The Tashlan Temptation

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The election yesterday provided me a real sense of relief, and in several ways it was a very good night. On the positive side of the register, eleven ballot initiatives that defined marriage as consisting of one man and one woman passed, many of them by whopping margins.

The Republicans gained in the House, and they gained significantly in the Senate. This means confirmation battles for judges will be a whole new ball game, and it is possible that some good men will now get through. With a Democratic victory, there would have been nothing but assured degradation of the courts.

But I did not vote for George W. Bush, for reasons I have outlined here before. At the same time I was greatly relieved that Kerry lost. And of course, not voting for Bush in Idaho had about as much effect as not voting for Kerry in the District of Columbia would have had. I think Kerry got between 12 and 15 votes in Idaho, and they were probably Canadians who snuck over the border and voted.

In several places, I have seen credit given to evangelical activists for the Bush victory. And now, in the flush of victory, I would like to ask those evangelicals to consider the responsibility they now have. That responsibility is fundamentally this: have nothing whatever to do with Bush’s religious syncretism. Either serve Aslan or Tash, but never Tashlan.

I can be thankful for the cultural stability that I think Bush will bring, as opposed to the cultural chaos and instability that I think would have followed a Kerry administration. But at the same time, a stability built on a dedication to an idolatrous mix is one that presents unique temptations to those Christians who supported Bush. I can understand a Machiavellan support, trying to buy time. What I don’t understand is an enthusiastic support, and roars of approval for religious statements made by the president when those same statements would get a preacher run out of his pulpit. In other words, schizophrenia has no future. If the Lord is God, follow Him. If Baal is god, then follow him. But do not halt between two opinions.

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