Okay. Normally, I wouldn't want to raise a stink about anything because I don't have enough time in the day to explain things.

I found myself recently pondering several new issues. Mostly things related to the common good and some folks' total lack of reality with respect to that. I keep finding myself mostly disenfranchised with the manner in which we, as a nation, conduct ourselves on the whole. Those who claim to be part of the "moral majority" are usually those who act the least like the God they claim to believe in.

For example: why is it that people who claim to be "Christian" are usually the ones using threats and coercion to accomplish their goals? Why is it that they assume that their beliefs and values are the only ones that anyone should be allowed to enjoy in this nation of supposed freedom?

I was always lead to believe that the cornerstone of Christianity was the belief in "freewill" and wanting to come to know God and create a personal relationship. You cannot force someone to love you. Sadly, this just doesn't seem to be the case when you look at those who are busy pushing an agenda and acting more like a cult or a sect, rather than a church. Some of the more fundamentalist organizations border on being evil, rather than holy. Generically speaking, in the USA we tend to demonize fundamentalist groups (such as Islamic Fundamentalist movements) -- unless, of course, they claim to be Christ-centered organizations. In this case, everything is considered "okay" and you are persecuting them if you don't agree with them.

"But there can be a demonry as well in the invoking of God's support which we find exhibited when individuals or groups decide what they want to impose on others, and then claim divine sanction for it. This gives them carte blanche to do whatever they feel is necessary to stop their opponents since their opponents, being opposed to them, are clearly opposed to God as well, and do not finally deserve the right to speak or act or persuade, and Christians have often been guilty of this. The Crusades were an example, Christian anti-Semitism is another, and sometimes the Christian willingness to kill, whether in support of a Nazi ideology, or extreme nationalism, whether of the Russian or American variety, these are other instances that come to mind." --Robert McAfee Brown

There are plenty of resources for looking into what the far-right is doing. All I am asking is that you apply critical thinking to what you observe. Do not follow blindly that which is presented to you as fact. Research issues for yourself. Contemplate what is being produced and the context in which it is presented.

More importantly, if you consider yourself to be a person of faith, and that faith happens to be Christianity (in any form), ponder if your thoughts and feelings would be pleasing to God, rather than pleasing to the head of your religion. Sometimes the answer most pleasing to God won't be the popular one at your church.

Don't get me started.