David Kuo, the former deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, has written a book entitled Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction. In the book, Kuo argues that the current Bush administration cynically used religion for political ends, and that White House aides ridiculed the very Christian leaders who helped bring Mr. Bush to office.
It sounds like a damning indictment, and as a Christian I ought to be outraged. And certainly there is much cause for chagrin, if not outrage, including the alarming statistic that only $60 million of the $8 billion earmarked for programs for the poor -- or less than one percent -- actually ended up in the programs for which the money had been destined. But then there is this:
"National Christian leaders received hugs and smiles in person and then were dismissed behind their backs and described as 'ridiculous', 'out of control,' and just plain 'goofy,' " Kuo writes.
"You name the important Christian leader, and I have heard them mocked by serious people in serious places," Kuo told "60 Minutes" Sunday night.
That mockery, he added, included the Rev. Pat Robertson being called "insane," the Rev. Jerry Falwell being called "ridiculous" and comments that Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family "had to be controlled." (from ABC News)
How 'bout that? For once the neocon cabal got it right, and they may not be as out of touch with reality as I had feared. It's time for people like Robertson, Falwell, and Dobson to step aside. Just go away. They don't represent me. They don't represent any kind of Christianity with which I am familiar, or with which I want to be associated. They give Christianity a bad name because they crawl into bed with politicians and claim to represent Christ. Here's a clue: they're wrong, and they're deluded. They may or may not be insane. But they're most certainly ridiculous.
I am still no fan of the neocon cabal. And I don't doubt that there is much in Kuo's book that is sobering and alarming. But give them credit. They recognize a nutcase when they see one.
Hello Andy,
ReplyDeleteHere's some more red-hot ink for your pen. The NeoCons were able to discern the true nature of the Christian Right because their "state of mind" is the true intended purpose of religion. Keep the heat on our evil leader in chief and his cohorts and help me "vanquish the sword!"
More stunning proof that Christians are easily duped into supporting blatant evil
The latest book of stunning revelations titled "Tempting Faith" by former Bush Administration insider David Kuo presents compelling first-hand evidence that the Christian Right was purposely duped into providing pivotal political support and cover for a host of crimes and excesses by Republican leaders and the Whitehouse. This book and the Foley fiasco are serving to awaken Christians to the undeniable fact that they have been deceived into abetting the evil deeds of duplicitous scoundrels, once again.
The events of recent years and the several millennia before them have provided us with comprehensive proof that religion is the chosen and purposeful tool of great deceivers. Whether we view the actions of the Temple priesthood of ancient Israel that conspired with Greco-Roman invaders, the sad and sordid history of the Vatican and Papacy, Christian crusaders and colonizers, injustices by leaders and followers of Islam, the oppression of Palestinians by the State of Israel, or the more recent activities of the so-called Christian Right and Republican Party, religious followers are regularly and easily misled into supporting obvious evil.
In recent years, I have produced stunning and comprehensive proof of purposeful deception in the canons of all three Faiths of Abraham and struggled to alert people to this and to related upcoming events and situations. Due to "poisoning of the waters" by deluded religious leaders and followers over the centuries, most have greeted my efforts with derision or indifference, thereby failing to pay attention long enough to discern the accuracy of my research and assertions. Starting with the perfectly timed Atlantic hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, a small number of people, some of them in government leadership positions, began to recognize the truth of my conclusions and assertions. The events of the last year-plus, starting with the ramifications from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, have helped to sweep away many of the facades erected by the Bush-Cheney crew and cohorts. Many of their deceptions have been exposed, their greed and arrogance proven, the myth of their competence destroyed, and most recently the depths of their duplicity and hypocrisy have been illuminated by a series of stunning revelations.
Nonetheless, the so-called Christian Right has continued faithfully supporting them, in spite of mountains of evidence that should have dissuaded any clear-thinking soul. The recent non-stop flood of stunning evidence leaves little doubt that the so-called liberals and the left were 100% correct about the Bush-Cheney crew. Despite assertions to the contrary, conservatives and the Christian Right are now exposed as having arrogantly and foolishly supported blatantly evil scoundrels. We now have proof, beyond disproof, that Republican leaders viewed them as little more than marks and dupes to be milked of their faith, money, political support, and the lifeblood of their son's and daughter's on the battlefields of Bush's and Cheney’s deceptive wars.
It is a sad but true statement that deceived and deluded Christians are much more responsible for the evils perpetrated by the Bush administration than any other group. They have arrogantly and foolishly supported those who simply pretended to have the same beliefs, even though their deeds provided stark and irrefutable evidence to the contrary. My recent articles and book expound upon the reasons why religious followers are so easily duped into doing and supporting blatant evil. Now the events of recent weeks have provided stunning evidence that these assertions and conclusions are true. Christians and conservatives must now come to grips with the sickening reality of the great harm they have caused to everyone else because of their blind support of scoundrels who merely pretended to serve the Creator, as a purposeful ploy to gain wealth and power.
What then is the purpose of "faith" but to prevent otherwise good people from seeking to understand truth and wisdom?
Read More...
Here is Wisdom !!
Peace...
andy,
ReplyDeletei watched the interview with kuo, and for once, feel the media showed a person with whom i would align my christian theology. kuo's main issue with the current whitehouse is not their talking about the right winged christian leaders (behind their backs) such as robertson and dobson, but rather the lack of follow through seen in the leadership of bush to show mercy to the poorest and the helpless of the world. kuo's other issue with this leadership is the use of christian-ese to manipulate the evangelical's into thinking that this white house believes just as they believe. based on the interview i watched, kuo seems to have gotten his shit together with the jesus i know and felt guilty about supporting the evangelical pharisees for too long--thus, the book and the calling out of these people. i look forward to hearing more from kuo.
SSH, sorry if I'm a little dubious of people who claim their occupation as "Messiah."
ReplyDeleteI don't have the time or the inclination to really address all the issues you're raising. Yes, Christians are duped sometimes. A lot of people are duped sometimes. Do I believe that religion is the "chosen and purposeful tool of great deceivers." Yes and no. Yes, it certainly happens. No, because that's a remarkably myopic view of religion. I don't put much trust or faith in political powers, regardless of the party they serve. Political powers tend to serve themselves, period, and I think it's always a mistake when religious leaders hitch their wagons to that particular star. And yes, I think that some evengelical Christian leaders did that with the current administration. What a shock that they've been deluded.
Nevertheless, I'm a firm believer in things like "religion" and "faith" and living your life in such a way that those terms are reflected in the day-to-day realities of your existence. These issues are far too big and important to even begin to address in a comment on a blog. I would only encourage you not to throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater, and to see the political and religious abuses for what they are while still leaving room for the great good that can result -- individually, collectivley, and culturally -- when a group of people "get it" and desire to love and serve God and their neighbors.
What continually amazes me -- no, wait... I'm not amazed, and that depresses me -- is that people who consider themselves conservative, both Christian as well as non-Christian, refer to GWB as "conservative". There has been absolutely nothing conservative about his presidency.
ReplyDeleteNot only have they mis-labled him, by doing so they have almost totally invalidated the term "conservative".
Hey Fred.
ReplyDeleteThe old elephant's got a terrible memory these days, don't it?...
Me, I'm votin' for the Libertarian, Bill Peirce. Probably the politcal equivalent of joinin' the Ostrich party.
http://peirceforohio.com/
Oh Abraham look at all the money now
Oh Abraham good night
It's your party but
I'll cry if I want to
I wouldn't care how much they have
If they would only do what's right…
Oh Abraham was it all about the money then?
Oh Abraham good night
It's your party but
I'll cry if I want to
All moneyed up and charmed with might
So we are right, we're always right…
Abe you were born in old Kentuck'
But we still miss you here…
(excerpted from John Gorka's "Oh Abraham"}
Fred-
ReplyDeleteOn "pride"... Will Kimbrough has a great little rap on his new one "Americanitis" (which anybody should check out), where he talks about the "power of pride" stickers and "when did they strike it from the list of deadly sins"...
Like the way the cd starts, too: "I lie... Why?... Because I can."
Okay, I give up.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a neocon, and why is everyone from William Buckley to Joe Lieberman called one -- and why is the word thrown around with such disdain?
The only time I've seen it described is in Adbusters, where they went off on an anti-Jewish rant. Otherwise, it just seems to be thrown around to sound cool.
And what's the cabal? Am I delving a conspiracy theorists site?
Not all conservatives are ne-cons. I am a paleo-conservative. Against the war in Iraq but I don't see as some on the left why the government should steal my money at gunpoint and give it to the poor?
ReplyDeleteWe are called to tithe and more I don't need the government taking that money even for faith based stuff and I don't need some rich artist advocating my money being taken away.
Newsflash: Politicians are cynical. Party affiliation doesn't matter. If you want to get elected and stay elected, you don't implement the agenda of your craziest group of supporters. You talk their talk when you're around them or when you suspect they're paying attention, but to walk their walk is suicidal. If the dems get elected, stay tuned for the book that exposes the fact that they never had any intention of (pick your favorite far left radical demand).
ReplyDeleteIt's the way the system works.