The Religious Right vs Jesus...

We see a lot of conservative flak generated towards president Obama these days. They like to claim he is a socialist, or worse, a muslim.

I know that not many good muslims would claim to be christian, so we could probably toss that one out on that basis alone. The socialist claim, however, might be a little harder to deal with.

I'll concede that some of his plans, from my limited understanding, may seem socialist. But so do a lot of other, time honored, American institutions (The military, public schools, and Social Security, just to name a few). Whether or not he is a socialist, I'm not convinced.

But, if we are to judge Obama by the criteria set forth by the conservatives, perhaps we should aso hold another, beloved, leader to the same criteria???

Yes,  I am going there.

Jesus was a socialist !

"How so?" you ask. Let's examine together, shall we?

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"And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" Mark 10:21-25

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?" James 2:1-7 (he's really giving it to the "rich pricks" here)

And, finally, what about that Health Care fiasco of the president's?
"When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." - Matthew 25:38-41. It seems Jesus is, in no uncertain terms, telling his followers that they are, indeed, responsible for taking care of their less fortunate brethren.

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But, hey, I'm no Christian. Nor, am I a socialist. But if I were either, I'd certainly see the connection here.

Religious Right,

 isn't it about time you started following the teachings of your master?

Blogger isn't updating my posts. Wassupwithat??

OK, I have been neglecting this blog for quite some time. It's just that I haven't had sufficient ire for a good rant. Or, what passes for a good rant from me ;-)

Shit, folks, look at the title. Do you actually think I came up with apathy by mistake? Ingnerence Egnorence Ignnorince Ignorance fits pretty well too.
I am those things !

Where was I?
Yes, my rant.

What the HELL is up with Texas wanting to remove Thomas Jefferson from their History textbooks ? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13texas.html

They seem to have a problem with the fact he was NOT a good christian sheep it seems. I've read a lot of Jefferson, and while he may be somewhat of a hypocrite by today's standards, he is one of the finest political philosophers in history. Yes, he advocated the separation of church and state. No he did not say you couldn't worship, or that you had to worship. He merely felt that it should an individuals free choice whether he worshipped as a Christian, a Jew, or whatever.
Or maybe they have a problem reconciling what the man who wrote the Declaration of Independance meant and their twisted version that they would like us to believe ?


The following quote seems quite explanatory (to me anyway):
"But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." Jefferson, Notes on Virginia 1782


Like it or not, Texas School Board, Jefferson was instrumental in the development of our American form of government . To try and downplay that contribution to our society is to be remiss in your duties as an educational body.




And, back to me, and my lack of posting lately... screw it. I aint no nice guy after all.


Doncha just love Motorhead?