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November 7, 2004
by Carol Hoenig
During the past four years, since the 2000 national election, it appears to me that religion, faith and God have been woven into the pattern of our country and now with the re-election of President Bush, it is being secured in a tight knot in order to avoid any unraveling. Certainly, September 11th, 2001 shook up the nation and caused many to look beyond the terror-filled skies and into the heavens, and beliefs were suddenly being examined, if not exhumed and dusted off. It was a time that made us vulnerable and less willing to challenge a president who has been opened about his relationship with his God. But then time passed and our young men and women were hurriedly sent off to fight an unclear battle against an enemy that is both clandestine and pandemic. The president wanted to fight evil. A noble cause, to be sure, but one wonders if the evil he is referring to is less corporal and has been cast from God's heaven long before the earth had been formed. I am not questioning whether or not there is a negative force at play, nor whether Saddam or Osama are a part of this evil. Their words are clear, their hatred of the infidel, which would be us, leaves little guessing about their agenda. Biblically, though, it is the sheep in wolves' clothing that are the dangerous lot and whom we have to guard against. Now the evangelical community is praising their God for a president who has become their representative, a man willing to change the so-called moral fiber of the country by combating what has been vaguely defined as evil and involves not only terrorists but the lack of values here on the homeland. This attitude, nonetheless, translates to those of us whose world is colored more in grays instead of black and white as one of swaggering arrogance. (Talk no more so exceedingly proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. -- 1 Samuel 2:3.) I, however, admit to understanding the faith that President Bush is proclaiming because in 1974 I came to the Lord. Then, ten years later, I came to my senses. The decade in between was one that I vividly recall with wonder, horror and sadness. I eventually walked away from the legalistic lifestyle because, even though it preached love and compassion, it missed the mark by a long shot, something I fear our administration is doing. Unlike a man of recorded questionable character who needed to sober up if he wanted to climb the political ladder, I was just out of high school and trying to make sense of my life. In spite of my Catholic upbringing and doubt in the existence of a Supreme Being, it was at the encouragement of my mother that I began to read the Bible for the answers I was seeking. Instead of attempting to glean anything that would make sense from her King James version, I bought myself a copy of "The Way," a translation written for the young and hip. I no longer have that dog-eared rendering, half the pages lost, but all those years ago I'd come upon a verse that sealed the deal for me, since I was yearning for something more than what I had. That verse quoted now from the King James version goes thusly: Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou has believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." -- John 20:29. Of course, the resurrected Christ was talking to his apostle in that verse, but in my hungry, impressionable state, I believed he was talking to me. That was the springboard for my faith, one that began and ended in earnest. I am not going to speculate how sincere our president's faith is or whether he is simply mirroring those who are surrounding him, which was what I often had done during the decade of Bible studies, deaconess meetings, Sunday School, morning and evening services, and keeping in constant fellowship with those of like mind. (Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? -- 2 Corinthians 6:14) Perhaps this is why the president is aligning members in the Cabinet, Senate and Supreme Court who are of like mind with him. After all, it's a directive straight from the Good Book. So, during those ten years, I attended and then became a member of a Bible-believing church. I followed the dictates without much resistance and a whole lot of praying and worshipping. For awhile, anyway. But as I grew into a thinking adult and began to form my own opinions and witness certain behaviors from congregates that I found to be lacking in spirituality, I began to question the authenticity and interpretation with a true desire to understand. It was then I'd be told that the devil was trying to win me over and that I was to relinquish my doubts and completely trust in the Lord. (Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. - - James 4:7) That was enough to keep me from allowing clear thoughts to have their way, for awhile anyway. I was also told that dancing and listening to secular music was unpleasing to the one who sacrificed his life for me. Dancing? Small potatoes really compared to the issues our President faces, but if the Bible is his authority, there is a concern that his interpretation leads him to believe that he is somehow to be used as an instrument of God with Armageddon fast approaching. Not bopping to rock and roll is one thing, but translating Revelations, which focuses on the unrest in the Middle East, is another. If the leader of our nation feels he only needs to report to a higher being, this may explain his imperial attitude toward the secrecy in his government. But where does he think we as a country fit in the end times and how does this effect his decisions? We as a country need to know these answers, even though most evangelicals believe these are the end times and the bridegroom will soon be coming for his church, in spite of what Matthew 25:13 states: Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. Again, it's on a smaller scale than being a President of the good old USA, but as I began to witness homophobia and misogynistic teachings from the shepherd of the flock in which I was a member, I began pulling away. The church I was preparing to leave taught that there was only one way to get to heaven, just as the evangelicals believe there should only be one America. However, we are sadly slipping from being one nation under God to One God over the nation. A major campaign issue was terrorism, something that the administration is finding difficult to rein in since it's an enemy from many factions while more seem to be cropping up. However, what drove voters to the polls was "values." Values? An interesting, problematic word, to be sure, especially since my values aren't necessarily reflected by my neighbors. Nor do the values of the three newly elected senators represent mine: Jim DeMint, from South Carolina, is quoted as saying he supported a state G.O.P. platform banning gays from teaching in public schools. Anti-abortion Christian conservative John Thune supports a constitutional amendment banning flag burning and gay marriage. And, Oklahoma's Tom Coburn has advocated the death penalty for doctors who perform abortions and believes the "gay agenda" would undermine the country. This brings to mind what one of our founding fathers was quoted as having said: "During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution." - - James Madison. (Memorial and Remonstrance against Religions Assessments, 1785.) My departure from the church was a painful one. I cried for days debating what my actions should be, but the deciding factor that brought me to the end of my fellowship that owned my free-thinking was when my son, who was four years old at the time, told a family member in the most cheerful way, that she was going to hell because she didn't believe in Jesus. Talk about a light bulb moment and one in which I'm not proud. Soon after, the pastor came to my home to discuss why I was no longer attending services. When I put before him the reasons, he simply said he'd pray for me and left. Clearly, fellowship with one who was backslidden was not part of the agenda. We're a scary lot, us radical thinkers. We are at a time when the Christian right feels they own the country and it is validated by the man in the top office of the land. And, of course, there is evangelistic preacher Pat Robertson with gads of money to support his broadcast quoted in a USA Today article making this statement: "The Lord has just blessed him," Robertson said of Bush. "I mean, he could make terrible mistakes and comes out of it. It doesn't make any difference what he does, good or bad, God picks him up because he's a man of prayer and God's blessing him." (When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. -- Proverbs 11:2.) So, all these years later, my spiritual life does not use the compass of any one book or any one church to direct its path. No matter the religious climate of our nation, my journey is mine alone to take. Whether one is Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Agnostic, Atheistic, and yes, even a Christian, I welcome you to walk by my side, if you wish, or run ahead or lag behind, we'll each arrive to our destination when we're expected. "God bless us all, Everyone!" -- Tiny Tim.
Carol Hoenig is a contributor for Raw Story. Woman This Month, a publication based out of Bahrain, has recently acquired her essay, "Old Friends," and will be publishing it for its December '04 issue. Another essay will be published in the Feb. 05 issue of Generation X Journal. Besides writing essays, articles and commentaries, Carol is working on her third novel. You may reach her at Carolhoen@AOL.com. This essay is copyright (c) 2004 by Carol Hoenig. Published here by permission of the author. Enrich your life with a book about religion... Enrich your life with a religion magazine...
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