Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Warriors for Jesus

Doesn't it strike anyone else as contradictory that the Religious Right speaks in military terms of battles and wars and soldiers in their quest to force their brand of religion on us 'sinners' all the while claiming to be the followers of Jesus--who spoke of peace and tolerance? I was raised a Catholic. I went to parochial schools. I graduated from a Jesuit High School. I graduated from a Jesuit University. Never in all my years of schooling do I remember Jesus saying anything other than love your neighbor. How hard is that to understand? How hard is understanding the concept of loving your enemy? Or of turning the other cheek? You can't pick and choose which enemies to love and which to hate. I was taught the concept of unconditional love--which means you can't put conditions (or preconditions) on what Jesus said. The Religious Right are full of conditions. They are full of judgements. They are full of themselves. And that is the bottom line. Jesus spoke of selflessness, not selfishness. If there should be any 'war' a Christian should fight, it should be for the hungry, the naked, the homeless. If they want to change the hearts and minds of America, then they should live as examples of peace, love, and generosity--like Jesus did. And that was the message of Jesus. Quit wearing that golden cross around your neck pretending to be a Christian and get to work helping the sick and the poor and live like a Christian.