Culture vulture

War is terror
Culture Vulture is not a Bible scholar. Most of what I remember about the tenets of Christianity is still in place from Sunday school classes attended 45 or so years ago, or from a phase in the late ‘70s when I actually read the New Testament with the hope of coming to my own, adult comprehension of the message being conveyed there.

Quite frankly not a whole lot sunk in, just basic stuff such as: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” “Judge not, lest you be judged by the same measure,” and, last but not least, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” (I don’t recall specific chapter and verse citations, but I’m sure a Google search or your nearest clergyman can supply them for those who desire such information.)

The point being that everything I remember about Christianity has to do with love, forgiveness and charity. I have no recollections of any verses that quote Jesus telling anybody to go kill anybody else, no matter how profoundly they disagree. And yet here in the present we have televangelist Christian leader Pat Robertson, a former candidate for the office of president of the United States, espousing the assassination of Hugo Chavez, the democratically elected leader of Venezuela. Whether one loves, hates or is indifferent to Mr. Chavez and his socialist agenda, having a high-profile, self-proclaimed Christian leader publicly promote the idea of his assassination is contradictory to the most fundamental Christian ideals.

And then there’s our self-proclaimed Christian president and his ongoing, indeed perpetual (as in self-perpetuating), “war on terror.” Perhaps Culture Vulture is just dense, but I cannot comprehend how the continuation of an unresolvable armed conflict by increasingly violent means can possibly decrease the amount of terror in the world.

The whole bloody mess reminds me of yet another Sunday school truism: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”

One would think that to conquer terror a contradictory approach might be more effective, both materialistically and ideologically.

Culture Vulture therefore makes the following modest proposal: For every act of violence and repression let us counter with an equivalent act of compassion and comfort. Where there is hunger let us bring food. Where there are injured let us bring medical aid.

Where there are people willing to fight to prove their god’s superiority over someone else’s, let there be a reminder that a truly superior god has no need of being defended.

War songs
“Masters of War,” Bob Dylan

“War Pigs,” Black Sabbath

“War Child,” Jethro Tull

“Take Me Back to the War I Survived,” Hawkwind