A few months ago, an old friend with whom I grew up somewhere in the swamps of Jersey sent me an e-mail that went something like this:
A guy walked into a bar and saw GW Bush. He asked, “Mr. President, what are you doing?”
Bush responded, “I am planning World War III. I am going to kill 140 million Muslims and a hot babe in a bikini.”
The man asked, “Why would you kill a hot babe in a bikini?”
Bush responded, “See? I told you! No one gives a rip about 140 million dead Muslims!”
I was reminded of this the other day when I saw this video of Rod Parsley, a megachurch pastor and neocon sock puppet in Columbus, Ohio.
The most warmongering bloodthirsty people in American society are megachurch Christians, many of whom just love demagoguery like Parsley’s. Consider some of his proclamations.
“Islam is an anti-Christ religion that intends through violence to conquer the world.”
Yes, Islam is an anti-Christ religion, but no it is not intent on world domination. It has been centuries since a Muslim country conquered a non-Muslim country. For a refutation of many of the lies that terror warriors love to tell, look at this recent piece of dazzling brilliance and Shakespearean eloquence.
“America was founded in part with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed.”
No it was not! This “intention” is located nowhere in any of our Founding documents.
Yes, we fought the Barbary Wars – “…to the shores of Tripoli” – starting in 1801. However, these were not “wars on piracy” or “wars on Islam.” Rather, they were limited engagements against specific pirates who were demanding tribute from American merchant ships.
“America has historically understood herself to be a bastion against Islam in the world.”
Wrong again! Consider these timeless words from Thomas Jefferson’s first Inaugural: “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations – entangling alliances with none.”
If a country comes here to fight a war, then, dadgummit, let’s fight a war. If a foreign country or a certain group of foreigners does more limited harm to us or our people, let Congress issue a Letter of Marque and Reprisal, i.e. a warrant to go after the specific perps.
Otherwise, let’s trade, travel and have diplomacy. But let us not engage in this insane business of perpetual war, pre-emptive war, nation-building and destroying other cultures and religions.
Rod Parsley and other Christian superhawks need to be reminded that the Bible says that God decides how people and nations ought to live – Acts 17:26. You don’t have to like how they live. You just need to realize that God is The Decider, if you will.
We need not go to war to ensure a steady supply of oil anymore than we need to torch the local grocery store in order to buy food. America has vast quantities of oil in places like North Dakota and off the north coast of Alaska that we are just not touching right now.
And don’t whine about Democrats blocking drilling at ANWR. For four years, we had a Republican president, house and senate who could have authorized drilling there in a matter of days. But, no-o-o-o-o-o, they didn't do it.
We can have far greater influence through trade and economics than we can through endless war. Let us learn a lesson from Japan. Someone – I wish I knew who – pointed out a year or so ago that Japan accomplished far more with Toyota and Panasonic than it did with Pearl Harbor.
The end of this video features Parsley proclaiming: “We were built for the battle. We were created for the conflict. We get off on warfare.”
No Reverend P., you get off on promoting warfare from your pulpit and hobnobbing with politicians. Neither you, nor most of the politicians, pundits and preachers who so fervently promote this War on Terror have ever done a day in the military, much less experienced warfare. (1) Real warfare is experienced by kids from Bedford-Stuyvesant and from Colorado’s eastern prairie whose names and stories you will never know.
Say what you will about Barack Obama’s now ex-pastor Jeremiah Wright, but you have to give him this: he served two years in the Marine Corps and four yours as a Navy hospital corpsman. (2)
How far we have fallen from Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20:
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Far too many megachurch pastors have turned the Prince of Peace into the prince of war. And He is not happy about how His name is being used. One day, these pastors are going to have some splainin' to do.
(1) Yes, John McCain is an Annapolis grad -- barely -- and a career Navy pilot and, yes, he did five years in the Hanoi Hilton. This military resume puts him in a minority among politicians. Let me also say that it has dumbfounded me for years how someone who suffered so horribly at the hands of Communists can have such enthusiasm for the total state.
(2) To McCain's credit, he has recently rejected the endorsements of both John Hagee and Rod Parsley. After all the hullabaloo over Obama's pastor and McCain's pastor supporters, I cannot help wondering: when will the dam burst over Hillary's pastor, whoever that may be?
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