Stand Back. We're Spoutin' Religion Today...

This week, I'll start by blowing some smoke up Jim Moore's skirts. No, we're not in Kristi Noem territory. I just want to declare my admiration for his work over the years. Long before he was an Outlaw Writer colleague, I admired his reporting when we were in TV, his book writin' and perceptive blogging. But we, albeit courteously, disagree on one thing. I'm still clinging to my religious faith, though these days it can get tough.

And I'll issue the usual caveat. I am an Episcopalian, which shows a degree of dedication and fervor akin to being a kamikaze co-pilot. In other words, to many of my bretherin and sisterin, a certain lack of commitment. In the UK, Anglicans used to be nick-named the "conservative party at prayer." These days, though, with a female Archbishop of Canterbury, I doubt that still applies. I'll check with my English ex-pat friend in Houston.

The legendary Texas writer Molly Ivins, when told that the then-new Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was a "Charismatic Episcopalian," wondered if that meant he wore loud ties.

But as I write this, tomorrow is Good Friday and that, of course, means Sunday is Easter, the holiest day in the Christian calendar. And this Holy Week, we find ourselves in the middle of a war, or whatever they decided to call it this week. And, religion, of all types, is everywhere in the news.

An Easter gathering at the White House became so embarrassing that the video was pulled from the website. Paula White-Cain is the President's "spiritual advisor." I know, you thought it was Dan Patrick, but it is this woman. She is apparently a prominent televangelist who has been married 3 times.

After her first marriage to Dean Knight in the 80's, White was married to Randy White from 1990 to 2007. They met while attending Damascus Church of God in Maryland, where Randy White was an associate pastor. They divorced their respective spouses and married each other. The couple moved to Tampa, Florida, and started Without Walls International Church in 1991.

White then married Jonathan Cain, a member of the rock band Journey, in 2015.

At this gathering of evangelical preachers and evangelists, she said this...

OK, she can offer salvation and a backstage pass for the next Journey concert. But, I do have a few words for Ms. White...

Epstein. Stormy Daniels. E. Jean Carroll.

And the standard response from these folks when confronted with these uncomfortable facts about the President is, "Well, the Lord uses imperfect people for his work." Well, frankly, the word imperfect is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.

But what bugs me even more is that these people, along with Pete Hegseth and his march toward the end times, think that this is my faith. So-called Christian Nationalism is as restrictive an interpretation of Christianity as anything going on in the Middle East.

Think of it as Sharia with a side order of bacon.

Meanwhile, Pope Leo sermonized last Sunday against those who wage war. I'm sure Donald, Pete, Marco, and the gang find him just adorable.

And it isn't just sex and war and Kristi Noem's husband. In the Book of Genesis, man is given dominion over the earth. And what was God's thinking about this earth he created?

 ^"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." 

And, by golly, it certainly is. But our dominion, according to this divinely inspired administration, means ignoring climate change, outlawing renewable power, burning coal, removing protections for endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico, yes, Mexico, and virtually dismantling the US Forest Service. The last two came just this week.

 In March, the so-called "God Squad" committee voted to exempt certain oil and gas drilling activities in the Gulf of Mexico from Endangered Species Act protections, citing national security, a move that critics say poses a grave threat to the remaining Rice's whale population, for example. 

What endangered species? Well...

Critically Endangered Species and Key Threats:

• Rice's Whale (Balaenoptera ricei): As one of the most endangered whales globally, it is highly vulnerable to oil spills, vessel strikes, and entanglement.
• Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii): The most endangered sea turtle, with nesting primarily occurring in Mexico and Texas.
• Smalltooth Sawfish (Pristis pectinata): An endangered, shark-like ray found in shallow coastal waters.
• Gulf Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi): Threatened fish that inhabits rivers and the Gulf.
• Corals: Endangered species include various Acropora (staghorn/elkhorn) corals, as well as several deep-water star corals. 
• Birds: Brown pelican, Whooping crane.
• Marine Mammals: Sperm whales, which have a resident population in the Gulf. 

And of course, the rich, first and foremost the Trump family, are getting richer but, sorry, we can't help you others...

Back to the Book, you know, the Big one. The early Christian community was described in the Book of Acts...

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts." 

Wait a minute! Distributing to any who had need? Sounds like a hippie commune to me! And how about those who believed another way?

Also in that book, Peter said this to the gathered hippies...

Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him."

And yeah, that means your neighbors, Mohammed, Abraham, Krishna, and their families are OK to hang with. You're not going to Sunday meeting with them, or Saturday or Friday or whenever. But in this neck of the woods, in the USA, they're all kosher. Well, OK, not all...alright, you know what I mean.

Which brings us to the Texas obsession with Sharia Law. Like Catholic Doctrine or Talmudic Principles, it is a guide for life. Sharia is the divine guidance or "path" in Islam, derived from the Quran and Sunnah, regulating all aspects of life, including worship, finance, and family.

The US Constitution strictly forbids religious law of any sort from being used in legal proceedings. Period. But to hear Greg, Dan, Ken, and his wanna be successor Chip tell it, it is a cancer spreading through the state. We have a lot of Muslim folks in Texas, one of the four states with the largest Islamic populations, and none of them, to my knowledge, has ever gone to court after a crime and asked to be judged by the local Imam.

"That's OK, I'll take my chances with Judge O'Reilly."

That might be the case in a Muslim country, but it can't happen here. So, I can only assume the hubbub is a distraction from things like, oh, Texas ranking 41st in the nation in education?

So, relax, everyone. Well, kind of. Enjoy the celebration of Holy Week, and at the same time, Passover. After all, the Last Supper was a Passover Seder. And our Muslim friends just ended Ramadan last month. It's a time we should all enjoy, even if none of these faiths is your cup of tea.

I think one thing we can all agree on, believer or non, is that the war is a mess, and the ballroom is way too big and gaudy. See? Brotherhood is still possible.