I am no theologian. I never speak about my spiritual beliefs because, like many others, I fit into a category of one. I think of myself as deeply spiritual, but I don't believe my 'soul' will be 'saved' if I convince others to believe similarly. I do not believe that convincing others to believe similarly is 'coin' of ANY kind, spiritually. I have strong motivations for making the political arguments, and I only look at the spiritual when there is strong and dramatic cross-over between the two - as when people justify and rationalize hatreds, discriminations and injustices based on a 'moral' view we do not, in fact, share.
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Why are their contrived rationalizations for hatred so much more important than the Golden Rule? Why are the passages about judgmentalism and love less important than passages about other 'issues?' Why is judgment and condemnation so acceptable to the haters? Simple, because they NEED it to be. Sometimes (as MaikeH pointed out in a diary I hotlisted) Jesus is just wrong! Isn’t that amazing?! Even Jesus is wrong if his message of love, tolerance, forgiveness is not in sync with the Biblical interpretations of these latter day saints!
Yet, even if haters are able to cherry pick one or more Biblical passages to bolster the hatred (in their minds), how is it they feel that the Bible calls upon them to become the instruments of political retaliation on earth? Why are they so certain that they know God’s mind and intent? What authority do THEY have to act on those terrible hatreds?
I am an inveterate saver of newspapers. I find little articles that ‘capture’ me all the time. It’s funny, I have to go back through all the pages I have saved to find what it was that caught my attention when I first read it, I never seem to remember. But, it never happens that I don’t quickly find what I seek, and remember what it was that I saw the first time, no matter how long ago. So imagine my surprise when a section of saved newspaper contained not just the item I originally saved it for, but also a letter to the editor consisting of a hater’s ‘apologetics’ for his hatreds and his religious justifications for acting on them?!
Here excerpts from the individual’s words:
First of all, when Christ preached against judging, he was condemning hypocrisy, an attitude of unforgiveness, and unjust moral criticisms of another person's actions based on uncertain evidence.
Oh. You aren’t being a hypocrite, are you, dear hater? You aren’t being unforgiving, are you? And your criticisms are ‘just?’ I don’t think that word means what you think it means.
And, then:
However, in cases where a person's moral culpability is certain Christ commanded his disciples rebuke and correct the sinner and excommunicate the unrepentant.
(He cites bullshit passages.)
If you are not a latter day saint, how is it you know what is and is not certain? Who appointed you a disciple? It was a self-appointment, yes? All it takes is you being certain that you are certain your certainty is certain, in no uncertain terms, and you are empowered to do anything to anyone?
I did not include any of his homophobic screed, but that was the gist of his letter, as you can imagine.
I am sure each of you has fine arguments relative to this person (by all means share them in comments!), and, in fact, you are as clear as I am that nothing anyone could say would reach his ears. I agree it is not important to have the conversation with him. He won’t learn and we would never see him seriously entertain the arguments. Yet, I find myself having the argument, all the same. Not because of him. Because of others he might reach, others he might influence. People whose ears are not closed, people whose hearts are not hardened.
Though I do not publicly discuss most of my spiritual beliefs, I do believe in love. I do believe in the power of love. I do think the Golden Rule is a valuable guide for human relating. I disagree with those who … are certain Jesus is wrong.
Contrast those people with this fine young man, Matthew Vines.
Thanks for visiting! On to tonight's comments! (Thank you, brillig! You saved me tonight for sure!)
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not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From bastrop:
Great comment by niemann about Republican inability to grasp the concept of Presidential perogative. In Jon Perr's GOP wants AIDS, Schiavo mythmaker Bill Frist as Ebola Czar.
From brillig:
In chaunceydevega's White Privilege and the 'Pumpkin Fest' Riot of 2014, BenderRodriguez muses what would have happened had this been an historically black college.
Top Mojo for yesterday, October 19th, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary FAQing Top Mojo.
1) The hand basket we're all in got a turbo boost by FrY10cK — 96
2) The rest of the world by SCFrog — 92
3) Very simply. by Nebraska68847Dem — 80
4) bush was a coward, so was cheney by patbahn — 75
5) Reagan changed country's trajectory for worse by PLJHawk91 — 69
6) Not necessarily. I can do something about Ebola by Dovie — 67
7) list of cause of deaths by mollyd — 67
8) Sorry, but no. by Eileen B — 65
9) And the inevitable by Crashing Vor — 65
10) Yep by Left Behind — 64
11) What a great loss. Thank you for bringing by boatsie — 62
12) Rapid social changes, increased diversity, end of by Mimikatz — 62
13) the money no longer leads to America by Lenny Flank — 60
14) 'legal' is a remnant by kamarvt — 59
15) In an article in Alternet, dealing with the by poco — 59
16) OhHai Whoknu! Sekritarmy Staged For Final Battle: by leonard145b — 58
17) Europe is better off in almost every respect. by expatjourno — 58
18) This guy needs one of those tanks. by kerflooey — 57
19) The rest of the world isn't stupid? by Draxinum — 55
20) I wrote a diary yesterday that covered by JayRaye — 54
21) That the so called 'respectable' media has not by RadGal70 — 53
22) No. 1 life lesson for the #sekritarmy by kerflooey — 53
23) Transcript for the short version by Denise Oliver Velez — 52
24) It always seems amazing to me by Joieau — 52
25) #sekritarmy life isn't always glamorous. by jwinIL14 — 51
26) Another marijuana related death! ;) nt by VirginiaJeff — 51
27) My aim is not to discuss politics in this blog; my by james321 — 50
28) It's Fox News and right by GustavMahler — 49
29) The Very People Who Are Freaking Out About Ebola by unapologeticliberal777 — 48
30) #Sekritarmy Contributions Are So, Taken 4granted: by leonard145b — 48
Top Pictures for yesterday, October 19th. Click any picture to be taken to the full comment and/or larger picture. Thank you
jotter for the image magic!