Onward Christian Soldiers

I was reading about reaction to the Supreme Court ruling about showing the 10 Commandments on Federal property. I was suprised at their decision, in that it was a wholesale one way or the other, that one was allowed, the other wasn't, and that there was no "test" or line of delineation defining why one was and the other wasn't. It'll probably take several rulings before a such a test or line results.

I was a bit surprised (I don't know why I should be) that religious leaders were so outright offended, specifically Christian religious leaders, as I didn't hear a single Jewish religious leader offended even though the Ten Commandments were written for Jews, not the Christians, although they're taken in toto with the writings of Jesus. After all, they did get one ruling allowed. But no, that wasn't good enough. They considered the court downright "hostle" towards their religion. Not all religion, or towards Jews, just theirs, those damned Christians.

One of my reactions, and I've talked about this before, is, why have it just be the Ten Commandments? Why not have the Ten Commandments along with works from other religions, or, God-forbid (all pun intended) maybe out of the Koran. Of course, that wouldn't sit well with many of their belief of "my God is better than your God."

So I wasn't very surprised. But I couldn't help but post about the reaction of one politician. Representative Ernest Istook, R-Oklahoma, said:

"Those people who want to express their religious beliefs on public property should enjoy the same rights that we provide to those protesting the war in Iraq."

You know, for a moment there it sounds like the two are separate and distinct, even opposite, that those expressing their religious beliefs on public property and different from those protesting the war in Iraq. I remember at protests people with signs that said "Who would Jesus carpet bomb?"

So, is Jesus pro-War? I went to Sunday School every Sunday growing up, and I don't remember the passage about Jesus fighting off those insurgent Romans, or at Catechism talking about Jesus planning a regime change.

Although the time since the Jesus, the Church, especially Catholic, has probably been in more wars than any single country. Yes, Onward Christian Soldiers.

But even Pope John Paul II specifically condemn President Bush regarding the War in Iraq, and even sent cardinals to speak directly with him to express their opposition, saying violence is against the Biblical teachings, and unilateral war would be a crime against peace and against international law.

So what's it with these American Christians? Why on Earth is there this tie between war and Christians? That passifists are just pot-smoking religion-hating (or more specifically Christian hating) hippie liberals and that the President of the Lutheran Sisters' Gun Club gets a Glock for her 16th birthday with a card that reads "God loves winners."

No seriously, I don't get it. Nothing cute or poiniant to say, just, Why?