blather, blather, blather
Just came home from taking Will to the airport. He's going to that Emerging Church conference in Nashville. And for any creeps out there reading this, I've got a really big bodyguard staying here at the house who's trained in 8 forms of martial arts and gun stuff!
So, listening to NPR and talking to Will, I've got some general blathers today. You may find it tedious, so if you don't want to read this, I don't blame you!
blather no. one: prisoner abuse
two things: have had two discussions with Christian women who don't think this is really anything to be sorry for. Wow. Just, wow. I'm horrified. Yeah, sure. Our government does crazy crap like this. We all know it, but don't want to think about it. But do we, as Christians, really have to just say this is okay? Okay, I admit we're powerless to do anything about it, but shouldn't it at least turn our stomachs some? Doesn't Jesus love those people too? Over-simplification? No. Just simplification, which is very Jesus-like. Just goes to prove one thing to me: America is not "a Christian nation." We're not. We're evil. And not because of gay marriage either. We're evil because we abuse people and justice means nothing anymore. Which leads me to
blather no. two: the ten commandment thang
So, why are those who were so against removing the ten commandments Roy Moore put up not outraged about prisoner abuse? Talk about the removal of God from our government! Even back in the OT, in what is now uber-creepy to us, Israel decimating the Canaanites, God didn't tell them to torture them and shame them. He just told them to kill them! See? Easy? I don't mean to be flippant, but man, I know I'll understand all that "on the other side of glory" but here in Maryland in 2004, I still don't understand why the women and children were mowed down too. Anybody who wants to give me a good explanation that doesn't sound hard-hearted, feel free to respond. I'm honestly searching for one. Back to the ten commandment controversy. How many people who felt so strongly about this can actually quote all ten commandments, accurately, by heart? If they're not written on the tablets of the American believers' hearts, how in heaven can we even begin to display them in our courts without it being some sort of exercise in hypocrisy?
blather no. three: the democratic party
I admit I'm getting more liberal everyday. But there's one issue I don't budge on. Abortion. If the democrats didn't make such a litmus test of liberality out of abortion, I'd vote for one now and again. But they have, and they've left a lot of Christians out in the cold who aren't hard-line conservatives but, as a matter of conscience, can't pull down a lever if it means more babies will be burned alive in saline solution, dismembered, or have scissors jammed into their skulls and their brains sucked out. I don't have a place in either party these days. That stinks.
Maybe I'll move to my own island somewhere and never wear shoes again.
grace!
lisa
posted by lisa @ 6:19 AM
2 Comments:
Hi Lisa, a kindred spirit:
I won't add anything but three things:
*Reading OT judgments makes my stomach turn at times as well. I don't have any compassionate answers, but I have to trust that God's judgment is perfect and just. If He called for the slaughter of everyone, including livestock, I choose to believe there was a good reason for it.
*I'm in total agreement with you about the points you made about Iraqi prisoner abuse (although I'm a bit disgusted to see only the underlings being burned at the stake for this -- what will happen to the superiors, including that megalomaniac Rumsfeld, who passed down the orders, or at the very least turned a blind eye on one side while giving the thumbs up on the other?), the lack of love displayed by Christians (do you sometimes find that Christians just can't stand to be around sinners? I don't know about you, but my transfiguration hasn't happened yet -- I'm still a sinner just like everyone else, in need of God's grace), and the question of who to vote for. Sure, Dems support abortion and liberal spending policies. But GOPers are into a different kind of welfare -- corporate welfare. I can't support a party based on one stance. And isn't this so-called war on terrorism sinking our country into tremendous debt? So I don't vote, either.
You want to seal your political fate and be a die-hard liberal? My husband is reading House of Bush, House of Saud and shares little disgusting tidbits of info with me as he's reading. (The church I attend is always praising Bush and saying how that poor man is lied about constantly. Makes me want to puke. Aren't Christians supposed to seek truth? Is God a member of the GOP? Is Bush the fourth member of the Holy Trinity? I'm not throwing an endorsement to the Dems, but I'm sure not going to live in a fantasyland where Republicans are heroes of the faith and patriotism. Is it Pink Floyd who sang about The Grand Illusion?)
*I've written so much I forgot my third point. Oh well. Thanks for letting me rant. If none of this made sense, I'll blame the lack of coffee.
As a Christian woman and a vetran, I want you know that your comments about the Iraqi prisoner abuse are warranted on the one hand, but naive on the other.
The abuse, and I feel this is getting more redundant to say, is inexcuseable. There is no justification for the this kind of treatment, and particularly the trophyizing by photographing the activities. But to broadbrush ALL the government and ALL the military is to do a disservice to thousands of people who put aside a normal life to keep you safe.
I wasn't a big war hero, I did four years in the Air Force, which was at the time touting itself as the branch of the service most like civilian life, but I know I met enough freaks and weirdo to know that aberrations do occur.
I would posit that most people these days don't know one person who has made a career of the military and therefore have no idea what the motivations of service members are. I also met a lot of men, and a few women, who were proud to serve and corny enough to think they were doing something meaningful.
It angers me to see people who wear the uniform act in such a revoling and evil manner, but it is also disheartening to see people determine that it's just the culture of the service and that anyone who is presently serving is probably cut from the same cloth. That's as far from the truth as one can get. And, I would put forth my belief that the military is probably one of the last organizations which generally sees wrong and is pretty quick to correct it.
As I understand it, heads were rolling over this issue before you had a chance to become indignant. Careers will be ended over this. You will not know anything about it because the press will be off to another salasious story soon. Careers that don't end, will be damaged beyond repair. The culture of the military will take care of many of those who are never even named.
In closing I would have to say that I enjoy your writing very much, and as a writer I also have to say that I'm sure if we could poke around in the collective closet of CBA authors and editors, we could find some stuff that is at least equal to the evil done in Iraq.
By the by, I think Judge Morre is a showoff who purposely forced a confrontation on the 10 Commandments issue so he could a book deal and more singing engagements. And, when given enough time, I can ususally get my hormone soaked mind to dredge up all ten.
Sue
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