The New Mean Jesus: Who Put the Hate in Christianity for God's Sake?

When did Jesus get to be so damn mean? What happened to the Jesus we used to learn about in Sunday school? What happened to the one who loved us no matter what, the Prince of Peace? If the Pat Robertsons of the world are credible, Jesus now hates Democrats, liberals, homosexuals, illegal immigrants and Muslims; more or less in that order, discouraging news for me since I qualify as at least two those.

And why wouldn't Pat and his ilk be credible? After all, they all claim to converse on a regular basis with the lord. Pat is so close to God that he feels comfortable enough to suggest the Almighty strike down Supreme Court justices and foreign leaders. God as your personal assassin, you can't have a much more spiritual relationship than that.

I'd like to think that these self-appointed spokesmen for Christ are a bunch of loons who don't represent the majority of Christians, but I'm not so sure about that.

A friend recently asked me to attend a church meeting, an offer I had to decline; Christians scare me. It wasn't always like, not before I heard so many proudly proclaiming themselves to be "pro-war Christians." Having seen war up close and personal, if Jesus is a warmonger, I'll be keeping company with some other deity.

The film 'Jesus Camp' presents a truly frightening picture of what is going on in the Evangelical world. Young boys and girls at the Kids on Fire bible camp in North Dakota are shown praying to a cardboard cut out of George Bush. Talk about worshipping false idols.

Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of the radical rightwing Focus on the Family organization is arguably the most influential Evangelical leader in America. His books and daily radio show reach millions of people. The White House consults with him on a regular basis. In fact, Dobson knew before many leaders of Congress that Bush planned to nominate Harriet Myers to the Supreme Court.

Just what does Dobson see as the biggest threat to the country? Again, after deep consultation with the father and the son, it is homosexuality. Whom does Dobson blame for homosexuality? According to the learned doctor, loving, nurturing mothers cause boys to become gay.

In his book, "Bringing up Boys," Dobson quotes clinical psychologist Joseph Nicolosi's book "Preventing Homosexuality: A Parent's Guide," extensively; calling it the "... most insightful material available on the subject." Nicolosi writes that it is the father's responsibility to prevent it his son from becoming gay. Saving boys means ripping them from their mother's clutches: "If(a father) wants his son to grow up straight, he has to break the mother-son connection that is proper to infancy but not in the boy's interest after age three."
Now I don't profess to have daily conference calls with the Lord like Dobson, Robertson and their good pal Jerry Falwell do, but from my reading of scripture, Jesus had a very close relationship with his mother. What might Dobson be implying here?

Once the father has broken the mother-son connection, what does Nicolosi recommend he do next? "He can even take his son with him into the shower, where the boy cannot help but notice that Dad has a penis, just like his, only bigger." Just a thought, but perhaps someone should have told pastor Ted Haggard that comparing penis size in the shower becomes inappropriate after a certain age.

Dobson further recommends that parents think twice about letting their sons join the Boy Scouts because of "...a vigorous effort by gays to infiltrate the Boy Scouts in the same way lesbians have done so successfully in the girl scouts,"

You can't blame those, who feeling like outcast, unable to accept the new "mean Jesus," abandoning faith and spirituality or seek refuge in a different religion. Not me though. I am going to continue to oppose war and I will maintain a close relationship with my mother. I will not condemn my fellow humans because of their sexuality, and I won't start showering with little boys to keep them "straight". I will not accept the radical right's mean Jesus, and I will continue to buy Girl Scout cookies and Boy Scout popcorn.

If all this condemns me to Hell, so be it. I expect Dobson, Falwell and Robertson to be on the welcoming committee.