We believe that, although admittedly there is no such thing as a perfect form of
government, the constitutional Democracy that our forefathers have created over these
200-odd years is the brightest hope for mankind, and the best system to ensure
the safety, life, freedom and happiness
of all its citizens.
With his acts of unprovoked, preemptive war, and attacks on the liberty of American
citizens in the form of the euphemistically named "Patriot Act", President Bush has struck at the heart
of the very freedoms he espouses to defend. While waging war to "liberate" Iraq, he
has stolen the most basic liberties of American citizens. All the while, he has used trickery
and deceit both to gain power and conceal his true aims.
We understand that there is a greater than ever need for security against terror. It is
certainly reasonable to ask citizens to allow their bags to be inspected at the airport, or to
allow their ID to be checked while in travel. No one could object to ordinary measures being used to prevent criminals or unauthorized persons to enter the country.
Bush, however, has used the tragic events of September 11th to initiate and enforce the suspensions of constitutional freedoms. He has given the long arm of the law the right to use search and surveillance techniques, using sophisticated technology such as the "Echelon" spy satellite system to read emails and tap phone lines, against those who have committed no crime. He has even given the law the right to imprison both US citizens and non-citizens, almost indefinitely, without access to legal representation. This is a travesty of the nation that once was called, 'the freest Nation in the world', and a mockery to the many brave men and women who have lost their lives to the cause of freedom and democracy.
Can there be a greater blasphemy than committing sin, and using the Holy names of God and our Savior to justify it? Does Bush have no fear of God in him? He has perverted justice, and mocked God Himself by lying about his reasons to go to war with Iraq. No doubt, Saddam Hussein was an evil man, and needed to be brought down. Instead of being candid with the American people, however, Bush has used God's name as a ruse to conceal his true intentions, namely, to enrich the coffers of his oil buddies. Who has paid for this travesty? The hundreds of US servicemen and women who have died for his sin.
"The Righteous hate what is false, but the wicked bring shame and disgrace."Proverbs 13:5
Where is the outrage of the church in America? Where is the outrage against injustice that ought to be the hallmark of the righteous, those who are called to be the salt and light of the world? Shouldn't Christians everywhere decry the misuse of the Holy name of God? Yes, God's name isn't 'God', but even alluding to His name in vain is a great sin.
Whenever tyrants threaten men's liberty, there are those who sit idly by, and those who stand up to power. The question is, which are you? Do you have the bravery and courage to stand up to tyranny? If not, then you don't deserve the honor of living in a land that was founded upon the very principles of standing up to tyranny, and defending the rights of humanity against brutality, deceit, injustice and abject servitude to power.
"God has not given us a spirit of fear", he has called us to have the spirit of a "spiritual warrior"- "be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power"- Ephesians 6:10. How many Christians in the US today are afraid to speak the truth, afraid to 'stir up trouble', afraid to 'get political'? How many Christians are afraid to be critical of the policies of the Bush administration, for fear that their patriotism or even their Christianity will be questioned? Yet it is in precarious times like these that we need, more than ever, to stand up for Godliness and Truth. As Bush imprisons our innocent neighbors in the name of a "war on terror", we, like the silent Germans of the 1930's and 40's, say nothing- it's "not our problem." Certainly, we should respect our leaders, and pray for them. But we must never tolerate injustice. We must speak the Truth in Love.
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
Many of the churches in the US today have left their "first love",, and instead have been seduced by a false gospel of "health and wealth". They are no longer the true church of Jesus, but are part of the false "McChurch".
The great commision of Christ was to heal the sick, feed the poor and preach the Good News of God's forgiveness and salvation. This is being perverted by today's McChurch, which lusts after power, wealth and fame, and is more interested in making political alliances with the present Corporate Plutocracy than with upholding truth and justice. As the United States drifts further and further away from being a Republic of freedom, and closer and closer to being a dictatorship of the wealthy, the McChurch, with both hands in the pie, sits silent. We have reduced God to a commodity, and reduced our faith to a one-issue choice. So long as the Republican party keeps up the anti-abortion stance, we stay in their pockets- and ignore human rights and social justice. So Bush and his cronies are let "off the hook". The true church is not afraid to "speak the truth to power", and empower the oppressed, not the oppressor.
"The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern." Proverbs 29:07
The United States now has more prisoners than any country in the world- one of every 75
American men are in prison- most of them poor, uneducated men, and many of them innocent. We see the very rich being freed or given a "slap on the wrist" for their crimes, while poor men and women serve harsh, brutal sentences. One would expect American Christians to loudly protest these injustices, but the false McChurch is on the side of the rich and powerful, not the poor.
Again, the US has the highest poverty rate of any industrialized nation- 25 percent of the population lives in poverty, and most of the homeless are children. 17% percent of all children in America live in poverty.
Does the McChurch demand better treatment of poor people? Unfortunately not. Many churches are more concerned with getting better sound systems, building bigger auditoriums or sponsoring 'Christian luxury boat cruises' than with helping poor people. More books today are written about how to become prosperous than how to be a faithful and generous servant of God, and Christians are running after a false "Gospel of wealth" that promises financial gain, instead of spritual gain.
Churches sponser speakers who tell of a "Gospel of Success", and promise great happiness to those who will follow the "steps to success". These people are not at the fringe of Christendom, either- a majority of the preachers on television and radio have now compromised the gospel, to their own (and the devil's) benefit. Mainstream denominations often refuse to speak out against this heresy, afraid to seem "critical"; thus, they are silently sanctioning it.
Even the "look" of these churches has changed.The churches have even given up having pews and stained glass windows- too "churchy" too attract today's business elite.Instead, they look like business conferences, with powerpoint displays and folding chairs. Churches sponsor "business men's meetings", instead of missions, or charity drives. So-called preachers promise "blessings" to those who will donate large sums, all of it spent on political campagns, political action committees and advancing the cause of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of the poor and powerless.
Poor people, on the other hand, are told it is their "own fault"- according to the "gospel of wealth", one's spirituality is measured by one's bank statement. No money? You must be sinning!
This is how we American Christians have arrived at our present state of affairs, one in which the pulpit is nothing more than a mouthpiece of the government, in which the leader of our nation has been given absolute power without a word from the very ones who should be using their God-given rights to speak out for the poor, disenfranchised and powerless... until, at last we ourselves have lost even the very scraps of threadbare freedom that now clothe our shamed bodies.
The McChurch assures its members that the US can do no wrong, that God will bless the American people, because America is a "Christian Nation". Their words are like those of the false prophets of ancient Israel, who told the people what they wanted to hear:
"So now the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you." I Kings 22:23
The time is now ripe for men of God to speak up, and stand up for the truth. We shall be judged by both our words and deeds, and if we do not speak up for justice now, we shall be shamed later. We shall look back at our own cowardice in the face of injustice, and wish that we had lived our lives differently. Think of your life- how do you want to be remembered by generations to come? As a coward, or as a contender for freedom and human rights? Let us not besmirch the legacy of our forefathers, who fought and died to give us liberty. Was their blood-stained sacrifice in vain?
What will happen to the US if she does not repent of this spirit of pride, greed, and faithlessness? This passage makes it clear what God thinks of unjust governments:
"Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.
What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. " Isaiah 10:1-4
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