"The National Government will preserve and defend those basic principles on which our nation has been built up. It regards Christianity as the foundation of our national morality and the family as the basis of national life."

[It is the purpose of the Government] "to fill our whole culture once more with a Christian spirit, and that not only in politics. We want to burn out the harmful features in our theater and our literature."

"The Government, being resolved to undertake the political and moral purification of our public life, is creating and securing the conditions necessary for a really profound revival of religious life." "The struggle against materialistic views and for a real national community is just as much in the interest of the German nation as in [the interest] of the welfare of our Christian faith."

Quotations are from The Speeches of Adolph Hitler, 1922-1939, Vol. 1, pg. 369-372 (London, Oxford University Press, 1942 – edition of 1969.)

Will you ever learn?  

"The Government of the Reich ... regards Christianity as the unshakable foundation of the morals and moral code of the nation." "The rights of the churches will not be diminished."

Read Jesus' words.  They're the ones in red.   Then you will see how little George Bush sounds like Jesus.

Goodbye.

For those of us in the church who have begun to feel like captives on some movie set directed by Alfred Hitchcock because of so many fellow believers putting stock in every word the Bush Administration is saying, the following can be useful in proving that the reasons given for the Iraq war are lies.

Here is the crux:  for those who believe that the election of ‘04 was a “moral victory,” then answer this:  is it moral to lust to rule the entire world, and develop the most costly, deadly arsenal in known history to do it?  

Because Dick Cheney satisfies this description and can tell you all about it in his own words on the internet.  He and other members of Bush’s cabinet (Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz) have publicly posted their ambitions on the internet since 1997 at http://www.newamericancentury.org/.  The purpose of the material on the website is to explain a massive rebuilding of armaments by the U.S.  

The “Statement of Principles” page  
(http://www.newamericancentury.org/statementofprinciples.htm)
is the one which bears Cheney’s signature and others.  They pull no punches - the goal is that the U.S. should actively seek to rule the world.  Interestingly, since it was written in 1997 (long before 9/11), the amount of concerns dedicated to defense or terrorism are far fewer than concerns about economic dominance.  This is one very telling article, on account of its date, because what the administration would now have us believe is that all the military build-up is about terrorism.  This article confirms that military build-up was well in the works long ago.

Further giving the lie to arguments about going to war because of Saddam Hussein is some text in the “Rebuilding America’s Defenses” document, dated June 3, 2000 (http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf).  Note:  this is also published ages before 9/11.  On page 26 of Acrobat document (page 14 in text of document), we read the following concerning Saddam Hussein (bold italics mine):

“…Though the immediate mission of those forces is to enforce the no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq, they represent the long-term commitment of the United States and its major allies to a region of vital importance.  Indeed, the United States has for decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional security.  While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein.”

Why take another’s word for it?  Let the architects of the Iraq slaughter tattle on themselves.

This is a sorrowful time, to see so many in the church being duped by lies.  As one friend put it, “it’s like they’re all under a spell.”  Let’s all pray that some information like this might open a few eyes.

Teach us then, how would you disable the other nine commandments?

You have a lot of scholarship distinguishing the singular Sabbath from plural sabbaths in the passage you quote.  Here are some views which would contradict your view, and enhance the Aramaic:

http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries/JamiesonFaussetBrown/jfb.cgi?book=col&chapter=2#Col2_16  (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown)


the sabbath--Omit "THE," which is not in the Greek (compare Note, SABBATHS" (not "the sabbaths") of the day of atonement and feast of tabernacles have come to an end with the Jewish services to which they belonged (Leviticus 23:32,37-39). The weekly sabbath rests on a more permanent foundation, having been instituted in Paradise to commemorate the completion of creation in six days. Leviticus 23:38 expressly distinguished "the sabbath of the Lord" from the other sabbaths. A positive precept is right because it is commanded, and ceases to be obligatory when abrogated; a moral precept is commanded eternally, because it is eternally right. If we could keep a perpetual sabbath, as we shall hereafter, the positive precept of the sabbath, one in each week, would not be needed. Hebrews 4:9, "rests," Greek, "keeping of sabbath" (Isaiah 66:23). But we cannot, since even Adam, in innocence, needed one amidst his earthly employments; therefore the sabbath is still needed and is therefore still linked with the other nine commandments, as obligatory in the spirit, though the letter of the law has been superseded by that higher spirit of love which is the essence of law and Gospel alike (Romans 13:8-10).

http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries/MatthewHenryConcise/mhc-con.cgi?book=col&chapter=2#Col2_16  Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
on the Whole Bible

The first day of the week, or the Lord's day, is the time kept holy by Christians, in remembrance of Christ's resurrection. All the Jewish rites were shadows of gospel blessings.

http://bible.crosswalk.com/Commentaries/RobertsonsWordPictures/rwp.cgi?book=col&chapter=2&verse=16
Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament
For the Jewish feasts see on "Ga 4:10". Josephus (Ant. III. 10, 1) expressly explains the "seventh day" as called "sabbata" (plural form as here, an effort to transliterate the Aramaic sabbathah).

[Exodus 20:8-118 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Jehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.]

Consider the Sabbath

A Jewish believing friend alerted me to a very important issue about a year ago, which is the way we honor the Sabbath.  As she said, it is one of the Ten Commandments - and they are called the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Suggestions.

Exodus 20:8-11
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Jehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Now our culture is predicated on a 24/7 business schedule, which allows no one a legal day of rest.  People born before around 1965 will probably remember that it used to be a law in most states throughout the U.S, that businesses were closed on Sunday.  You couldn’t even buy gasoline or go to a restaurant in respect of the Sabbath.

Mark 2:27:
Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” We all need the rest.  But slowly a culture that denied the Sabbath crept into place.

Jesus also said:  
Luke 13:15:  “But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?”
The “labor” question is perhaps not about physical exertion - but rather to abstain from labor in the sense of commerce.  This is because it is the day we revere the One from whom all our goods and money come and meditate on our faith in Him to sovereignly supply all our needs.  

Or consider the conflict about engaging in commerce in Nehemiah:

Nehemiah 13:15 In those days I saw in Judah some who were treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sacks of grain and loading them on donkeys, as well as wine, grapes, figs and all kinds of loads, and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day. So I admonished them on the day they sold food. 16 Also men of Tyre were living there who imported fish and all kinds of merchandise, and sold them to the sons of Judah on the sabbath, even in Jerusalem. 17 Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah and said to them, "What is this evil thing you are doing, by profaning the sabbath day? 18 " Did not your fathers do the same, so that our God brought on us and on this city all this trouble? Yet you are adding to the wrath on Israel by profaning the sabbath." 19 It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day. 20 Once or twice the traders and merchants of every kind of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem. 21 Then I warned them and said to them, "Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force against you." From that time on they did not come on the sabbath

Or what Isaiah says:
Isaiah 58:13-14
13 "If you keep from desecrating the Sabbath, from doing whatever you want on My holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, seeking your own pleasure, or talking too much; 14 then you will delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you ride over the heights of the land, and let you enjoy the heritage of your father Jacob."
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Consider the Sabbath in the U.S., where people bail out of church and head for Wal-Mart, buy gasoline to get to and from this and that, and some are forced to head for their jobs.  

The Sabbath, in the U.S., is in the gutter.  Even Christians do absolutely anything and everything on the Sabbath.  Or how many wealthy/privileged people do you know who are compelled to spend Sunday in the office?  But we as Christians go to the waffle house after church, just look at who brings out the brunch and waits the tables - the poor, by the nature of commerce and law of the land, are worked to death - on the Sabbath.  Any Islamic society puts the U.S. to shame for reverence.

So, are we sick of the culture of commercialism?  How about a radical alternative - honor the Sabbath and abstain from commerce and work for a day meant to honor God?  This should even be available to every person whether a believer or not:  

Matthew 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Shalom.

Good work, if you already read the information on the "Project for a New American Century" website - but by the elapsed time, I don't think you could have.

I believe you are partly right:  1Pe 5:13 - "She who is in Babylon, also chosen, sends you greetings, as does Mark, my son. "  Spiritual entities change locales in Scripture.  I believe you may learn that the writer of this verse meant Rome when he cited Babylon.  Well, location not being fixed except for Israel, it can change again.

Please take a look at the international power structure as described by Vice President Cheney himself - in his owned signed document together with others of the current administration - at http://www.newamericancentury.org/statementofprinciples.htm .   Because you are mistaken about current international power/economic dynamics.  The United States is on top and is the only candidate to satisfy the full effects of prophecies about Babylon at this time.
 

I am saddened by the US church being duped by a one-issue campaign.  I would have everyone believe the "Bush/Cheney" bumpersticker:  Cheney is also at the helm.  Get to know him and your administration personally in their own words on the website "Project for a New American Century" at http://www.newamericancentury.org/.  Click on "Statement of Principles (see at the bottom that it was signed by Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz).  Excerpt:  "We aim to make the case and rally support for American global leadership."  This page is dated June 3, 1997 - in other words, long before 9/11.  While this may be run through some "spiritual leadership" or "moral leadership" filter, when you study the Statement of Principles carefully, it is primarily about economic interests.  Mention of military defense is of significantly lesser frequency.

Second, on this same website, visit "defense and national security", then click on "Rebuilding America's Defenses" which was released in September 2000 - note - also before 9/11.  When you get into their document on page 26 according to the Acrobat toolbar (14 within the document), read: "Indeed, the United States has for decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional security. While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein."  

Since this was written a year before 9/11, what does this tell us?

We can all put the "Christian president" fable away with the teddy bear, because while Bush seems quite sincere, a brief history study shows a hand up the president's back operating his mouth like a puppet, and that hand is Cheney's.  He's in office and he will accomplish his goal of world domination as stated in his own words.  Again by his own words (and please do familiarize yourselves with this website and its contents), Saddam Hussein is not the issue.

Everyone do yourselves and the church a favor and become very familiar with these policies on this website.  There's a lot to catch up on here.

Too bad Christians think this was such a moral victory, to elect Bush/Cheney, because I don't think an open lust to rule the world is a moral position.  Or when did Cheney announce his personal relationship with Jesus?

Please read Vice President Cheney's own words on the Statement of Principles page on the Project for the New American Century at http://www.newamericancentury.org/statementofprinciples.htm .  Excerpt:  "We aim to make the case and rally support for American global leadership."

Now consider Babylon of Revelation 17:18:  18 And the woman you saw is the great city that has an empire over the kings of the earth."

Do it, get on the website for the Project for a New American Century at http://www.newamericancentury.org/ and read all about this administration's plans (Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz) to literally rule the earth.  Then read all about Babylon again.  Should you wonder?  No one else rules over the earth but the U.S., by it's own admission.  No one else on earth has world domination as its goal right now.  If you doubt that, again, read Cheney's group's own words on the file http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf - don't just take it from me.  Let them speak for themselves.

Ask yourself:  is it moral, to lust to rule the world?

One more thing about Babylon:  in the Encyclopedia Britannica's history of banking (look under "bank"), the first known bank was in the temples of Babylon, where people hid money in hopes the idols would preserve it.  Now think:  the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are seated in the United States.  Doesn't this tell us something?