Many of the nation's leading Jesus Thieves convened in Denver last Tuesday to work towards uniting behind the presidential candidacy of Sen. John McCain, a man who used to have the courage to denounce such charlatans.

In a gathering reminiscent of the 1957 organized crime summit in Apalachin, New York, some ninety major figures in the rightwing conspiracy to kidnap Jesus and commit identity theft against him gathered in the city where Democrats will nominate Sen. Barack Obama in late August.

Among those in attendance was Tim LaHaye, the No. 4 man on Jesus' Ten Most Unwanted List, which I have compiled in my new book, Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America. LaHaye is the co-author of a series of books that have Left Jesus Behind and promote the greater gory of Christ.

Other prominent Jesus Enemies at the Denver sit-down included David Barton, founder of WallBuilders, Rick Scarborough of Vision America and Eagle Forum headmistress Phyllis Schlafly.

Dr. James Dobson, don of the Focus Family and No. 3 on Jesus' Enemies List, was not in attendance, but he was represented by one of his capos.

Our shared core values compel us to unite and choose the presidential candidate that best advances those values," said the Liberty Council's Matthew Staver, who convened the meeting. Unfortunately, those shared core values are in fact value$ and are, on several points, diametrically opposed to the teachings of Jesus.

The attendees signed a letter urging McCain to consider former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as his running mate. They were careful, however, to characterize their call for putting Huckabee on the ticket a "suggestion, not a demand."

Interestingly, this is the same way they see the teachings of Jesus: "The Suggestions on the Mount."

Some of these pushers of the drug Christian Lite (Be saved without sacrifice or good works), who loudly say "Jee-SUSS!" so they won't have to do Jesus, are not all that enthusiastic about Huckabee, though. The AP report on the Denver meeting noted that some of them "dislike his populist message, emphasis on the environment and [his] economic positions."

In short, they don't like Huckabee on precisely those issues where he actually heeds the teachings of Jesus -- and suggests policies that might help the least of these and cut into the profits of the money-changers.

Phil Burress, one of those at the Denver meeting, said that the most important thing is that McCain's running mate be "pro-life and pro-family." Those are, of course, code words for being anti-abortion and anti-gay.

"The only evangelicals that will support Obama are the ones who haven't read their Bible," proclaimed Burress.

These Jesus Thieves must be reading a different Bible from the one I have. In mine, Jesus never mentions abortion or homosexuality. He does, however, talk about loving your enemies, turning the other cheek, helping the poor, and how difficult it is for a rich man to enter heaven.

When it comes to the red lines in the Bible -- the words of Jesus -- these leaders of the "Christian Right" read between the lines and leave the red lines unread.

"Obama is a considerable threat to our values," Staver argued. Jesus Followers can only hope he is right, since the value$ of this gang are almost 180 degrees from those Jesus preached.

Wherever two or more of them are gathered falsely in his name, there is hate.

{Historian Robert S. McElvaine is Elizabeth Chisholm Professor of Arts & Letters at Millsaps College. His latest book is Grand Theft Jesus: The Hijacking of Religion in America

check out the links at -

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Jesus-Thi...080706-854.html

Great OpEd!

So, Obama is a threat to their values. How? Because he's not like them? Because he's, you know, different?

It' s interesting that they would pick Huckabeezlebub. Maybe it's because he talked about amending the constitution to "god's law?" Their God.

About McCain, it's not that he lacks courage, its' that he's a political whore who cares more about being president than principle.

He's exotic

Exactly!

I think Obama's position on "Face Baithed" Initiatives (no disrespect intended, but I can't let him off the hook for that little quirk ) may have something to do with this. As I suggested on another topic, Obama's position does seem to open up the number of eligible organizations to a degree that robs the current 'fat hogs' of their special favor at the trough of their Republican beneficiaries. By restructuring the Office of Faith Based Initiatives in the way that he describes so many organizations will become eligible that what has been an exclusive source of funding for only the most fundamental of Christian Groups, represented largely by those pointed to by McElvaine, will be diluted to prevent it from being the political tool that it has been. That can't make this exclusive group of beneficiaries of the old way of distributing those funds very happy at all.

And with the way in which the old methods of campaigning are failing there is another angle to this which explains the possible role of Huckabee. Not only is he, as former President of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention and a former staffer for James Robison, a kindred spirit. But he is kind of the 'Anti-Obama' in a way. Obama is known for many things, but one of the most notable is his discovery of a whole new way of putting together and running a political campaign this season. But he isn't alone in this distinction because the same could be said of Huckabee in his own right. Well outside of the favor of the Republican party Huckabee did manage to run a campaign that defied the current system and was far more successful than the establishment could account for. With the struggles of the McCain campaign to gain any kind of footing and get started let alone build momentum could it be that this group of evangelicals has hit on what may be a glimmer of a chance for the Republicans - to bring in a man who can run a very different kind of campaign as Obama has and who has the track record for squeezing success out of a campaign that, by conventional wisdom, does not have a chance.

This was a cute article. I love the term Jesus Thieves.




(chuckle) Sounds like red-lining to me (or redacting, like when Bush is always trying to protect his Saudi Princes).

LaHaye, Scarborough and Schlafly are all profiled at the Southern Povery Law Center for their terrorism against the LGBT community and minorities. LaHaye especially has been tied to a number of neo-fascist organizations and his works are often found in raids of Christian terrorists organizations.

These people help sponsor the real terrorism that is the threat to the US: the threat of Christian terror cells and neo-fascist terror cells. Unfortunately, the MSM doesn't want to report on these real threats to the peace and stability of the US. Mainly, because the violent criminals are mostly white middle class males and females.

LaHaye, I think is the most dangerous man, next to sick Dobson. Here of late, these guys are writing sex is fun books? They have moved away from that old canard that sex is a bad thing (but only necessary for procreation). And of course gay sex is their man beef.

Here is list of LaHaye articles from SPL:
http://www.splcenter.org/search/s-query.ht...p;x=10&y=11