I Guess I'm Not a Very Good Christian
After listening to Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and a host of other Evangelical Christian "leaders", I have come to the conclusion that I am not much of a Christian. I have even been called a counterfeit Christian. I guess I will finally have to admit that they are right and I ought to be ashamed of myself. I am wrong in my thinking in the following ways:
I don't want to give tax breaks to the rich while increasing the regressive taxes on the poor. I was opposed to the repeal of the estate tax. The right wingers call it the "death tax." I call it the "Paris Hilton benefit tax." I suppose a real Christian would feel sorry for her and want her to have more money, but I don't. Like I say, I'm not much of a Christian.
I don't feel like cheering and praising God every time our government executes a criminal. I actually think that through God it is possible that anyone could repent and be saved, no matter how heinous the crime he/she committed. I guess real Christians don't feel that way.
I actually care enough about people at the lower end of the economic spectrum that I believe they should be getting the tax breaks, they should be entitled to first class health care, they should have the best schools, they should be working at jobs that provide something close to a living wage, they should have a safety net of public assistance. But I guess real Christians don't care that much for the poor.
I believe that poor people should have at their disposal great public attorneys when they into trouble with the law and need legal assistance. Real Christians think that only the rich should have the best attorneys and the poor should have some poorly paid, unmotivated lawyer to represent them. I am dang near next to Satan when it comes to Christian values and the poor.
I think our prisons should be a place where law-breakers can get an education, counseling, and drug treatment. I want them to be better able to cope with life when they come out than when they went in. Prisons should not be places of torture, abuse, and depravation -- monster factories. I guess I don't have the same attitudes about punishment and revenge as real Christians.
I don't believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross in order to create a religion that is to be used as a means to control the behavior of all citizens. The Christian faith is one of spiritual regeneration, a changed personality, and a moral code reserved for believers. I think that using Christianity as a toll to manipulate the behavior of whole societies chepens it at is probably blasphemus. But real Christians have no qualms about using government to force non-believers to comply to Christian morals and practices. I must be wrong in thinking God's church is not weak and ineffective and doesn't need the support of government.
I'm not sure how I could be so far off in my thinking. I must read the Bible too much.
I don't want to give tax breaks to the rich while increasing the regressive taxes on the poor. I was opposed to the repeal of the estate tax. The right wingers call it the "death tax." I call it the "Paris Hilton benefit tax." I suppose a real Christian would feel sorry for her and want her to have more money, but I don't. Like I say, I'm not much of a Christian.
I don't feel like cheering and praising God every time our government executes a criminal. I actually think that through God it is possible that anyone could repent and be saved, no matter how heinous the crime he/she committed. I guess real Christians don't feel that way.
I actually care enough about people at the lower end of the economic spectrum that I believe they should be getting the tax breaks, they should be entitled to first class health care, they should have the best schools, they should be working at jobs that provide something close to a living wage, they should have a safety net of public assistance. But I guess real Christians don't care that much for the poor.
I believe that poor people should have at their disposal great public attorneys when they into trouble with the law and need legal assistance. Real Christians think that only the rich should have the best attorneys and the poor should have some poorly paid, unmotivated lawyer to represent them. I am dang near next to Satan when it comes to Christian values and the poor.
I think our prisons should be a place where law-breakers can get an education, counseling, and drug treatment. I want them to be better able to cope with life when they come out than when they went in. Prisons should not be places of torture, abuse, and depravation -- monster factories. I guess I don't have the same attitudes about punishment and revenge as real Christians.
I don't believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross in order to create a religion that is to be used as a means to control the behavior of all citizens. The Christian faith is one of spiritual regeneration, a changed personality, and a moral code reserved for believers. I think that using Christianity as a toll to manipulate the behavior of whole societies chepens it at is probably blasphemus. But real Christians have no qualms about using government to force non-believers to comply to Christian morals and practices. I must be wrong in thinking God's church is not weak and ineffective and doesn't need the support of government.
I'm not sure how I could be so far off in my thinking. I must read the Bible too much.
posted by evangeliberal at 9:32 AM
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