I got an email from a friend who, for some reason, had me on his mailing list for distributing some very radically right-wing views on the election, berating Mr. Obama as a dangerous, anti-white, anti-Christian, and anti-American. He was calling for people to pray for Obama's defeat because, he said, God favored McCain's side. I'm deeply offended by such views, and, although I had resisted responding to his previous emails, I found this one to be so ridiculous that I couldn't resist responding to him and the others on the list, most of whom I don't know. I'm not the best Christian in the world, if one can rate such a quality, and I'm certainly not one of the evangelical types. I see religion as deeply personal and private, and at times call myself a Christian just because I grew up going to Christian churches. The conservative right's take-over of Christianity under Reagan turned me off to Christianity almost completely. I went about 25 years without having anything to do with them except when I was in New England and could go to church with my mom to hear my dad playing the organ. Recently, though, I've been teaching chemistry at a Nazarene college and have found a community where discussion and understanding override what I see as the exclusive and divisive element of Christianity. The emails from my friend reminded me of that not-so-good side, in my opinion, and I felt rather offended that he was including me at all on his list. So, I've copied his email, and my reply here in my blog. I've not used the word "Christian" so much in anything I've written before, but I figured it would help with his understanding of my opinion if I used it frequently here. I guess my church pedigree qualifies me to use the word once in a while, so I figured why not, even though it's not something I tend to say in everyday conversation. It turns out that someone else on the mailing list was also offended by my friend's "call for prayer," and she emailed me. It appears I may have made a new friend. It's a good world. :)
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Here is the email that I received:
Prayer Can... Move Mountains
I felt dismayed recently when a family member of mine said to me with
great resignation that Obama will take the presidency. These words came
from someone who in the past has been a great prayer warrior.
My question: What is happening? Why are we Christians settling and not
issuing a battle cry, falling to our knees, taking our country back?
We allow ourselves to be stripped of the right to pray at school
functions and in school; we see the 10 commandments removed from
government places and are told we cannot pray in school-- all the while
providing public prayer places for Muslims. What in the world is going
on and why are we being apathetic?
Why aren't we praying? Our God is a mighty God who is waiting patiently
for us to raise our voices to heaven to stop the tide of the anti-Christ
actions in our world today.
Now we find we have a charismatic candidate for president who does not
respect our flag and refuses to wear one on his lapel except when it
becomes politically expedient; whose own wife and pastor that he loves
profess to have strong anti-white and anti-America feelings; whose voting
record and clear stands in favor of final-term abortion and infanticide
in the name of "women's rights" are shocking-- and we sit back and say
'It is a given; we can do nothing.'
There has never been a time in 2000 years that we can do nothing, never a
time that we must sit back and allow the evil in men's and women's hearts
to take over our world. We should be very afraid, because our apathy is
leading us to perdition.
It is time for all Christian Americans to raise the battle cry and take
our nation back. Maybe McCain on his own cannot defeat Obama, but our
God can and He will if we take to our knees in prayer and raise a mighty
cry to the heavens to 'Save us O Lord.' We have the power to change the
course of this election and to keep a man as suspect as Barak Obama from
leading our country to who knows where with his message of 'change' - a
change which I fear will be away from our Christian ideals and away from
Christ and further away from one nation under God.
We are great at passing stories and pictures around the internet, but
where are our prayers and prayer warriors praying to stop this tide of
Barak Obama? God parted the red sea, God raised Jesus from the dead, and
God can bring our country back to its Christian roots and stop the rise
of Islam in our country. We can stop our country from being 'under
Allah' (as much of Europe has already fallen victim to) but we must begin
to pray, to pray as if our country and our lives depended on it--because
they do.
We can stop all these atrocities against God's commands that have taken
root in our country through something as simple as sincere prayer, a call
to God to deliver us, to forgive us our sins of apathy, and to protect us
from the evil that is upon us. (II Chronicles 7:14 "If My people, who
are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face
and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and forgive
their sins and heal their land.")
Okay prayer warriors, here is your challenge: start those prayer chains.
Get the spiritual power working on our behalf and stop Barak Obama the
proper way, by calling on our God to save us from the deception that
charismatic preaching is using to lead us on the wrong path. Stop those
who would take God out of our country and our government. Raise up good
men to lead us and protect us.
George Bush is being buffeted because he has fought a holy war against
the evils that attack us and we should not be surprised because a prophet
is not honored in his own country. But we should not rest on our laurels
and allow ourselves to be taken further off the path of Christianity and
to have God removed from our presence in our schools, courts, government
and businesses. Invite God into the fray. Ask that His power rest upon
us and give us the victory. Ask Him to raise up a mighty army to defend
us and to protect our country as He did in days of old. Let us be
victorious beginning NOW. The battle is His but we must call on Him
without ceasing and unite our voices and hearts in prayer and fasting.
Please pass this around to all people of prayer that you know and maybe,
just maybe, a more eloquent person of prayer will write something better
and more inspiring and even the rocks will shout that Jesus is Lord and
our Mighty God is with us, bringing the victory for us and ultimately for
Him.
'Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is
God's will for you in Christ Jesus.' I Thes 5:16-18
....Continuous Prayer is the answer to this attack on the USA ....
Please pray the Will of God will prevail through our continuous prayers to
HIM...
Remember Prayer Can... Move Mountains
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Here is my response to his email:
I do not wear a flag on my lapel and I never will. My love for this country is as strong as anyone's and I don't feel the need to judge people based on the symbols on their clothing. This country is stronger than that.
I plan to vote for the candidate whom I think has the strongest Christian and family values and who will heal the problems that Mr. Bush has wrought upon this great nation and the world. Mr. Obama is that candidate. I plan to vote for the candidate who will strengthen our military power, not waste it on an unconstitutional, illegal, and unholy war. Mr. Obama is that candidate. It saddens me deeply that Mr. Bush's war has cost the lives of our best and brightest young men and women. I've spent 15-20 years working on military installations and I know the incredible talent and skills these young people possess. It breaks my heart to know that they're fighting a war that will only increase the world's hatred of our great nation. These children who have chosen to fight for our country deserve better than this and we would benefit so much from having them back here contributing their amazing skill, talents, and enthusiasm toward good in our society here in our communities. The world was with us when Bin Laden destroyed the Twin Towers and the heroic people inside, and Bush has not only failed to bring him to justice, but also turned more people against us while weakening our capacity to defend ourselves against real enemies.
The fact that so many Christians have abandoned their values of kindness and compassion in favor of the mean-spirited Republican platform has troubled me for many years. The idea that God will support the Republican disregard for the well-being of ordinary people and future generations in favor of the greed of rich corporations goes against everything I've learned in church and in my Christian family.
As a Christian, I deeply respect women's rights and equality for all people on the Earth, not just those who share my religious beliefs, but all people. I believe in a single benevolent God who sees good in all of us.
Barack Obama's wife is not anti-white or anti-American. She is an educated woman who has held good jobs and raised a beautiful family, and who has worked for the betterment our society. I would be so proud to have her represent us as first lady although almost any woman on earth would be favorable compared to the alternative who owns that beer company. Perhaps I'm biased because I do not drink alcoholic beverages. I don't see Mr. Obama's pastor as anti-white or anti-American either. I see him as a good man who loves his country so much that he is willing to speak out against those who do it wrong. Yes, he could be a little more tactful about it, but I believe there is good in his soul.
I believe there is good in your soul too, which why I wholeheartedly recommend that you take a good look at Mr. Obama and see him for the wonderful person he is. He's a good Christian who seeks to bring people together and solve the Nation's problems, not one who will continue the offensive and divisive policies of the Bush administration. His unique background and strong experience give him the compassion and understanding we need to bring people together in peace. His strong understanding of our constitution and his success in communities and government will enable him to cross ideological boundaries and allow our government to be a force for good in the world, not a force for fear. Mr. Obama will not go follow Mr. Bush's spending-spree economic philosophy, but will rebuild our economy so future generations will not need to pay our bills. You have grandchildren and great-grandchildren, so I do hope you'll consider their futures, not just financially, but also in their safety and general well-being. Mr. McCain mocks the ideas of safety and environmental concerns when he says "drill baby drill" and talks about coal and nuclear power. He would follow Mr. Bush's tendancies to brush aside safety and environmental concerns that we've spent so many years putting into place, not to annoy people, but to protect them and their children. His "nuclear safety blah blah blah" statements are among the most offensive I've heard from any candidate anywhere anytime. Mr. Obama does not offend me, he makes me feel like we can be better people and live well in this crazy world. I really like him.
As a Christian ... BECAUSE I'm a Christian and because I love America and desperately want my children and yours to live in a kind, peaceful, and prosperous world, I will be praying for Mr. Obama to win this election and praying for his safety during his time as President, as he struggles to solve the horrible economic, environmental, social, and military problems that Mr. Bush has brought upon us, and which Mr. McCain seeks to continue and enhance. I see kindness in Mr. Obama's soul and pray that he will maintain the strength and balance he has exhibited during the long campaign.
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That's it. In my view, it was disgusting to receive an email promoting Mr. Bush's "holy war" and bashing Mr. Obama and his family. I guess I included all this in my blog because it's a good summary of the things that bother me most about so-called "Christian" conservatives.
It was a hot day today, a good day to visit the beach and cool down in the sea breezes. We stayed home all day, though. Once in a while, a breeze would waft into the window. Mostly it was just hot. I got my grading done, and got ready for next week's classes. Didn't do much else. Spent a lot of time in front of the TV with my laptop, watching coverage of the Kennedy funeral and surfing the net. It would have been nice to be on the beach throwing a frisbee, but it was nice just hanging around with Matt, Jess, and Susan. 
Matt and Jess made dinner for us last night according to video instructions that they found on the Internet. Matt told me what it was again today, but I have no idea how to spell it. The food was good, though. It looked like something in Mexican mole sauce poured over noodles, but it wasn't mole. It was some sort of seasoned bean paste, with zuccini, sweet potato, pork, and other things in it. It was good, and something I had never seen or imagined. Our refrigerator and cabinets are full of foods I've not previously encountered, plus the usual things we have in there all the time. Most of the food just sits there untouched, while we wonder what to eat for the next meal. That's how it's always been. Now we have more foods to wonder about. Fortunately, Matt and Jess have lots of fresh ideas and are willing and eager to spend a lot of time in the kitchen on food preparation. I love to see them working together on things. Susan is usually more curious and willing to get involved than I am, but I still enjoy the process, and the fact that they're here with us for a while. I also enjoy tasting the new foods. This one was quite good. Maybe I'll polish off the leftovers for lunch today. 
