Religious Abuse

I know many of you will not be happy with this. Many hold "Religion" as the "Sacred Cow" of conversations. Few, if any, want to cut into it. I don't blame you. The process requires real skill to open up closed minds, and is often messy.

Fortunately, I do not have those skills. But I do have some real observations that I feel fully qualified to speak on.

Disclosure: I practice Native Spiritual ways and I am a Pipe Carrier, which is like a Priest in most religions. I doubt that more than a handful of my readers will even know a thimbleful about this Spiritual Practice. I will tell you this: It is a Walking way of life, and I recruit no one. Most would not find it compatible, nor doable. One must be chosen to this path, not recruited.

Like so many, I was outright appalled by one Senator, standing up before the entire Senate and saying that "We must pray for one of them to not make it.." He calls himself a devout Christian. Yet he prays against the Good Will and Safety of a colleague.

To what end? To deny the passage of a bill that would provide Health Care to a sick and sorry nation, wherein more than 45K die every year for lack of access. Many more times that suffer permanent damage and financial ruin for the lack of access to adequate health care.

That so many who call themselves Christians work so diligently to deny a basic human right of decent care to their fellow citizens, is appalling. Worse, few if any, of their 'spiritual leaders' denounce this horrid, cruel, selfish behavior. Worse, many are promoting these same mindset.

Church Leaders, especially those most cult-like in C Street, are praying for not only Health Care to fail, leaving millions to die in the coming decades, but also praying for the President of The United States to die a horrible death and soon.

Yet, they are regarded with respect and considered "Men of God". Clearly, their God is the Corporate God and not the God of the People. Do these 'Men of God' think that Jesus would be pleased to see their work?

I question now, and here, if in fact they believe in Jesus or the God to which they pray. I question it because all their actions and the aim of their prayers is towards the undoing of the common good, and the death and demise of those who try to bring it to us.

If they really believed in God, or Jesus, they would be working towards that which provides the most healing, both physical and spiritual, in this nation. Not praying and moving towards all that denies us both.

I have a lot of Atheists in my stream on Twitter. They are much kinder, more compassionate towards their fellow man than are these high and might Right Wing Christian Cultists. They hold themselves personally accountable for their actions. They do not blame the Devil, nor do they seek forgiveness or Papal Indulgences for their actions.

What has it come to when Atheists have more care and compassion for their fellow man than do the Christians who claim to follow the teachings of Christ?

To be fair, I do have many good Christians in that stream as well. In my personal life I have good friends who are active in their churches, and genuine practitioners of various faiths: Muslim, Anglican, Sufi, Hindu, Shinto and Buddhists. There are even a Wiccan or two in there.

All are equally appalled at the behaviors emanating from the Christian Extremists. The lies and the fear mongering, the outright terrorizing of anyone that tries to speak truth to ignorance, has been one of the more shameful displays of our Citizens behaviors. Thanks to You Tube, everyone in every nation has had a chance to view how ignorant, loud, aggressive and just plain mean-spirited so many of our politicians and their tea bag constituents can be.

Thanks to the shoot-from-the-hip and don't think about it mentality of John McCain, Sarah Palin has been elevated to the International Stage as our national Freak Show goes on the road. She proudly displays her ignorance, her lies and her fear mongering, as the main features of her Strong Christian Faith.

Lies are so commonly used to try and rewrite history, or twist one man's words to make them something they were not. Outright lies are now considered useful common tools for the Right Wing. "Whatever it takes" seems to be the motto.

They care nothing for Nation. They care nothing for Truth. They care only for power. What God would they pray to?

Our nation, among the strongest in the world, considered a leader in the world, is demonstrating a zealous, religious extremism that is appalling to all who believe in God, and to those who do not.

It creates the appearance of Insanity, which creates mistrust about our ability to deal reasonably or fairly in world events. Other nations look at our nation and see religious leaders praying for the cruelest of deaths to afflict our president... hear our highest paid talk show hosts calling for him to fail and for everyone to do what they can to make him fail... and they allude to the need for violence... And they hear from Al Qaeda the same thing. Do they not wonder? Do we all not wonder whose side the Christian Extremists are on?

Can they not see that they are in lock step with the rantings of Osama Bin Laden and the others?

Or do they not care?

Our previous Vice Prez, Cheney, has been praying for another 9/11 attack. He does so, and so do many who follow him, so that our Nation will once again, be buckled by shock and grief, despair and his party can once again, step to the helm and steer us into oblivion, while the Religious Right prays and praises them.

There is madness out there. It is all around us. But we are more than they are. We have not forgotten who we are. There are more of us than there are of them. We can bring health and healing to this nation. They can grow tired of their failed lies and fear-mongering.

For Extremists, Religion is the mask that hides the darkest of deeds. It is the mask worn by those who seek refuge from their own behaviors.

For those of different faiths, who truly believe in their ways, compassion, generosity and healing are a walking way of life.

For those of Atheistic ways: Personal Accountability, compassion for others, and generosity are a walking way of life.

For those who condemn others who will not wear religion as a mask... I must tell you that the God you claim to believe, sees you. The mask will not protect you.

And for those who would condemn Atheists as "Godless" may I remind you, That is NOT your judgment to make.

It is up to each of us, for whatever we claim, to work on our own selves. It is not our job to condemn our brothers and sisters. It is not our job to recruit them.

No God, no "Powerful" God, would require our belief to exist. Nor would any Powerful God require us to fight one another. No God would require that we recruit anyone. Only the churches seeking power, require that.

It is our job to help one another. The one clear thing to all of us is that we are many in number, and there must be a reason for that. Obviously, we are not meant to do anything in this life, without one another being affected by it.

If you think you have found religion, and it requires that you abuse others, neglect others, tell lies.. if that is what you have found, you have my profound pity. For, all that you do, in the name of your God or your Religion is what you are held accountable for in this and any other world.