Christian doesn't mean intolerant ideologue

By Lee Russ

Thursday, December 08, 2005 at 09:33 AM

It's too easy these days to get the idea that all Christians are wild-eyed extremists who want to replace the Constitution with their personal interpretation of the bible.

Not true, any more than it's true that all Muslims can't wait to commit suicide to hurt the infidel west.

This is a re-post of a very articulate statement from American Dreamer, a poster on another site who has consented to this re-post.

If left to its own devices (and allowed to continue usurping power and influence), fundamentalist Christianity will be the downfall of America (at least the one our forefathers created and intended). Fundamentalism in any religion is not a good thing. Look around the world and see where the extreme right version of any faith has gotten its followers. I know... most `fundamentalists' are not comfortable being labeled this... they would prefer the moniker, "evangelical". But anyone that takes a faith as being absolute... or the philosophy they subscribe to as being the only truth (and all other people are basically heathens or somehow `evil' for not believing the same thing) is radical and fundamentalist. I'm personally shocked every time I turn on C-SPAN to witness how many members of the GOP look and sound very much like evangelical ministers... often invoking the name of Jesus... turning their position in government into a church sermon. The separation of church and state was set in place to prevent what is going on today... I can understand why fundamentalist Christians in seats of power and influence systematically wish to do away with it (or weaken it at every opportunity they find). Pretty soon, America will cease to be... and we will have become the very thing our forefathers set out to avoid from day one... a purely theocratic state of chaos.

I am a practicing Christian... I go to church on Sunday... I pray... I attempt to live my life in a Christian way... my heart is touched by Jesus' teachings. With that said, I never want to see the separation of church and state weakened or removed. I never want to see a Senator or Representative preaching his or her Christian values while performing their job in the Senate or the House of Representatives. And I never want them to impose their religious beliefs on me or on any American who doesn't believe what they (or I) believe. Freedom of religion also means freedom FROM religion. That's something our current Bible-thumpers in office seem to forget. It's a movement that is gaining power and influence. Given enough time and support, it will undermine our national foundation... and we will falter. I am not advocating doing away with Christianity (or labeling all evangelicals as bad or un-American). But we need to look long and hard at what is going on currently. We need to review what it was our forefathers set in motion... and we need to guard against those who wish to dismantle America (to re-create in their own theocratic image). Be good to one another... treat people with kindness and compassion... do not be judgmental (there is a greater `judge' who will assume that role later on)... and keep religion out of governmental process. My feeling is that there will be an eventual backlash. Americans will have become so fed up with the fundamentalists in Congress and in the White House that they will eventually be chased out of power and back into the fringes of society. I hope this happens sooner rather than later.