A week after the 9/11 attacks by al Qaeda, President Bush referred to “this crusade, this war on terrorism.” He quickly backed off the crusade stuff but the recent revelations about the degradation of Islamic mores in the name of Democracy at Abu Ghraib prison revived it. Like it or not, America finds itself even more deeply entrenched in a Brave New Holy War. Abu Ghraib has become the equivalent of America calling Mohammad’s mother an A-rab crack whore.
Neoconservatives have been salivating about “transforming the moral values of America” in an American Holy Civil War, insisting that America was founded as a “Christian Nation” and that the systematic replacement of the Bill of Rights (except for the Sacred Second Amendment, of course) with the Ten Commandments is a no-brainer. This is the new Democracy the neoCons want to spread.
Author Kurt Vonnegut brought up an interesting point about all this in the magazine In These Times: “For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes. But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere. “Blessed are the merciful’ in a courtroom? “Blessed are the peacemakers’ in the Pentagon? Give me a break!”
This is Matthew 22:36-40: “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 neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments”. WWJD? Mostly try to displace the vengefulness of the Old Testament with humility (Luke 18:10-14) and compassion (Matthew 5:3-10). Makes Jesus sound “weak on defense,” huh?
So Bush seeks to spread democracy in the Mideast like the crusades spread Christianity — bloody Old Testament style. And radical Islamists seek to destroy us in the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Maybe the world would be better off with more God and less old-time religion.
This article appears in May 19-25, 2004.
