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I grew up in a family of
faith that demanded honesty, truth and integrity, both in private life
and in public. Truth was at the heart of faith. In my family as a
child, the penalty for telling a lie was a whipping, no ifs, ands, or
buts. In my church, lying was viewed as a sin, and unless sin was
admitted and forgiveness sought, the penalty could be estrangement, if
not complete removal, from the church body.
Those years seem so very
distant now. In 2005, America appears to be a land without a moral
compass. Our president is a habitual liar whose lies and deceit have
led to an unjust and un-winnable war, including the death of nearly
two thousand brave and innocent American soldiers and tens of
thousands of innocent world citizens in an effort to ultimately
establish an Islamic theocracy in Iraq, even as the president is
incapable of admitting when he is wrong, or offering an apology of any
kind. Just as stunningly, most of the so-called “Christian” leaders
of this land have not only refused to criticize the president for his
overt and repeated lies and deception, but they have bent over
backward to defend (via denial and/or creative rationale),
seemingly with all their heart and soul, both in pulpit and in public,
the president’s lies and deception.
Quite frankly, I am
speechless at such behavior. In my younger days, not unlike the
portrayal of an earlier time of life in America on such classic
television shows as Leave it to Beaver (ironically, a favorite
of many of those who so unswervingly defend the president), to
ardently defend a lie was worse than the initial telling of the
lie. But today, some Christians wear, as a badge of honor, their
whole-hearted defense of the president’s lies and deception.
In my younger days, churches
held, or at least tried to hold, public figures accountable for their
sins. But today, seemingly most Christian pastors and local church
bodies refuse to hold our president accountable for his overt and
repeated lies, and instead embrace him as the exemplar of a godly man
and a godly leader, while condemning any fellow American (and
especially any fellow Christian) who dares to criticize the president
by pointing out his lies and deception.
As a member of a quite
conservative Christian faith community in my younger years, I was
expressly and clearly taught that the prosperity of our nation
depended squarely upon the integrity and honor of its leaders, and
that, conversely, dishonest, sinful leaders would bring disaster upon
the nation. Yet today, most conservative Christian faith communities
preach, in no uncertain terms, that God’s blessing on our nation is
dependent upon leaders like George W. Bush, a man who publicly
proclaims faith on the one hand (and tosses out a few faith “bones” to
his conservative religious supporters), but who just as publicly
speaks repeated lies and deception on the other hand, showing
absolutely no remorse for his sins, and having no interest whatsoever
in asking for forgiveness.
How have so many Christian
faith communities in America arrived at a point where former core
values such as truth, honesty and integrity are no longer important?
Why have so many Christians turned from the truth and embraced lies,
heart and soul? Why have so many Christian churches made fellowship
dependent upon one’s embrace of George W. Bush, a man whose
unapologetic lies and deceit are clearly evident for all to see?
I do not know the answers to
these perplexing questions. I do know that my mother would have
washed my mouth out with soap for lying to her and trying to deceive
her, and then, when he got home from work, my father would have
whipped me.
And I do know that I am
grateful that at least one mom in America, angered that her son died
because of the lies of our president, is concerned enough about the
“old,” forsaken values of honesty, truth and integrity to make a firm,
unflinching and courageous stand on a dusty road in the sweltering
heat of the Texas plains. Our country needs more of these
“old-fashioned” mothers to hold our nation’s leaders accountable, and
to set a moral example for our nation’s “Christian” communities who
have forsaken the truth for a lie.
-- Bruce Gourley (August
24, 2005) |
