You may have seen this video before, but I wanted to share it with you in case you had not. Be sure to watch it to the end.
You may have seen this video before, but I wanted to share it with you in case you had not. Be sure to watch it to the end.
EverFaith 
You have to ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?”
Do you think Jesus would have invaded Iraq and killed tens of thousands of people who never attacked us?
Do you really think that? Do you think “turn the other cheek” was just something silly that slipped out?
Thou shalt not kill. Love each other.
You can’t have it both ways.
Do you think doctors who leave babies to die after performing abortions are turning the other cheek?
The Iraq war is a whole other can of worms that I may address in another blog in light of Jesus’ commandment to turn the other cheek. He often spoke in hyperbole, which often turned people away in droves when they misunderstood what he meant…
I see you deleted my other comments and posted a long article about “charity”.
Is your blog just to be read and absorbed?
Have you ever considered what it would be like if Jesus were here today? What would he say? Would you be receptive of Him? I think about that every day. I am fairly certain that he would be called a fool and killed….again.
Bluffersmack –
(what does that mean, anyway?)
I have considered, and I believe people would flock to Jesus and would either be repelled or attracted, just as they were in his ministry. Sick people would go to Him in droves. I think he’d be very pointed in his criticism of the church which is more concerned with bottoms in seats than in changed hearts and personal relationships. And I believe that He would offer himself up to be sacrificed…again.
I deleted some of your other comments because I felt they were attacking me and my faith personally. I have very thin skin, and blogging like this is showing me that I have to be willing to stand firm regardless of what others may comment. I have a tendency to be a “people pleaser,” so when other people get angry at what I write, I get nervous and upset. That’s something God is working on in me — he’s not finished with me yet!
Feel free to debate me in your comments. If I could figure out how to put your comments back on, I would.
I spent a long time today in the Word of God, reading and re-reading Jesus and researching the times and contexts, and for that I thank you.
Ultimately, Jesus’ ‘turn the other cheek’ command was given to people, not to nations. That’s not a cop out. It’s part of the historical context.
Jesus would never have invaded Iraq or anyplace else because he didn’t come to this earth to win land but to provide us the only way — the narrow gate — to the Kingdom of Heaven. He doesn’t have to invade countries because he invades our hearts.
Our nation will never be perfect. Ever. It is bound up in this upside down, sinful world, and we will have struggles and trials and wars and tribulations…that’s a given.
Maybe if Bush had had other intelligence, he would have decided to leave Saddam alone. But I wasn’t there, so I don’t know whether he made a good choice or a bad choice. I do know that as a Christian, Bush understands that one day he will have to account for his actions in front of the ultimate judge. “To whom much is given, much will be required.” He did not take that lightly.
War is ugly and I hate it. But war is why we are an independent nation. It’s how we achieved that purpose. It’s how we finally drove out the ugliness of slavery in this country, and thousands upon thousands of boys and men died for a cause they each believed was right. And in Iraq, it’s how the Iraqi people now have their own form of government. When they are stable and we do leave next summer, they will be free, just as we were free when we defeated the British.
Ok, it’s hard to clarify my other points when you delete them, but I will try. And I don’t have them written down. Please don’t think I am attacking you. But I will question you, thin skinned or otherwise. Hopefully that will continue to encourage you to research the Bible and I also hope it will encourage to read history books.
So, my question about your receptiveness of Jesus really comes down a very simple thing.
What would he say? Would people listen? Really. Think about it. What would he say? I personally believe that he would be anti-war and would be called anti-American as a result. He would call for loving each other and be called a communist or socialist.
Maybe you were offended because I mentioned the “new” wave of “Christians” who believe it is ok to kill people by the thousands in a country that never attacked us yet deny health care to children of poor families because that’s not the role of government. (No one is rushing to their aid either, by the way). You mentioned Bush was a Christian. As a Christian, why is it ok to veto a health care bill that would give coverage to children at the same time as bailing out banks and bombing the helpless? That’s what I mean by “new”, the “compassionate conservative”. Silly doublespeak.
That’s probably it. At any rate, whether you choose to publish this or not, you should seriously consider that double standard. Is the government (“we the people”, actually) only to spend money on weapons, war and failed banking systems? Or is there some other role of government that would keep people from starving to death? You chose to be political on this website. You have an opinion about the presidential race and clearly do not like Obama. Fine. But it’s hard to believe what you are saying when there are so many inconsistencies. Again, I’m not attacking. I’m just confused.
Thank you for your questions on my clarity. I apologize for being unclear in any way.
I believe our government is secular and should follow the Constitution. As the preamble states, I believe the federal government exists to:
form a more perfect Union
establish Justice
insure domestic Tranquility
provide for the common defence
promote the general Welfare
secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity
I do not think our government should only spend $$ on weapons, war and failed banking systems. I think our government should provide for our common defense, and since we now have citizens and government installations over the globe, sometimes that requires defense overseas. When a dictator like Hitler begins exterminating races like roaches, I don’t think it was wrong for us to step in.
We need to overhaul our court system. So many innocent people in my area have been turned free after YEARS of being behind bars, and now they are finding rapists using DNA technology, but the statute of limitations has run out, so these people can’t be prosecuted. I think that needs to change. I support a change from the death penalty to “death in prison” — a more appropriate connotation than “life without parole.”
What did the framers mean by “insure domestic tranquility?” I am studying the Civil War and have found that part of the reason for that horrible war was to insure domestic tranquility. It took a long time, and civil rights are still being fought for and won, but we are on the way to ensuring that every person has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I believe that we secure the blessings of liberty by forging tax laws (such as the FairTax idea) that encourages people to earn more money while still providing enough money to run the government.
I think infrastructure is important and that the federal government has a role in making sure our roadways are kept safe and secure, although states have a duty towards that as well.
I do NOT think our government should bail out Wall Street. I think those who have mismanaged and made bad decisions should personally fork over as much as they can to help rectify the situation.
In Texas, children of poor families are covered with health insurance. Nation-wide, Medicaid already covers those who can’t pay — our hosptals are prohibited from turning away anyone regardless of whether or not they can pay. The bigger issue is the runaway costs of health care and the doctors sitting in the pharmaceutical giant’s pockets. No, it isn’t ideal — have you ever sat in the ER among the people who had to go there because they have nowhere else to go? I don’t believe the current system works the way it should, but neither do I believe the government is the one to make it work under a socialized method. I’ve mentioned before my brother in law. They could lose their house due to the extreme cost of his medical bills. His insurance company — not his doctor — determines when he can have another MRI. That is absurd and shows what happens when anyone other than a doctor has a say about a person’s health care. What’s the answer? I think it may lie somewhere in affordable, portable health care and a crack down (yes, a government crack down) on runaway medical expenses and a prohibition of kick backs to doctors for prescribing drugs and a shift towards preventative care.
I don’t know why Bush vetoed the health care bill, but I did not agree with him on that call. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a Christian. Actually, I don’t agree with Bush on a lot of calls he has made and am glad that we will see someone else in office shortly. I think he allowed the 9-11 crisis to turn his efforts more towards “them” instead of towards “us.” We still have areas in our cities where our own police are afraid to go alone. That is also absurd.
We already have government programs to keep people from starving…food stamps, for one. My husband allowed a homeless person to use his address so that the man could get food stamps — illustrative of a failure in the system that could easily be fixed — let the homeless receive food aid! Figure out a way to identify them and a central place they can go to pick up their debit card that would allow them to buy food. We don’t necessarily need more government programs. We need to fix the ones that already exist and make them work more efficiently. Having said that, I also think people will benefit more if they learn a trade and work. Hand-outs are detrimental and lead to a sense of entitlement.
As far as our government dropping bombs on the helpless, I say our military needs a top-down house cleaning to make sure that we do everything we can to preserve the lives of innocents. Those who make IEDs who maim and kill our soldiers, however, are not innocents. Technology exists which would protect our soldiers from IEDs, but the military isn’t using it (as far as I know). We need a more efficient military — but we need people on the ground to make sure that any bombs we let lose hit their mark.
Jesus, a communist or a socialist? I have a hard time seeing that in scripture. He spoke about relationship with God, having faith, and love….the Good Samaritan story comes to mind. When my mother-in-law took in countless loads of laundry after Katrina victims rushed to Texas…she was ministering to them. She received no pay or reimbursement from FEMA and did not expect any. She did it because she loved. When a family sponsors another at Christmas and provides turkey, dressing, and all the fixings as well as gifts, they aren’t compensated by the government. They do it through a church or through charities and don’t expect any compensation. My father would give the shirt off his back to a man in need of one and would help him find a job as well. In this country there is a lot of loving going on…the media doesn’t report on it because it isn’t sensational. But it’s there.
But what’s also there is a whole segment of society that somehow believes they are owed or entitled. They think that the government exists to feed them and clothe them. I went to high school with a girl who was pregnant with her fourth child. She said, and I quote, “Here’s another $500 a month for me!” I have teacher friends who despair of counseling their junior high students because the girls get pregnant on purpose — their parents tell them to do it so they can get more money from the government. That kind of cycle has to stop. Where is the feeling of accomplishment from working hard and earning that paycheck? Of a job well done? It isn’t that I have no love for this segment of society. I love them, Jesus loves them, and surely His plan for them is much more!
Have you read the book Freedom Writers or seen the movie? The efforts of one teacher who believed in her kids for more than what even the government-run school expected from them completely changed their lives. The government didn’t save them from poverty. They learned how to save themselves.
Again, thanks for asking for clarification.