The Bible Made Me Do It: Christians Misrepresenting Their Christ
Racists, homophobics, polygamists and Pat Robertson; they all can rely on the bible to excuse their behavior. The bible in itself is not a racist or homophobic book but if you look deep enough you can gather the scriptures to excuse your actions.
Haiti Giving Guide
There are a lot of resources on the web to help you give wisely to the devastation in Haiti. I have brought together all the reliable information I could find so that you can see it all in one place.
Haiti and the Spirit of Giving
Jan 22nd
Giving, it’s the American Way.
Whenever tragedy strikes the benevolence of the American people always pours out. The world media may paint an ugly picture or America but when it comes down to it we are willing to put our words into action. We may be a politically split nation but one thing is common among most Americans; we are a very charitable people.
It may just be five or ten dollars but when you add it all together it becomes something significant. The last solid figure I was able to find in regards to text messaging donations was over $10 million. Even though it has been reported that the funds raised will take at least 90 days to be put to use there is no doubt that the money will be needed much longer than 90 days from now.
The Bible Made Me Do It: Christians Misrepresenting Their Christ
Jan 19th
Racists, homophobics, polygamists and Pat Robertson; they all can rely on the bible to excuse their behavior. The bible in itself is not a racist or homophobic book but if you look deep enough you can gather the scriptures to excuse your actions.
The Old Testament is usually the tool of these types of Christians. With so many diverse stories about ancient individuals it is not hard to find the examples they need to prove their feelings. The trick is simple, find a scripture that seems to mean its ok to do what you want and ignore those that insist you are wrong.
I call these people Old Testament Christians. Like the infamous Westboro Baptist Church, the subhumans responsible for “God Hates Fags”—what a crummy site, what, no homophobes in your “church” that can design a website?—and “Thank God For Dead Soldiers.” They love scriptures condemning homosexuality, even though they were written in a different time for different people. They have to ignore the scriptures of forgiveness and not being judgmental by Christ, but those scriptures are boring and too lovey dovey.
Haiti Giving Guide
Jan 15th
There are a lot of resources on the web to help you give wisely to the devastation in Haiti. I have brought together all the reliable information I could find so that you can see it all in one place. If you are able to give that is wonderful, I want to help make sure your money is put in the right hands.
Giving Tips
As outlined on Charity Navigator.
- Avoid Newly-Formed Charities and Give To An Established Charity That Has Worked In Haiti. – Find a charity with a good reputation. New charities may not be capable of dealing with the Haiti situation. So, don’t give your money to the first charity you see. Make sure they are legit and effective.
- DO NOT GIVE To The Haitian Government
- Designate Your Investment – Don’t count on your chosen charity to use the money in the way you want. Be sure to specify the Haiti disaster.
- Do Not Send Supplies – You may be tempted to send a care package, do not. The infrastructure needed to handle packages from outside of the country is not functioning and you would be wasting your time and money. If you are going to give, give cash to a reliable charity.
- Be Careful Of Email Solicitations– Sadly, in a time of crises there are people out there trying to get their own piece of the pie. People are willing to give and people are willing to take, even if they don’t need it. Basically, do not reply to any emails you receive and do not open any attachments in the emails. If you don’t know the sender, delete it. Resist the urge! How could they have access to a computer? Delete it!
You can read the full article at Charity Navigator.
The Right to Life
Jan 14th
There are certain things in politics that make little sense. Such as how the Republicans in congress can be so adamantly against a public option while enjoying government health care themselves. Or, how people can scream and yell about “socialism” while 1.) Not knowing what socialism is and 2.) Enjoying many benefits of those ever-so-evil taxes such as roads and emergency services. Those may be head scratchers to me but nothing trumps out the pro-life, pro-death penalty issue. This isn’t just a shot at the religious right. When I say whole life, I mean it. That includes unborn children.
Like any political issue there is a for and an against. The abortion issue is no different and often one of those issues that neither side could ever find a middle ground with. Both of them have sincere reasons for the stance they take. I once used to feel that my pro-life stance was high and mighty. That no one could possibly ever support something as heinousness as abortion. My feelings towards abortion have not change but my feelings towards others being pro-choice has. It’s not as black and white as pro-lifers think and it is not as open and shut as pro-choicers think. It’s very complicated.
I won’t get into a discussion on abortion at this moment. I will soon, but right now I want to discuss the overall picture of the right to life. While I give pro-lifers the credit for being mindful of human beings that cannot protect themselves I condemn their stance on death row inmates. The compassion they have for the innocent should transfer over to the guilty in the spirit of forgiveness. I take this with a religious slant, if the religious right want to emanate Christ then they need to start by turning the other cheek. Justice will be served, there is no need for the electric chair in a civilized society.
Separation of Christians and Christ
Dec 16th
In my previous article, What is Poor, I touched on the Christian faith and the religious right. To me, the two are completely separate. I would define myself as a follower of Christ. My Christianity is rooted in the teachings and actions of Jesus Christ. You cannot possibly connect the teachings of Christ to the policies of the religious right. While they may argue that those on the left that support abortion could never be Christians I feel that there is much more to it than being pro-birth. You must take it beyond that and that is something the religious right cannot claim. They are not pro-life, their support of life ends after the child exits the mother’s womb.
Christians worried about the separation of church and state need to be more concerned about the separation of Christianity and Christ. The policies touted by the current sect of self proclaimed Christian voters are not something Christ could possibly support Himself. I am not speaking for Him, I am simply correlating what he spoke of and taught in the new testament recounts of his life to what is going on now. You saw a Christ that demanded us to seek God, to be pure and holy in God’s eye. That is the resounding message from the right, in their policies against health care for the poor and other social programs that benefit the misfortune. However, on the same pages you read about a passionate Christ that healed the sick and commanded us to love our enemies. That is a Christ most of the right do not understand.
I am not Christ, I do not live a life that resembles His whatsoever. My goal is to be as much like Him as possible. If I am to accomplish this I must follow his examples. I must repent for my wrongs, find strength in God and take responsibility for my duties. I must also make sure to be mindful of the poor, even though I am poor myself. I must take care of the elderly and go out of my way to treat my enemies as I would my friends and family. These are all hard lessons and I do my best to follow through with Christ’s teachings. I would consider myself a liberal, yet, I somehow openly admit my devotion to Christ. How is that so?
What is Poor?
Dec 12th
How many people really know what it means to be poor? No, not unable to buy your fancy clothes this year, or that second car. Really poor? So poor you have to eat at someone else’s house so you don’t starve, so poor you borrow more money then you’ll ever pay back, can’t even afford simple necessities like shampoo and wear your clothes far beyond their time. Do you know this? Or do you run out of premium coffee and think the world is going to end? I’m not guilt tripping you, but think about it. Do you have any idea what it means to be poor?
Have you ever had to heat water on the stove to take a bath? Not only that, you then had to share that water with your siblings? So hungry, with no food, you eat condiments? You don’t just skip meals, you go days without eating. Do you ever go weeks without food just so your children can eat? My mom did, and she would have, and still would, die if she had to to keep us alive. Do you know poor? Really?
When you hear about those lazy poor people on TV, boycotting unfair wages, not doing their job like their supposed to, you get angry don’t you? You complain about the line outside the welfare office, cringe when you see someone using an EBT (food stamps) card at the check out and complain about “the expensive food they are buying.” To think, they want to eat something other than Roman Noodles! The horror! To think they are eating on your tax dollars! I could have a heart attack!
