Jesus: Soft on defense. Wrong for America.

"Just because we love our enemies doesn't make them stop being our enemies.
Jesus was a pacifist. That's fine, he was an ascetic who spent his time meditating and living in the desert. Good for him.
I am not a pacifist and I never will be. I have responsibilities. I have responsibilities to protect my family and my fellow Americans. I have responsibilities to confront evil when I see it.
Al Qaeda is evil. Jesus says forgive them, turn the other cheek, and let them terrorize, torture and kill where they may.
I reject that message." -Posted by ZZIM

ZZIM,

Ever heard of a guy named Walter Wink? His interpretation of Jesus' words in their historical context is very different than how we interpret them today. Jesus was talking about a creative form of passive resistance in His Sermon on the Mount. There are quite a few Jesus scholars who agree with him.

http://www.cres.org/star/_wink.htm

areyousaying

I wrote, "Christianity is part of God's Plan, just as Judaism is part of God's Plan and God's Plan which God has had since before creation is for ALL of humanity to be in God's Kingdom."

You replied, "Is driving gay teens to suicide God's plan.
Is priests raping 14-year-old-boys God's plan.
Is addiction to Saudi oil, blind allegiance to Israel and endless war God's plan?
Is demonizing health care and education as "socialism" God's plan?
JFK said, "God's work must truly be our own."
So far, I don't see us doing a very good job of it."

Who said we were?

I said that God has a Plan and has had a Plan since before creation, it isn't our Plan but God's Plan.

God gave us free will, how we use it is up to us.

You can blame God for giving us free will, you can blame those that use their free will to prey on others, you can even lump everyone together and blame everyone for what others are doing, that is your use of your free will.

But as I have said and as it is written: It is God's Will that ALL BE SAVED.

As I have said and as it is written: Night is coming (the night of the sixth day) but the dawning of the seventh day shall surely arrive also.

"On the seventh day God blest, rested and made Holy".

As it is written: "God will declare VICTORY in favor of the Holy Ones", not a tie, not a truce but VICTORY.

As it is written, "THY KINGDOM COME", see you and the rest of humanity in the Kingdom.

Take care, be ready.

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

LOL. I love to see mindless partisans, be they conservative or liberal, subscribe to the belief that Jesus would be on "their side".

The writer's hypocrisy is laughable. Yeah, we get it. To not share your views on political policy is to be un-Christian. How are you different than Jerry Falwell again? LOL

On foreign policy:

A shot of the World Trade Center towers falling.

Voiceover: 9/11. The nation suffers the worst attack on its soil in history. But Jesus says that we ought to love the people who did this. He says: "do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who misuse and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) Love al Qaeda? Do good to the people who attacked us? This is no plan to keep us safe. Jesus. Soft on defense. Wrong for America.

In 1981, led by my Faith in Almighty God, I hitch hiked from Ottawa, Canada's Capital to Whitehorse in the Yukon to "symbolically" draw attention to the rider on the White Horse in Revelation 19/11.

I was as surprised as anyone when, 20 years later, 9/11 happened. The major Canadian Daily newspapers chronicled that mission of Faith, including the Calgary Herald, The Edmonton Journal, The Whitehorse Star, the Vancouver Sun and Canada's weekly news Magazine, MacLeans.

Since this was pre-Internet, people would need access to some newspaper repository pay site to view all those newspaper reports.

If circumstantial evidence means anything, the circumstances of 9/11 are described in Revelation 18.

This was the 1st shoe dropping. The 2nd shoe was the financial meltdown/economic Pearl Harbour/tsunami in the Fall of 2008.

There is much more than just Islamic terrorism involved.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-65703

Perfectly right! A politician who advocated as Jesus did would never be accepted as a leader in the U.S. - nor in Islamic countries, where some women are still being stoned to death for adultery.

Incidentally, some of our own Christian fundamentalists claim that Jesus never said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." They claim that is inauthentic, not really a part of the true bible!

People can be astoundingly stupid.

The wealthy to the far right.
You bring the cross, we'll bring the nails.

To clarify the two comments before the Word of the Lord to Isaiah, in submitting my comment, instead of it posting immediately as is normal, I got this message,

Thank you for commenting.

Your comment has been received and held for approval by the blog owner.

Return to the original entry.

Whatever the problem was, it is now corrected, obviously. Have you ever got the same message?

In my view, this is the operative scripture for our time, not only for Israel, but ALL Nations.

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD has spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel does not know, my people do not consider.
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Why should you be stricken any more? you will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and purifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.
Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.
Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah.
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? says the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
When you come to appear before me, who has required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
And when you spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Isaiah I

To the moderator. If I was abusive to others in any comment I have made in this discussion, then you might have justification in blocking my comments. What you are doing is censorship.

For whatever reason, it appears my comments are being prevented from immediate posting until they are approved by a moderator.

First and foremost, Jesus would not be caught with a bunch of crooks, and secondly can you not see America is no longer be blessed. You make me cringe when you write such rubbish.

Good point, even Jesus wouldnt be conservative enough anymore, he certianly wouldnt run as a Republican

"Jesus is not a politician. He could not be a democrat as they support the murder of unborn children."

Please give us chapter and verse where Jesus ever commented on abortion. There are zero examples. But he spent plenty of time talking about how we should help the poor and sick, and that the rich should give up their wealth to get into heaven.

Republican Jesus? FAIL. He was a progressive socialist, and that just kills the GOP operatives who know they need to keep pulling the wool down over the Christian crowd's eyes for votes so they can keep hurting them financially. Repeat, Jesus was a liberal. It's all over the New Testament, if you bother to open it.

Man, I would make a p*ss-poor candidate for public office. Queried about my faith, I would tell the audience that it's none of their business.

As for Jesus, he may well have been the original libertarian. Live and let live, anyone?

Jesus is not a politician. He could not be a democrat as they support the murder of unborn children. Republicans encourage corporations to move to foreign nations leaving USA without jobs and families without income.

Valerie Dixon,

Addendum to my preceding post

Suggest you "deconstruct" your essay. Misplaced our Derrida, have we?

Valerie Dixon,

The most ironic aspect of your text is that it does precisely that which it argues against: It uses your religion to argue against politicians campaigning in the name of Jesus Christ.

Also, I don't quite know how to tell you this, but there are Americans who are not Christian, merely another reason for an end to this wretched political Christian religiosity of both the candidates and you.

You appear hypocritical, as do they.

It is enough that the Christians own the banks, Wall Street, the dot.com industry, our oil wealth land wealth, etc., that they have raped the world in order to further enrich their sorry selves.

That they must then harangue the world with justification from the Divine is way, way too much. It becomes downright nauseating when they register their god to the political party they support.

Nauseating, Valerie. Idolatrous and nauseating.

Jesus is a republican!

He has total disdain for the sick, lame and elderly.
He despises all unemployed people for being lazy, hates the poor for not trying hard enough and has contempt for anyone attempting to help those mentioned above.

He lives within you and therefore you can perform your own miracles, such as feeding your family of 4 on an ounce of tuna and a stale piece of bread till they can't eat anymore. If you get sick heal thy self!

He supports the tee party agenda of ridding society of the elderly, the poor and the sick and lame and those who would help them! The word help is not in the Constitution.
He supports the idea that you only help those not in need of help.

Jesus IS a republican!
Because the party of saints says He is!

We all know that Jesus would be a Republican and that he would never support any of Obama's agenda, especially Obamacare. Jesus would cast Pelosi and Reid out of the Temple! He would send Obama into the Wilderness.

I don't have time now to post all the hateful material from the text of the Religion of Love, so a few significant highlights from Matthew will have to suffice.

The irony here is so thick it is impossible for anyone to know where to begin. The crucifixions of the "Pharisees," the men who wrote the Talmud, their suffering, learning, and contributions to the western sense of Justice are nowhere noted.

Instead there are condemnations, threats, and, of course, bigotry in essentialist form.

It is not for nothing that the Christians long before they became Nazis raped and pillaged the world, most notably Jews. They were so authorized by their "New Testament" (sic).

All Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and everyone else have ever asked of these folks is that they stay out our face.

Kindly oblige, and note, no one asks you to give up your Osiris, Jesus, whatever. Simply let the rest of us try to create a JUST world.

Okay?

LOL. I see Ms. Dixon struck a big nerve with some of the rightwing "Christian" crowd with this masterpiece. I say "Christian" in quotes because really there is simply no way that an even halfway literate person who actually READS the Bible can come away with the idea that Jesus would have anything but contempt for the modern Republican perversion of his words.

Ms. Dixon barely scratched the surface though. The GOP would crucify Jesus if he appeared in modern America, verbally of course and on FauxNews every night. Heal the sick? It's *our* responsibility to make sure people all have health care?? SOCIALIST! What, the moneychangers in the temple are bad guys? Why that's our base, Jesus, you anti-capitalist commie.

The GOP despises the teachings of Jesus. Luckily for them there are millions of "in name only" "Christians" in this country for whom the Bible is like a Software User's License. Instead of actually reading it, they all simply scroll to the bottom and say "I accept". They would be stunned if they actually read it and realized how left-leaning Jesus was.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM NT

Matthew

# While insulting the Pharisees and Sadducees, John the Baptist calls an entire generation a "generation of vipers." 3:7

# Those who bear bad fruit will be cut down and burned "with unquenchable fire." 3:10, 12

# Jesus says that most people will go to hell. 7:13-14

# Those who fail to bear "good fruit" will be "hewn down, and cast into the fire." 7:19

# "the children of the kingdom [the Jews] shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 8:12

# Jesus tells his disciples to keep away from the Gentiles and Samaritans, and go only to the Israelites. 10:5-6

# Cities that neither "receive" the disciples nor "hear" their words will be destroyed by God. It will be worse for them than for Sodom and Gomorrah. And you know what God supposedly did to those poor folks (see Gen.19:24). 10:14-15

# Families will be torn apart because of Jesus (this is one of the few "prophecies" in the Bible that has actually come true). "Brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death." 10:21

# "Whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." 10:33

# Jesus says that he has come to destroy families by making family members hate each other. He has "come not to send peace, but a sword." 10:34-36

# Jesus condemns entire cities to dreadful deaths and to the eternal torment of hell because they didn't care for his preaching. 11:20-24

# "He that is not with me is against me." 12:30

# "Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him." 12:31-32

# Jesus often called people names. One of his favorites was to call his adversaries a "generation of vipers." 12:34

# Jesus will send his angels to gather up "all that offend" and they "shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." 13:41-42, 50

# Jesus refuses to heal the Canaanite (Mk.7:26 says she was Greek) woman's possessed daughter, saying "it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to the dogs." 15:22-26

# The ever-so-kind Jesus calls the Pharisees "hypocrites, wicked, and adulterous." 15:2-3

# In the parable of the marriage feast, the king sends his servants to gather everyone they can find, both bad and good, to come to the wedding feast. One guest didn't have on his wedding garment, so the king tied him up and "cast him into the outer darkness" where "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 22:12-13

# Jesus condemns the Jews for being "the children of them which killed the prophets." 23:31

# Jesus blames his the Jews (who were then living) for "all the righteous blood" from Abel to Zecharias, 23:35

# The servant who kept and returned his master's talent was cast into the "outer darkness" where there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." 25:30

Interesting posts. Religion of Love, eh? Hilarious.

I have to say that this is one of the silliest things I've seen in the Post, and it doesn't appear to have anything at all to do with religion -- it's simply highlighting negative campaign advertising.

The author -- whose credentials appear to be in religion, not in politics, says that the solution to ending "superficial discussion of issues" is to shorten campaign seasons!!! (Of course. If they have a lot of time to campaign, they'll be superficial; but if the campaign time is really short, they'll really address those issues in detail!) She goes on to propose a series of very-unambiguously unconstitutional measures, as if government efforts to control speech would make our democracy better.

The one thing she says that is very true is, "In a representative democracy, we get the leadership we deserve." You cannot stop people from making poor choices.

BTW, studies have shown that negative ads, on average, have more content, and more accurate content, than positive campaign ads.

IamWright [pretentious twit] wrote:

"Who here think Mohammad would be used next? Me neither!"

= = = = = = = = = = = =

Muhammad would have been "soft on defense"?

Of course, if Jesus were to run for Congress, he would be representing the Democratic Party. However, Jesus would insist that the Constitution be followed and, should anyone desire to change it, he would insist that the process laid down in the Constitution be followed. He would also insist on transparency, especially in Bills before Congress; and just as he criticized those who prayed by being inclined ro "much speaking", he would have insisted that the Bills be uncomplicated, and read before being voted on. He would not insert statements dealing with the reporting of gold possession in a Health Care Bill, and he would not include establishment of a Committee to oversee health care in the Stimulus Bill.

If Jesus ever met Ayn Rand, he would give her a knee in the nuts.

Cowardly article. Christian comparisons, questions and examples used for a political article. Who here think Mohammad would be used next? Me neither!

well hanging out with a prostitute would help his senate run, but I don't know about being buddies with tax collector

The Washington Post is a joke.

This is so stupid, so corney, so pointedly
putrid, it's hard to believe.

As Plato wrote many centuries ago, is the image that you in the cave real or a shadow. Are the religions real? If not then who cares what people believe.

To the extent that white supremacy has anything to do with it, if jesus existed, they would have killed him by now...

slim21 wrote: "These teabaggers would crucify him in a New York minute for his socialist belief we are in fact our brother's keeper."

So would the "Objectivist" cult of Ayn Rand. Jesus would draw the wrath of the editorial pages of the Wall St Journal, Investors Business Daily, Forbes, to name just a few.

And don't forget Rick Santelli. Boy, would he rant about that loser Jesus. Why should people who work hard and don't borrow more than they can handle have bail out losers like Jesus? Jesus can just get a job and stop leaching off the productive members of society. Larry Kudlow would nod in agreement.

Christianity is part of God's Plan, just as Judaism is part of God's Plan and God's Plan which God has had since before creation is for ALL of humanity to be in God's Kingdom.

Posted by: ThomasBaum

Is driving gay teens to suicide God's plan.

Is priests raping 14-year-old-boys God's plan.

Is addiction to Saudi oil, blind allegiance to Israel and endless war God's plan?

Is demonizing health care and education as "socialism" God's plan?

JFK said, "God's work must truly be our own."

So far, I don't see us doing a very good job of it.

If Jesus were to show up in Amerika today he would be treated exactly the same way he was treated the last time he showed up, but this time it would be at the hands of those who worship him and hope he's going to save their worthless, sorry butts: He would be a liberal, might even have long hair and smoke pot and be thoroughly disgusted with Amerika's false morality. So good luck with that redemption thing, Christians. I'm afraid you're really going to be needing it someday.

Ray,

I'm not trying to belittle your beliefs, they're little all by themselves. I have as much a right to speak my peace as you do and if you disagree or take offense, so be it. Your beliefs are not sacred or above critique.

Which Jesus are you referring to? The real one or the resurrected one?

Before his Crucifixion, the real Jesus was a dark skinned Semite Jewish rabbi with dark kinky hair and deep brown eyes. He was born a Jew, died a Jew, and was interred with all the traditions of a Jew. The real Jesus had a ministry of love, understanding, and turning the other cheek.

After his resurrection, Jesus was transformed into an Aryan zombie with white skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. The real Jesus' ministry of Love, understanding, and turning the other cheek, morphed into the zombie-Jesus' ministry of world-wide conquest, robbery, rape, pillaging, and enjoying alter boys after hours. Rome became incredibly rich and corrupt after sucking the accumulated wealth of the world-wide masses and moving it into a Vatican vault.

Which Jesus are you referring to? The real one or the resurrected one?

Valerie Elverton Dixon

You wrote, " Perhaps when Jesus comes back, we can persuade him to run."

Seems as if Jesus didn't get thru to us the first time, don't you think?

Didn't Jesus say, "My Kingdom is not of this world."?

Seems as if quite a few people seem to think that since God became One of us in the Incarnation of Jesus that we should try to set up a theocracy here on earth in His Honor.

This is completely contrary to what Jesus taught and why God became One of us.

Not only is God our Creator but is also our Brother and Saviour and is also Our Guide and Sanctifier, "our" as in ALL OF HUMANITY.

"I and the Father are One", "I will send the Holy Spirit to guide you...", "Destroy this Temple and I will raise it...", sound familiar?

Just how many times did Jesus refer to Himself as the "Son of Man", I don't know and probably no one else knows but it was to get it thru our thick skulls that Jesus is just as human as you and I.

The Incarnation of God is about us having a relationship with God and our fellow human beings just as it was about God having a relationship with God and His fellow human beings.

Christianity is not about the state taking the place of God or the state taking the place of our relationship with each other.

Christianity is part of God's Plan, just as Judaism is part of God's Plan and God's Plan which God has had since before creation is for ALL of humanity to be in God's Kingdom.

Take care, be ready.

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

The real question is, 'What if someone called Mohammed ran for the Senate?...'
Riots, death threats, the end of the 'United' States of America?

Look at the reaction against President Barack Hussein Obama, by mainstream media like FOX. I remember Bill O'Reilly snubbing the name like he was talking of a terrorist, and trying his best to make Obama look really bad.

America is far from being 'United'- perhaps it should be renamed the Segregated States of America'...
I doubt Jesus would bring about 'Change we can believe in...' It would be a sheer miracle if it happened.

Then, TANK, go your way in Peace! I have no desire to belittle your belief and I would expect you should extend the same courtesy to me.

Ray,

There will never be a time in my life to "think of god". I find no reason to imagine the improbable, unprovable and unbelievable into existence.

I can respect an adults freedom to be deluded but I take exceptional offense when these adults pass this delusion on to children through indoctrination. We're all born atheist. The geography of your birth will most likely decide what religion you will be indoctrinated in.

If whatever religion/god is true, allow every child to choose as an adult what they want to believe in or don't believe in.

In America, Texas is trying to rewrite history and rewrite our childrens textbooks to include things that are NOT TRUE. I find this absurdly offensive. It's offensive to claim that "creation science" is a real science. Claiming man can from dirt because on old book says so is not science. Claiming that man lived with dinosaurs as to support the dated claims in the bible is reprehensible.

I simply can never hold my tounge in religious discussions when people assert that their delusions are fact but can produce no evidence to support it. Children should be taught history that is factual no conjured. Someones "personal experience with god" is of no evidence to anybody else. It should only serve to support their personal delusion.

These teabaggers would crucify him in a New York minute for his socialist belief we are in fact our brother's keeper. Additionally, his being a thirty-something unmarried man who still travels the countryside with a dozen or more "Apostles" would most certainly be used in a campaign ad calling his sexual orientation into question.

FRANK, do you mean like this?

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Armageddon is derived from Har Mediggo a physical place that exists Today in Israel.

When the Revelation was given 2000, Har mediggo was located in the Roman Province of Palestine.

Obviously, the current dispute has very deep roots.

In the last 2000 years, Empires and Nations appeared and disappeared in this earth, and with all of that, the mose explosive situation on earth Today is over Jerusalem where Christ was crucified, and where all three ritual man made religions to the God of Abraham meet.

Ray -

Jews do not need Jesus, because God has already saved them.

The Christian right does not really care for Jews. It only cares about having Israel as the stage for its sick end-times scenarios.

TANK, while I respect your Free will not to believe because you have not had the same experience as me or any other person of Faith in God, be assured before February 1, 1975, I was like you in my lack of belief.

There was no time or place in my life to think of God. God did not exist as far as I was concerned. I was dead to God and God was dead to me.

http://www.wikigrain.org/?req=Ray+Joseph+Cormier

FRANK, what I find curious is the Christian right gives carte blanche to the Jews who reject Christ, but war against Islam that recognizes Christ.

Islam is waiting for the return of Christ as much as Christianity. They expect when he returns, he will choose Islam over Judaism and Christianity as being the True Faith.

Jesus and Muhammad both had their peace-loving, charitable, and warlike sides to them.

The funny thing is that Christian fundamentalists and teabaggers will deny that both Jesus and Muhammed had a charitable, peace-loving side, while they praise Jesus for that and then damn Muhammad for the exact same thing.

"One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We're no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It is simply too painful to acknowledge -- even to ourselves -- that we've been so credulous. You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep seated need to believe. Part of my message is that we're not central to the purpose of the Cosmos. I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking. The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides." - Carl Sagan

Ray,

I'm sorry to hear that you've been walking in willfull ignorance since 1975. Sometimes it takes people a long time to break out of their religious shackles. Many people in the middle east walk in willfll ignorance. Israel is arming themselves from attack because some people believe they have the superior biblical fantasy. The results of peoples ignorance in no ways lends credibility to the bible. Ray, I'm going to need some evidence to believe in your "spirits". I've never seen one and nobody has ever presented one to me just as no muslim can prove Mohammed flew to Heavan on a winged horse or no Mormon can prove Joesph Smith found some buried gold plates in upstate New York that he dictated the BoM from. There's never been any evidence for any of it. It's all junk.

INSIDER, I suspect you are right about how the Christian Right would view Jesus,

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world did not know him.
He came unto his own, and his own did not receive him.
But as many as received him, to them he gave power TO BECOME the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

TANK, do you agree or not agree that nuclear armed Israel is a creation of the Bible?

Talk about chutzpah!!! The Jews were able to convince the world in earlier times and to this Day, the Bible is their deed to the land over there, invalidating all other titles, especially those held by Palestinians.

You can dismiss the Bible all you want, but the world can see that creation of that Bible reality in this material world.

In the final analysis, it is not between me an you. It is between me and God and the same it True for anyone else having Faith in the unseen power.

That power has us physically moving through space around the sun at a rate of 66,000 miles per hour. Do you feel it?

God is Spirit, and must be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth.

I have been walking in my Faith since February 1, 1975 when I experiences a Spiritual awakening as unexpected and powerful as the conversion of Saul on the Road to Damascus as I was approaching 30.

In all those years, I know by my own Life experience, all things work together for the good for those who love God.

In America Jesus Christ has been replaced by Supply Side Jesus.

I sincerely doubt that Jesus would be elected to anything in this country. In fact, I sincerely doubt Jesus would be comfortable (or welcome) in most conservative churches. Certainly, the conservative GOP would not welcome him as HE could not satisfy their test for what a real conservative stands for. I'm waiting for the rapture just so I can see all the "christians" standing there shocked that they were not taken.

Ray

Faith by definition is belief without evidence or evidence to the contrary. Quoting a 2000 year old book is not evidence. Faith is nothing more than willfull ignorance. We're all atheist. You don't believe in the other 30,000+ gods that have been worshipped and neither do I. I just go one step further and don't believe in yours because none of them are supported by evidence. Try applying the same scrutiny to your religions that you do others and watch all the cards fall down. All religions are mere fantasy.

The illustrative attack ads are the best ever Sermon material for the Sunday before an election. I hope Pastors/Ministers in this area and across the USA put forward the ads as their sermons.

TANK, when Jesus physically resurrected on the 3rd Day, he appeared to the women first. They went to the men and said, The Lord has appeared to us. The men didn't believe them.

Jesus then appeared to Peter, James and John, and they went to the others and said, The Lord appeared to us. The others didn't believe them.

Jesus then appeared to all the others together except Thomas was not there.
When they told him, he didn't believe them.

He appeared to them all again saying, Thomas! Come and check out my wounds. Thomas then believed.

Christ answered him, Thomas! You have seen and now you believe. From now on, Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet believe.

A thousand years is the same as a Day to God and we be at the 3rd Day of the Spiritual resurrection of Christ.

Christ appears to those who sincerely look for him. Those individuals will soon see the Word made Flesh at work in their own lives. Patience is the key.

We are justified by our Faith.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-65703

Actually, Christ says, 'if you only love those who love you, you are no different than the sinners.'

Another question or two for SimpsonsDotWordpressDotCom:

The clearest biblical teaching of who is our neighbor seems to come from Luke 10: 29-37, the story of the Good Samaritan. There it sure appears that our neighbors can be even those not of our culture. (see John 4:9 and Matthew 10:5) In this instance love related to immediate action and not only having "someone's long term best interests at heart." And the take-home of the story is that the neighbor is the one who showed mercy on the needy soul, is it not?

Second, you stated "And Jesus didn't say to only love your enemies. He said to love your neighbors as well. If you love your neighbors you'll want to protect them from harm, which means supporting everything from local police to national defense." But using that simple logic, if you love your enemies, you'll want to protect them from your local police and national defense! Perhaps a more complex interpretation is required here...

Also, Jesus would face Glenn Beck's wrath for supporting social justice. There goes the election.

If there ever was a Jesus of Nazareth and he came to this time, the conservative religious right would mount massive political campaigns against him, decrying his evil on Fox News, and spreading false stories about him and his followers. They would finally sieze him, condemn him, and hang him on a tree to die a slow painful pitiful death, for all people to see the price of actually believing that you should (gasp) love your fellow man, forgive your enemies, stop war, and give up wealth and power.

I guess that's what the conservative religious right did to him 2000 years ago, too.

they need to change the name of this from "On Faith to On Atheism"
Posted by: greenstheman
__________________________

So why do you think so? I can't tell, because all you've provided is an unsupported assertion.

Jesus would fit perfectly in the Senate. He'd be another invisible, inaudible unbelievable entity that people asked things of and never received anything. Jesus has been doing that for a few thousand years and is still popular just like most politicians.

What would Jesus say about America being the biggest weapons of mass destruction supplier to the world?

From: Prime Minister/Premier ministre (pm@pm.gc.ca)
Sent: September 17, 2010 1:02:39 AM
To: Ray Cormier (ray032@sympatico.ca)

Dear Mr. Cormier:

On behalf of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, I would like to acknowledge receipt of your e-mail.

Thank you for writing to the Prime Minister. You may be assured that your comments have been carefully reviewed.

M. Bourque
Executive Correspondence Officer
for the Prime Minister's Office
Agent de correspondance de la haute direction
pour le Cabinet du Premier ministre

>>> From : Ray Cormier ray032@sympatico.ca Received : 15 Sep 2010 10:09:01 AM >>>

>>> Subject : Fighter Jets For The Future >>>>

Prime Minister,

Watching the hearings on the purchase of the most advanced and expensive jet fighters the world has produced, real weapons of mass destruction, the whole questioning process is focused on the traditional, mundane, earth bound issues of dollars and jobs. Benefits and Liabilities.

What is being offered as a future for our children and Citizens is endless war and increased terrorism.

Looking at the current realities of this world, a rapidly growing world population, mostly poor, without money or resources, education, opportunities for advancement, on the verge of starvation, the nominally Christian West is still focused on self-indulgence.

'These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from mine,' Christ says. This is addressed to those who say they believe in him, not those who don't.

This is the choice confronting the peoples of the world at this juncture in world evolution. It is the Will of God the Nations should beat their swords into plough shares and their spears into pruning hooks, and the Nations no longer learn war any more. In other words, switch from planning war and war production, to food production. It is good, practicable, simple, common sense advice for our times.

What Nation among them all is uniquely placed to show the leadership to the world in altering the destructive path it is on? With the bitter hatred they have for each other, it is not only the Jews and the Arabs that have an inheritance and Destiny on the Plains of Abraham.

Peace

Ray Joseph Cormier

4SimpsonsDotWordpressDotCom:

You've listed several cases where you claim Jesus would have supported government services, supported by taxes. Police, defense, presumably to include foreign wars that do not necessarily make anyone in this country safer.

Yet you believe that Jesus' highest priority, charity, should not be among these.

Why can't you see the contradiction in your own beliefs?

Also, do you believe that Jesus would have stood by and watched someone's house burn down, as happened in Tennessee two weeks ago?

[9] Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Not to mention him overturning the Bankers and Merchants in the religious headquarters of the Jewish Temple saying,

The House of my Father is a House of Prayer, and you have turned it into a Den of Thieves and Merchants.

What would he think of the Power structure in the U.S. Congress in most hypocritical Christian America?

Who will be exposed when Christ acts out on these words from Revelation 3

Jesus reserved his strongest criticisms for the religious leadership, the lawyers and the rich.

He said prostitutes would enter the Kingdom of God before the religious leadership.

When he returns in his fullness, you can be sure the current religious leadership will call him the anti-Christ.

Ya that would be great if Jesus ran for the senate:he would immediately demand that republicans stop abusing his name and teachings.

Such is the problem with theological Liberals: They know so little about Jesus. He is God, so He inspired and agrees with all of the Bible.

Would Jesus be soft on defense? Of course not.

False teachers go wrong when they use their perverted definition of love. They use it as indulgence and even encouragement to sin, whereas the Bible uses it as having someone's long term best interests at heart.

And Jesus didn't say to only love your enemies. He said to love your neighbors as well. If you love your neighbors you'll want to protect them from harm, which means supporting everything from local police to national defense.

Also, Jesus inspired Romans which states the roles of government.

Then there is the classic and transparently false claims that Jesus is a socialist / communist:

"Voice: Karl Marx says that the government ought to take from each according to his abilities, and give to each according to his needs. This is socialism. This is communism. Jesus agrees with Marx. He says to be saved, you have to give your hard-earned possessions away. He said: "Go and sell whatever you have and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven."(Mark 10: 21) Jesus. Socialism. Dangerous for America."

Even in the verses the author takes out of context he still exposes his error. Having the government give and take from each person is radically different than each person giving based on what he has decided in his own heart to give. Jesus never taught to petition Caesar to take from neighbor A to give to neighbor B. He taught to give from your own wallet.

Oh, and did Marx promise treasures in Heaven? I must have missed that part.

The author should learn more about the real Jesus before opining on what He would or wouldn't do as a politician.

The Tea Partiers would not vote for him. He was a Jew.

"they need to change the name of this from "On Faith to On Atheism"
Posted by: greenstheman
---------------------------

Well, I tend to agree, but then we should ask just what this section of the paper is about. Its not really about news. Its more of a place for WaPo to place questions and statements intended to draw people in and get them to comment, and read the advertisements. And the more readers/comments the more they can charge those advertisers. So its really just a way to make money, not a public service or a serious place to discuss religion one way or the other.

I look at it as sport more than anything else. As a teacher once told me, when they say you should not talk about religion or politics I say your discussions are going to be very boring for there is nothing more interesting to talk about. But if all expect when discussing faith is support for your faith, well, that's not a discussion.

they need to change the name of this from "On Faith to On Atheism"

jeffy2345 wrote:

"Likewise Jesus would never have sought political office."

= = = = = = =

Ummm... not quite. The Romans executed him precisely because he was seeking political office. Check the caption on the cross.

after thirty years of suffering the blather and arrogance of religion mixed with politics, i'm reminded often of the comment of that marvelous english explorer of the victorian age, sir richard francis burton: "the more i learn of religion, the more i'm convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself."

This thesis is flawed:

Imagine Mother Theresa running for office. Or Billy Graham. Or the Dalai Lama. Or the Apostle Paul. Or Martin Luther King Jr. You can't imagine it because religious leaders on top of their game would never do something that stupid. They have bigger fish to fry. Running for office is a step down from what they are about.

Likewise Jesus would never have sought political office. Hacks and imitators like Pat Robertson and Al Sharpton run for office.

Fox News and Limbaugh will demonize him as liberal, long haired, socialist hippie, and challenge his citizenship asking for his birth certificate since Joseph would not claim to be the father.

What a myth ridden species! Tooth fairies, Santa Claus, Jesus, Easter bunnies, virgin mothers, priests,witch doctors, etc.,etc., etc.. No wonder reason has such a tough go!

Jesus would be declared a Socialist by the
Republicans and the American protestantic churches.
And they would extradite him because he is an alien.

"avoid mistake & punishment, miracle reward, do the best, and God the rest".

Yes, and ALSO, it's a proven FACT that when the economy is so bad, there are MANY MORE abortion murders, regardless of which political "words" the Republicans PRETEND to proclaim about being "against" abortions! It's their little personal "joke", obviously! EVERY time Republicans are in control, the economy goes down the drain, and abortion rates go UP!! But they STILL continue to "mouth" their lying words that they are "against" abortion!! YAH! SHURE!! Actions speak LOUDER than words!

Thank God, Obama and the Democrats are pulling us OUT of the Republicans' devastation, slowly, but surely! Obama SAID that progress would be slow, but ignorant people want all 8 years of Bush's damage repaired NOW, in less than 2 years. 8 for 2 is ALWAYS a good deal, "IF" a President really IS Jesus and could work MIRACLES!!

It's easy to imagine what would be said about Jesus if he ran for office today: when he walked on water, opponents would say he couldn't swim.

I think it's the wrong question! The question SHOULD be:

"What if Jesus were President, and HE was BLACK ??"

Would there still have been such a concerted campaign from the Republicans to try to ruin and dirty Him?? I guess there WOULD have been! After all, in Jesus's time, the "Republicans" CRUCIFIED Him!! Jesus gave handouts and helped the poor, something absolutely AGAINST the billionaires'~~REAL Republicans, (and the gullible "pseudo-republicans", who vote AGAINST themselves) philosophies!

Jesus said, "Woe to you, Bethesda?"

Oh, noes!!1!

Joe Allen Doty wrote:

"Jesus NEVER said one negative word about the governing Romans nor those who were working for them.

= = = = = = = = = =

Jesus had plenty to say about the Romans. It's just that he wasn't explicit - he had to speak in code. It's there, if you know where to look - the devils named "Legion" is just one example. Also, it didn't help that the New Testament was heavily edited by the Romans by the time they adopted Christianity as the state religion, three centuries later.

Correction:

http://onwapo.wordpress.com/

Oops; 'Rabbi{VYASA' of Vedic/Hindu}; Say;

Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Aummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Amennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.. & now Sing

EKLAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhht-i.

.
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.."E" = LUNG; "KLAh-t" = HEART; & "i" = MIND:!
...
PEACE,PAZ,SHALOM,SALAAM,AHIMSA,MIR, ZHINGYU..
.
..... Credit to "JJ"

http://www.http://onwapo.wordpress.com/

The World; 'Changed' by "American (NOt English) Words"

Another Great [Candid] Essay! SO

Be "IT" [Not a HE nor a SHE] via Mr. or Rabbi{JesUS, or Rabbi{MosUS, or Rabbi{MuhamadUS, or Rabbi{VasayaUS, or "Rabbi-Shilom":

GautamaUS et al!

SISSTAR: Anyway YE/YO See "IT": Justly Praise the HOLYI-NO-MON/WOMB; so sing "HailayuYa!

Happy Everyday (like asifa birthday)!

Huggs n-a Kiss's To ALL da Bright's & da Sisstars!

Nice Nice, Very Nice-a! Except for {r Rabbi} Jesus.

MEANT to WRITE:

The Christians, the Roman
s' descendants, on the other hand, ARE Caesar.

Joe Allen Doty (antisemite) writes:

But he had lots to say about the Pharisees who wanted to overthrow the Roman Government.
_________________________
Exactly. The "Pharisees," the Jews who would write the Talmud,on the were in convent with HaShem, fully comprehended Justice, and would not support mass murdering imperialists such as Caesar.

The Christians, Christ's descendants, on the other hand, are Caesar.

Every book in the Bible should be considered in the context in which it was written.

In 27-30 AD, the actual years of Jesus' earthly ministry, the Romans were officially in charge of the governments of Israel, Judea and Samaria. No one in the Roman Empire even knew anything about a government like the USA has.

Jesus NEVER said one negative word about the governing Romans nor those who were working for them.

But he had lots to say about the Pharisees who wanted to overthrow the Roman Government.

Just because we love our enemies doesn't make them stop being our enemies.

Jesus was a pacifist. That's fine, he was an ascetic who spent his time meditating and living in the desert. Good for him.

I am not a pacifist and I never will be. I have responsibilities. I have responsibilities to protect my family and my fellow Americans. I have responsibilities to confront evil when I see it.

Al Qaeda is evil. Jesus says forgive them, turn the other cheek, and let them terrorize, torture and kill where they may.

I reject that message.

V. E. Dixon, wait, wait, The Gospels should be taken in a symbolic way, never literally, just the same as the Hebrew Bible where is plain evident that the Book of Genesis should not be taken literally.
For example, in The Gospels, "bread" means food for our soul not the baker's bread.