The Big Picture
THE BIG PICTURE

 96% of Americans say that they believe in God.  What kind of
a  God we do not know,  but based upon America's current  general
behavior and choice of values, we trust that their God is an all-
forgiving God.  

Certainly a case can be made that man throughout history has
chosen to follow the bad rather than the good.   Isaiah, writing
in 700 B.C.,  laments,  "There is I, only I, who remains faithful
to God."  In the 1830's a writer said, "We have the best Congress
money can buy."  The itinerant priest in the Canterbury Tales of 1300
AD had one sermon, against avarice.

Tens  of  millions  of people--civilian  and  military--were
killed  in World Wars I and II,  and in the Russion  and  Chinese
revolutions.  Millions have died in famines in this century.  

Thus,  in  a  sense,  our behavioral misdeeds of today  pale  in
comparison with our recent past.  

My  primary  concern  is  with the  record  that  the  three
monotheistic faiths--Judaism,  Christianity, and Islam--is making
in  America--8  million Jews,  144 million Catholics,  4  million
Moslems;  63.6% of the population,  and the widening gap  between
profession and practice.  

There is little dispute about what these three monotheistic
religions profess, i.e., the Ten Commandmments, encapsuled by the
Two Commandments.

There is an incredibly wide range of interpretation of their
holy books, especially by the Christians with their acceptance of
situational ethics.  

However,  the  bottom line is that the gods of  America  are
really  narcicism,   avarice,   sex,  drugs,  egotism,  hedonism,
materialism,  and  the  churches dare not interfere for  fear  of
losing their membership (and their jobs).  

How  contrary to the teachings of Jesus:   "Many are called,
but  few  are chosen."  The fundamentalist churches  preaching  a
strict  adherence  to  the teachings of  the  Bible  are  gaining
members  while  the  wishy-washy main-line  churches  are  losing
theirs.  

What  an opportunity,  when the nation is floundering in its
worship of false gods,  for the churches to project a clear  call
and provide leadership.   As said above, in actuality, the people
respect a straight,  forthright exposition of religious teachings
and  support  this  with  dedicated  lives,   talents  and  their
treasure.