res- There are many reasons why our form of governance has survived and prospered. I suspect secularism is one of the many reasons. So when I see this current Bush administration trying to mingle Government with God, this just scares the beejesus out of me.
A false assumption is that religious conservatism, by its very nature, is scary. They "scare me" has become the vogue phrase used to broadly paint those of strong faith in a poor light. The use of this term suggests that Americans with strong religious convictions should not be trusted. And that anyone who seriously contemplates God, or good and evil in the context of public policy is close to becoming a dangerous zealot. This ignores the good that has been created by those devoted to a religion. Someone with passionate religious convictions began most of the largest charitable organization in the world which direct help people, the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, and Goodwill Industries to name a few. The founders faith, gave them the strength to overcome adversity and help so many.
In human history, the most savage conquerors performed their acts with little reference to religion. Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Attila The Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Lenin, Hitler, Stalin, Tito, Kim Il-sun, and Nicholas II. None of these rulers made serious attempts to impose faith on their victims.
Lust for power is what drove them.
Lust for power is still the driving force of most conflicts today. If one is too fear someone, it should be those who lust for power and seek to subvert democracy, because, that's the foundation upon which evil rulers build their monstrous machines of death. |
