Dear Friends:
How often we find reference in the Christian media to the
alleged Christianity of Tony Blair.
This is generally assumed because he is a member of the so-called
Christian Socialist Movement.
"He must be a
Christian". Just as they said about the tea-towel-wearing Mother
Teresa, the tiara-wearing Lady
Diana, and the (now almost) nothing-wearing Samantha Fox. My friends,
we need to have a great
deal more insight than the average "Christian" publication of today,
which has a definition of
Christianity as broad as the River Styx!
Here are some choice extracts from an article by Tony Blair
which originally appeared in the
Sunday Telegraph before the general election earlier this year. I
simply request that you work out
whether such statements could be made by a genuine Christian. A man who
spouts Christian-
speak out of one side of his mouth and increasingly cranks down the age
of consent for sodomy
out of the other is a dead giveaway as to the kind of person we're
dealing with. Mr. Blair says that
"the endless striving to do good and avoid evil is the purpose of human
existence". What we have
here a classic Utopian socialist seeking to build the kingdom of God on
earth. This is the spirit of
Babel and Antichrist. I have always said that I would rather deal with
an out-and-out atheist than a
quasi-Christian. The very presence of this man as the Prime Minister is
redefining Christianity so
that you and I can be alienated as mad fundamentalist misfits.
Now for his words. And I leave you to work out, using your
"mind of Christ", as to the state of
his soul. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present your Prime Minister:-
"As a private individual, I find prayer a source of solace and I read
the Gospels. They are
compelling texts, and a most extraordinary expression of sensitive human
values; I also read the
Old Testament, which is in some ways more detailed and vivid than the
NeW Testament."
"Easter, a time of rebirth and renewal, has a special significance for
me and, in a sense, my
politics. My vision of society reflects a faith in the human spirit and
its capacity to renew itself."
"Two images of Easter: Peter, the rock of Christ, who falls from grace,
and in weakness denies
him; Judas betraying Christ and in remorse hanging himself. Neither man
simply good or bad..."
"And then there is Christ himself in the Garden of Gethsemane: the
knowledge of suffering to come
and the very human agony -- 'let this cup pass from me'; putting duty
first -- 'not my will but thine be
done'. Duty leads to renewal.
John Smith, whose faith was central to what he was and stood for,
always spoke of service and
duty as the defining elements of his politics. He epitomised the decency
of the Scottish
Presbyterian tradition".
"Many writers have influenced my interest in religion and philosophy --
Kierkegaard, Jung and
Kant among them."
"People can by their own volition exert themselves to become better,
more decent people. Human
beings have free will, the choice to act well or badly. What
distinguishes me from Conservatives is
that I believe people are more likely to act well and improve themselves
in a society where
opportunities are offered to do so; which strives to be cohesive and
treats people as of equal
worth".
"I am an ecumenical Christian. I find many of the angry debates between
Catholic and Protestant
completely baffling. I have a deep respect for other faiths and relish
the religious pluralism of this
country".
"Christianity is optimistic about the human condition".
Judge for yourself whether these are the words of a born-again
man. When asked whether a
never-married mother and her children, or two homosexuals, were as valid
candidates for
governmental support as traditional families, Mr. Blair said: "If you
respect family life, it's not about
returning to the prejudices of 40 or 50 years ago" (Daily Telegraph,
Oct.7th 1997). And you know
just what he means by that.
Mr. Blair reckons that "better social conditions enhance
personal responsibility"
a lot of Utopian nonsense. Depravity is depravity whatever social
conditions prevail. Give the
working class man or woman a lottery win and see what happens!
Dictatorships of the proletariat
have always resulted in the more nauseating of human spectacles. And as
for the upper classes,
with their "better social conditions" already built in, go and watch
them at work on the stock
exchange or their offshore bank accounts or in their sodomite public
schools! Utopianism is truly
the worst of all delusions.
Of course all this "socialism-dressed-
new for the Labour Party.
Harold Wilson claimed he was a socialist "because he was a Christian".
And he appointed 10
alleged Christians to his cabinet in 1964. That old rogue communist even
organised a private
service in the House of Commons chapel to bless the new government!
I wonder if you, like me, find this misrepresentation of
Christianity to be an affront to the faith.
Tony (along with contributions from Teresa, Diana and Samantha) have a
lot to answer for in
building the delusion that the human spirit can renew itself through
good works. Blinded by the god
of this age, they have blurred the real issue -- the acute need for
Divine forgiveness of original and
actual sin (not to mention national sin), without which there can be no
"human progress".
Yours, in the cause of God and truth,
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