Bush's Christian Crusade in the Middle East

Near the beginning of the Bush invasion of Iraq, Gee Dubya slipped up and proclaimed that it was a "crusade" and now we have memos from the Pentagon to Bush that included biblical quotes to justify the war, as reported by Frank Rich in The New York Times

Draper’s biggest find is a collection of daily cover sheets that Rumsfeld approved for the Secretary of Defense Worldwide Intelligence Update, a highly classified digest prepared for a tiny audience, including the president, and often delivered by hand to the White House by the defense secretary himself. These cover sheets greeted Bush each day with triumphal color photos of the war headlined by biblical quotations. GQ is posting 11 of them, and they are seriously creepy.

Take the one dated April 3, 2003, two weeks into the invasion, just as Shock and Awe hit its first potholes. Two days earlier, on April 1, a panicky Pentagon had begun spreading its hyped, fictional account of the rescue of Pvt. Jessica Lynch to distract from troubling news of setbacks. On April 2, Gen. Joseph Hoar, the commander in chief of the United States Central Command from 1991-94, had declared on the Times Op-Ed page that Rumsfeld had sent too few troops to Iraq. And so the Worldwide Intelligence Update for April 3 bullied Bush with Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Including, as it happened, into a quagmire.)

Jesus would be so proud!

Religious Bullying on the Increase

An article by Walter Rodgers in The Christian Science Monitor reveals the extent of bullying by religious zealots around the world. Aggressive and even violent actions against nonbelievers are taking place wherever there exists a minority of people who don't conform to the religious proscriptions of the majority.

In northwest Pakistan, the killing of journalists is sanctioned if those journalists don't follow strict theocratic codes.

In Jerusalem, nonobservant Jews and gentiles risk being cursed at, pelted with stones or spit upon if they pass through the orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim.

In Palestinian territories, Christian women are taunted and threatened for wearing crosses.

In the US, high school students in the Bible Belt report being verbally assaulted by "God Squads" who demand that their fellow students agree with their beliefs.

In one Florida school district, a group of students is suing school officials for creating "a coercive environment in promoting their personal religious beliefs."

In other news, we learn that Christians are no longer welcome in Iraq.

"I hope to leave for any other place in the world," said Sheeran Surkon, a 27-year-old Iraqi woman who fled to Syria in 2004 after she received death threats, her father disappeared and her beauty salon was blown up. She now awaits resettlement to another country, saying she can't tolerate the violence and new Muslim conservatism in Iraq.

Silly Religion in the News Again

After the first case of swine flu was confirmed in Israel, the Deputy Health Minister, a member of the ultra-religious United Torah Judaism party, announced that they would use the term "Mexican flu" so they could avoid speaking the word "swine".

Apparently, they can't keep kosher if they say "swine", or their delicate sensibilities would be offended?

Why the hell did God create pigs if they're so obnoxious to Jews?

Silly Religion in the News

A woman has convinced the school board in Irving, Texas, that her daughter can't wear her shirt tucked in FOR RELIGIOUS REASONS!

Dyker Neyland's daughter, Jave, age 7, had been ordered to tuck her shirt in by the school principal, but Neyland argued that she was "being persecuted for being a Christian," claiming that the Bible - sepcifically 1 Timothy 2:9 - requires women to "adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation."

They could solve the problem by putting her in a burqa. I'm just saying.

Who Would Jesus Torture?

A Pew poll revealed that church-going Christians are more likely to sanction torture than the general population. People not affiliated with organized religion are less-likely to approve of torture.

You might wonder if those depictions of Jesus being tortured to death has desensitized Christians to the concept of torture but it appears not to be so because more evangelical Christians approve of torture than do Catholics and the latter group use the Jesus-on-the-cross more than do evangelicals.

My conclusion is that evangelicals have an inherent character-defect which is evident in their support for the Republican party. Both evangelicals and Republicans have demonstrated that they are motivated by fear and leaders of these groups motivate their followers (sheep) through the use of fear (fear of terrorists, socialism, Obama, the big bad wolf and hell).

Unfortunately, the Pew poll didn't include Pastafarians, a group more likely to be motivated by fun and not easily frightened. After all when your deity is a monster, you got no worries.