File Under: 'Golden Calf'

Fundamentalist whackos are at it again. Ultra-orthodox Jews are blaming Isreal's recent war with Lebanon on the scheduled gay pride parade in November. Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch moralized, "We did not succeed in Lebanon due to the obscenity and promiscuity in the Holy Land."
(via Towleroad.)

Of course, there's been plenty of "blame the gays" recently - a few months ago, another Israeli rabbi blamed the gays for the bird flu. Last year, an official of the Methodist Church of New Zealand threatened that God would punish that country if his church wasn't allowed to have a second anti-gay march. Of course, that's over and above the gays causing 9/11 and Katrina. Of course, we've also heard that the angry Tiki god is furious at people voting the wrong way or not supporting Intelligent Design in school.

You know, I almost expect it from whacko religious leaders, but you know we're in trouble when you start getting this kind of crap from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- Marine General Peter Pace recently declared that Donald Rumsfeld is inspired by the Almighty. "He leads in a way that the good Lord tells him is best for our country."

Just brilliant. I consider myself to be a very spiritual person. I really do try to respect others' religious views, as well. This, however, has crossed any reasonable line of sanity. The US gets a fair amount of criticism from the Arab world that the occupation of Iraq and the "War on Terror" are both really attacks on Islam. Of course, the Islamic community has more than its share of nutjobs too, but things like this seem to prove their point.

I'm tired of people trotting out God to justify their political and ideological beliefs. Even more importantly, God told me that he's fed up with it too. Now cut it out.