Christian Values and Human Rights in Bush World
On the Nascent Christian Origins of Jefferson's Human Rights

Dr. Gerry Lower< Keysone, South Dakota
Bush Watch, www.bushwatch.com

Like it or not, American Democracy was built from a basis in human rights, under the law of man and not the law of a supernatural external authority. Indeed, rejection of the notion of external authority was necessarily a clarion call during the American Revolution, simply because the British and European monarchies and the Papacy were using religious authority to oppress and exploit the people of the New World colonies.

So to hell with them all, chuck their tea in Boston Harbor and curses upon everything they believe in order to justify their exploitation of the colonies. The British oppression was absolutely stifling, sufficiently so for the colonists to ultimately reject virtually everything they had been told about the higher sources of authority in the world. Religious law in America was replaced with human rights in our Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson placed God in the "head and heart" of every person, and "the highest authority" was assigned to "the will of the people, substantially declared (1791 Cabinet Opinion)."

We take these rights to be self-evident. That means if you think about it honestly, you will come to the same conclusions as Jefferson and Franklin. We take these human rights as the basis for all civil rights, the operational extensions we provide ourselves in order to guarantee that human rights are honored in the living world.

Two centuries later, we have come full circle to have America dominated by the religious right wing and Republican crony capitalism. The man ostensibly guiding this masterful enterprise is George Bush the Younger, a "reformed" alcholic and born-again "christian," converted by Billie Graham, anointed by John Scalia. In keeping with British imperial tradition, Bush worships the British version of the JudeoRoman god defined in the King James Version (yes, folks, even that is British).

Given that George has openly proclaimed his belief in Billy Graham's JudeoRoman god and his deep admiration of the first Christian, it is only appropriate to begin this discussion with a Biblical story that demonstrates Christian concepts of human values, laws and rights.

More importantly, historians trace the entire notion of universal human rights back to the 17th century and the EuroAmerican enlightenment which rediscovered and implemented Democracy in the New World. In truth, universal human rights go all the way back to nascent Christianity, and that is precisely where our Deist fathers learned about them. [Author's comments in brackets].

"And the scribes and the Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery ... in the very act."

[Nowadays, of course, life is not nearly so self-righteously egocentric, and most people would be more prone to wonder what these "men of law" were doing, sneaking around and peeking in people's windows?]

"Now, Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?"

"This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him."

[As one might expect from self-righteous "men of law," they wanted to see if Jesus would dare ignore Abraham's god and Mosaic law. If so, you know, he might be a terrorist in the name of love.]

"But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not."

[So much for the first Christian's notion of political correctness. He simply dissed the men of god's law.]

"So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

"And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground."

[Two overt snubs in a row. The men of god's law are not doing so well, are they?]

"And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst."

[Wherein the first Christian clearly demonstrates the difference in response when honesty, as opposed to self-righteousness, is employed as a basis for judging others. He did not let the lady off the hook. She knew that she had gotten herself into trouble. But, it was the "men of law" whom the first Christian saw as far mor troublesome. So, he removed them from the discussion with one simply brilliant directive.]

"When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?"

"She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

Now, what do we have here, people? Do we see here a man obssessed with religious law as the word of god? No. Do we see here a man dedicated to preserving the rule of the men who claimed to know god's law? No. Do we see here a man who was hot to implement Moses' command to bloody such women with rocks? No. Do we see here a man getting his rocks off on other people's mistakes and misfortunes in order to make himself feel morally superior? No. Does this man's words and actions have anything to do with religious law and vengeance-based morality? No.

So, what exactly do we have here, people? Do we see a man whose chosen bottom line in thought is compassion instead of vengeance? Yes. Do we see a man in love with his fellow humans and dedicated to human honesty? Yes. Do we see a man who has little time or interest in a posteriori law and punishment? Yes. Do we see a man whose primary objective is to level the playing field in the interest of fairness and equality? Yes. Do we see a man who actually trusts people to make their own decisions? Yes.

Do we not see in the first Christian a man with an overwhelming passion for human rights? Yes. Is there any doubt in your mind why Jefferson would choose this man and his ethical morality as the basis for American Democracy?

Nascent Christian morality was based solidly in human rights from the very start. It is not the first Christian's fault that Roman emperors from Constantine on merely talked about his values in order to justify self-righteous conquest and control. It is not the first Christian's fault that JudeoRoman mis-interpretations and outright fabrications drove imperialism, colonialism and crony capitalism, in his name. The problem is clearly with JudeoRoman religion which never has very much honored nascent Christian values.

Jefferson and Franklin were Deists who recognized the self-evident truth that nascent Christian values and JudeoRoman values are mutually exclusive. One can choose to be vengeful or compassionate, but one simply cannot be both. The JudeoRoman religions had always talked the latter and acted on the former. Cristianity was, from the beginning, a rejection of vengeance, a rejection of legal/penal moralities and a rejection of marketplace values. The west had been doing it wrong for millennia and Jefferson would conclude that Christianity was a moral system that had not yet been tried in the real world.

As a result, Jefferson's Declaration is certainly one of the most Christian documents yet written, and his "Jefferson Bible" is certainly the most honest version of western scripture yet edited (all versions are edits, folks, that's why the British call theirs the KJV), the product of Christian Deism, no religious law in sight, as the first Christian would have it.

Today, with Jefferson's Declaration values replaced entirely by the values of the religious right and crony capitalism, we are right back where we started. The men whom the first Christian threw out of the temple are now back in the temple with a self-righteous vengeance. Christ, is this sick or what?

Accordingly, Bush's values have no Christian content whatsoever. Rather, Bush upholds the values of our European and Papal oppressers. Accordingly, Bush sees law as his to define, which is precisely the equivalent of lawlessness. Accordingly, Bush sees human rights as something to be taken away from the people in the name of national security and a "controlled society." Every western tyrant since Constantine has seen the world thusly. George the Younger, Ashcroft, Rumsfeld, Rove, and Cheney would make any religious despot proud.

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Matthew, VII, 15

Those who still admire the first Christian's ethical morality could provide an immense service to their country and their countrymen if they would only reconsider, for themselves, the values to which they would freely subscribe. The values of nascent Christianity provide for universal human rights. The values of right wing religion provide for human oppression and despotism. It is a tragedy for good people to be lemminged right over the edge by the Bush administration's employment of fear and religious coercion.

"And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers, for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers." Luke XI, 46 --06.23.03