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4.22.2005
One of the reasons that I like writing and keeping this blog up to date is because sometimes, whilst in the middle of a post, everything will get wiped out by blogger and I'll have to write everything all over again. Well no, not really. Actually, that pisses me off. I now write my posts in notepad and copy it over when finished. What I do enjoy, is that in the process of writing I'll stumble upon new ideas. I suppose that's the concept behind journaling? Its free association but with a trail of breadcrumbs so you can get back to those thoughts that flitted through your brain for just a brief moment. For a while I've been trying to discover the link between right wing Christianity and Republicanism. What is the key that ties the two together? What could a religion that is centered around a humble carpenter who preached compassion, who cared for the sick, who mingled with the outcasts, and who challenged the ruling authorities have in common with a political party so intent on pandering to the powerful and turning its back on the meek and needy in society? Before I give my answer I first want to make it clearly known that I am only referring to a subset of mainstream Christianity and not necessarily all Christians. I think of them more as a cult, revolving around the person of Jesus as a means of self-glorification. The gospel, the "good news" is that "Jesus loves you!". You are god's little light in the world. He made you in his image. He created the world for your enjoyment. He sent his son to Earth to save you from an eternity of pain. It is, quite literally, all about you. The whole reason we are here, and why everything happens revolves around self. God wants to be your buddy and he wants to whisper in your ear. And when you die, you, and only others just like you will ascend into heaven and spend eternity in the presence of the creator. I was raised to believe that to be a Christian one had to be Christ-like. This meant reading the New Testament and trying to live in a manner that emulated Jesus. It wasn't until later in my life that I learned of a Christianity that focused less on the works one does in their life, but on the act of becoming "saved". Becoming a Christian involved accepting Jesus as your personal lord and savior. Once this was accomplished you were saved, you were redeemed, the door that had been opened by the resurrection was there for you to enter. All that was left was living out the rest of your life here on Earth. You are encouraged not to sin, but you would still be forgiven if you did. As long as you have the lucky Jesus' foot in your pocket all is well. You are blessed. Acting like a selfish prick is not a sin. It follows from the belief that you are god's chosen. Your wants are god's wants. So if you want to make a killing in the stock market investing in companies that use third world sweatshop labor then that too must be what god wants. Everything flows from that understanding. |
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