THE DESTRURCTIVE INFLUENCE OF THE CINOP - 2

The Destructive Influence of the Cinop within the Catholc Church # 2
Report Card on Bill Press’s Book #2 of 23
“How the Republicans Stole Christmas”
Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2005

The introduction reads like a verbal boxing match with a lot of religious propaganda. In this corner, we have Al Gore, John Kerry, Gary Willis, Mario Cuomo, Bill Press, and the Religious Left and in the other corner, Jerry Farwell, Pat Robertson, Jim Dobson , Archbishop Charles Chaput, George W. Bush and the Religious Right.

In the book, there is an appropriate quotation from Thomas Jefferson, “It is in our lives and not our words that our religion must be read.” We can agree that God is not a Republican or a Democrat and the Republicans do not have a monopoly on moral values. The problem is who controls the Democratic Party and their agenda. The party and values of once President John F. Kennedy are no more in California. Let’s continue with several direct quotations from the book. (You decide.)

“How did Republicans so successfully hijack religion? … First, liberals walked away from the field. We stopped talking about values or acknowledging our belief in God. Second, conservatives once they had the field all to themselves, diabolically defined “values” so narrowly that there is no room for democrats or liberals anymore. Nor is there any room for Christians who believe in the Social Gospel.” 21
“Skepticism about the calculated nature of Bush’s faith is further fueled by the fact that he belongs to no congregation and does not regularly attend church services – compared with John Kerry, for example, who wears a crucifix, carried a rosary, and Bible with him on the campaign trail, and goes to Mass every Sunday.” 14
“In his own feeble attempt to identify with Christian conservatives Al Gore once famously said he never made any decision as vice-president without first asking: “WWJD? What would Jesus do?” 26

It is agreed that Bush would never have won election and reelection without the religious right. . Now we come to some of Bush’s accomplishments which drive the secularist and liberals up the wall.

“He (Bush) signed a bill banning so-called late-term abortions. He set up a “Faith-Based Office” in the White House, directing millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to religious organizations, and signed an executive order allowing them to discriminate in hiring by requiring that all job applicants belong to the same church. He put religious conservatives in charge of every government advisory committee on reproductive health matters. He nominated extremist anti-abortion advocates to federal courts. He made “abstinence only” the government’s new policy on HIV/AIDS prevention.

Then, as icing on the cake, Bush proposed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage: not because he expected it to pass – it didn’t , and it won’t – but because he wanted to throw conservative leaders one more piece of red meat they could use to get their followers to the polls….

He (Bush) reads the Bible every day. He opens cabinet meetings with a prayer. He encourages and often attends prayer meetings in the White House. He invites ministers in to pray with him.” 9 …
Happy Thanksgiving!
George H. Kubeck, Tuesday, Nov. 22nd, 2005