Christ stripped of all love and compassion

The Christ of today is not the Christ of my youth. I am disposed to believe that the anti-Christ movement mentioned in the Bible is now well entrenched. Some groups are using Christ's name to promote very decidedly un-Christian things.

Somewhere over the past 50 years, Christ has been converted from a compassionate human being into a pin-striped attired businessman. He has been armed with the harsh words of Old Testament, the words of Paul the Apostle, and Revelation prophecies.

He has been stripped of all love and compassion. He has been draped in a flag.

Extreme right-wing politics are paramount in the new Christian religion. What is the new creed? Distaste for the poor and less fortunate, hatred of homosexuality, distrust for anything that is remotely categorized as liberal or social, disdain for science, thinly veiled contempt for other religions and other races, promotion of death for abortionists, and vengeance for those who adulterate or otherwise stray, love for the Holy Land, and venom for those who are foolish enough to oppose Israel in print, speech or military action. They preach that a real Satan is in control and that the United Nations must be destroyed or it will deprive them of their weapons and their Bibles.

It is interesting that these groups seem to pick passages that suit their desired program and exclude or ignore others. Their selected interpretations deviate from the conventional Protestant religion dramatically.

These TV interpreters are careful of which Old Testament writings to sanctify. For example, some are glossed over - the practice of polygamy, witch burning, the exaltation of the divine right of kings, and the practice of charging interest on loans. Who would advocate that woman must suffer in childbirth without pain reduction? Who would suggest that because the Old Testament said plagues were from God, that we should let SARS and AIDS run their course and to fight them is to thwart the will of God?

A movement that started in big tents, in rural American cornfields, has now moved to the big-screen TV 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The preachers appear to be more interested in a fixed agenda and reaping dollars then in Christ's teachings, as they brainwash and bilk the unwary with the new doctrine. The script seems to be written by the Pentagon and sanctioned and embraced by the White House. Through it all Christ's new covenant has been lost. Faith has been replaced with a state religion.

In the words of Shakespeare, "In religion, what damned error but some sober brow will bless it, and approve it with a text, hiding the grossness with fair ornament." (Merchant of Venice, Act III, Scene 2)

Here is a direct Biblical quote that I think expresses in a nutshell my personal concept of Christianity. " 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.' " (Matthew 22:36-40)

In conclusion, I am not a Bible scholar but I can read, and I can see what is happening in the spin-doctored marketing of Christ and Christianity to suit personal and national ideologies.

I suppose that I will invoke the wrath of many for daring to address this topic but I find it hard to be silent on something of this importance, particularly when I see a number of politicians cloaked in this new religion - with the conventional clergy's full endorsement. Why are we so easily deceived? This doctrine is contrary to Christ's teachings, in my humble opinion. These counterfeit Christians, cloaked in misguided righteousness are no different than many corporations that are cloaked in green and pretending to be environmentalists. Both have ulterior motives.