The Christian Masquerade

For thousands of years greed and militarism have paraded along the long line of history as Christianity. Lying in the wake of this masquerade is the blood of millions. You know the drill; first send in the missionaries and soften them up with talk about how Jesus loves them, then send in the conquistadores and claim the land as belonging to some queen or king, cough on them a few times and the rest is history. Exploit the land, exploit the people, and count the spoils.

We now face a particularly grotesque incarnation of this masquerade. It comes in the guise of common sense. It mocks those who disagree and dedicates itself to falsehood and distortion.

It protects the rich, the super rich and the multi-national corporation while the working people, and the middle class continues to be squeezed by the concentration of wealth in the hands of the nation's 1%.

We the 99% continue to watch our jobs vanish and our homes taken from us. All the while, these folks and their minions steadfastly protect the interests of the rich.

Every single candidate for the other political party brandishes the cross of Christ and carries its Bibles underarm and oppresses the poor in the name of Jesus. This is a masquerade and a particularly grotesque one.

How can anyone actually read the holy writings of any faith and not see the bias of God for the poor and the vulnerable.

We are desperate for jobs, health care and a restoration of hope for the working people, and the middle class. Meanwhile, it attacks education for children, Social Security for the elderly, Medicaid for the poor, and science for the intelligent.

Meanwhile the masquerade wraps itself in the flag and in faith of Christ, and turns its back on the vulnerable.

The faith I know and love states with utter simplicity that we are to Love God and love one another.

The scripture says "If anyone says I love God and yet hates his neighbor, that person is a liar". (1 John 4:20). This mouthpiece of arrogance has introduced himself as a savior to the right wing of American Politics. He is embraced by the masquerade with delight.

The Arrogant One has dedicated himself to the denial of jobs and health insurance to the American people. He and his minions want to take Social Security Medicare from the elderly, Medicaid and programs to help children and the poor. We have stood silent and anemic before his taunts. If you call this Christianity, then I renounce it! It is a masquerade! There is no Jesus, there is no God in this masquerade.

The reason folks have taken to the streets is pure and simple. We want jobs. We want health care. We want everyone to take a fair share of the tax burden. Those of you who make millions really should pay as much in taxation as I do just like Warren Buffet said. You probably should pay even a little bit more.

In summary, we want to love one another. We were told to live this way by the Author and Finisher of the Christian Faith.

There is among us an amazing embrace of love of the friendship of many faithful people as well as those who are onto the masquerade who want nothing to do with it. I honor all these folks.

In the heart of it all is the love of humanity whether driven by faith or driven by common human decency. This I call God, because very simply, the kingdom of heaven is within.

To be clothed in Christ is to be clothed with love and compassion for our neighbors. All other clothing is a masquerade!

Do not give up; God will not be mocked!

Fr. Paul