From the Bishop Spong forum

From:
Jepysdad (6591230)

Hi All,

I just returned from hearing Catherine Crier from CourtTV speak at our local university. She is the third prophet in a 24 hours to suggest the people are being run over roughshod by our supposed servants. She essentially said government is not our own, that lobbyists and special interest groups manipulate our laws to their liking. Her hope is that it only takes one election to turn the tables. She quoted 80% of people would support a third party and doesn't believe the current form of either party to be the answer.

Bishop Spong and Caroline Myss said essentially the same thing from a more spiritual standpoint. Most of us have access to the Bishop's words so I won't repeat. Caroline had this to say:

"I believe that anger is so thick in our society because of a combination of
ingredients, all of which have compromised the soul of America. Americans are
not accustomed to feeling helpless or to turning a blind eye when they sense
that their nation is not on the right path. Something is wrong about the
direction of our nation and we can feel it. This “wrongness” transcends
political parties; this wrongness goes to the core of the founding vision of the
nation – it is rooted in the collective soul of America. The ideals and honor
that once held us together as a nation have been so compromised that we can
sense an indescribable shift in our collective soul, yet we fear to actually
name it because in doing so we must recognize that America is now destined for a
very different future. It will never again be a truly “free” nation."

Ms. Crier spoke from a legal, judicial, media perspective. She encouraged everyone to become very active. She believes legislators make laws that don't apply equally to all people, a necessary ingredient for a democracy. If laws are selectively written or enforced we might as well go back to King George.

Putting the three speaker's words together makes for one sobering pie. Why are the modern prophets all speaking at the same time?

Caroline Myss's newsletter ended with:

How do we respond to all of this? First and foremost, Americans need to acknowledge that their nation has changed and continues to change. The next step is each individual’s responsibility, but you should ask yourself if these past years have changed you in any way. If you assume they have not, then you have answered far too fast. These years – and this war – have changed you, both as a person and as an American. It’s for you to investigate the significance of much that has influenced your life’s compass and how you see the future of this nation.

Peace to all...
Alan

And this was in reply to this

Graeme Moore from Canada writes:

"American response to American torture is perplexing. There can be no doubt that American government officials, military and civilian, torture. They may call it by other names but just as "a rose is a rose," so torture is torture.

Setting aside for the moment the fact that the considerable evidence that most "information" obtained through torture is unreliable, or worse, there is a fundamental conflict between present day American Christian Christianity and torture.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Christ's commandment cannot be clearer. It is fundamental to Christian belief. It is the bedrock of the Christian way. Torture cannot be reconciled with Christ's commandment. One cannot be both a Christian and a torturer. America's current President proudly and readily announces he is a "born again" Christian. He is surrounded by persons of similar convictions. Many Christian "leaders" support him. The President, however, has authorized torture; he encourages its use even to the point of finding various dubious and devious ways and means to avoid any attempts to curtail torture by Americans or their proxies.

Why do American Christians and certain American Christian "leaders" support torture? (Those people who torture and those people who order, advocate or tolerate torture are equally culpable.) Many Americans contend that America is a Christian nation. It would appear so based upon utterances and statements of America's political elite and on the number of Americans who profess to be Christians and belong to a congregation whose services they attend on a regular and frequent basis. Can America be a Christian nation when it tortures?

Why do American Christians not rise up to strike down those Americans who torture? When will American Christians demand an end to torture? When will Christian "leaders" take a public position, such as open letters against torture? When will Christian preachers condemn torture from their pulpits? When will Christian say loudly that torture is unchristian and un- American? When will Christians demonstrate and protest torture in a manner similar to their actions against choice? If Christians can stir up a storm in Florida over the "right to die," when will they unleash a tempest in Washington against torture? The current silence of American Christian is eerily reminiscent of the silence of earlier generations against the evils of racism. Perhaps it is to be expected that a people who lynched their fellow citizens because of their race would torture their enemies."

Dear Graeme,

Thank you for your question. I invite my readers to write to me with their opinions on this issue. I will publish the best letters in the debate. My readers must know that they have a better chance of being included in the debate if they keep their comments succinct.

-- John Shelby Spong