Arkansas Blog

No, Jesus DIDN'T say "the stuff about situationally justified killing and discrimination against people whose sexual orientation we don't like?" He said, "Love one another as I have loved you." Seems some folks forget that...

As someone with advanced degree's in Biblical Theology, I'm always amazed at "justifications" that come from the Bible. It has been used to support apartheid, slavery, the second-class citizenship of women, homophobia and islamphobia. The Bible is about a social gospel of peace. Most people in America live with a deep "mythos" of Christianity, but have no idea of the actual religion as based on the original religious texts, and it's development/interpretation throughout the centuries. The Bible is hardly concerned with "afterlife," as much as it is proper living in the present. The "mythos" says differently. Sadly the mythos is based more on Milton, Dante, et al. than the actual religious text. Oh well! Too bad I can't read a history of Christianity book 200 years in the future.

I wonder what Jesus would think about the tea baggers or those who think the poor shouldn't receive food stamps, Medicaid, etc.

BUT ask them if this is a "Christian Nation" and they're ALL about that!! This is a terrific survey, which will be lost on those who REALLY need the facts as they are fact-resistant all the way to their just reward...

Hear hear, mimble...and ditto!

I wonder if we'll EVER rid ourselves of religion-driven war, mutilation, oppression, ignorance, sexism, and on and on? I prefer a Madoff/Lay to a Falwell/Huckabee/Catholic pope/Osama./blah blah. There is something especially ugly about using a god to justify/perpetuate war, sexism/racism and abject greed.

I think the problem can be boiled down to 2 troublesome words. Most people "say" and most people "think". Now and then "saying" something has value, like when someone stands up to bullies and creeps or defends something that needs defending. But most of the time "saying" is a waste of time and means nothing. You can "say" you're a good person, but if you aren't....it means more than nothing because it's a lie. I'm sure the drunk doctor's wife "says" she's a good person and only wants the best for America and then she helps throw a party for Tim Griffin of all people!

Then there's the word "think." The truth is that most people don't "think." Oh, sure they "think" about themselves all the time. I "think" about how much food I have or how much money I have or how I might look to other people. But there's not much deeper "thinking" going on. If I have mine, I "think" everything is just hunky-dory! I "think" if someone else is in need, it's their damn fault. I got mine....what's wrong with them?? If you're sick or hungry, it's your own damn fault for not being like me! I "think" you're lazy and stupid every time I bother to "think."

"Saying" is free and easy and anyone can do it. "Saying" you "think" is free too. But "saying" you "think" Sarah Palin is the answer to our problems, "saying" you "think" Tim Griffin or Jim Holt are the answer to our problems, "saying" you "think" Obama is a Muslim, "saying" you "think" homosexuality is a lifestyle or an abomination proves you're only "saying" and don't really "think" at all. Please do more "thinking", but don't make it about yourself......"think" harder and bigger and maybe someday we'll have a better world to live in.

Max, thanks for posting it.

If the fellow bloggers didn't hear yesterday's Fresh Air program on the group in Washington that controls a significant number of our Senators and Representatives (including Markey Markey), you missed a real mis-interpretion of the Bible. In their perverted reasoniong, Jesus really didn't care about the poor unless it was part of His true goal of making sure the rich and powerful maintained their control. And they are internatuional in scope, trying to get the Uganda government to enact the death penalty for homosexual acts.

Just as Islam has been perverted by men like bin Laden, Christianity has been perverted by the likes of Falwell, Robertson, Dobson, Wildmon et al. All religions start out good, but all wind up being the crucible for evil men to smelt their evil.

RIGHT CbB - I posted about The Family & the Uganda connection yesterday - it was Terri Gross (Fresh Air) interviewing Jeff Sharlet, author of "The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power." SCARY shit - at my blue name:

Nothing seems to ever change:

Interesting -- In the Bible, words having to do with killing significantly outnumber words having to do with love.

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/donald_morgan/atrocity.html

Max has previously pointed out our own Mark Pryor's connection with The Family. I wish his daddy would talk some sense into him.

Some good men find themselve able to follow those principles without referring to their religion, i.e.

"A newspaper fairly and honestly conducted in the interests of the great masses of the public must at all times antagonize the selfish interests of that very class [the advertisers] which furnishes the larger part of a newspaper's income. It must occasionally so antagonize this class as to cause it not only to cease patronage, to a greater or lesser extent, but to make actually offensive warfare against the newspaper. "
Edward Wylie Scripps

Edward Willis Scripps (June 18, 1854 - March 12, 1926), was an American newspaper publisher and founder of The E. W. Scripps Company, a diversified media conglomerate, and United Press news service. It became United Press International (UPI) when International News Service merged with United Press in 1958.

However, I believe he might be spinning, if he knew who purchased the UPI in 2000. We might still have more and more competitive newspapers if owners and publishers folled his principles.