Right on, Cairn. When my first marriage fell apart in the mid-nineties, and when I realized that my "compassionate community" wasn't going to pay my Social Security for all those years of uncompensated service, I too had to say, "tag, you're it!"

I am not a christian, but I was an activist for the most part of my life, and between the 1970s and 1990s I saw a steady decline in citizen commitment and willingness to put their beliefs to the test. I still have some little hope in my heart that this will change, but it won't unless more people take up the challenge.

When it is time to move on, it is time to move on. You will never be the same for your experienice and neither will any of us who read your words. Thanks and may your next phase of life further your and our development as people.

karen
your welcome messages to other christians and non-christians alike have surely served in much the same way as cindy's activism - to broaden the range of awareness among common people as to the magnitude of the hideous reality of our government and our passive acquiescence as citizens.
unfortunately, until such time as enough of us renounce our allegiance to moribund, irrelevant institutions (state, church, etc.), since these are the prime agents either directly promoting or enabling the acceptance of suffering and death, not much in the way of significant change can be expected.

This suggests that alotta people log on to CommonDreams. That pleases me cuz it says something about the level of awareness that must be out there, in the real world.

I have written to you before and thank you for your spirit. I will miss you.

The sculpture is prayer and powerful.

I think Jesus realized what a danger religion is without the relationship to something real. Christians for decades have an image problem, the problem is they look to images rather than be real.

The truth, they can't handle the truth. It is too alive and living for their hollowed out religion in their spiritless letter of the law churches.

Without that connection they are easy pickins for any hack politician or leader that can mimic emotions and pull at the strings that feel like, the truth.

maybe it's time progressive christians stopped calling themselves christians at all. if i remember my sunday school, the name "christian" was originally an insult (book of acts chapter somewhere, vs somewhere else.) given what most "christians" in this country stand for (and look around the world; the catholic church, eg), why would anyone want to identify themselves with that?

Indeed, and pass it on. With only one avowed atheist and muslim among their ranks, there remain only hellbound hypocrites among our executive and now congressional command structure. The grunts of the Nam brought that immoral war to an end with the violence of "fragging". True Judao-Christian soldiers could set the prints of Peace contre-epitome' by instead "tagging" the commander guys (and girls) with their sins of omission and commission in the prosecution of their unHoly war (starting with that against Leviticus 19:11). The tag stops where it started. For God sakes, tag 'em! (AND remind them that they're also bound to turn the other cheek!).

Let's be grammatically correct here, shall we? For, like it or not, HOW you say something is almost as important as WHAT you say.

It's "Tag, You're It," not "Tag, Your It."

I have never seen any organized "Christian" movement for peace or to stop a war - ever, anywhere. Martin Luther King's efforts were the closest thing to organized Christians for "anything positive". He made speeches that has a lot of anti-war rhetoric in it but no one remembers him for those words. I do not know how the fundamentalist rationalize this war but I assume they do. What does Dr. Jim (Dobson) have to say?

Eons ago (ok, not "eons," but it FEELS like it) the term "born again," and "born again Christian" got overused, marketed, and damaged. Besides, what on earth is a "born again" Christian? Either one is, or is not. Simple. And ultimately, it is for each person between them and God. Not for us to judge each other.

Slowly, but ever so more insidously, the word "Christian" has equally been overused, marketed, and damaged.

These words truly no longer mean what they used to mean.

And that is because of the people who have used them for their own purposes.

A common distortion of all of this is evidenced by the all too common conversation (which I have been victim of), where someone confronts you unsolicited, and says in your face "Are you born again?" And you concede, in a civilized manner, "I believe in Jesus," or simply "I am a Christian," and STILL, EVEN SO, they COME BACK AT YOU WITH "But ARE you BORN AGAIN?!"

Now, I ask you, in all frankness, what kind of conversation is that?

It is evidence of the overuse, marketing, and damage that I note above.

In response to Drex, there are organized Christian peace movements. I recommend Every Church a Peace Church http://ecapc.org and also direct you to the work of CPT (Christian Peacemaker team. Also Pax Christi. There are several great movements.

Cairn cobb, thanks for educating me -however- I never see any news about them. Do they try and organize all Christians to walk the walk and talk the talk of love and peace? I am not trying to be facicous but I see the so called "Christian right" getting themselves in the news all the time plus their wicked agenda(s).
I followed your link and hey, thats great, I dig the concept but I wish they were a little more vocal-good luck to them

Cairn: Truth never leaves you, take a rest like Cindy. Here's one big problem as I see it. Americans work (most) during the week and Friday night is the big go out and party, drink alcohol and forget your troubles night. I wonder if there would be a revolution if BEER was outlawed? Men seem to use alcohol to buffer or anesthetize their anger and righteous indignation, and women are popping anti-depressants to the tune of MILLIONS. Sugar can act like a drug, and as Granny D mentioned in an earlier article on commondreams today, the SIZE of Americans is getting surreal. (It's one thing to carry 10-20 extra pounds, but 100-200? This is sick! It's an insult to the care and maintenance of the body temple.) My point is that taken together, a lot of Americans are shutting down their feelings and that's one big reason (apart from working 2 jobs, not getting accurate news in mainstream media, and/or getting spiritually perverse INVERTED teachings from their major religious institutions) there is not fervor as Cindy Sheehan and Cairn would have hoped. That truth reaching critical mass cannot happen when everyone becomes the canary in the coal mine who instead of shrieking, just medicates away the CAUSE to shriek! Psychology is treating anger and depression as a PERSONAL issue, a "character flaw." As far as I'm concerned, like the bumper sticker from the movie NETWORK put it, "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention." There have been a few articles here and there about Bush taking up a "mental health" initiative. Watch out for that one, my friends. The Republicans cut funding to mental health and in NYC for instance, the crazies became the homeless population. Lots of "compassionate conservatism" at work there! So why would they CARE about mental health, except to USE political angst as a rationale for "treating" dissidents. It's happened before, and the neo cons have watched the nazi and Soviet playbooks and where possible adapted their ways and means, of course dressed up thanks to high paid PR people like Karen Hughes. They might drop the bombs on Iran and call it "Operation make rain" for all we know. As I suggested on another post, I'm asking for us all to VISUALIZE peace every day at the same time and see if we can connect with a HIGHER spiritual power, as the political channels of our nation are not responding to our calls.

People want to be accepted and loved by their family members, church members, community members and in cynic with superficial patriotism.

I'm sure you have taken heart from the knowledge that paraphrased but in the negative your assessment is the exact warning that Jesus gave to his disciples," Follow me and you will be despised by the world.

Stephen eloquently spoke truth to power exposing the warts and beauty spots of Hebrew history culminating in fulfillment of prophecy in the birth,life and death of Israel's Messiah. For this he was stoned.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke truth to power exposing the evil of the Third Reich. For this he was jailed and hung with piano wire.

You have exposed the evil of silence and vocal compliance demonstrated by most lip-service "christian" denominations across the US the same way Jesus saved his most scathing rebuke for the Pharisees and Sadducees.For this...

"your" in good company ; there,I "can't" spell either and who gives a shit.

Happy vacation

Detrich Bonhoeffer! If I remember correctly he worked within the government to have an impact. Your post made me think that each of us who are inspired (or even a small group) could start attending right wing churches and during "sharing time" could calmly and respectfully read portions of the sermon on the mount.

There must be a way to hold people accountable for the distortions they are teaching. Let them publicly agree or disagree with Jesus' teachings. Let them be accountable.

(As for spelling I am severely dyslexic which is probably the reason I can sculpt well- It is nearly a miracle that anything I write ever gets published.)

One does not have to belong to any religion to know what is right and what is wrong. But one does have to possess common sense, a sense of fairness, as well as ethical and moral fortitude, and a wakeful conscience to be an upright person and a good citizen of the world. Although almost all religions that came with the book preach good stuff for the most part, but their adherents do not follow the message. Look at churches in the U.S. They're big business. Their top religious leaders are filthy rich and preach hate (Pat Robertson and Falwell come to mind but I don't remember which one said kill Chavez).

I often wonder why so many people go to church on Sundays. If Christ taught peace is good and killing is immoral, then why are these people inactive and silent in the face of mass murder by their government? I can only assume that perhaps preachers are not preaching the teachings of Christ, or else those people are dumb or go to church for other reason. Whatever their reasons, but if they still believe they are Christians, they're barking up the wrong tree.

Can christianity be rehabilitated after it was co-opted by Emperor Constantine? Before his "conversion" Christians were a non-violent group of dissenters towards imperial power, afterwards one had to be baptized to be a member of the Roman army. Preaching the gospel of Christ without peace is like talking about Confucius without mention of the family. Karen, I hope you stay active in some respects, because it is only with folks like you being vocal that an ideal like Every Church a Peace Church doesn't become just empty utopian rhetoric.

Hi Karen,

Even if your writings changed the mind of just one individual, you've made the world a better place.

Thanks.