Apparently, America is too religious. According to an article which appeared September 14^th in The Economist, a recent poll for the German Marshall Fund revealed that 57% of Europeans believe America's leadership in world affairs is undesirable. Our leadership is undesirable for 2 reasons: The War on Terror and God. God apparently is a problem for many Europeans.

The article quotes Dominique Moïsi, a special adviser at the French Institute for International Relations, as saying, "The combination of religion and nationalism in America is frightening. We feel betrayed by God and by nationalism, which is why we are building the European Union as a barrier to religious warfare."  Well, considering the recent rioting by Muslims in France, the train bombing in Spain, and the latest foiled terrorist plot which disclosed attack plans of citizens living in the heart of England, I'd say the great EU barrier against religion is off to a remarkable start. This barrier against religious warfare is about as effective as a spider web would be at stopping a bowling ball.

The truth is—like it or not—there is a religious war being waged in Europe and America, and George Bush didn’t start it. Neither did the Pope.  Muslims, in the name of Allah, declared war on the U.S. in 1996. Bush is simply taking these people (whatever one wishes to call them) at their word. Doesn't it make you want to scream to hear that religion and nationalism in America is frightening? Is it not frightening that there are people who are willing to put bomb making materials in their baby’s bottle so that they can blow themselves up while murdering as many Europeans and Americans as possible? Is it not frightening that there are people who want to behead you simply because you are not Muslim (or not Muslim enough)? Honestly, aren’t indiscriminate bombings and beheadings really more frightening than Bush hosting a prayer breakfast?

For my part, I do not at all think America is too religious (European opinion aside). On the contrary, how I wish that we all might fall on our faces before the Lord Jesus Christ and beg for mercy and beg for discernment and plead for peace! For now, however, peace is not our option. Neither we in America nor those in Europe need worry about the Pope launching a new Crusade. Neither the Pope nor President Bush has the power to launch a Crusade. But neither one of them needs to begin a religious war. A religious war has already been launched against them—and against us all—by Muslims. Their reason for launching the war is not because we are too religious; it’s not even because we are not religious enough (though this is actually the claim being made by Muslims who watch MTV). No, the reason the war has been waged against us is that we are not Muslim enough. What ought Bush do? What does one do when war is declared against him because he is not Muslim?