Comments on: Conservative and Liberal Christians: Winning! Losing!

By: Melischamberlin

Melischamberlin — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 11:36:00 +0000

Oh, and thanks John, for this wonderful piece. I cannot claim either side. It just isn’t that simple…

By: Melischamberlin

Melischamberlin — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 11:30:00 +0000

It kills me that people say this country was built on Christian values and common sense. This country was built by men who killed and stole from a people who were already here to promote themselves.

It also kills me that people isolate scripture from the Bible to prove a point. I can prove anything through scripture splitting. The Bible is about God, not about us. The second we start to believe that the bible tells us how to promote ourselves, we are out of context. Focus on God, not yourself, and that is where the blessings are. His will, not yours…and that is the truth for accumulating wealth and finding “happiness” in earthly things. Wealth and earthly things are not bad, they are real…but it has been in my poorest and sickest times in my life that I have known God the deepest, which only leads me to believe that if you live your life trying to stay out of pain and sufferring, that you are missing Blessings. So start doing the work that Jesus talks about and stop thinking about your next move to aquire something for yourself. It is through giving that we become the most like Jesus, and it is through the fruit of the spirit that we experience joy. The rest is fleeting.

So Kory, you can live your life thinking that your version of the Bible is right, and that your accumulation of wealth is something that you deserve because you worked for it…but it isn’t so. Your accumulation of wealth is because the system is set up to make wealthy people wealthier and poor people poorer. Most of us have been struggling to put food on the table, not money in the bank, and nice cars in our driveways…and a good many of us have been stripped of our savings because of a banking system that has been built on the greed of man. Entitlement is the largest disease of this country, and even if you don’t live your life thinking you are entitled, the disease affects everyone very deeply and daily.

The bible is not about you. It is about God. Read it. Read it all. Please. Read it as if it is a gift for you, and respect it, not for your own benefit, but for God’s benefit.

By: Jimtami16

Jimtami16 — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 07:53:00 +0000

Unfortunately, I like to think of the common sense Christian. Who believes the word of God and believes helping people as Jesus Christ commanded. The person who understands that many of our Washington elitist politicians would remove God from our country and turn us into a non-christian socialist state. Please educate yourselves, pray and most of all use some common sense and be as our forefathers who based this great country on Christian values and common sense.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 21:22:00 +0000

Amen! Very well said!

When Jesus helped others it was always at his own expense, not others’.

By: Gina Simpson-Myers

Gina Simpson-Myers — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 12:11:00 +0000

Looks like you bought into that twisted version of the metaphor rather neatly. Many churches like to twist the Bible to encourage wealth-building and tithing and to turn your eye away from the lavish lifestyle of the church leaders. The reality is that the Bible teaches us to honor our poor and treat the poor and invalid with respect and courtesy – not scream at them that they are worthless parasites.

By: Bonjohen

Bonjohen — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:46:00 +0000

Agree with the title – at least the non-parenthetical pert. I make decisions based on facts and data… Something that theology is sorely lacking. There is nothing to suggest of an afterlife. Morality can be defined by causing pain to others. Denying people the opportunity to enjoy life is generally immoral. Forcing views on another person is equally immoral. Arguing is a waste of time. I’m done with the whole religion thing.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 03:15:00 +0000

no, it was just a typo. fixed.

By: A'isha

A'isha — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 02:55:00 +0000

Ok, John, I love the discussion, but I can’t get past your first sentence. Did you really mean “and have liberal?” Like what, the conservatives have liberals for lunch??

By: Ed Hook

Ed Hook — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:25:35 +0000

Well done, my friend!

By: themadjewess

themadjewess — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:25:58 +0000

Christine;

God seperated the races. But, I do agree. Many people dont READ the Bible- Torah, Tanach, New Testament, just spout Scriptures and call it valid.

God had his reason for seperating the races. Why? Because when they all came together as one, they wanted to BE God. Which is what is happening now., sadly.

As far as all the talk on homosexuality.. The Bible is not for it, and God is not for it. As Jews AND Christians, I belive that people must stand on what they believe without being a visious and hateful individual like the Westboros.

I do not believe that homosexuality is right, but I would not ever stand by watching a homosexual person get beaten up, as many Muslims have done to gays. I have many friends that are homosexual, they know that I stand with my beliefs, we just dont discuss their private lives, and we have been friends for over 20 years.

Anyway, Shalom.

May we all just turn to God, who is a spirit that encompasses the earth, and in our hearts.