...parse that as you will.
Bob Jones University president Bob Jones III has sent a congratulatory letter to George W. Bush on his re-election(?). I'm not going to post it here: you can find it at that link or - in case it ever goes down - I found it on Google archived here. But I'll note this: that Jones claims that God is using Bush to grant America "a reprieve from the agenda of paganism," that Bush owes "the liberals nothing. They despise you because they despise your Christ. Honor the Lord, and He will honor you." That he is eager to follow Bush because "you seek the Lord daily, we who know the Lord will follow that kind of voice eagerly."
Somebody inform Bob Jones III that so far as anyone can tell, Bush has never gone to church - in regular worship with other Christians anyway - since coming to Washington. That's something that's not just encouraged: it's a necessity of the Christian life, that we might hold each other accountable. But I guess when you're hand-picked by the Almighty and somewhat considered God's Second Begotten Son you don't have to be held accountable by anyone, right?
By the way, that bit about the college and Martin Luther King's death is an all-too-true story: when Jones' father, Bob Jones Jr. announced that King had been killed, the assembled students applauded and cheered... especially as Jones declared that King was "an apostate". Jones' daddy didn't get it then and Jones doesn't get it now: that Christians are supposed to rescue lost people from a dying world, and not rescue a dying world for lost people.
That's all that "Christians" like Jones and Falwell and Robertson and Bush and Ashcroft and too many others are concerned with. That's all they see: a world split by factionalism. Where it's practically considered a justifiable biblical mandate to hate one another because those other people are "liberals". It saves them the hassle of having to consider the lives of individuals.
They want to save America... but they don't give a damn about even one person who's hurting for not knowing about God's love for them.
And it's because he really DOESN'T give a damn about other people that Jones is bragging about in this letter.
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22 comments:
Mr. Knight, first of all, the President often struggles with security in terms of regularly attending a church. He has ministers at the White House, Bible Studies in the White House, personal devotions, etic.
Secondly, you make the false dichotomy that we must either save lost souls or preserve our nation. In other words, we must either be a shining light or a preserving salt. The Bible does not give us the option of "salt or light", we're commanded to be "salt and light".
You attack the Christianity and character of Jerry Falwell who hates liberal so much that Gerald Rivera claims him as a friend.
http://adamsweb.us/blog
Christians are supposed to be humble, not quick to wrath, loving toward their enemies, and a lot of other things... that Bush is not. You hear all the time about these "prayer meetings" and "Bible studies" in the White House, but why isn't anyone examining the fruit that's coming out of this man's spirit?
Here's a hint: a devout Christian wouldn't "give the finger" to people. Or abuse the office entrusted him to destroy Constitutional rights of those that disagree with him. Or refer to his enemies as "a--holes" and "f-ckers".
Christopher,
By downplaying Bush on his church-attendance record in Washington DC, you're basically saying that church attendance is a necessary requisite for godliness: otherwise, you wouldn't find it necessary to berate Bob Jones III for his complimentary letter to the President. Looks like you've trapped yourself, Chris. because church attendence isn't mandatory for godliness at all-- especially for government leaders, who themselves are ordained by God (Rom13) if you want to get technical about it. The last time Jesus stepped into church, they killed him. Who's to say the same thing wouldn't happen to a controversial President?
"because church attendence isn't mandatory for godliness at all-- especially for government leaders, who themselves are ordained by God (Rom13)"
Taken to the logical conclusion, government leaders are beyond the need for repentance and prayerful petition on their part. Per your thinking, becoming a government leader is synonymous with receiving an indulgence from sins... if not being immune from sin altogether.
Guess in your world, Adolf Hitler was a saintly man, since he was a government leader also, right?
You're making the wrong assumption that God is installing the leaders in this land. He's not. He gave all authority to we the people, not to a Caesar or a House of Lords. We do with the authority He gave us as we see fit, not Him. And ultimately we're not going to have anyone to blame but ourselves for the weaknesses in our elected officials.
"if you want to get technical about it. The last time Jesus stepped into church, they killed him. Who's to say the same thing wouldn't happen to a controversial President?"
You're implying that Bush is equal to Jesus?
You're sick. Get help.
"Successful leadership often requires a brazen demeanor to influence those who would not otherwise be moved. If the entire nation were as innocent as you in terms of their national and international outlook, it would be only a matter of time before much fiercer opponents overrun the political and cultural scene."
Martin Luther came upon a group of peasants that were stealing grain from the town grainery. He asked why it was that they were sinning so.
"We have no choice! We have to eat! We can't go hungry!" one of them told Luther.
"I never knew God called us to not be hungry. I do know that God calls us to honesty," Luther replied.
The people stopped what they were doing, and returned the grain.
You're assuming that to "win" over "opponents", that we must become as dirty as they are. And maybe you're right...
...except the inevitable outcome is that we destroy ourselves.
Let's send Bush, Cheney, Bob Jones III, Falwell, Robertson, and some others into the field then with a gun, and face the possibility of getting beheaded, if they believe in this so much then. Wouldn't bother me if they did, and it'd lend itself toward my respecting them more for putting their money where their mouths are.
Or let's send *you* into battle. You want to do it, right, since you're obviously boasting that you've got brass ones enough to wade into the thick of it and put your life at risk of getting killed.
Except I know people like you: you are perfectly content with the price to be paid for freedom... so long as it's SOMEONE ELSE doing the paying.
Get off your well-fed and too-fat butt and do something other than post pompous blather, you twit.
I'm considering a new policy on this blog: any comments that aren't grounded in original thought are going to be zapped out into the ether. This is going to be a place that reflects my own personality and I *like* to think that it's one that engenders thinking for one's own self, instead of thinking only what others want you to believe. The poster of some of the above few comments illustrates that well enough.
Or the comment feature may get turned off altogether: If anyone wants to comment, they can e-mail me and I can easily add them as an edit to the actual article. Pro or con, I don't care: I've no problem with posting criticism. But I won't tolerate lock-step idiots who can't think outside of anything other than what Our Glorious Leaders want them to think.
You want to believe that your kind is over there "protecting American freedom", that those that die over there are making the ultimate sacrifice so that we and the generations following us might never know of terrorism... so their deaths had meaning.
You aren't, and they didn't. They died for nothing. No American freedom is being served by their being sent to die to keep a country from flying apart that should never have been brought together in the first place (hint: study Iraq's history, then we'll talk). They had their lives wasted so that a few corporations might reap the spoils of war.
But if you've a good reason why it *is* that we have to be involved in Iraq right now, let's here it.
Of course I know what goes on over there regarding how these butchers treat others... and *you* are showing immaturity by implying that I'm ignorant of it. And for the most part "they" weren't our opponents to begin with. At least, not until Bush chose to take American attention OFF of the person who WAS responsible for the 9/11 attacks and place it on a country that was *not* responsible, operating under faulty intelligence and the dubious rationale that "he tried to kill my Daddy!"
Ever heard of the old Muslim saying "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"? By failing to prosecute fullest retaliation against Osama bin Laden and Al-Quaeda, Bush attacked a party that it's become quite clear was not responsible for 9/11 and in doing so has given Muslims - some of which had no reason to become "our opponents" at all - a reason to become opponents anyway. Here's a hint: Bush has become the best recruiting tool that Al-Quaeda ever had. Would he be had he opted to chase down Osama to the end? I seriously doubt it.
You are cheering for a war, and for the deaths of people, who your commander-in-chief instigated against his fellow Americans by his own failure to act as a decisive leader in executing complete justice against individuals responsible for the deaths of thousands of other Americans. The actions and people you are supporting have guaranteed that Islamic terrorism against Americans will go on for decades when they promised us they would end it within a few years. It *could* have been ended - a good part of it anyway - if Bush had chosen to put the interests of the American people first in destroying Al-Quaeda instead of using the men and women of the American military as (a) a tool for personal revenge and (b) a means of securing a new market for commercial exploitation.
I'll gladly fight - and die, if need be - for something worthwhile. Like if my country was REALLY in danger. And actually, it is: we're losing more of our freedoms every day than at any other period in American history. So I *do* choose to fight, and not remain still and situated where I am. I fight against people like your president (by the way, how really "secure" do you feel now that he's practically guaranteeing that our borders with Mexico will be more overrun than they already are?) and anyone else - on BOTH sides of the Republican/Conservative aisle, mind you - who are incrementally destroying our Constitutional republic. And I fight in the best way that I know at the moment: by thinking, by writing, by encouraging others to think for themselves and to not believe everything that passes for reality that's presented them.
You go die so that others might get rich. I'll go and die so that others might be free. But before I reach for my gun, I'm going to exhaust the soap box for all its worth. And if the ballot and jury boxes fail, then I'll dig into the bullet box.
I do fight for freedom. It's people such as yourself that are leading this country toward self-destruction. And are deluding yourselves that your "service" to those in office right now is some kind of high calling equal to that of our forefathers.
And maybe America *does* need to be destroyed by her enemies. Maybe she deserves it. For how proud and haughty and arrogant we have become, how we have failed to be humble before God and yield unto His will and not our own.
I don't see any possible reason why excusing ourselves for more arrogance by following a man who has shown nothing but arrogance is going to help this nation in our appeal for mercy before the Lord. If I remember my Bible correctly, He ain't exactly dissuaded by a show of force or military arms.
It wasn't that they were weak against "their opponents" that brought Israel under Roman subjugation: it was that they turned their hearts away from God. Jesus even reminded them of that when He told them to "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, and unto God that which is God's." And if memory serves, Israel was thrown to the four winds when they tried to beat *their* opponents by might of arms.
Einstein noted that insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. In the spiritual economy of things, to believe in strength of country more than provision of God is not only insane, but downright suicidal.
"the world has made enormous strides by debunking a totalitarian regime which, although it lacked WMD, would have eventually aided terrorist organizations"
For that to work logically you'd have to believe the following: "the family has made enormous strides by killing its infant son who, although he was unable to walk, would have eventually grown up to become the next Adolf Hitler."
Yer claiming to know the future, bub? Yer willing for others to die so that something *might* not happen... even after the fact that it now appears there was little chance of it happening at all?
"I don't know what you are (Christian out of step with the Conservative Right?)"
I'm just a Christian. Nothing more.
"but I'll tell you this: with your mouth, you wouldn't last half a day on Parris Island."
I can tell you this: for all I know, with your mind you may not have even tried to last two minutes on Parris Island. I've no idea if you are what you say you are, at all. You could be just some 15-year old high-school freshman hormone machine with a pipsqueak voice and weird sexual fantasies about M-16s after finally being old enough to rent "Full Metal Jacket".
The Marine Corps is sure scraping the bottom of the barrel if your attitude is indicative of what they're able to find these days. I say that because you strike me as too much of a hothead. And someone who doesn't seem to think very much for himself. The Marines I've known have been anything but quick to temper... and some of the smartest guys I've known. You aren't like them at all.
Oh yeah: I scored 98 overall on the ASVAB when I took it years ago. How well did you do?
Yup, your last post proved it: you're not a Marine.
Quit pretending that you are. That title is an honor left to far better men than you.
Oh yeah, you're not a real Christian either.
And as supportive of what can only be called "fascism", you're not much of a real American either for that matter.
You've DEFINITELY proven you're not a Marine now.
This is my own blog. Why don't you start your own and see if anyone will visit you there?
Or are you even smart enough to figure out how to start one?
BTW, I bench-press 250 lbs quite easily. Am a pretty good shot with a rifle. And though you may be rather handy with knives, I should let you know that I *make* knives... by heating raw steel in a hot forge and then beating it into shape with a hammer and anvil. I know how to use them too.
I never go looking for a fight. But, I learned long ago to always finish one. If you find the fulfillment of your being in "beating to a pulp" some other person, then I choose to not oblige you that happiness, and let you sulk in your own weakness and sad state of mind.
Killing a person is the greatest weakness... or at least it should be among civilized men. It represents the ultimate failure of the killer, because he has failed, at the exhaustion of all else, to find a means of changing another's mind or turning him aside. Are you sure you are so quick to demonstrate your own weakness in this way, dude?
I can assure you that, should you opt to find me and do harm to me, that I will not find any satisfaction in your injury or death.
You're the one who began the threats, friend.
Kabar, huh? I've made katanas.
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