**Who would Jesus slaughter?

John McLaughlin today (broadcast in SDak on Sun Dec 16, 2007) interviewed Stephen Prothero who has written a book titled "American Jesus-How the Son of God Became an American Idol". He notes the types of "adaptable Jesus". They include the "Mr. Rogers Jesus", The "Sweet Jesus, ie the "effeminate Jesus", T Roosevelt's "Manly Jesus, ie the buffed up carpenter", and another, "The Laughing Jesus". He was taking shots at Mel Gibson's "Passion" movie, etc. It may be that the Jeffersonian perspective on Jesus was that of the "Philosopher Jesus" or "Moralist Jesus". I missed part of the program.

It seemed to me when listening to it, that SD Republicans like Bill Napoli (legislative rabid renegade), Bruce (big election loser) , Steve Sibson (notorious blogger) lexrex (notorious small-letter fiend), and more have invented a new adaptable Jesus. This one is "The Legislative Jesus" or the "Election Jesus".

As I have written before, a rather clear separation of church and state has very much helped religions in the US. But some of these churches and their members are a bit greedy and they want both the advantages of separation of church and state and the advantages (to them) of a theocracy.

Napoli and Bruce further indicate the problems of intricately mixing religion and politics with their own assumption that they are on God's side and speaking and acting directly for him or her. It gives them and people like Joe Lieberman an unfounded feeling that they are so very, very correct because they are after all on God's side and by extension all their political opponents are obviously on the side of the Devil and going to hell. But, as somebody else has noted, that if there is a heaven and a hell, hell would have a lot more interesting population.

Meanwhile, their hero in Washington or the Texas Twit and his co-conspirators are sending the USA to hell in a hand basket..every day more and more assuring that this Bush Administration will be ultimately regarded as the worst in US history leaping past Harding, Hoover, Grant, Johnson, etc in the "worst" department. The Bush "Adaptable Jesus" is apparently the "Warrior Prince Jesus" harking back to the "Crusades Jesus" and of course when it serves them, the "Business as Usual Jesus".

Obviously, I am not a scholar of religions or religiosity, but in terms of using Jesus for government, war, or other odd purposes, his tossing the money changers out of the temple seems to be too easily forgotten as is apparent statement something like "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's".

So, while Bush falls to sleep wondering who Jesus would slaughter, you can wonder how you will pay for all the Christmas presents now that Bush, Inc. has slaughtered the economy in the name of his adaptable Jesus and associated rebirth..or re-invention.

**Stay tuned and remember what a local lawyer said.."The shysters always sit at the front of the church" and a forum poster with a tagline "Don't tell me you are a Christian, Show me".--- Doug Wiken