CALLING EVIL GOOD AGAIN<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
By Jan Markell
www.olivetreeviews.org
 
The "religious Left" is at it again.  The National Council of Churches (NCC) is praising absolute evil, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Is there a positive word to say about him? Perhaps that God loves him in spite of himself.  Nonetheless, I think it is time the "religious Left" take off their clerical collars and come back to reality.  They represent many people of faith and while many NCC leaders and participants are leaning very liberal, there are still good people in their churches who stick around to make a difference. They should protest with righteous indignation.
 
Very recently a delegation from the NCC praised Ahmadinejad as a pious person and a witty man.  "He comes across as a very religious man," said their Associate General Secretary for Interfaith Relations.  J. Daryl Byler, Director of the Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office described Ahmadinejad as having a measured tone, sounding reasonable and having a witty personality.
 
Byer sent a letter to President Bush stating that he wished he would meet with the Iranian leader, calling Ahmadinejad "bright and engaging." Byler went on, "Like you, he is a religious man, Mr. President. I believe you would enjoy one another's company. Your conversation could signal a positive change in a relationship severed more than 25 years ago."  Shades of Mike Wallace, I know. He's a man we can do business with.
 
So just what are some of the characteristics this NCC outfit must admire:
 
*  He sponsors some of the world's worst terror groups by giving them money, weapons, training, and spiritual justification.
 
*  He has harbored some of the world's worst terrorists, giving them shelter, protecting them from retaliation, including many from al-Qaida.
 
*  He has motivated many to kill innocent Americans, Israelis, and others in the most despicable means.
 
*  He kills Americans in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Iraq by shipping arms, terrorists, and money to the war zone. He destabilizes the fragile Iraqi government, encourages the killing of Christians, Kurds, and Muslims who don't agree with him.
 
*  He leads a regime that has lied about its nuclear plans for years.
 
*  He cries "death to America" and says Israel should be wiped off the map.  And, he denies the Holocaust even though he is trying to create another one.
 
*  He is a mad man driven by messianic visions and expectations. It is up to him--Mahmoud Ahmadinejad--to bring in the Muslim Mahdi messiah, and then it's really duck soup for the rest of the world.  It would even be fatal to the National Council of Churches in spite of their acclaim of him.
 
So do the National Council of Churches' reps think maybe he will convert to Christianity?  Miracles still do happen. But Ahmadinejad believes all must convert to Islam starting with George W. Bush.  But the NCC is among the crowd who thinks we can do business with a nuclear Iran, and we can all get along.  If we treat the guy right, things will be fine. Remember, he is "very religious" just like the NCC. So what if it's a different faith. It's more "religiosity."
 
The NCC delegation included leaders from the Mennonite, Quaker, United Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, and Catholic churches. I think they need to do a reality check. There are some outfits you don't do business with and this is one rogue regime that leads the pack.  We are not dealing with a man with a full deck. Ahmadinejad's comments while on U.S. soil recently should have sent a message loud and clear to outfits like the NCC that holding hands with a man like this could lead to unbelievable consequences. Trusting his word could be fatal to nations, not just individuals.  The entire Middle East could go up in flames. An oil crisis the likes of which no nation has yet seen could erupt, and Israel could be devastated by Iranian missiles at any time.
 
But remember, Israel is just "the little Satan."  When outfits like the National Council of Churches praise a guy who calls their own country "the great Satan," you know strong delusion is running amok.
 
I suggest rather than doing a "Minnesota-nice" job on Ahmadinejad, the NCC reps share the gospel with him and tell him he needs a Savior, not a Mahdi.
 
"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness..."(Isa. 5:20).