It's very easy and quite tempting to blame Bush and his neo-con cabal with their relentlessly power mad and greedy colleagues in Congress for the war, the corruuption and the other ills which now threaten to engulf us. This would be to overlook the complicity of the Democrats, who have neither courage nor insight, nor for that matter even common sense.

The gutting of our national infrastructure, diminishing concern for: working people, veterans, soldiers, the underemployed, those at the poverty line and below, i.e. the non investor class--all this is really nothing new. It's been going on for a very long time. The emergence of a one party system, owned and operated by and for corporate interests and buttressed by a truly reprehensible religious ideology, is not brand new either. At every step of the way needed corrections could have been made, but were not.

Who's responsible for the current state of affairs? We are! Not just "We the People" enshrined in the Preamble to the Constitution, but we the so-called believing Christians who comprise roughly 85% of the American population. We have been willingly seduced. It's now time to ask a religious question--in a paraphrase of Paul (Gal 3:1) "You foolish Americans! Who has bewitched you?"

We now know that everything really is inter-related and inter-connected. This is true at all levels of being from particle physics to global social systems. We also know that human nature doesn't really change very much over eons of time, but the social environment in which people live does undergo significant change.

We live now in a technological civilization, unlike anything the world has ever seen. Built upon the intellectual assumptions which supported the "modern" era which saw the emergence of science, the consolidation of nation states, the industrial revolution and the first steps toward a global economy, this new technological civilization has outgrown the ideas and beliefs which spawned it. That's the reason people are now talking about a "postmodern" era.

Just as physics outgrew Newton and required an Einstein and a Heisenberg to provide fresh explanations for the way the cosmos works, so too do new social realities demand fresh assumptions. Several strands of religious thinking undergirded the "modern" world, but these have now proven to be inadequate to the task of grounding a "postmodern" technological society.

American life has always had its roots in a kind of 17th Century Calvinism which may be a distortion of Calvin himself, but which were imported to England and then exported to the colonies across the Atlantic. Rooted in the thinly populated American wilderness, this neo-Calvinism sprouted an exaggerated sense of its own importance and soon developed a hyper-individualism without parallel anywhere else.

Much good, of course, has come from the American configuration, but there has always been a blind side which embraced slavery and engaged in oppression of native peoples. The foundational American "City on the Hill" sermon in 1630 gave rise to a mythology of American exceptionalism and a form of "civil religion" which attributes to the American colonists, a role in the world simmilar to that of the biblical people of Israel. Military victory was a principal means by which the world would know of God's favor upon us. Thus the American "myth of war" was born.

From its very inception, this civil religion has been, not only a distortion of biblical Christianity but, from a Christian perspective, a particularly blasphemous form of idolatry. For centuries, the evil within it was hidden from us because rural and small town America had built in social safeguards which did not allow for the emergence of the kind of social destruction we now see.

The 17th century New England pilgrims were true Christian belivers with a real sense of their common life together, but this didn't last long. During the 19th century the real Christian roots eroded and "democracy" became the driving force of the national desire to evangelize the world in our own image. World War II was the last historical event which could plausibly justify this kind of belief. It has been necessary, of course, all along this historical journey to hide from ourselves the role that money, new territory and our own gain has played in our civil religion.

What we are witnessing now is the unravelling not just of our national fabric, but of an entire belief system. The seeds of destruction were implicit within it from the beginning, but were just not evident until recently.

Individualism, necessary and good in so many ways, but separated from the kind of relationships and the social structures which must always support it, has now become narcissm. The ability to produce for our own good and that of others has been transmuted into unbridled materialism, consumerism run rampant and greed which knows no bounds. The use of political power, always necessary, but checked in a true democracy, has become a desire to exert power unopposed by anyone.

Corruption has always been around because human sin remains, but it has now become systematic and unashamedly blatant. American exceptionalism has led us to export "democracy" to Iraq while not paying too much attention to the connection with oil, big contracts and the like. We have now become truly dangerous to ourselves as well as to others. Once again the same old blind side, but now on a much much larger scale. Continued deception over time has led us to a widespread national self deception.

The problem is not just George W. Bush and the Congress--though they are a problem. The problem is not just emerging fascism, though that may be what is coming. The real problem lies within ourselves. We not only tolerate all this, but we benefit from it.

I propose an alternate reading of Scripture upon which to base some further reflections and some steps I think we must take:

"All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people." Acts 2: 44-47.

More later on "Our Life Together."

The Los Angeles Times carried a rather scary front page piece this morning which describes training seminars held in Washington for Congressional aides and aspiring politicians. These sessions are conducted by conservative religious leaders to "help them understand God's purpose for society." "The students learn that serving country means first and always serving Christ.They learn to view every vote as a religious duty, and to consider compromise a sin."

As an ordained minister of the Gospel, I am all for teaching people about what Jesus had to say about God's purpose for society. But I cannot find those biblical passages that link God's purpose with war, tax cuts for the rich, nor can I find anything about every vote being a religious duty. These folks seem to be a tad bit selective. For another take on the issue, one might consult an essay by Bill McKibben in the August issue of HARPERS MAGAZINE. The title suggests his theme: "The Christian Paradox: How a faithful nation gets Jesus wrong."

McKibben points out the obvious: a great majority of Americans are Christians. American political and economic assumptions and policies must therefore reflect the faith of large numbers of Christians. The troubling part of all this is that so much of what Americans believe is simply contrary to what the New Testament actually says. And large mnumbers of people take as Gospel truth, things that are not only not in scripture, but are opposed to it. A few examples.

"God helps those who help themselves" Three out of four Americans believe this statement is found in the Bible. Actually it comes from that most canny and wily of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin. One does find in the New Testament such passages as: "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need." (Acts 2: 44-45). Most Americans wouldn't recognize that one though it is indeed in the Bible, so let's get on with tax cuts for the rich.

How about the contrast between Scripture and our levels of children living in poverty, per capita spent in foreign aid. How about giving aid to the poorest of people, or that rather scary passage in Matthew's Gospel about judgement depending upon whether we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison, etc. The Old Testament prophets denounced injustice, oppression, corruption in high places, withholding hospitality, oppressing widows and orphans.

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." "The poor have the Gospel preached to them," etc. etc. Then there's always the Beatitudes found in Luke 6: 17-20 and in Matthew 5: 1-12)

It seems that core passages like these escapte the notice of most American Christians. Nor do we see any practical consequence of Jesus telling Peter to "put away the sword, he who lives by the sword dies by the sword." We certainly have no intnetion of putting into practice anything like "turn the other cheek." What the heck, let's pour another 85 billion into our pre-emptive war of choice.

The training seminars described in the Los Angeles Times are possible because most American Christians actually adopt Benjamin Franklin as their inspired guide rather than what Jesus actually said.

The gulf between Christian biblical theology on the one hand and the understanding and practice of the faith by vast numbers of American Christians on the other seems impassable. There are now two different faiths using the same name in this country. Perhaps we should ask the religious right to rename themselves to reflect their real philsophy, enunciated so well by their intellectual founder. They are the Franklinians! Old Ben would be pleased.

Gardening is not something I enjoy. Having just returned from the back yard helping my wife in the garden which she loves, I recalled a time when I considered gardening a patriotic duty and did it willingly. I was only a child, but I did my part for the war effort by working in our "victory garden." I helped defeat the Axis powers by tending our tomatores, carrots and radishes. Even kids were expected to contribute to the great cause and we did so willingly. After the war, with my father and other veterans in civilian life again, we all helped to put in place a period of prosperity in which all shared. We made good schools better, we built highways systems, we created social systems that worked for everyone. As a young adult, I felt part of the civil rights movement and the war on poverty. I remember more than 30 years of hope and optimism as we Americans built a better life together. We knew we could do it and we did. But no longer!

Paul Krugman reminds us how today we are going in the other direction and losing our country. We have created a nation which seems to be a mirror opposite of the one I inhabited in my youth. Examples abound: the income and wealth gap between those who work and those who live on investments or inheritance has widened to an immense gulf.

As Krugman points out, the American middle class didn't happen by accident. It was put in place by design and by a people who really believed they were in it together and wanted a just society in which all could share. Taxation, incentives, risk sharing have all been reversed. This can all be turned around, of course, but only by a people who have the will to do it. Are we still that people?

The religious right has captivated not only the administration and the media, but they seem to have terrified Congress and intimidated many Americans. My problem with them is primarily theological. From a classical Christian perspective they seem to be quite unbiblical and nothing more than the latest manifestation of "American civil religion," which goes all the way back to the 17th century--though under Bush and company this phenomenon has become particularly virulent and toxic.

But there is some evidence that people are beginning to wake up and listen to other religious voices. This morning's edition of the Los Angeles Times reports on the increasing national attention given to Jim Wallis, the evangelical leader and writer who has been the "voice in the wilderness" for the poor and disenfranchised.

As Terri Schiavo approaches death, the right is galvanizing itself to make this tragic case fodder for intensifying the culture and religious war they have instigated. A sober assessment is required. Terri and her family are Catholics. Traditional Catholic theology has always held that "extraordinary means" are not required to sustain life. Clearly a feeding tube inserted in a woman who has been in a persistent vegetative state for 15 years is "extraordinary means."

Despite a statement last year by Pope John Paul II to the contrary, traditional Catholic teaching remains. Tim Rutten reports on this controversy. So from a clearly conservative Catholic perspective, the removal of the feeding tube is a morally legitimate option. Her husband has a right to make this decision without moral opprobrium.

Tom DeLay, who fomented much of the controversy, faced a similar sitution in the death of his own father and was involved in making a similar decision

Clearly, the agenda here is to agitate the religious right as a political base. But there is a huge inconsistency: apparently these supposedly and sincere Christian people have missed the meaning of Easter. Do they not share the hope of a blessed resurrection with Christ--the foundational belief of Christianity? How did they miss the meaning of Easter? Can they not let Terri, who has no possibility of even a shred of cognitive life, enter into that state where, as Scripture reminds us "we shall fully even as we are known?" Are our right-wing politicians capable of blindness even on this fundamental Christian perspective?

Bob Herbert, New York Times columnist, has it right when he says of the budget proposed by Bush and the Republicans in Congress:

"This is the era of entrenched exploitation. All sacrifices will be made by working people and the poor, and the vast bulk of the benefits will accrue to the rich... To slide backward now (hurting millions of people in the process) because of a desire to siphon funds from those programs and hand them over as tax cuts to the wealthiest members of our society, is obscene."

How did a nation which once came together to survive a horrendous global depression and then shared the sacrifices of World War II, emerging to create the infrastructure for the most prosperous, inclusive and expansive society in history come to such a sorry pass? How is it that a nation which once prided itself on inventiveness and a work ethic which enabled ordinary working people to enjoy the benefits of prosperity, is now governed by an elite which despises ordinary working people?

One simple answer is that greed is now in the driver's seat but then greed is always with us so what is different now? Well, there is an ebb and flow to history. Sometimes social values and the common good prevail, providing a check to rampant individualism and unbridled greed as in the 1930s-40s; at other times end of the 19th century and the 1920s. There is a kind of pendulum effect in the social dynamics of history. Tragically, this is a time when the common good has been almost completely trashed by the corporate powers that seem to own the government (and much of the media) lock, stock and barrel. But this isn't just a political problem or economic oppression though it is both of those.

There is a profound moral sickness in the land which allows this to happen. From the classical Christian perspective the situation has become one of widespread, idolatrous worship of money and power, resembling very little the biblical faith as it has been understood for centuries. The religious right, which endorses Bush and his programs, has little taste for the Hebrew prophets and their concern for the poor and for justice. It is almost as if they have never read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. So, Bob Herbert is right on target and there is a frightening moral and religious underpinning to the Bush budget.