Wednesday Hodgepodge

Paul R. Pillar, former senior Middle East intelligence analyst for the CIA, makes a compelling case that the Bush administration cherry picked intelligence to sell the Iraq war to the public, and that the intelligence work that was done was driven not by a desire to find the truth, but rather to supply backing for a predetermined viewpoint on the relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda.

Rajeev Ravisankar, a student at Ohio State University, explains that the fundamentalists we should really be worried about aren’t of the Islamic variety:

[I]t is in fact the Christian Right which seems to be standing against the values often associated with the United States. Individual rights are impeded by their staunch opposition to abortion and the promotion of contraceptive use. Equality is trampled in their stance against gay marriage. The establishment clause of the 1st amendment is eroded as a result of their efforts to inject religion into public schools via intelligent design… It is high time for the media and the American population to reject Christian fundamentalist attitudes and demand policy driven solutions to address the real problems facing this country.

How does a religion become evil?

Well-intentioned people can do things and justify behavior that contradicts what’s at the very heart of their religious tradition, and it can descend into cruel and violent behavior. One example is a belief in absolute truth. People who believe they have God in their pocket and know what God wants for them have proven time and again that they’re capable of doing anything because it’s not their will but God’s will being carried out… You have millions of Christians fixated on Armageddon theology. They spend a great deal of time watching TV preachers, picking apart Bible verses, looking at headlines in the news, patching together pieces of information to create a sort of image that “Jesus is coming on Tuesday.” But when I read the New Testament it’s pretty clear Jesus says nothing like, “On Judgment Day how much of your puzzle did you piece together?” He says, “When I was hungry, did you give me something to eat, and when I was thirsty did you give me something to drink?” The mandate of following Christ involves reaching out to people in need, and peacemaking. Whether Jesus comes next Tuesday or in a thousand years is really God’s business.