George and the Ten Commandments
Can you be a good Christian if you fail the Ten Commandments test?
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by Samuel Raider

N THE THIRD AND FINAL DEBATE between George Bush and John Kerry, I thought Bush did about the best job he had done so far. He did a pretty good job of representing himself and didn’t act angry or overly confused. So, I give him marks for improvement, although the forced smile he had through much of the hour and a half only reached his lips and, most of the time, left the rest of his face alone. I imagine him being slapped around by Dick Cheney et al and told to smile, damn it, smile. He did his best.

So, I give George W. credit. I think he did his best. The problem is, there’s a small matter of the truth. No matter how badly or well this man performs his act, he hasn’t managed to find his way to the truth and his performance is, as best as I can tell, a pack of lies. What’s most amazing about all this is that his lies are completely transparent. A quick look at any number of sites on the internet, such as factcheck.org (which Dick Cheney at least tried to send people to), will clear up the fact that Bush is lying. But what’s far worse than what he does say is what he doesn’t say. He doesn’t say anything about the mistakes he’s made. He doesn’t say the truth about his obvious prejudices and his real agendas, such as his real intentions regarding Supreme Court nominees or abortion. His debate answers would lead anyone to believe that Bush was a moderate, fair and balanced politician. However, Bush’s actions outside the debate arena so powerfully contradict his statements that it’s hard to understand how anyone can continue to believe in such a transparent liar.

And, in fact, George Bush is losing support, even among conservatives who are finally realizing that this administration is out of control. One long-time conservative has recently written that electing Bush in 2004 would be a catastrophe.

So, it comes down to this. George Bush is lying. He has been lying at least as long as he’s been running for president. And I mean back before the 2000 election. It doesn’t take a genius to see that.

So why do people still support this man and his corrupt administration? There seem to be two main reasons. Either they support him because they are just die-hard Republicans who would vote for the Devil if he ran on that ticket and/or they call themselves Christians but ignore how often Bush breaks the very commandments they profess to believe in.

Let’s look at Bush and the commandments, scoring on a 100 point scale, ten points per Commandment:

hou shalt have no other gods before me.

Mr. Bush, you arguably break this commandment because you appear to worship power and money above all else. To prove this without doubt, I’d have to have some sort of spiritual x-ray machine to look inside your soul, but lacking such a device I am guided by your actions, which in any case speak louder than words, Mr. Bush, and I see no evidence that your ideological fixations have anything to do with God. Score: 0 points

hou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Just about all Christians break this commandment regularly. Graven images are pretty much standard among Christians and Jews. Only the Muslims (some of them) adhere to this commandment and create only geometric types of art. Under ordinary circumstances, I’d give you credit for this one, Mr. Bush, but you are so zealous about your beliefs that I am going to hold you to a stricter standard than I would in someone more moderate in their statements. Score: 0 points

hou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Although I have heard stories about your ranting angrily in the White House behind closed doors, and although I have absolutely no doubt that you have used many types of profanity often, I haven’t personally heard you take the Lord’s name in vain in the ordinary measure of this commandment. However, as with the previous Commandment, I hold you to a higher standard than the ordinary man, and I believe that you have used the name of God hypocritically to further your political agenda. I see no evidence of true consistency or sincerity in your protestations, given how readily you tailor your speech to the audience. No, you take the name of the Lord in vain by your political use of it. Score: 0 points

emember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

George, I figure you attend church as much as the average guy, although I have my doubts about the "six days shalt you labor" part. You do take a lot of vacations. Score: 10 points

onour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Once again, George, you get a pass on this one. If nothing else, you have done your father’s bidding by becoming president and by carrying out his political agenda. Score: 10 points

hou shalt not kill.

Well, this is one of the most critical ones. The commandment does not say, “Thou shalt not kill fetuses, but it’s ok to kill anybody you don’t like or anybody you think is wrong or anybody whose skin is a different color.” Yet, that seems to be the interpretation of most of the people who form your “base.” Here is where the hypocrisy hits the fan. It’s an old argument, but certainly you are responsible for more than a thousand American deaths in Iraq and thousands more Iraqi deaths.

There’s plenty of evidence in the Bible that Christians were empowered to kill the pagans and the so-called enemies of God. Apparently, there are conditions that let you off the hook. But it seems like hypocrisy to me to fight for fetuses while condemning thousands of men, women and children to death. Not to mention that it’s arguably bad science.

In any case, George, you are the worst kind of killer – one who doesn’t soil his own hands, but sends young men and women out to do the dirty work. Score: 0

hou shalt not commit adultery.

It’s pretty common knowledge that most presidents have had mistresses, but I have no information about you, George. So I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Score: 10 points

hou shalt not steal.

Clearly you stole the 2000 election. And you have continued to steal ever since – our civil liberties, our money, or environment, our future. Score: 0 points

hou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Bingo. Could anyone be bearing more false witness than you, George? Your lies keep compounding on each other. In fact, you’ve got to be the lying-est president ever. If you have any doubts, just check www.factcheck.org or any of the numerous sources of truth out there. You won’t have any trouble finding your lies exposed, though you do seem to have some problem facing facts, even when they are shoved right in your face. If there is one Commandment you have broken that shows your faithlessness, it is this one. And you have broken this Commandment at the expense of every American and all members of the Family of Man. You’ve had some help from your friends – Rummy, Ashy, Rovie, Condee and Wolfie. But you have to stand on your own sorry merits. If I could score you in minus points, I would… Score: 0 points

hou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Once again. Bingo! Mr. Bush, you covet far too much that is your neighbor’s, notably oil and gas. It seems clear that your covetousness knows no bounds and that you’ll do just about anything to achieve your ends. OK. We’re not talking about oxen and asses here, but we are talking about breaking yet another Commandment. Score: 0 points

So, let’s see your Commandment Report Card, Mr. Bush. You get three passes and nothing on the rest. You get especially poor marks on some of the most important Commandments, such as killing, lying and stealing. And because of your overly moralistic positions, you get no special dispensations. In school, you’d have an F, but this is the moral test of much deeper significance than some ordinary quiz you may have taken at one of your Ivy League schools. This is your test as a man… a test of your honor and your worth. And for all your posturing and professions of pious beliefs, I’m afraid you have failed the test miserably. It’s time for some real soul searching, Mr. Bush. I’m sure there’s a special place in Hell for such as you!

Reprinted from Raider's Blog