Following what the Bible clearely says repetitively is differen than calling yourself a Christian. Many republicans are catholics, mormons, seventh day adventist, jehova's witness...they'er moralist. Moralist and immoral people all go to hell for one reason. On Judgement day they all will be Judged according to their deeds. Every evil deed requires payment. The only payment God instituted for covering all past, present and future sins is Jesus Christ. Those who look to Jesus Christ and turn from evil deeds are true Christians. Jesus Christ is king of heaven and earth. Jesus isn't for democracy. The Bible teaches Jesus is a king. Republicans only hijacked legalism. They try to act more moral than the rest when the truth is they'er mostly whitewashed tombs full of dead mens bones. I would vote for a godless democrate before I vote for a pharisee republican who is twice the son of hell as their teachers.

Contemplating the 'dao' of modern religion is to also understand that this isn't some stereotypical school/church house out in the sticks anymore, we live in the day and age of Megachurch, which has it's ideological counterparts and opposites around the world. Organized religion is very vocal in politics these days, some religious organizations have gone as far as offering the Faithful a retirement program.
Bush himself claims to be one of the Faithful...I just think we've generally come to the point where people around the world should be asking frank and open questions of these people pawning themselves off as the leaders of this or that religious organization, and strongly exhort them to reveal themselves as the carpetbagger politicians they truly are,
trying to push another cheap shill at the public. People buy into this stuff, lock, stock, and barrel, every day. The revenue numbers are staggering. By comparison with what's likely going on right under our noses, Jim and Tammy were comparative small fry. Call it McChurch, call it Jesus, Inc., call it a beef tamale, it all amounts to the same thing: widespread and carefully orchestrated fraud being perpetrated in the name of the Almighty against the public. The sooner we see more 'open books' laws, the safer the institution of religion will be from the ministrations and machinations of those attempting to use it as a personal vehicle to fortune and beyond...

What is obvious in our country, is that those who fled from Europe because of their beliefs recognized that “their beliefs” could easily become as dogmatic and fanatical as that which they had escaped from. After all what were the Salem witch trials really? They at least serve to show the consequences of when hokus pokus rules. Society easily breaks down and ultimately, as has occurred the world over throughout history, a religion dies. It becomes unbelievable. With the advent of Science, the Christian religion become unbelievable, at least for a great many people; that is the great consequence of the Copernican Revolution; in fact the entire ancient world view of man as the center collapsed and in its place nothing has arisen, in the sense of our meaning and purpose that can fill the void. We must be like Ibsen's Per Gynt and peel the onion of our being layer for layer and with our last breath and the question “Who is Per Gynt”, we vanish. Perhaps it is possible to accept this “unknown” about ourselves, that our whence and whither are enigmas that offer the freedom to see the world without the indoctrination ceremony of Daddio, Laddio Spook.

Still the question to our forefathers seemed to be something like how can we all live together with our various beliefs without killing one another off, . . . what are the necessary ingredients. The answer was apparently, your rights. Certain rights granted to you in lieu of the fact that you exist as an individual. Thus, today when Christians demand that we obey the bible or that the law of the land should be biblical in it nature are not only not very “democratic” but un-American. They are people who never learned what exactly the constitution is. The genius behind the bill of rights is that it isn't enough that one has majority rule—not really. If the majority lacks the vision to see that by imposing their concept of “correct and acceptable” actions by abusing the fact that they are the majority then they equally forfeit the entire concept of “freedom” as we have it in terms of our law and rights which entitle an individual to believe as one finds true to himself or herself. When religion dictates its “how” and imposes it upon everyone, it is then we see what is happening throughout parts of the Middle East. Where it isn't enough to be a Muslim but one must be the “right” kind of Muslim. By setting limits on how each of these religions can impose their will upon others before they are breaking the law is one of the major consequences of system of government. That is at least what I thought, though I could easily be totally out to lunch.

Right on, james! What ever happened to the first amendment, separation of church and state, the Treaty of Tripoli? So many evangelicals are afraid of the government encroaching on the church, and what is actually happening, courtesy of Pat Robertson and James Dobson, is that the religious right is trying to control government.