Republican does NOT mean Christian.

I know. That comes as a surprise to some people. It borders on blasphemy to still others. It is, however, unarguably true. This is a fact that we have seen time and time again in the last year or so.

Start with Mark Folley, Republican Representative who got caught sending naughty emails to MALE pages. Then we have old Senator Craig who was "livin' the life", looking for a quick hookup in a public men's room. While , contrary to popular belief, most Christians don't hate homosexuals, we do condemn the act of homosexuality. Here we have two homosexual Congressman who got in trouble not because of what they were doing but because they got caught. Other Republicans knew what they were doing but kept it hush-hush. Not really a Christian sort of thing, to hide some one's sins...or at least it shouldn't be.

Now, we have dear President Bush telling the world that Muslims and Christians pray to the same god. He's a Christian remember. A follower of Christ. That's part of what made him a good President to a lot of evangelicals. Problem is, I'm not sure what Christ he is following. See, Jesus is the ONLY Son of God. He claimed to be "the way, the truth, the life." If he is, as Christians believe, then Muhammad can't be right 600 years later when he says Jesus was a prophet, not the Son of God, and did no redemptive work. The other alternative is that Muhammad was right, and we've been following a nutjob (at best) or a liar (at worst) for the last 2000 years.

There's really no middle ground. Either Jesus was/is the great I AM or he wasn't. Two contradictory statements can NOT both be true. Jesus and his disciples state uncategorically that he was God and claimed to be the ONLY way to Heaven. Muhammad wrote that his own teachings were from God and the ONLY way into Heaven. Only one can be true.

I could go write about the fact that we have at least four eyewitness accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus and a fifth eyewitness account of seeing the RISEN Christ. I could talk about the fact that when God sent messages and messengers throughout the history of Israel, they were ALWAYS accompanied by the miraculous. It was God's way of authenticating the message, sort of like the way kings used to seal their letters with a bit of wax and their emblem pressed into it. I could tell you how even the Jews admit Jesus did miracles, calling him "a magician who tried to lead Israel astray."

I could also tell you that the only eyewitness account of Muhammad meeting the angel and copying down the message is.....Muhammad. There were no miracles backing up Muhammad's testimony, in fact he even writes an explaination for the lack of the miraculous in the Koran. I forget exactly what it was but it amounted to "because I don't feel like it."

I could tell you that both religions of peace have always spread best by the sword. Christianity spreads best when it is under the sword. To confound the wise, the more you persecute the faithful the more numerous and stronger they become. We've tried it the other way around and it doesn't work well. Islam, has always been its most virile while wielding the sword. The great Muslim caliphate that stretched to Spain was almost entirely conquered nations and forced conversions...or the "not Muslim" tax.

To be honest, there is a group of evangelicals here in America that would like to see Christianity the legally enforced religion of the country, just as there are Muslims who want us all under Sharia law. Maybe that's where the President got confused.

Or maybe, he never really knew him in whom he had believed.

You can't have it both ways. It's either Jesus or Allah. Which one do you choose, Mr. President?