Corruption and power-grabbing started in the Christian church even before the execution of Jesus. It's been a part of the church and its religious leaders since the very beginning. Within a couple of decades there were eighty-two different bishops, each claiming to be a direct descendant of one of the original twelve apostles, and they were excommunication each other right and left over essentially nit-picking differences in belief. An integral part of most of the various factions in the early church were the efforts to attain secular power so they could force their particular brand of belief on the others. One major faction finally got it when the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity (some claim for political rather than spiritual reasons) and gave religious dogma (his version of it) the force of secular law. He was largely responsible for ramming through the Nicene Creed, which many Christian churches subscribe to to this day.

What Jesus taught got forgotten very early on.

How many churches spend more time reading Paul's epistles and The Book of Revelation than they do the actual teachings of Jesus as outlined in the Gospels? Many Christian sects are more "Paulist" than they are Christian.

Throughout its history, the institution of the church (but not necessarily many individual Christians) has had more to do with power and control than it has with religion and spirituality. And the beat goes on!

For a Christian to object to a particular faction of Christian churches making yet another grab for political power doesn't mean he or she is less of a Christian. It probably means that they are more of a Christian.

I'm with Bill Moyers, not because he has swayed my opinion, but because I agreed with what he said before I even heard him say it. And he is in a position to speak for me and for those who believe as I do.

Don Firth