A Conservative Christian Republican Speaks out A Conservative Christian Republican asks: Are "Paid For" Christians Hypocrites in how they Vote?
by Karl W. B. Schwarz
President, Chief Executive Officer
Patmos Nanotechnologies, LLC
(Friday 12 November 2004)
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"Would Jesus lie to the world to justify an attack on another nation, the killing of now over 100,000 Iraqis? No, certainly not, but that is what George W. Bush did and then lied to get the Christian vote."
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Are Your Tax Dollars Funding Pat Robertson?
Taking a closer look at Operation Blessing International
“Lynn cited televangelist, Pat Robertson's comments on the 700 Club that an angry God had allowed the 9/11 terrorist attacks to succeed in retribution against a corrupt American society.What surprised many commentators at the time was that much of the criticism of the Bush initiative was coming from the religious right itself, including Pat Robertson. Early this year, Robertson denounced the Bush proposal, warning that the program is a "Pandora's Box" that could make legitimate religious charities dependent on government and that the government would end up financing "cults that brainwash" prospective adherents. He went on to tell his 700 Club television audience that the groups getting such funding "will begin to be nurtured, if I can use that term, on federal money, and then they can't get off of it." He added, "It'll be like a narcotic; they can't then free themselves later on."All the more surprising then, that among the very first organizations to be funded by the Bush administration's new program is Operation Blessing International, a Virginia Beach charity created by Robertson. This group is to receive $500,000 in the first wave of grants to be distributed under the faith-based initiative. The award to Operation Blessing is one of 25 announced on October 3rd by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. Aside from the irony involved in Robertson's own organization applying for and then accepting such "addictive" government funding, one needs to take a closer look at the finances of Operation Blessing International.”
Now, imagine what you just read. Pat Robertson comes out condemning Bush and the 9-11 attacks as being “on a sinful nation” and then turns around, applies for the federal money he defines as “addictive”, accepts it, and then advises Christians to go out and vote for Bush on the abortion and gay marriage issues. I wonder if it has occurred to Pat to condemn the rampant corruption, greed, killing, empire building, deceit, fiscal irresponsibility, Corporatization of our government and fascism that has taken hold of our government and our nation?
As far as I am concerned, Pat Robertson’s counsel was bought and paid for, subject to impeachment on that issue alone, and I did not listen to him at all. I was paying attention to matters that are undermining this nation from within and without and none of them have anything whatsoever to do with abortion or gay marriage. They have to do with evil, corruption, greed, and fascism, and this nation acting in a manner that is most Un-Godly all the way up to George W. Bush.
I know many “discerning ecumenical Christians” that did not vote for Bush – Cheney 2004 for three reasons and those reasons alone were enough to not listen to “lock-step Religious Right Fascism”. First, the entire world knows that Bush – Cheney lied to us all, but for some reasons the Christians “just don’t get it.’ Lying is not a Christian virtue – it is a warning sign. Secondly, it is glaringly apparent that greed, corruption, shameless empire building and killing others to get control of the oil are going on. For some reason, the Christians “just don’t get it.” Greed and killing others in the name of that greed are not Christian virtues, whether a war hawk or anti-war person.
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I am an ecumenical Christian that believes that one of the most important things that God requires of me is the use of discernment. In that I mean, I am required to pay attention, use critical thinking to see things as they are, not as someone tells me to believe they are. The Bible tells me to “recognize them by their fruits” and when those fruits are evil the person behind them is evil too.
I do not blindly accept what George W. Bush or Cheney say to me or anyone else for that matter. I do not blindly accept what Bill O’Reilly, or Sean Hannity or a plethora of other talking heads say to me via their media outlets. I listen, I weigh, I research deeper and decide on facts.
In Corinthians 2:14-16: ““The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: “For who has known the mind if the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.””
In Philippians 1: 9-11: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.”
The Bible is full of warnings to Christians to use discernment in all matters, and that means using their own hearts, minds, eyes, and thinking for themselves, not blindly following what their minister or others say for all of them can still be wrong. In fact, one can do the right thing and still be wrong, so caution and prudence are wise things. One can even be “too bluntly truthful” and sin.
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There is a new book coming out regarding “the real George W. Bush” and many Christians are going to have to come to grips with some realities of believing in the wrong directions and following a person that has few moral values, if any. Her name is Leola McConnell and the book is titled “Lustful Utterances.” People still listen to William Bennett as if he were some lily-white icon and he was recently exposed by this woman for what he really is. People still voted for “Mr. David “Pro-Family, anti-Gay Marriage” Dreier” in the California races, but he has been exposed too as a bisexual that this particular woman has made special arrangements with certain “body builders” to have trysts with Mr. Dreier.
Lest you have not noticed, Victor Ashe was appointed to Fannie Mae by Bush and that entity is now under SEC investigation for activities that occurred during the time Victor Ashe was at Fannie Mae. Of course, he was a short-termer but he got plenty of stock to make a killing. In fact, 9-11 Commission member Jamie Gorelick was also at Fannie Mae as a Board Member during the period in question as to wrongdoing. What a clever way to get her “compliance” on the 9-11 Whitewash Commission.
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Long Article but WORTH it....
http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/11295 /