Did you see the video 'tribute' to 9/11..? Did it scare you? Sicken you? It was supposed to. The Republican party is still pedaling the meme of Divinely Ordained America and the Holy Crusade of Democracy!
When I was I child, I didn't understand why Communism was Evil. It was the 70s and everyone I asked never seemed to have much of an answer. Some said because they were oppressive. Okay, I said, but Monarchies are oppressive too so, oppression is not a result of Communism. Others said because individuals are subservient to the group. Okay, I said, but 'strength in numbers', community and society, those are good things, right..? Besides anyone living in civil society has to give up some personal freedom. I mean we can not do what ever we want regardless of our fellow Americans.
Finally, someone admitted to me that Communism is fine in principle but the way the Soviets enforced it at gunpoint was the problem. That made sense to me, the ends didn't justify the means. No matter how good your intentions are you should not force your ideals on anyone else. To me, this is the major disconnect with the Republican Base, especially the Fundamentalist Christian Right. They think the Iraq War is a task from God.
I know there are many good Christians who understand the real message of Jesus. Love, unconditional love for all humanity, Jew and Gentile, Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist. While I do not have the bible memorized, I'm pretty sure there is no passage where Jesus outlines when it is acceptable to hate people. I don't remember Jesus preaching death to the unbelievers. However, the small minded minority of Conservative Christians have concluded that there are only two types of people, Good and Evil. They are the Good and anyone else is Evil. In their black and white world, Evil is to be destroyed.
We can not combat this problem with force. We can not argue with this mentality to affect change in attitude. We can try to by promoting mercy, peace and understanding. We can have our faith inform our policy without making it our policy a matter of faith. We can overcome. Yes We Can.