I am not an atheist. But, if what we have seen in this election is representative of organized religion, I may need to rethink my values. My values are not those of Jeremiah Wright, John Hagee, Rod Parsley, or Michael Pfleger. That brings me to my concerns. Either all the preachers and priests in today’ market are lunatics, looking for fifteen minutes of fame, trying to undermine the candidate they claim to support, or hiding in shame in the closet because of those seeking the spotlight.
While I do not attend a church, I consider myself spiritual. Of course, I am well aware that those who are deeply entrenched in church-going would say that without the church I am on the path to hell. I still have doubts about heaven and hell being tangible places, even if one is something like floating on a cloud or the other requires an eternity of stoking the fire. That said, perhaps I take the position of Blaise Pascal.
Self-interest, said Pascal, dictates that we believe in God: If he exists, then it is important that we believe in him, whereas if he does not, then it does not matter whether we believe in him or not. We should therefore play it safe by believing in God and living out a Christian life.
Well, I try to lead a life that is in step with my reading of many of the world’s great religions. That is not to say that I now claim one or another as the “only religion.” But, I certainly wonder if Wright, Hagee, Parsley and Pfleger are reading from the same Bible I have read. In short, if any one of those men is representative of Christianity, I will never strive to be a Christian. That much hate requires more energy and effort than I am willing to put into anything these days.
I’m sure there are more fringe preachers in the country who are going to try to capitalize on the year’s political scene. And, it’s a shame that we as Americans have decided, against the advice of our forefathers, to use a religious litmus test to determine the validity of our candidates. For one, I cannot believe that either McCain or Obama harbor the hate of their so-called pastors or endorsers.
I am sickened to think that our Christian churches teach so much hate. And, it makes me wonder how in clear conscience any one of us can dare judge Islam. Perhaps, we have not in the name of fundalmental Christianity plowed a plane into a Mosque, but under the direction of our Christian President, we have invaded a country without cause, killed thousands upon thousands of innocents at the cost of over 4000 American lives. And, for what?
