| PAH! |
| Phil Donahue once asked priest-sociologist-novelist Father Andrew Greeley, "Don't you think it would be better if all these dissenting Catholics left the church?" No, Greeley says, they stay because they like it, and they won't permit the "damned fools" in the Vatican to ruin their faith for them. I soured on religion when the religious right anointed George W. Bush as the only candidate a true Christian could vote for (after rabid murderers with box cutters rammed planes into buildings in the name of their religion.) I was livid with my own faith when Catholic priests politicized the Eucharist while supporting a so-called pro-life candidate whose lust for war, not to mention the death penalty, has led to countless deaths. A year after the election, it hit me: I didn't want the "damned fools" in the White House to rob me of my sacramental life. Pat Robertson Was Right! It's true. God orchestrated the re-election of George W. Bush. Why? Because He is a just God and wants to hold George W. Bush's to face the consequences of his policies. His crash-and-burn administration (they call it shock-and-awe) reminds me of marauders who blaze through town and by the time the dust clears they're on to the next pillage. By serving a second term, they must answer for their behavior, and their answers aren't very convincing. Face the mess they can't possibly clean up. You can see those consequences in the president's look of befuddlement and discomfort. He has the countenance of a man who would rather be anywhere else. It's a more exhausted version of his puzzled expression as he perused the children's book My Pet Goat as the Twin Towers burned. I also believe in Hell, because what other destiny awaits a leader who purports to be a Christian but whose policies are diabolical. (At least he'll still be with his inner circle of friends!) Fool Me Once...Er..We Won't Be Fooled Again Check this out: I've reclaimed my faith from the tent show charlatans at the very same time that a majority of Americans are wising up to this administration's diabolical mismanagement of our destiny. They're a little late. I knew back in late 1999 that Governor Bush was in over his head.His campaign rhetoric had the sophistication of a Taco Bell menu: 3 ingredients served up 20 ways. Well, America, better late than never. Like any decent person who has been burnt by a so-called friend who turned out to be selfish and disingenuous, America is wiser but at some obscene cost. We've given the keys to our home (and churches!) to heinous burglar, but it appears that we're getting our homes and churches back. While I cannot fathom how anyone voted Bush-Cheney in the first place, it is reassuring to hear so many people regret their vote. Like the relieved Dad whose daughter ditches her punk boyfriend, I'm not asking questions. |
| by Mark Morelli |
| How George W. Bush Led Me Back to God |