The Stench of Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is a stench in the nostrils of the Lord. So says the Bible. Yet there they sit, the evangelical Christians of this country, practicing a religion that bears very little resemblance to the Gospels.

The Bible has two passages that condemn homosexuality; one explicitly (in Leviticus), and Paul once rather vaguely mentions it. Christ never mentioned it at all. There are literally hundreds of mitzvot in Leviticus, the vast majority of which are ignored by everyone, including the evangelicals. That was Paul's explanation of Christianity - it was a new Covenant which freed its followers from the old Covenant. The old laws of Leviticus no longer needed to be followed.

The Bible contains dozens of passages that quite explicitly condemn greed, both in the Old Testament (the old Covenant) and the New Testament (the new Covenant). Yet, of all the mitzvot and all the condemnations in the Bible, what is it that the evangelicals focus on? The one Christ himself never mentioned. Do the religious leaders of the evangelical movement forego the amassing of personal wealth? No, in fact, it is quite literally regarded as a reward to those who follow the proper dogma. If you are sufficiently righteous, goes the modern rationale, wealth will flow to you.

Here's a good example of that hypocrisy in action, from Mother Jones:

"When the casino-rich Coushatta tribe of Louisiana began a lobbying blitz in 2001 to block three other tribes from opening competing casinos, they hired two of Washington's top influence brokers, lobbyist Jack Abramoff and public relations whiz Michael Scanlon. But Abramoff and Scanlon -- who are now at the center of a Washington scandal sparked by the multimillion-dollar fees they charged several tribal clients -- knew that to win any lobbying campaign in the South, they needed help mobilizing social and religious conservatives. So they turned to one of the best-known names on the religious right: Ralph Reed. Since his departure as head of the Christian Coalition in 1997, Reed has emerged as a highly sought-after corporate consultant, putting his organizing skills and political connections to work for business interests -- even those that conflict with his followers' conservative beliefs.
On the casino issue, Scanlon's company, Capitol Campaign Strategies, paid Reed to help assemble anti-gambling coalitions in Louisiana and Texas. Among other things, those coalitions backed a lawsuit filed by Texas' attorney general that early in 2002 succeeded in shutting down two Texas casinos that posed competition to the Coushattas' highly lucrative operation.

Reed says he has not wavered from his anti-gambling convictions and points out that his company was paid by Scanlon's firm, not the tribe. "We have never been retained by a casino to serve their interests," he says. But antigambling activists say that argument doesn't wash. "When you get paid big money, it's got to be gambling money," says Tom Grey, a Methodist minister who runs the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling. "Ralph Reed with all his sophistication should have known where the money came from."

Among Reed's clients is Channel One, a company that provides television equipment to schools in exchange for airing 10 minutes of news and 2 minutes of commercials daily. Prominent conservatives have blasted the company for exposing children to junk-food ads and explicit movie promos. In response, Channel One turned to Reed, who in 2002 helped the company deflect a proposed Texas Board of Education resolution that would have urged schools to jettison Channel One. Reed, who points out that Channel One also runs ads promoting abstinence and anti-alcohol messages, phoned several board members and dissuaded them from voting for the resolution, much to the dismay of conservatives like Phyllis Schlafly, a longtime critic of Channel One. "I'm surprised that any conservative would work for it," Schlafly said. "They're all advertising things that I wouldn't want my children to buy."

more: http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/2004/11/10_400.html
There are many in the communities of faith who still believe in tolerance, who still feed the hungry and clothe the naked and house the homeless. But this modern perversion of Christianity seems based on hatred, greed, and fear. I do not think the gentle Nazarene would recognize what has become of his preachings.

An orthodox Jewish friend of mine put it most succinctly: "as I am, myself, unable to follow all the mitzvot to the letter of the law in all things, I am not in a position to pass judgement on those who cannot follow one single mitzvot." It is hypocrisy for those practicing hatred for their fellow man, greed, and lack of charity to condemn those who lie with those of their own gender.

I am sick at heart over this vicious perversion of faith.