I recently received the following as an e-mail from writer/poet Janet Poludniak.  I thought it to be an excellent comment on todays situation.  She graciously gave me permission to use it in my blog.

Not all conservatives are ignorant, but way too many have their heads in the sand and are content to go to church for an hour each week to fulfill their religious responsibility and maintain appearances.  There are many conservatives that are deeply involved and making a difference–one battle at a time.  If more would get involved, things would change a lot quicker in the RIGHT direction.  I hope this generates some thought on the part of those who keep life in the fast lane at bay.

I remember hearing a sermon once that said basically, “When you walk through the doors of the church, you’re not supposed to leave your brain outside.  God wants people informed and involved in a way that impacts the world around us.”  I think a lot of Christians–nominal or otherwise–forget that they are citizens elsewhere and only passing through.  But while we’re here, we’re supposed to be making a difference in the way the disciples did.  They changed the world of their time.  They weren’t rich.  Most weren’t educated other than basic stuff.  Peter was a fisherman, but he wasn’t stupid.  They didn’t stick their heads in the sand.  They didn’t really understand what Jesus was all about until after He was raised from the dead.

I doubt anyone could say that Jesus was non-political.  He came against every group of leadership in His day:  Romans, Greeks, Pharisees, Sadducee’s, the Sanhedrin.  They were supposed to be the good guys, but they were bound by the traditions of men, not the real meaning of the Law and the Prophets.  Jesus contradicted those philsophies and their religion.  He stood out like a sore thumb.  That’s why they hated him.  Why they killed him.  They were afraid of change.

People today probably resist change more than anything else.  And sadly, change is happening all around us, but we’re too complacent to see it.  If you compare the Christian church of 60 AD to todays church, they’re like two different critters.  Those men stood for something–truth.  Now people believe there is NO truth…  They’re wrong.  Truth hasn’t changed.  We have and the enemy has blinded the eyes and clouded the minds of people not to see it or be aware of it.

Do you remember when the wall crumbled in Germany?  When the Iron Curtain tumbled?  It hasn’t been that long, but values have changed so much that it is all but illegal to be a Christian.  At institutions like Cornell University, employees are not allowed to wear a cross necklace, to have a Bible on their desk, and a lot of other things.  I heard on the news just last week that a Pastor was threatened because he was having a Bible study in his home.  Authorities from his community pounded on his door and told him it was illegal and he MUST cease and desist from the “religious meetings” or request a permit to have a religious gathering.  There were 15 people studying the Bible in his HOME.

Well, it won’t be long we’ll be worse off than Russia ever thought of being.  There will be NO freedoms.  Mark my words.  We’re on the slippery slide down.  I’m all but certain that 9-11 was a wake up call.  I don’t believe God causes things like that to happen, but I DO believe He allows them to wake people up.  For a few months, people hung flags and said, God bless you.  Some even started attending churches, but little by little, religious freedom is being swept under the rug.  Ministers are cautioned not to talk about politically incorrect things from their pulpits or they will lose their tax exempt status.  The courts have taken it upon themselves to interpret the Constitiution in a very liberal way.  Abortion is rampant.  The definition of family and marriage is going down the toilet.  War is all around the world…  Time is short.  If God doesn’t bring judgement on America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gamorrah.

Prayer and Bibles have been removed from schools and other public places and functions.  Religious symbols, especially Christian symbols have been banned everywhere.  Christmas has been banned from everywhere you turn, including stores where people shop.

The excuse is they might offend someone.  About 85% of the population are Christian and 15% of the population are atheist, agnostic or other religions.  The percentages may be a little more or less, but the point is the population of our country is Christian far more than all other categories combined.  It makees absolutely no sense to offend the majority of the country to keep from offending a minority of the country.

I have spoken out against this many times.  A few others have also.  What is really disturbing to me is the clergy are not speaking out against this in the public forum.  Time after time, I look for the clergy to step forward and speak out against this, but for the most part, they are silent.

Another thing happening in this country with frequent regularity is the political hatchet jo being done on a few women in this country, who dare to speak out when their beliefs and opinions are not those of the far left.  These women are being demonized terribly and unfairly.  Sarah Pailin and Miss California USA are two good expamples.  These women are being viciously and unjustly attacked.  All women should be offended by what is being done to them.

The women’s lib movement has been extremely silent in each of these cases.  Instead of the women of this country speaking out in outrage over the treatment given them, They are silent.

The clergy should be ashamed of themselves.  Are they vicars of Christ?  Or are they just trying to make a soft living masquerading as such?  The womens lib organizations should also be ashamed of themselves.  They have lost all credibility with their silence.

The news frequently has stories of feuding parents killing each other, their children and themselves. A young marine was recently arrested for the murder of a woman accusing him of rape, but ready to have his child. He burned her pregnant remains in a pit in his backyard. Why?

Stories of schools and universities being locked down because of crazed gun men or knife wielders or threatened bombers have become almost daily fare. Why?

Teenagers beating one another, exposing themselves, and worse are being found in public videos on the internet. Why?

It seems to me we have a great sickness in our culture and our society for all of these things to be going on and for them becoming commonplace.

Maybe I am wrong, but it seems to me the beginnings of all of this becoming so commonplace, began with our allowing Judaeo-Christian values to be removed from our public places, our schools and universities, our places of business. Christianity has come under attack in this country as never before. We have forgotten the very principles and ideals this country was founded upon. We have kicked God and Jesus Christ out of our schools and our public places.

I think our great sickness is due to our trying to do away with Christianity and the centuries-old hatred of Judaism. I think we had better start changing our ways back to the principals this country was founded upon, before it is too late and we no longer have a country. I know we cannot continue without healing and curing this sickness and survive.