Christian Alliance for Progress Featured in Bill Scher's New Political Bestseller

"Moderate Christians would respond to candidates of either party that speak out for the poor and for the kind of tolerance that Jesus called them to model."

I can't believe this statement to be true. Moderate Christians are partially responsible for Bush being elected--twice. Neither concern for the poor nor anything about Jesus made much of an impact in 2000 or 2004. War-mongering is far more popular than Jesus in the world of U.S. evangelical politics. Think something will change in 2008?

Actually, Tenoch, I think it is far more complex than the popularity of war-mongering.

I had an experience yesterday that was quite revealing about the reasons why people have voted for conservatives. I was talking with a neighbor, and we got to discussing the Katrina disaster.

He said that O'Reilly showed how the money going to help the people was being wasted and misused, and mentioned "thousand dollar bottles of Perrier water". Then he said that he didn't want HIS money to go to helping those people, and advocated returning to what it was like in the early 1900's- no help for anyone. Extreme conservativism at it's worst.

When I asked him what we'd do if a hurricane devastated this area, he told me "come on, Bob, we'd survive!!!"

Part of the problem is that the people are being bombarded with bull**** that reinforces their prejudices, fears, and stereotypes. That is part and parcel of what we've been fighting against.

The people are have been brainwashed into thinking that liberals are out to take THEIR money, so anything we advocate is automatically considered to be suspicious. They don't see through the lies, and they are being taught to automatically not believe anything that doesn't go along with what the elites want.

Hi Bob

The thing is, too many people get their "news" from people Like O'Reilly. The problem with Katrina *wasn't* that the government was giving *too* much away. A lot of the people who made it to the middle class thanks to Democratic policies from the New Deal to the Bill Clinton's expansion of the EITC would have been the sweat shop poor back in those "good" old days before the government got involved in helping the working class. Those people are blind to what government has done for *them*, and imagine that they got where they are all on their own. Of course a person can be a Christian whether or not he is liberal or conservative politically, but yuo can't be a *good* Christian while practicing the "every man for himself" philosophy.

your friend
Keith

Exactly. I'd probably be dead right now if it wasn't for some of the New Deal policies, and I KNOW that Sue would have died (she had two cancers removed through government programs). I haven't forgotten the value of social programs- and my area of expertise (anthropology) demonstrates the validity and power of PROPERLY RUN programs. The problem is, people don't understand what they are saying or the consequences of their actions (voting conservative), and they are programmed to blame liberals and social programs for everything.

Once you've been put in a place like we have, where your very survival depends on some form of assistance, you learn the truth. This is especially true when conservatives deliberately make life more miserable for you because they think you're lazy or unwilling to work.

This is why we need to fight against conservative/dominionist nonsense. The whole idea behind those is encouraging stereotypes and supporting "every man for himself".

I think you've pretty much nailed it Bob. And what's interesting is, while these "average joes" run around blaming liberals and social programs for everything, they seem to be totally unconcerned with the hundreds of BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars that are handed out annually to Big Business in the form of HUGE subsidies and tax-breaks. Basically they have bought into the satanic lie that wealth will "trickle down" from the rich, and that in any event to question any part of the "Free Market System" (American version of capitalism) is to be unpatriotic and even unChristian. They have been brainwashed over many decades not to question, neither the GOP, the conservative movement, or the conservative preachers who are in bed with those whose ultimate objective is a plutocracy (which, actually, they have for all intents and purpose, already achieved, at least in this country). The People now serve The Government, and The Government serves Mammon in the form of avaricious corporations, banks, and Wall Street investors. What we once fought in the form of oppressive communist regimes, we have now ourselves become, but simply replacing communism with unbridled capitalist greed as the religion of The State.

But are these average joes interested in screaming about the cavernous inequality that exists in this country between the haves and have-nots? Do they scream about the 50 million who can't afford basic necessities, or the over 46 million who can't afford health insurance (many of whom MUST sacrifice in order to pay car insurance or the government says they can't drive their automobiles, which they must do in order to get to work), or our total obsession with fueling the anti-American sentiment in the Middle-East (we have thrown gasoline on a small fire, turning it into a huge bonfire)while our government has done very little in the way of easing the burden on the people of Darfur (just as we turned our back on the Rwandan holocaust)? No, they're much more interested in gay marriage, flag-burning, and teaching creationism in the schools. And these conservative "christian" churches are working diligently to keep druging their followers with these diversionary and divisive issues, twisting, perverting, and ignoring parts of The Gospels in order to try and justify this march toward a Rule by The Wealthy.

We are a nation whose priorities are totally twisted and sick, from our obsession with actors, singers, and other celebrities who live (literally) like kings and queens, the world handed to them on a silver platter because they are pretty or trendy; to our worship of Mammon, of Greed and Power; to our apathy toward the poor and the powerless in this country and around the world. THIS is what unbridled capitalism ALWAYS leads to, and always will, because it encourages greed and the accumulation of earthly wealth and power. I have a bumper sticker on my car which reads "God is coming, and is She pissed!" I want to find one to go with it that reads "Jesus is coming, and He is going to MAJORLY kick some Conservative ass".

Peace and Blessings.

Brother Damien

Question what kind of birds don't fly?
answer Jail birds. Jail birds I thank you for sticking your neck out for me MAY GOD BLESS

He said that O'Reilly showed how the money going to help the people was being wasted and misused, and mentioned "thousand dollar bottles of Perrier water". Then he said that he didn't want HIS money to go to helping those people, and advocated returning to what it was like in the early 1900's- no help for anyone. Extreme conservativism at it's worst.

How long would Bill have lasted then when the biggest and the fast gun and death ruled the land I am not talking wild west look more at machine gun Kelly, Al Capone. We was working at being more civilized till the Republicans took over

Last night on PBS, Bill Moyers had a major show on the Abramoff scandal.

What was really interesting was that he showed the solid connections between the dominionists (especially Reed) and the Abramoff system. Now, if only we could get people like my neighbor to watch something like what Bill Moyers put out. He mentioned names, dates, etc. and had interviews that were really telling!

Here is some facts tieing the Religiouis right to Saten
My fellow Americans, as the mid term election get near we need to remember each and ever American that died for this country, and in their honor, lets not let these brave Americans who gave all, I am not talking a few tax dollars, I mean[THEIR LIFE’S]. Is this the America that we want, the rich gets richer, the poor get poorer?
How did we get where we are at now? 8,545,048,487,560.99 That is trillions people that is not money in the bank that debt, this is the debt for the first 200 years 5,656,270,901,633.43; this money must be paid back. This is just one Item. Most of the rest all come from Religious Cults worming their way in to government. Even the true Republicans say this is not what we want; and it isn’t it is the big lying SERPENT the Religious Right.
Yes the Religious right; they like to be called the Christian right; but they are not Christian; have you ever seen any one from the Religious Right out among you like this. [Matthew 10: 9 "Don't take any money with you. 10 Don't carry a traveler's bag with an extra coat and sandals or even a walking stick.] Don't hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed. No they wear fancy clothes and diamonds to empress you.
The Religious Right is like the Serpent that led Eve astray until it is destroyed it will keep biting us on our heals, are what we now call a government. Like a true serpent, if not destroyed it will change its color or cam-ouflage. And be rite back trying to sneak into our Government.
The way the serpent got into our government was by using and misquoting Bible. ["When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land. "Bishop Desmond Tutu] [A wise saying is like the rule of thumb always right] now if they got into power by misusing the Bible the only way to defeat them is by using the Bible to show how they lied.
Here is a few quotes from the Bible, the book chapter versus are all listed check it out if you think that they are not truthful. If you are to cheep to buy a Bible her is a listing of about twenty you can read free http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/index.php?action=getVersionInfo&vid=51&lang=2
Matthew 5: 17" Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them. 18 I assure you, until heaven and earth disappear, even the smallest detail of God's law will remain until its purpose is achieved. [This is to show that gods law is still in force]
Deuteronomy 18: 19: I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. 20 But any prophet who claims to give a message from another god or who falsely claims to speak for me must die.' 21 You may wonder, `How will we know whether the prophecy is from the LORD or not?' 22 If the prophet predicts something in the Lord’s name and it does not happen, the LORD did not give the message. That prophet has spoken on his own and need not be feared-----------[This will show if a false prophet or religious teacher is a true Christian leader]
Deuteronomy 27: 15 `Cursed is anyone who carves or casts idols and secretly sets them up. These idols, the work of craftsmen, are detestable to the LORD.’------- [Can you remember the court house episode]

Deuteronomy-15:1 "At the end of every seventh year you must cancel your debts. 2 This is how it must be done. Credi-tors must cancel the loans they have made to their fellow Israelites. They must not demand payment from their neighbors or relatives, for the Lord’s time of release has arrived.---------[Now I ask is the new bankruptcy really Godly are the Republicans lying about being Christian]

Exodus 23:8 "Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe always hurts the cause of the person who is in the right.-----------[No Democrat or Republican should take a gift from a lobbyist then vote for a bill that favors that lobbyist that is a sin and not a Christian act]

Exodus 23: 2 "Do not join a crowd that intends to do evil.---------------[This is what happened when the Republican Party joined the Religious right to gain power; yes they sold them self’s out to the Religious Cults]