Feb

17

Check These Items That Fit Your Belief System, and the type of America you wish to be a part of

[ ] A nation is an organic community that requires strong leadership

[ ] Authoritarian nationalism with a corporatist economic system

[ ] Ability to commit violence and wage war in order to keep the nation strong

[ ] Identifies violence and war as actions that create national regeneration

[ ] Resists autonomy of cultural or ethnic groups

[ ] Blames capitalism and liberal democracies

[ ] Advocates a single-party state

I will bet none of you checked any of these. If you did, maybe one or two.  Yet if this does not spell the former Bush Administration, The Tea Party Movement, The incessant filibusters of the current minority party even on legislation they would normally support, and even many of you well educated Americans that for whatever reason cannot see the plain truth that is before you. 

This list is Glen Beck

This list is Bill O’Reilly

This list is Sean Hannity

This list is Fox News (sic)

This list is the Patriot Act

This list is two wars we still wage

This list is why you do not see a single Black, Asian, or Hispanic face in a Tea party crowd

This list is Sarah Palin

This list is Rush Linbaugh

This list is the Federal Reserve

This list is Wall Street

This list is the Health Insurance mobsters

This list is Wal-Mart

This list is what many in the Christian right have become

…This list is the very definition of FASCISM

…Joe McCarthy here we go again

Feb

2

Many of you in the church have abandoned the teachings of Christ in favor of politics. I might remind you that Christ did not hang out with the Temple choir, not was he tight with the religous or political leadership in his day. Actually, just the opposite. I know it and so do you. 

If you read the Gospels he was out in the field helping his fellow man. He stopped a prostitute from being stoned to death. He hung out with folks that most of the elite during that period thought of as riff-raff. He had some pretty strong things to say about people postering in the name of religion.

When he was supposedly trapped by the religous leaders of the day he took a Roman coin and said, “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”. 

As an individual citizen of the USA you have a right like everyone else to have a political perspective. As a child of God you need to start listening to your savior and trying to walk his walk. Your collective walk has gone very far astray. WWJD? I guarantee he would not be acting the way the church of today is acting. You cannot offer any scriptural evidence to support your behavior. It is sad to see that you have become little more than another political lobby group. Very sad indeed.

Jan

13

We did not think twice in coming to the aid of Haiti. Our collective thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti.

A poor country that has even less now.

Help a neighbor when they are down.

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Jan

5

“He’s said to be a Buddhist; I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger would be, ‘Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.’”

What can one say but Wow.

I do not wish to talk about Britt Hume. What bugs me is the lack of Christian response. As a Christian I am offended by his remarks. If you pick up and actually read the Gospels what you will find is little that represents the attitudes and actions of much of fundamentalist Christians in our country today.
Years ago a Catholic priest, Joseph Girzone, wrote a series of books where the theme was what would happen if Christ came back. The premise was that the Christian church would reject him as a crackpot, similar to what the Jewish leaders did to him back in his day.

But I also do not want to talk about how so many of these people have hijacked Christianity and turned it into something that has little to do with the message of Christ and the New Testament.

I want to talk about God. God is bigger than all our religions. God does not take sides with extremest Muslims that want to wipe blow infidels off the face of the earth. God does not take the side of suburban Christians that condemn homosexuals and make them feel that they are somehow less human than those that are not.

I find it interesting that not once did Jesus say a thing about homosexuals. The guy hung out with prostitutes and other “dregs” of his day. He called out the religious leadership of the day on numerous occasions for their hypocrisy and even for trying to get him involved in politics.

If you actually read through the New Testament irrespective to your religion, or belief in God and then answer the question, “If Christ came back today which group would he likely be tearing a new one to” the overwhelming conclusion would be a large section of mainstream fundamentalist Christian leadership.
The fact remains that everyone of us… you, me… everyone is just plain messed up. So, next time you are looking to pass judgement on your neighbor, do yourself a favor and take a good long look in the mirror. And, one does not need to be a biblical scholar to know the truth in that statement!

PS - Buddhists, please accept my apology for the insensitive remarks of Mr. Hume.

Nov

27

“‘Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s’” 
   -Matthew 22:21

Excuse Me Fundamentalists, But the separation Of church and state was defined by God himself in the New Testament. Our forefathers seemed wise enough to have figured this out as well. Maybe because their interpertation of scripture was more accurate?

We are far from finished. To stop with just this quote attributed in the New Testment to Christ himself would be to take it out of context. You can read the story for yourself, I will paraphrase some of it for you here, but provide enough scripture so you know I am not taking the message out of context.

The religious leadership of the day was trying to trap Christ so they could not only discredit him, but actually have him arrested so he they could neatly “dispose of him” as the message he was preaching was not exactly a shining beacon holding up the Temple. The religous leadership of the day sent a few “plants” (sounding familiar to you?) to ask him tough some questions like…

“‘Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?’”
   Matthew 22:16-17 NASB

Now, let’s go back and think about his answer for a moment. Not only did he advocate a clear separation between “God” and “local/global politics, but he also admonished these people for being a bunch of disengenuous hypocrites.

For me, here is the real kicker. We Christians believe that Jesus Christ is God almightly in the form of a man. Most clergy in the various denominations also take it as fact that verse 22:21 in Matthew represents the actual words of God in the flesh.

In response to a question regarding TAXATION (a favorite subject of the Repulican party in America today) what exactly was God’s reply?

“‘are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin {used} for the poll-tax.’

And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them,

‘Whose likeness and inscription is this?’

They said to Him, ‘Caesar’s.’ Then He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.’ 
 
And hearing {this,} they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.”

Amazed? Amazed as in, “wow I just Tiger Woods birdie the 7th”, or amazed as in “How can this dude be one of us? He is selling us out to the Roman government.”

Now this goes specifically to my fellow Christians out there. The God we believe in just told us in pretty much no uncertain terms to not confuse His kingdom with the one here on earth that is ruled by our fellow citizens (aka the power elite). How exactly are you resolving this scriptural reference in respect to some of the things Christian leadership and the Christian media is writing about and getting politically involved in?

…Listen…

When you are trying to tie your particular viewpoints and beliefs on political and social issues of the day please do not be so arrogant to do so on behalf of the name of God.

Also, do not be so arrogant as to do so in the name of your religous Christian beliefs. I am a Christian, and I do not share many of the beliefs that you expound upon citing God’s name. Trust me when I tell you I am not the only one. We may very well represent the minority of Christians, but there are far more of us than you might think!

I just showed you here scriptual evidence that God DOES not share your beliefs. In fact, God likely thinks you are being a hyprocrite for invoking his name into matters that are NOT of his kingdom.

One final thought on the subject. If we go back to the story in Matthews 22, and if we were to examine the occupying Roman government that had conquered and was ruling the area where this story took place we would find that the Romans were not exactly a “swell” bunch of folks. So, even in the face of a fairly brutual regime, look again at how God answered the question regarding taxation.

Look, you have every right to your opinions. But, you would be wise and do God a great justice by listening to him on this matter as he has spoken, and spoken pretty clearly on this particular matter.

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