Fist of Jesus as two "Christian
soldiers" attacked and beat him in retaliation for his remarks
about their dogma. Much to the delight of "God's Warriors", KU
has cancelled the religious studies course.
Tell me to Have a Merry Christmas, or Else!
Recently, the Christo-Fascists have been wringing their hands
over the "liberal attacks" on Christmas. Even their faithful
Evangelical champion at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has forsaken
them. Bush's sin? He dared to send out cards that said "Happy
Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". This has created a
significant uproar amongst the "Goodly Christian
Fundamentalists". Besides attacking their beloved president,
they are threatening to boycott retailers (like Target) which do
not include "Merry Christmas" in their marketing or store
displays. The American occupation of Iraq has caused the deaths
of over 100,000 Iraqis, 2,000 plus American soldiers have died
in Iraq, at least 1,000 Americans died (and hundreds of
thousands lost virtually everything they owned) in Hurricane
Katrina due to the federal government's abdication of its
responsibility to "promote the general Welfare", 45 million
Americans are without health insurance, over a million Americans
are homeless, the CIA and US military regularly engage in abuse
and torture, the Patriot Act has seriously eroded the Bill of
Rights, and the US continues its neocolonial practices to
economically rape nations around the globe. Christo-Fascist
voters, leaders, and politicians bear a great deal of
responsibility for these tragedies as they have supported,
shaped and orchestrated the malevolent US government policies
behind these violations of international law and human rights,
war crimes, and instances of criminal neglect. Yet they have the
hypocrisy to raise a significant issue over "Merry Christmas"?
It is simply mind-boggling.
Frankly, I do not care if someone says "Merry Christmas" or
"Happy Holidays" to me. As a non-Christian, I celebrate
Christmas as a time for giving, family, and to place a
particular emphasis on peace and goodwill. The Prince of Peace
would have wanted it that way. While I do not worship him as the
son of God, I do hold Jesus Christ in high esteem for his
teachings, principals and act of martyrdom. I do not believe
that Warrior Jesus will one day ride down from heaven on a white
steed with eyes blazing as he prepares to ram a sword down my
throat and obliterate my flesh with his devastating voice.
However, I am convinced that were he alive today, he would be
sickened by the greed, gluttony, commercialization, and
over-consumption that comprise much of Christmas in the United
States. Many of the Christo-Fascists are the first to shove
their snouts into the trough to get their share of Christmas
goodies. Since my spiritual awakening about twelve years ago, I
have been doing a lot more giving than receiving, including to
charities. In fact, donations to Oxfam (on my behalf) sit atop
my very short wish list this year. The Christo-Fascist Jesus
would pummel me to a bloody mass of unrecognizable flesh with
his "Iron Fist" for not doing my part to support America by
stimulating the economy. Somehow though, it seems far more
reasonable to me to envision Jesus tending to the poor and
down-trodden rather than preying on them like America's Social
Darwinists do.
Terrorism, US Style
When the Higher Power set the universe in motion, they planned
for the evolution of Christo-Fascists to lend balance to the
universe. America has Pat Robertson, who has called for the
assasination of Hugo Chavez, a leader dedicated to improving the
lives of the impoverished in his nation. The Bush regime will
probably answer Robertson's call. The US capitalist aristocracy
(built by stealing Native American land and resources, enslaving
Africans, seriously exploiting American workers, and imposing
neocolonialism and imperialism disguised as democracy and free
market economics) can ill afford for a leader of one of its
South American fiefdoms to threaten the prevalence of their
exploitive system by rallying the serfs against them. For each
Osama bin Laden in the fundamentalist Muslim world, there is a
Pat Robertson in the Christo-Fascist world. The difference is
that while the Pat Robertsons have the US government to
perpetrate their acts of terror, the bin Ladens have little
choice but to do their own dirty work.
Just How Does One Define a Christo-Fascist?
What qualities would one find in a Christo-Fascist? Greed,
hubris, and self righteousness would probably top the list. Upon
further inspection, one would find a streak of xenophobia, a
significant amount of intolerance for those who do not fit the
"traditional roles" of men and women and those who have not
accepted Christ as their savior, and a passionate disdain for
critical thinking. Lest I forget, Christo-Fascists are generally
thin-skinned and highly hypocritical. A powerful persecution
complex and an insatiable appetite for the revenge that they
believe Warrior Jesus will one day perpetrate on their behalf
arm them with conscience-blunting self-justifications for their
mean-spirited actions. Hatred and bigotry gnaw at their
malnourished souls like crows picking at the remains of a fallen
soldier in the war for religious supremacy. Christo-Fascists
wield their knowledge of scripture (and the commonly held
Western belief that the Bible is sacrosanct) while performing
unbelievable mental gymnastics to ensure they prevail in
polemical discourse and successfully proselytize the weak and
vulnerable. Narcissism and self hatred lie at the core of the
personalities of the Fundamentalist Faithful. For a specific
example of how the qualities of a Christo-Fascist manifest
themselves, consider the Fundamentalist Christians' support of
the illegal imperial Iraqi occupation involving the murders of
tens of thousands of indigenous people, the deaths of over 2,000
American military personnel, the destruction of much of the
nation's infrastructure, and the waste of hundreds of billions
of federal tax dollars while US citizens suffer at home due to
inadequately funded domestic programs. Iron Fist Jesus would
approve!
In short, Fundamentalist Christians are the people whom the real
Jesus would have hammered with his Iron Fist, if he had had one,
and if he had been inclined to use it. Fortunately for them,
Warrior Jesus is simply a myth the Christo-Fascist masters use
to keep their minions in line. Unfortunately for the rest of us,
America's religious extremists are as dangerous as those in the
Middle East and around the globe.
Just in case there is an Iron Fisted Jesus and an impending
Rapture, I am signing off by wishing you a Merry Christmas!
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_jason_mi_051208_the_iron_fist_of_jes.htm
He's not even trying to hide it
anymore
You can quit wondering how Bush really thinks
about the people dying for his bullshit war.
It's becoming
obvious.
Dead heroes are supposed to come home with
their coffins draped with the American flag
-- greeted by a color guard.
But in reality, many are arriving as freight
on commercial airliners -- stuffed in the
belly of a plane with suitcases and other
cargo.
And:
Long before he came to Iraq, Spec. Russell
Nahvi hoped to save the world. In a
spiral-bound notebook filled with math
equations, he jotted his secret yearnings:
"I PRAY one day I can make the world proud
of me. I hope I can restore an unknown peace
to wartorn nations, peoples, families,
friends."
Nahvi's ambitions led him to a dark road on
the outskirts of this town, where, on a
patrol Oct. 19 a bomb hidden in a pothole
dismembered him and incinerated his Humvee...
Afterward, the Pentagon tersely attributed
the soldiers' deaths to "enemy indirect
fire." An officer handed Nahvi's mother,
Nancy, a form asking if she wanted her
24-year-old son's body parts returned if
they were recovered. President Bush sent his
parents a three-paragraph condolence letter.
It contained a typo: "God less you."
And
today:
Q Since the inception of the Iraqi war, I'd
like to know the approximate total of Iraqis
who have been killed. And by Iraqis I
include civilians, military, police,
insurgents, translators.
THE PRESIDENT: How many Iraqi citizens have
died in this war? I would say 30,000, more
or less, have died as a result of the
initial incursion and the ongoing violence
against Iraqis. We've lost about 2,140 of
our own troops in Iraq.
Yes.
Q Mr. President, thank you --
THE PRESIDENT: I'll repeat the question. If
I don't like it, I'll make it up. (Laughter
and applause.)
Ah, yes, the perfect time for a fucking joke:
"I'm responsible for over 32,000 deaths and I
think it's funny to joke about
making things up."
Soulless, soulless bastard.
Update: SusanHu was thinking
along the same lines,
but much earlier.
Excerpt of Bush's speech yesterday:
|