Many have ranted about the hypocrisy that characterizes the loud-mouthed Christians who dominate so much of the political discussion in America today.
I am often among these ranters. While I do not consider myself a Christian for a variety of reasons, I used to, and it was the hypocrites who first pushed me away.
Few have devasted the thinking of the core supporters of the Bush Administration as well as Bill McKibben has, in his article "The Christian Paradox." You can, and should, read the entire article. McKibben is evidently a serious Christian, although he says he is "not a professional one."
Here are a couple of the money quotes to whet your appetite. The whole article is, in fact, a money quote.
... The apocalyptics may not be wrong. One could make a perfectly serious argument that the policies of Tom DeLay are in fact hastening the End Times. But there's nothing particularly Christian about this hastening. The creed of Tom DeLay -- of Tim LaHaye and his Left Behind books, of Pat Robertson's "The Antichrist is probably a Jew alive in Israel today" -- ripened out of the impossibly poetic imagery of the Book of Revelation. Imagine trying to build a theory of the Constitution by obsessively reading and rereading the Twenty-fifth Amendment, and you'll get an idea of what an odd approach this is. You might be able to spin elaborate fantasies about presidential succession, but you'd have a hard time working backwards to "We the People." ...
... A rich man came to Jesus one day and asked what he should do to get into heaven. Jesus did not say he should invest, spend, and let the benefits trickle down; he said sell what you have, give the money to the poor, and follow me. Few plainer words have been spoken. And yet, for some reason, the Christian Coalition of America -- founded in 1989 in order to "preserve, protect and defend the Judeo-Christian values that made this the greatest country in history" -- proclaimed last year that its top legislative priority would be "making permanent President Bush's 2001 federal tax cuts." ...Thanks to MF for sending me a hard-copy reprint, and to Harper's for making the entire article available for free on line.
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In another example of coincidences that could be thought spooky, as soon as I finished this post, the doorbell rang. Yep, it was the Jehovah's Witnesses.
I hate when evangelists drag little kids along with them when they are out proselytizing.
Of course, the people at my door assured me, "We're not trying to convert you or anything."
In the words of Jim Bouton, "Yeaaaah. Suuuuuuure."
MF also provided a hard copy of this article to me. It's a terrific, compelling read for Christias and for those who are not. The article reminds us that Jesus preached a very different message than the one the Republican right is trying to coin today. And it provides fodder to stand up to those hypocrites who take money from poor children and give it to oil companies. (What chapter and verse permits that, anyway?!)
Sometime in the process of being on Prozac for a year and a half I acquired an obscenely heightened ability to express curiosity in subjects I would normally not care for, to the point of absurdity.
Point in fact when the Witnesses knock on my door in the last coupla years I engage them more than even THEY would like. At first they are glad I am receptive, and we share with each other _their_ thoughts and concerns about Today's Youth. At some point 5 to 10 minutes into it they try to make a break but I don't let them go.
They are looking at their watches and turning their heads undoubtedly concerned about all the houses they have to hit before sundown. But I don't let them go. I am interested in what differentiates their plight from that of a Babtist or a Jew. I want to know what their church process is and what happens to Atheists.
Ahhh... ironically when you resign yourself you win.
Oh, thank god the Word Verification has a nice readable font today, with negligible squiggling. I often fret over whether it's a lower case l or an upper case I. Their distortions can even trick me into thinking a k is an H. I won't keep you any longer though... be on your way... nice suits!
I have heard some funny stories about people trapping JWits, and the idea of doing so myself did occur to me. Maybe if they hadn't had the little kid with them. Maybe if they weren't nice-looking young women ("Want to come up to my apartment and discuss this further?" would have felt a little creepy). Maybe if I were feeling a little more mean-spirited. Maybe if the main talker wasn't so obviously reciting canned lines. Ah, well. Next time.
Regarding Prozac, my memory of my own experience with it was a lack of curiousity. Maybe if I hadn't had to buy the generic?
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