Rosie O'Donnell has come under fire by many Christians for her recent comments suggesting that followers of Christ are no different from Muslim extremists because they blow up civilian children in the name of their religion. I distinguish between true followers of Christ, who would not do such a thing, and the Bush-supporting (creating?) Religious Right in America for whom this is an extremely accurate criticism. And the view this woman so courageously expressed (to the shock of Americans and their censored press) is the view non-Christians in this country and around the world have of Christians. And who can blame them, if Christianity is to be judged by the Christians? (Though it should not be so, this is what happens, just as some attempt to condemn all of Islam because of its worst extremists, etc.)
I'm certainly no Rosie O'Donnell fan"¦until now. Those who object to Ms. O'Donnell's comments do not wish the falsehood to be lifted from their eyes. She has spoken the truth. If we are to call ourselves Christian, we must conform to the standards of Christ. America has departed markedly from those standards in this struggle, and nowhere does Jesus teach that we measure our moral conduct by the actions or beliefs of our enemies: in other words, even if all of Islam wanted to wipe out Christianity, that would not forgive a Christian Crusade that killed Muslim children. This is the core of Christ's teachings - do not stoop to your enemy's level. In fact, it is clear that the great U.S.A. has stooped to a pre-Old Testament level of morality: not being content with "an eye for an eye," America has deteriorated in its morality to the tribal madness of "ten children for one tooth." Thus, we suffer 3,000 civilian casualties, and we have murdered at least 100,000 Iraqi civilians in retaliation: and let's not let the fact that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 stand in our way"¦.
America is the new Babylon, forging its own sickening morality and ignoring the Lord God who watches all. Do we think Him blind? No wonder the Rosie O'Donnells of America are turning on Christians: non-Christians can readily see the blatant hypocrisy of modern American Christians. It is tragic shame that instead of elevating Christ to highest, this observation leads the secular world to reject Jesus because of the murderous, ignorant, fearful violence being embraced in today's America by His supposed followers. The American myth that our country can do no ill has eclipsed our Christian faith, and the ideas of "might makes right" and "my country right or wrong" are carrying the day while Christ is ignored. This is gross perversion of Christianity, here in the country that we ask God to bless.
Let's clarify this a little more, to make things plain using Christian theology. There are only two avenues for war for the Christian individual or nation: a war which is acceptable to God, or one which is not. The majority of Christians have always embraced the idea that only defensive war (if that) is acceptable: a minority view, developed beginning with St. Augustine, is the just war doctrine, outlining the criteria which "justify" a preemptive attack on another nation or people. Though dubious to begin with, the just war doctrine does not wash in Iraq because our nation has not even remotely complied with its requirements, nor did Bush even pretend to do so: when asked about the moral justification for the invasion of Iraq, Bush said "I'm surely not going to justify war based upon God. Understand that." Well, understand that if not based on God and His teachings, a war can be based only on the ethics of evil and of the one who is in control of this world. The preemption doctrine of this administration, as yet completely undefined, is thus an affront not only to the last five hundred years of human efforts at peace, but to the specific commands of God and Jesus Christ.
In contrast to the lying justifications employed to support this evil war, let us examine then the Christian definition of a crusade. We see immediately that Rosie O'Donnell, with the simple honesty of an unsophisticated layperson and not of a theologian, hit the nail smartly on the head when she identified this war as a crusade.
Under the definition of crusade in The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Ethics is found, inter alia, the following:
The idea of the crusade, or "holy war," is described by Roland Bainton as one of three Christian attitudes toward war, alongside pacifism and the just war idea. Bainton identifies the crusade by four characteristics: holy cause, belief in divine guidance and aid, godly crusaders and ungodly enemies, and unsparing prosecution. Other writers (e.g., Thomas Fuller) have stressed the close connection between the just war and crusade ideas"¦.Some apologists in the Puritan revolution argued that their soldiers' godliness implied scrupulously merciful treatment of the enemy; yet extreme cruelty and devastation sometimes appeared in this war and were generally characteristic of the Continental religious wars. The evidence is not that all crusades are necessarily unsparing, but that a transcendent cause tends to justify extreme measures in its service. Modern ideological wars share the characteristics of the crusade and present the same dangers.
A brief glance at George W. Bush's war rationalizations and attempts to justify torture (where does Jesus ever teach that torture is acceptable?) reveals clearly that this definition is met: he believes in holy cause (God bless America, regardless of how great the stench of her sin); belief in divine guidance and aid (God talks to George W., don't you know, even though George ignores all of God's teachings); godly crusaders and ungodly enemies (a dehumanizing psychology: even their children are "evil", and so carpet bombing of four-year-olds should cause no remorse - they're all evil towel heads who are going to hell anyway, collateral damage in our war to spread democracy and Christianity(?) to the world); unsparing prosecution (we will never give up, will pursue our enemies everywhere, and this war will not end in our lifetimes). Americans might as well be honest with themselves and recognize what the rest of the world, and the most rudimentarily trained child, already recognizes: George Bush's foray into Iraq meets exactly the Christian definition of Crusade. The Iraq Crusade. Sound like a dirty, foul phrase yet? It should, if the Holy Spirit has any foothold in you whatsoever!
Instead of using deceptive worldly arguments to support our aggression, perhaps America's leaders and Christians (especially Christian leaders) should examine their morality a little more self-critically. I challenge any man of the cloth to show me how the above analysis is wrong: these arguments can be controverted, but not in Christ. If we were to put Christ back in the center of our understanding of this world, rather than fall prey to fear and unchristian nationalism, perhaps we could take some sober steps toward a Christian peace, and would model Christ's answer of love to the world, rather than portray Him by our conduct as a source of evil and killing.
Rosie O‘Donnell is coming to bitterly resent Christian Americans, like so many of her countrymen. And in doing so, she lumps "liberal" Christians in with the insane and misguided Religious Right: and she also lumps in Jesus. Who can blame her? If American Christians will not hold true to the tenets of their Teacher, why in the world would any non-Christian embrace those tenets and accept Christ? America's Christians are desecrating their Christ in war, torture, and a lack of compassion: the whole world sees this hypocrisy, and Jesus' message is the first and greatest casualty in this war. I weep with Him for the blind selfishness of Americans who say they know Him, but clearly know Him not at all"¦.
Wake up, American Christians - your fight is not with Rosie O., who you should be bringing by your Christian example to Christ, but with your religious and other leaders, who are lying to you and preying on your fear. Hold yourselves and then your leaders accountable to Christ, or all is lost. How dare we kill with such massive modern effectiveness and call ourselves Christ's envoys? How dare we follow a pathological liar and megalomaniac to war, and say we serve God? Let not the face of George W. Bush eclipse the visage of our true savior.
May God bless you and keep you. The end times are upon us, and God's sole purpose for those times is to show us our need for Him, and to separate the wheat from the chafe. Let us be wheat for Jesus, brethren, and no longer permit worldly fear or desire, or worldly arguments, to sway us from that goal. God is real, and Americans are living in the Great Babylon. Yet all who look up to Christ will be protected and saved: he who tries to save his life will lose it.
Why else did Jesus and Paul warn us repeatedly and earnestly that ravenous wolves would come from within the flock, disguised as sheep but laying waste to all? (e.g. Acts 20:29-31) Look beyond Bush's sheepish veneer and you will see the ears of a wolf jutting out from his fake Christian clothing. Satan's favorite deception is the cloak of Christianity: he must really adore his boy George. See also Luke 17, for the strong words Jesus has for those who lead His children into sin"¦. If you follow Bush and worldly ideologies instead of Jesus, does this warning apply to you? Are you leading others to sin when you feign Christian faith but ignore your master's voice in favor of worldly falsehood?
If I am mistaken, may God strike me dumb so that I may not do harm. But if I am holding true to our God, I pray that he will bless these words, and spread them to those whose ears are not itching to hear lies ("For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths." 2 Timothy 4:3-4). You will not ever answer to me, brethren, but neither at the judgment seat of Christ will you see George W. Bush seated above you (regardless of what George would have you believe). Choose your Lord, for you cannot serve two masters. Jesus is first and only: George is vapor on the wind. Walk in the light, and come out from the darkness. It is time for true Christians to claim their Lord, and to stand for Him.
Jesus Christ is truth. Christians would attack Rosie for speaking the truth? She should be given a raise and her own show solely to preach this important message over and over. Soon she'd be a saved Christian. Praise God! He can use all of us. How is he using you? Americans are blowing up babies and alienating the world from Christ, but some want to silence those who say so? Look to God and explore your hearts: he will show the truth to those whose ears are not closed with willful ignorance. The American empire has no clothes, and only deluded Americans fail to see this. We are naked before our God. I pray that more of us will see, so that His will may be accomplished. His will is that we spread the words of Christ, not use smart weapons to kill His Muslim children.

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John Stoddard Klar, passionate servant of Christ and author of Christian Words, Unchristian Actions: George W. Bush and the Desecration of Christianity in Modern America.