Further Recommendations from The Aeneid

In yesterday's Los Angeles Times there appeared a full-page ad about saving Darfur, the war ravaged region of Sudan that is truly a humanitarian catastrophe. The ad had a photograph of a shirtless male survivor of the genocidal violence, the scars on his chest from shrapnel-filled bomb injuries quite plain to see.

Wow, sounds like a call for the one person who heals, who saves, who loves to come into this situation.

Sounds like the ad called for Jesus.

Nah. 'Course not. It called for the guy people think is better, stronger, higher.

They called for President Bush.

"Tell President Bush: You must do more to save Darfur" is what the ad said.

Now you'd think those who truly follow Christ and know who He is would find this comical, but alas, so many of them are piled into the World bandwagon that they just don't get it. They are not getting it to such a great degree that they miss the obvious, as do all the Radical Selfists who fiercely plead with the World to end all bad things.

What on earth do they think Bush is going to do? Now, there is one thing Bush can do if he did the most brazenly bold Roman thing. He could go in and take care of business with the most extreme prejudice. That is, first quietly insist that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir stop whatever bad thing he is doing. If he doesn't after about, oh, two minutes, you send in planes to blow the snot out of his location, wherever that may be. In fact, if Bush did the true Roman thing, he'd take over all of Sudan, period.

Of course, the Radical Selfists would be aghast. But I then ask them, what is it exactly you want George Bush to do? You say he should do more-- ahem, what would that be?

All this tells us that what's really happening is one of two things. It could be that Omar al-Bashir has a good reason to do all this. Maybe the people he's exterminating deserve it, it is just retribution for evil things they've done. If that's the case, then what are these "Save Darfur" people crying about? If you are a sinner without Christ, who cares? What difference does it make? Hell is a wretched place, whether it is on earth or in its bowels.

Or, if it is not that-- and I do believe that it isn't, that al-Bashir is indeed committing heinous war crimes-- then why isn't Bush kicking ass? Why aren't these "Save Darfur" people endorsing a complete conquer strategy? Why?

I'm convinced it is because they're all in bed together, Bush, al-Bashir, even the "Save Darfur" crowd, all signed up and dutifully serving the systematic and duplicitous execution of Cain's agenda. It's easy: pussy-foot around and pretend like you're doing something about anything, but doing just enough to get people offering their allegiance to you and your noble pseudo-crusade.

It makes me sick. "Save Darfur." No you don't. You people don't give a rat's nard about Darfur. You revile George Bush and then plead with him to do something he won't do, he can't do. That says volumes about who you are following.

What's needed here is not more abject exploitation, but the One who actually does save.

Oh, you mean Jesus? Not him, not that guy hanging limp on a cross. Not that guy sitting in the meadow cuddling a bunch of lambs. Not that guy who's card is the first in the Rolodex of those crazy televangelists.

Actually, you're right. Not him.

But rather

Him.

The Jesus who's got legions of angels at His side. The Jesus who'd throw a mountain into the sea. The Jesus who loved the people of Darfur so much that He did the most incredible thing of all, He allowed Himself, God Almighty, to take the penalty for the sins that so horrifically shred this world.

And Who loved us so much that He laid the wonder and beauty of adventure right in our laps, saying, in so many words, "Go and be Me. Go love and heal and tell them about Me so they'd see their names written in heaven. Go do that because the World will just make them sons and daughters of hell."

So then, where are those people? I can't deny that there are many industrious, giving, faithful followers of Christ who're out there quietly and profoundly being Christ.

It's just that there are certainly counterfeits out there too. Very good ones.

But hey, one thing we do know. George Bush isn't Jesus. He's one counterfeit we can easily pick out. I guess we can safely say that... except, no, except for the people who still think he is Jesus.

Well, it's a good thing Jesus loved them too. Maybe there will be some who are Jesus' flesh and bones for them too. I'd like to think there are.

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