There were those on the religious right that quite adamantly, in boastful fervor, insisted it was God's leading to support the invasion of Iraq. When asked what is behind such assuredness, their most common response seems to be related to bible prophecy, Israel or "Bush is a man of God lead by God", with of course very few admitting to co-opting to republican politics. But how amazing; the religious right community believed Bush and the notion that invading Iraq could somehow postpone, alter or avert apocalyptic turmoil predicted in the Book of Revelations. That perhaps a U.S. presence in the middle of the region, which is about where Iraq is located, would do what? Stop or hinder the fulfillment of God's written word about when and what would happen? That it would stop the great army of horseman predicted to cross the great river Euphrates or stop the gathering of armies predicted to take place in the middle east? That is what does not make sense about all this. That so many on the religious right who believe that God's written word must come to pass would believe they could change it. And the more amazing fact is that they would pursue such an end with such unwise strategy as invading an Islamic Iraq with a "Christian" army then expecting cooperation. Not only does history highlight the futility of such an endeavor but Godly wisdom about human behavior should inform you of the entrenched rebellious nature of any religion outside of God's will, yet some interdenominational & pentecostal Christian churches insisted, in a whirlwind of emotion, that it was God's will to invade and physically force "change" in Iraq.
I mention the interdenominational and penetecostal community because I usually expect them to get it right in such weighty matters. The Southern Baptists of which so often support carnal physical solutions at the drop of a pin can be excused. It is in one way an illustration of the influence Southern Baptists have on these interdenominational and pentecostal groups but these two groups have also become much more intertwined with right-wing republican politics of which they have so much difficulty in separating themselves at times because of the emotional intanglements where the abortion issue is involved. Because of the Republicans support of a few key religious issues the most dynamic fundamental part of the overall church has become nearly sold out completely to all Republican policy ie, pro-war, pro-rich. What this comes down to is that church leadership cannot be wholly trusted on issues where politics and especially Republican politics come into play. Positions that pastors take regardless of the size of the church must be tested by the Spirit of truth within each Christian. I remember pastors of large high profile interdenominational churches, megachurches, getting up before their great crowds proclaiming God's will to invade Iraq as they recast christian doctrine and embraced situational ethics. It is clear the church needs to get up and admit that it has become too compromised by money and politics in worldly matters.
The result of this invasion of Iraq is going to result not in hindering evil, but by giving in to a pre-emptive evil idea is going to increase the presence and intensity of evil in this region so that we are creating civil war in a country we might have brought stability to and creating an even greater possibility of like religious regimes in both Iran and Iraq so that an even greater empowered anti-Israel bloc is present. With the majority of Shiite rule in Iran and now Iraq, twin future Ayatollahs is if anything more of a possibility than it was before we invaded Iraq. Before invading we had a western oriented secular culture with it's middle class and educational system established in Iraq resistent to regionally united extremist Islam. It was a major stick in the mud to any cooperation among Islamic extremists but the bumbling incompentence of our present administration has removed that and incited just the opposite in the region which is turning out to be just the formula the terrorists and extremists needed to unite regional arabs under an extremist theocracy in both Iran and Iraq.
The religious rights claim to God's leading to invade Iraq has become a shame and disgrace on the church. It is the result of continued ignorant redneck religious mentality in our presidency and in our churches lacking the wisdom to look forward into human behavior and wisely see the consequences of it's actions driven primarily by emotion, fear and political acquiesence rather than the true, wise and courageous leading of God.
In America the elect appear to be, most easily, deceived.
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