- I have waited patiently these past three years, since
President Bush declared on Sept 16-01; "A crusade to rid the world
of evil-doers" and his belief that God has appointed him for this
hour in history; for ministers and priests of the Christian faith, to come
forth and test these statements and beliefs of his; according to the procedures
in Scripture. I've not seen this done-at least publicly.
-
- General Boykin, one of Bush's top generals believes that
these wars are being fought against Satan himself. Preaching in his military
uniform before a religious congregation in Oregon, the General proclaimed,
"The enemy that has come against our nation is a spiritual enemy.
His name is Satan. And if you do not believe that Satan is real, you are
ignoring the same Bible that tells you about God". To that same congregation
General Boykin said of George W. Bush that, "He was appointed by God"
to be leader of the United States.
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- All we do know of George W. Bush is that he led a pretty
carefree- devil may care life until his 40s (per interview with his wife),
had a drinking problem, made some "mistakes", put a lot of people
to death in Texas (as Governor), had some reservist problems with lost
records; and due to a big fiasco in Florida (where his brother is Governor),
a lot of people were excluded from voting-mistakenly identified as felons
(mostly Black citizens) with lots of confusion at polls-counting chads
and hanging chads. Finally this circus of the bizarre ended in the Supreme
Court deciding for the people and selecting Mr.Bush as the winner!
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- I'm not too sure that this is the way (at least according
to Scripture) that God goes about anointing someone for ministry or a leadership
position? I would think that there would be no question of fixing the votes,
fraud, or corruption. I think God (at least in Scripture its clear) leaves
little doubt when He chooses someone. Nevertheless, Mr. Bush, according
to many in his administration etc., thought he was God's man. On Sept
11-01 while Mr.Bush was reading a story about a goat to first graders-the
World Trade Towers impossibly were struck by planes, which had them (the
buildings) in a short while, imploding into pulverized ash! Building No.
7, not struck, and mysteriously imploded some hours later? This launched
Mr.Bush's work or crusade for God.
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- President Bush said at the time that he would "rid
the world of evil doers" and Mr. Cheney called for bin Laden's head
"on a platter". Whole societies were marked for destruction as
President Bush declared: "They have roused a mighty giant, and make
no mistake about it, we're determined to wipe them out. We will get them
running, find them and hunt them down. Afghanistan will be bombed back
into the Stone Age if they do not turn over bin Laden".
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- Maybe the President had read Governor William Bradford
of Massachusetts, History of Plymouth Plantation? "It was a fearful
sight to see them frying in the fyer, and the streams of blood quenching
the same, and horrible was the stink and sent thereof. But the victory
seemed a sweet sacrifice and they gave the prayers thereof to God, who
had wrought so wonderful for them, and gave them so speedy a victory over
so proud and insulting an enemy". These too were a brown skin people.
Bradford was recalling the massacre of the Pequents at the hands of the
English and the Narragansett at the birth of the English colonies in America.
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- Besides the President's administration; televangelists
Falwell and Robertson supported the President in the name of Christianity
(which I take issue with). The Reverend Jerry Falwell, a few days after
this disaster commented on Pat Robertson's 700 Club: "The ACLU has
got to take a lot of BLAME for thisI really believe (yikes jm) that the
PAGANS, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the GAYS and the LESBIANS
who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU,
People for the American Way---all of hem who have tried to secularize America---I
point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen'".
Host Robertson said that he totally concurred with Falwell's assessment.
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- Four years have passed and thousands upon thousands are
dead and dying. Twenty-one women have died (the President's daughter's
ages), and over a thousand young men. Since it has been stated that we
do not count "collateral damage" (the Iraqi-men, women and children),
we are left with an estimate of some 10,000- 15,000 in this announced,
quick "liberation of Iraq". Mr.Bush told the world at the 2004
Republican Convention that, "America is called to lead the cause of
freedom in the new century-Freedom is not America's gift to the world.
It is the Almighty God's gift".
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- Since this is being publicly proclaimed as a mission
of God-of good against evil and evil-doers it is imperative that men of
spiritual maturity, and of sane and rational minds, discern and test the
validity of a man convinced that God is leading him, and ordering his ways
to war forever, against evil! Mr. Bush tells us that after decades of
drinking, failures and mistakes; that he's found God and furthermore is
convinced that he alone is the man of the hour to lead a nation into massive
slaughter and annihilation of multitudes-for God.
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- We are to blindly take his word that one day he had an
epiphany saw the light and mended his sinful ways. Whatever the physical
ravages on his neurological processes after some decades of debauchery
we're furthermore asked to believe that God has appointed him in all the
world to lead a "crusade" to rid the world of evil (unbelievers-heathen).
Mr.Bush is a member of the Skull and Bones Society. This may seem a non-issue
for those not of the Christian faith but a study of this organization and
its practices and oaths should cause great caution.
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- What got my attention at the convention and from various
interviews of Mr.Bush's followers; was their rapturous enthrallment with
the man-their emotionalism-and passionate fervor; that truly here is a
man of God-and that any and all things he says should not be questioned.
This negates Scripture's warnings to "test all things". "Beware
of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but are inwardly
ravening wolves." Matthew 7:15 This simply mean one who teaches falsities
as truth and by means of them lead others away from genuine morality. Matthew
24:4 states "Take heed no one deceives you". Obviously if a person
were aware that they were being deceived they wouldn't be. Deception isn't
about blatant black lies-raging or frothing of one's beliefs-it's a lack
of truth.
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- Claiming a transformed life is all well and good but
it isn't proof of "good fruit". Success-position-crowds of people
are not fruit. Empty words will expose the lack of fruit. "For a tree
is known by its fruit. How can you, being evil, speak good things?"
Matthew 12:33-34. People have been deceived from the beginning of time.
"'Will you walk into my parlor?' said the spider to the fly; 'Tis
the prettiest little parlor that you ever did spy'".
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- Deception can only deceive if it looks somewhat like
the real thing. Apologist Craig Hawkins explains: "We must realize
that the way to deceive people with counterfeits is to imitate the genuine
article as closely as possible. For example, if counterfeiters want to
pass off fake one-hundred dollar bills, they do not print Donald Duck's
picture on purple paper. Instead they attempt to duplicate a true bill.
Similarly, despicable persons who try to deceive others attempt to appear
genuine and sincere. They do not walk up to you and inform you that they
are there to deceive and defraud you. The far more effective method is
faking friendship and fidelity."
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- Goethe taught that we are never deceived but that we
deceive ourselves. It is true that religious hucksters are believed because
people want to believe them. People want the claims to be true. One of
Martin Luther's favorite sayings was "mundus vult decipi" The
world wants to be deceived. Many are too stubborn to admit that they've
been flimflammed. In the first chapter of the book of Zephaniah, the Lord
charges and convicts both the people and the corrupt leaders they followed.
Lamentations 2:14 indicates the same" "Your prophets (leaders
teachers ministers) have seen for you false and deceptive visions; They
have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captives, but have
envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions".
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- People are gullible and predisposed to credulity. They
are likely to believe anything on very slight evidence or sometimes with
no evidence at all. The words deceit, deceitful, deceitfully, deceitfulness,
deceive, and deceivability are used over and over in the Bible. There are
warnings everywhere about being deceived. Deceit is defined as: "The
act of representing as true what is known to be false; a deceiving or lying,
a dishonest action or trick, fraud or a lie.
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- British scholar W.E. Vine defines the Greek words apate
and dolos that underlie the various English words for deceit: "APATE-to
cheat, deceive, beguile, that which gives false impression, whether by
appearance, statement or influence. In Colossians 2:8 'vain deceit' suggest
that deceit is void of anything profitableDOLOSprimarily a bait, snare,
hence, craft, deceit, guile."
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- In the mystery novel, Crimes of the City, a Messianic
rabbi is using his religious influence to cover drug running. The detective
observes: "The only real difference seems to be that he (the rabbi)
figured out that if he calls it religion, he can get away with things.
He's playing the saint, selling blessed holy water from a faucet".
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- Paul warned us: "But evil men and imposters will
grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." 2 Timothy 3:13.
People are being "programmed" and conditioned by our culture
and television we, have lost the ability to blush or be outraged. Everything
and anything is paraded before us in the media nothing is off-limits: A
semen stained dress, lies by a President of oral sex in the Oval Office,
blood splattered walkways, beheadings, nude pyramids of prisoners, hooded
detainees, murder, rape and children incinerated in an inferno (Waco).
Proverbs 27:17 reminds us "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens
the countenance of his friend".
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- People have been indoctrinated into sound bytes, slogans,
and clichés. These become Gospel truth. People do not want to be
confronted with what the psychologists call cognitive dissonance (I have
made up my mind don't confuse me with the facts). This blind acceptance
does not depend on the evidence but rather it meets the social and psychic
needs of today's chaos. Delegates interviewed outside both conventions
didn't want to hear of mass arrests, cages for dissenters or violations
of civil rights. At the Republican Convention people were most adamant
that nothing in Michael Moore's film was of any interest to them. Their
minds were firmly made up. This is pretty sad. Though I am not an adherent
of Michael Moore for various reasons; some information in his film was
most telling.
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- Hosea 4:6 says: "My people are destroyed for lack
of knowledge". The Salem witchcraft burnings of the 1690s was the
acceptance of "spectral evidence" which did not have a shred
of biblical evidence. We are to accept NO claims of man at face value no
matter how slickly packaged. Jeremiah 12:6 states: "For even your
brothers, the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously
with you. Yes they have called abundantly after you. Do not believe them,
even though they speak smooth words to you" One is admonished to be
discerning and cautious in all things. Proverbs 15:14 says: "The simple
believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps"
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- In the June 26 edition of Ha'aretz (Israel's most reputable
newspaper) it was reported that Mr.Bush, stated in a meeting among top-level
Palestinian leaders, including Prime Minister Mahmound Abas that: "God
told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then He instructed
me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the
problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the
elections will come and I will have to focus on them." Be you atheist,
agnostic, Pentecostal, Fundamentalist, Hindu, Moslem, or any main line
religion, these words should disturb you. Why have a Congress if God and
Mr. Bush are determining war and which country will be pre-emptively wiped
out?
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- What kind of faith delights in poisoning the environment
forever (depleted uranium in weapons) shredding, slaughtering, and melting
multitudes in an inferno of Shock and Awe? What does killing accomplish?
After 9-11 all you could hear was vengeance before any legitimate investigation
was done! "Kill'em all-turn the place to glass, drop a nuclear bomb
on the lot of them".
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- In the Old Testament there were many wars, these wars
all took place in the Old Covenant. But after Christ came, there was a
New Covenant, which is the Covenant we (Bush) is now under. Nowhere in
the New Testament does it condone war, or approve of it. This generation
uses those few verses that we are to obey our government to support killing.
We are not to do what those in authority tell us to do if it is contrary
to the Word of God.
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- If our government tells us to kill and torture others,
it is contrary to sound doctrine, and contrary to everthing Jesus taught;
not to mention contrary to everything the Disciples taught as well. Jesus
taught us to love our enemies, if we kill them, that is not exactly love.
Where are we advised to kill for peace? Matthew 22:37 says: "Jesus
said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
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- Revelation 13:10 "He that leadeth into captivity
shall go into captivity; he that killeth with the sword must be killed
with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."
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- Matthew 26:52 "Then said Jesus unto him, Put up
again thy sword into his place; for all they that take up the sword shall
perish with the sword."
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- Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS; for they
shall be called children of God."
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- Romans 14:19 "Let us therefore follow after the
things which make for PEACE, and things wherewith one my edify another."
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- Galatians 5:22 (You will know them by their fruit) "For
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, PEACE, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith (NOT WAR).
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- Hebrews 12:14 "Let us follow PEACE with ALL men,
and holiness, without which NO man shall see the Lord."
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- "If you repay good with evil, you will never get
evil out of your house" Proverbs 17:13
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- "There is no FEAR (today's media message) in love;
perfect love drives out all FEAR. So then, love has not been made perfect
in anyone who is AFRAID, because FEAR has to do with punishment. We love
because God first loved us. If we say we love God but hate others, we are
LIARS. For we cannot love God, whom we have not seen, if we do not love
others, whom we have seen. The command that Christ has given us is this;
whoever loves god must love others also." I John 4:18-21
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- It matters not whether you believe any of the above Scripture
(that is an individual choice) but it does matter to all heathen-agnostic-and
believers; if leadership by its decisions, is convinced that they are
hearing directly from God on issues that involve the sacrificing of our
children to war, and the killing of others; including the destruction of
the whole earth though bombings-depleted uranium-sonar testing-and nuclear
annihilation. It matters-- because there is a person in leadership-- who
cares not for your thoughts or beliefs pertaining to war and annihilation-he
and God are deciding. Other men down through the ages of history; tyrannically
and with genocide, decided what was best to expand their empires. None
came to a good end with millions upon millions (some frantically believing
leadership knew best) dying for nothing.
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- There are fanatics and extremists in all religions, organizations,
societies, and political parties. Buzzwords of "Freedom's on the march-America
will be more secure-we will fight evil etc." are not words to die
for! They are slick packaged public relations mantras; to incite, instill
fear, and propagandize youth to die for another generation of rich, powdered,
fleshly, perverse, malignant men intent on their diabolical need to control
and rule. No matter that they destroy all of the earth in their questwithout
conscience such men destroy and corrupt all they touch.
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- And meanwhile; our Congress handed Bush and the crazed
military-industrial complex the keys to the nation's treasury and the well-being
of its citizens. I'm trying hard to imagine Jesus spending $200 billion
(thus far and counting) to arm his Apostles and disciples; kicking the
paralytic, the widow, the blind, and the hungry into the gutter-all to
become King. No money for decaying schools-books-teachers-firemen-policemen-medicine-health
care-bankrupted small farmers (thanks to agri-business)-shuttered mills-unemployment
benefits-overtime; but plenty for over 6000 bombs-3,000 missiles-several
million pounds of ammo-dozens of helicopters and jets and billions upon
untold billions for private contractors!
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- The Pentagon employs more than 700,000 private contractors.
Iraq has approximately (who really knows?) 15,000 civilian security guards
stationed there, at least 6,000 of them armed. One advantage of using private
forces (remember mercenaries did Rome in) is to keep down the casualty
count. These are not counted (like Iraqi citizens) by the Pentagon. Some
of these "contractors" have been implicated in the humiliation
and rape leveled at the U.S. military in Iraq. To whom are they answerable
to? During Gulf War I , the Pentagon then headed by Defense Secretary Dick
Cheney (he's been around the block) awarded a Halliburton subsidiary nearly
$9 million to study how Private Military Contractors could support soldiers
in combat zones. The company has since won at least $2.5 billion to construct
and run military bases (while ours are being closed in the U.S.).
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- Any background on how these contractors (paid with taxpayer
monies) operate is private, proprietary information. Private contractors
are a way, to get around congressional scrutiny, and worse yet; sees the
outsourcing of U.S. defense and national security. This is not a party
issue-but as long as people can be kept screaming "Four More Years"
and attending gala parties, dancing like fools with donkey ears or sequined
cowboy attire; the big boys are safe; slurping down their tankards of ale
and scotch and playing their war games in deep bunkers; deciding what multitudes
next will be on the chopping block. Meantime combat pay is cut, military
families are on food stamps, and my God, how many have senselessly died-
when it was cavalierly decided; in some gilded office far from battle-
that soldier's stays would be extended. What! Extended until they all die?
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- And what did the media (corporately owned) miss from
the multitudes who gathered (at conventions), in the streets to demand
sanity-peace-and a stop to meaningless forever slaughter? They missed
the hundreds of posters that were taped to lamp posts (NYC) with pictures
and names of those who've died and the wishes of what they'd planned to
do with their lives. It never happened; these young people's dreams and
hopes! Insatiable greed killed them. One does wonder how many billions
it takes to satiate malignant hucksters. But then this is more about a
lust for supreme control and power over the multitudes of the earth and
damn the consequences.
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- And what if Mr. Bush is not being directed by God; but
by his own vain imaginings or confused thought processes? What if he's
wrong? Are we asking thousands upon thousands to die and the whole of the
earth to be destroyed or poisoned with depleted uranium, ruptured oil lines,
and whole cultures wiped out for a man's voices?
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- I personally respect the right of each and every person
to chose his/her belief system and simply cannot imagine Jesus of the New
Testament, insisting that it's His way or the highway. I don't believe
that politics and religion can or should be mixed and forced upon a population
or the world for that matter. The Scripture that Mr. Bush says he reads;
leaves that to the individual.
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- There is much money to make in this business of war.
It profits many though the building of weapons, private contracts, stocks,
and the acquisition of a people's resources. Hundreds of thousands of people
work in government each with their contributing piece to the machinery
of war. Judas of the Scriptures is an archetype of that man or woman who
will sell their soul for the sake of a few greasy coins. "Judas said
unto them 'what will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you'. And
they convened with him for thirty pieces of silver". Matthew 26:15
. Too late he realized his grave error and attempted to give back the ill-gotten
gains to no avail.
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- The people too had their part-they too had a distinct
choice. There is always the choice. Matthew 15:6 shows Jesus brought before
Pilate. "Now at the feast he (Pilate) was accustomed to releasing
one prisoner to them, whomever they requested. And there was one named
Barabbas ( a murderer) who was chained with his fellow rebels. The multitude
crying aloud, began to ask him (Pilate) to do just as he had always done
for them-the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that Pilate should release
Barabbas to them-as for Jesus when Pilate asked, 'What then you want me
to do with Him whom you call King of the Jews?' They cried out 'Crucify
Him'".
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- And so they decided-they elected Barabbas by a voice
vote. Crowds, be they in the emotion of a religious gathering, political
frenzy, or the heat of rioting; are not reasonable. They are led by emotions
and not thoughtful reasoning, discernment or the facts. It's no different
today. Fear, venom, vindictiveness, religious fervor, and party affiliation
and peer pressure, rule people's decisions without any discourse or debate.
In the end one has to realize that the thirty pieces of silver cannot
be thrown back. "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world
and lose his soul?"
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- Matthew 16:26. Someone should remind these profiteers
that shrouds have no pockets!
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