As best as I can tell, evangelicals fear freedom:
Their opposition to abortion is less a care for the fetus than a fear of a woman's freedom to choose. They can't really say that, so they dress it all up in a pretended care for the unborn.
Their opposition to euthanasia is less a care for life than a fear of someone's freedom to choose.
Their support of the death penalty, a tit for tat response, requires no thought, and no care for justice, because justice demands thought, and thought requires freedom. The criminal violated the law, as they see it, and while that's true, the evangelical is content to see the death penalty as th final elimination of freedom - theirs in the deliberative process and that of the criminal.
Their labeling of climate change as a hoax is less a regard for truth, or God's purposes, or whatever, as it is a fear of responsibility, which is an element of freedom.
Their love of the military stems from their fear of the other's freedom, and the need to build a wall against the other's freedom, whether that freedom be a mother and a child crossing the border or Iran building its own nuclear weapons. The evangelical cannot allow that kind of freedom, so they join the military and learn how to kill freedom for others, even as they salute and march in lockstep with one another, having long ago surrendered their freedom to half-wit preachers, narcissistic politicians and their "almighty" gawd.
Their approval of fascism is linked to their need for order, complete order, an order that no longer needs thinking, because thinking requires freedom, the freedom to consider choices and options, and that's deeply disturbing to the evangelical mind. There is only one way to interpret the Bible, only one way to worship, only one way to live. In that kind of mindset, freedom is a bother, a threat.
Their need for a "sovereign" god who approves of rape is driven by their fear of freedom ... there has to be plan for all of this suffering, so rather than challenging the nature of suffering, which requires their responsibility, and likely requires regard for the woman/girl and her life, and her right to choose, they lay it all at the feet of god, walk away, as Pilate did, washing their hands of responsibility, care, concern and love, and then sanctimoniously tell the girl that her pregnancy is of god, and she darn well better carry that fetus to term.
And with that, not even their god has any more freedom. And without freedom, there is no love; only rules and regulations, guns and violence, enforced by fear, the fear of freedom.
Showing posts with label abortion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label abortion. Show all posts
Friday, July 5, 2019
Monday, June 24, 2019
Supporting Abortion Rights
To support abortion rights, one has to care ... to love ... for
More than the fetus.
But the mother, too, and the family, and then seek some understanding of the situation, the many pieces involved in such a decision, because life is complicated.
To seek the end of Roe v. Wade, one has to limit the scope of care and knowledge, reducing everything down to the fetus, and in the process damning the mother, calling her names, supporting the "rights" of a rapist father over against that of the mother ... and all sorts of other mean-spirited thoughts and laws.
It doesn't take long to see the harshness of heart driving the anti-abortion community ... they really don't care about the conditions of life, but only their ideas of life.
To want to criminalize abortion, one has to trim the energy of love down to just about nothing, and then ramp up the anti-abortion rhetoric, and dress it all up with religious language, to justify the shrunken love and still manage feel good (though the shouting and ferocity of their moods belie the claim of righteousness).
A loving heart acknowledges the wholeness of a person and their life ... all the elements, all the pieces, all the actors and all the moments.
And, fundamentally, essentially, a loving heart trusts that most people will make a thoughtful decision, and then, even when "thoughtful decisions" are not likely, driven they might be by panic and fear, and even irresponsibility, to still trust God Almighty, to be, faithfully, at work in all things, for good.
In the Romans passage, Paul adds, "for those who love God," which is to say, those who love God can certainly trust God in all matters of life and death, but that doesn't mean the negative for those who may not know God in any coherent sense. The work of God throughout creation is for all of God's creatures, great and small, including those who are lost in the sorrows and hurt of life, and likely, most especially, the lost and the confused.
To support abortion rights, there can never, ever, be a moment when one can label a rapist and the ensuing pregnancy as "gawd's will." This is an ultimate cruelty revealing the bankruptcy of thought and faith in those religious circles wherein law trumps mercy.
Never ... ever ... dress up such evil with good ... never.
Ah, you who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter! ... ... ... Isaiah 5.20.
More than the fetus.
But the mother, too, and the family, and then seek some understanding of the situation, the many pieces involved in such a decision, because life is complicated.
To seek the end of Roe v. Wade, one has to limit the scope of care and knowledge, reducing everything down to the fetus, and in the process damning the mother, calling her names, supporting the "rights" of a rapist father over against that of the mother ... and all sorts of other mean-spirited thoughts and laws.
It doesn't take long to see the harshness of heart driving the anti-abortion community ... they really don't care about the conditions of life, but only their ideas of life.
To want to criminalize abortion, one has to trim the energy of love down to just about nothing, and then ramp up the anti-abortion rhetoric, and dress it all up with religious language, to justify the shrunken love and still manage feel good (though the shouting and ferocity of their moods belie the claim of righteousness).
A loving heart acknowledges the wholeness of a person and their life ... all the elements, all the pieces, all the actors and all the moments.
And, fundamentally, essentially, a loving heart trusts that most people will make a thoughtful decision, and then, even when "thoughtful decisions" are not likely, driven they might be by panic and fear, and even irresponsibility, to still trust God Almighty, to be, faithfully, at work in all things, for good.
In the Romans passage, Paul adds, "for those who love God," which is to say, those who love God can certainly trust God in all matters of life and death, but that doesn't mean the negative for those who may not know God in any coherent sense. The work of God throughout creation is for all of God's creatures, great and small, including those who are lost in the sorrows and hurt of life, and likely, most especially, the lost and the confused.
To support abortion rights, there can never, ever, be a moment when one can label a rapist and the ensuing pregnancy as "gawd's will." This is an ultimate cruelty revealing the bankruptcy of thought and faith in those religious circles wherein law trumps mercy.
Never ... ever ... dress up such evil with good ... never.
Ah, you who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter! ... ... ... Isaiah 5.20.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Bridge Building in Harsh Times
I doubt.
I love.
I see.
I think.
Maybe I'm wrong.
Maybe I'm too quick.
Maybe I should step back.
Maybe I should try for more bridges.
And then I see the children.
I hear their parents weep.
I hear the patent lies.
And watch the vulgar piety.
How to build bridges when people are dying.
How to seek peace when cruelty is de rigueur.
When I'm branded a murderer for my abortion views.
When I'm a globalist and not a nationalist.
When every bridge is deemed heresy.
When political views will not honor women.
When theology loves hell more than heaven.
When government serves the rich and not the poor.
Maybe I'm wrong.
I have my doubts.
But so much is at stake.
And history shows:
In all its terror.
In all its honesty.
Those who built bridges with the Brown Shirts.
Ended up dead!
I love.
I see.
I think.
Maybe I'm wrong.
Maybe I'm too quick.
Maybe I should step back.
Maybe I should try for more bridges.
And then I see the children.
I hear their parents weep.
I hear the patent lies.
And watch the vulgar piety.
How to build bridges when people are dying.
How to seek peace when cruelty is de rigueur.
When I'm branded a murderer for my abortion views.
When I'm a globalist and not a nationalist.
When every bridge is deemed heresy.
When political views will not honor women.
When theology loves hell more than heaven.
When government serves the rich and not the poor.
Maybe I'm wrong.
I have my doubts.
But so much is at stake.
And history shows:
In all its terror.
In all its honesty.
Those who built bridges with the Brown Shirts.
Ended up dead!
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Evangelicals, Crazy Mad in Love with Donald
Power!
That's the Evangelical Way - the way, the truth and the life.
The roots of it are deep, but in my recent memory, one has to go no further than the snake handlers of West Virginia and Kentucky ... in those deep and shadowy hollers, filled with the wreckage of mines abandoned and lives bent and damaged, the reading, the spurious reading, from Mark's gospel, about handling snakes, became a central element in worship.
To handle something evil and overcome it ... to dance with it, kiss it, play with it, and not be harmed by it - that's power, that's glory, that the Evangelical Dead End.
Because the snake sometimes bites, and people die.
And if the folks liked you, well, then, God called you home ... it was your time ... God said so.
And if they didn't like you, well, then, you failed ... you didn't have enough faith ... there was sin in your life and you didn't trust Je-e-sus ... and our god is a punishing god ... so, no tears shed - ya' had it coming.
And that's power ... power over evil, and power over death, and the power of judgment.
But on a more sophisticated level, Billy Graham and his crusades, his anti-union crusades, anti-communist crusades, his pro-capitalism crusades ... Jesus died for your sins, so that you can go to heaven when your brief span of years is done ... this earth isn't your home, but heaven is, and Jesus, the Jesus I proclaim, will get you there ... so, come forward now, and give your life to Jesus. You don't need your unions, your agitation, your FDR dreams of a better life; you just need Jesus.
And that's power ... ultimate power ... because you're heaven-bound, and your crummy relatives aren't ... and neither are those raucous Catholic neighbors next door, nor that Jew-boss of yours ... they won't get there, but you will ... you'll have the last laugh.
And that's power.
Then add to that the healers of every malady, and the purveyors of wealth, health and happiness, and you end up with power ... and if heaven isn't quite the goal it used to be, then big homes and fast cars and Wall-Street-sized investments will do nicely. Heaven's bling, here and now ... Tammy Faye eyelashes and Jan Crouch hair ... and more miracles than you can shake a stick at.
Megachurches and Oral Roberts' Praying Hands ... miracle stories to keep the cash-cow happy and producing ... the woman who threw away her pills and the sweet little kid who no longer needs his wheelchair ... wow, that's power, too.
And do worship, of course, with the latest gimmicks and gizmos and trends and Twitter ... keep it thin and dazzling ... and preacher, wear those untucked shirts and pressed jeans ... but it's still the same ol' Je-e-sus who'll get you what you want - hey, you're a child of the King ... and if you think positive, if you give your tithe and then some, if you hate abortionists and if you despise homo-sex-u-als, well, then, you're better than they are, much better, and god loves you.
And that's power.
And so are guns ... bang ... there ya' go ... to protect my family and keep us safe ... and someday, when the Anti-Christ comes, and maybe he's already here in that man in the white house ... we'll be ready with our bottled water and our guns ... and off to the woods we'll go ... no people of color, or course, just the White Bread, please ... whistling Dixie.
And that's power.
And if god hasn't punished anyone lately, then go after the Muslims, go after the poor, who are nothing but leeches on the godly system of Capitalism, leeches who make you feel bad, leeches who make bad choices, compared to your good choices, and they smell bad and do drugs.
And that's power.
So, no wonder, is it?
That Evangelicals are crazy mad in love with Donald Trump.
That's the Evangelical Way - the way, the truth and the life.
The roots of it are deep, but in my recent memory, one has to go no further than the snake handlers of West Virginia and Kentucky ... in those deep and shadowy hollers, filled with the wreckage of mines abandoned and lives bent and damaged, the reading, the spurious reading, from Mark's gospel, about handling snakes, became a central element in worship.
To handle something evil and overcome it ... to dance with it, kiss it, play with it, and not be harmed by it - that's power, that's glory, that the Evangelical Dead End.
Because the snake sometimes bites, and people die.
And if the folks liked you, well, then, God called you home ... it was your time ... God said so.
And if they didn't like you, well, then, you failed ... you didn't have enough faith ... there was sin in your life and you didn't trust Je-e-sus ... and our god is a punishing god ... so, no tears shed - ya' had it coming.
And that's power ... power over evil, and power over death, and the power of judgment.
But on a more sophisticated level, Billy Graham and his crusades, his anti-union crusades, anti-communist crusades, his pro-capitalism crusades ... Jesus died for your sins, so that you can go to heaven when your brief span of years is done ... this earth isn't your home, but heaven is, and Jesus, the Jesus I proclaim, will get you there ... so, come forward now, and give your life to Jesus. You don't need your unions, your agitation, your FDR dreams of a better life; you just need Jesus.
And that's power ... ultimate power ... because you're heaven-bound, and your crummy relatives aren't ... and neither are those raucous Catholic neighbors next door, nor that Jew-boss of yours ... they won't get there, but you will ... you'll have the last laugh.
And that's power.
Then add to that the healers of every malady, and the purveyors of wealth, health and happiness, and you end up with power ... and if heaven isn't quite the goal it used to be, then big homes and fast cars and Wall-Street-sized investments will do nicely. Heaven's bling, here and now ... Tammy Faye eyelashes and Jan Crouch hair ... and more miracles than you can shake a stick at.
Megachurches and Oral Roberts' Praying Hands ... miracle stories to keep the cash-cow happy and producing ... the woman who threw away her pills and the sweet little kid who no longer needs his wheelchair ... wow, that's power, too.
And do worship, of course, with the latest gimmicks and gizmos and trends and Twitter ... keep it thin and dazzling ... and preacher, wear those untucked shirts and pressed jeans ... but it's still the same ol' Je-e-sus who'll get you what you want - hey, you're a child of the King ... and if you think positive, if you give your tithe and then some, if you hate abortionists and if you despise homo-sex-u-als, well, then, you're better than they are, much better, and god loves you.
And that's power.
And so are guns ... bang ... there ya' go ... to protect my family and keep us safe ... and someday, when the Anti-Christ comes, and maybe he's already here in that man in the white house ... we'll be ready with our bottled water and our guns ... and off to the woods we'll go ... no people of color, or course, just the White Bread, please ... whistling Dixie.
And that's power.
And if god hasn't punished anyone lately, then go after the Muslims, go after the poor, who are nothing but leeches on the godly system of Capitalism, leeches who make you feel bad, leeches who make bad choices, compared to your good choices, and they smell bad and do drugs.
And that's power.
So, no wonder, is it?
That Evangelicals are crazy mad in love with Donald Trump.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Abortion as "Child Abuse"?
From my good FB friend Craig Hexham:
He writes:
Driving home from work today, came across a billboard paid for by Michigan "Right to Life" [sic]. It stated, "Abortion: the ultimate child abuse."
Struck me as odd. How about the two year old who experiences weeks and months of abuse--burns, hits, pinches, and neglect, before finally being dashed to death against the living room wall?
How about the four year old who, in imitation of his policeman father, gets the gun while dad's not looking and kills himself?
How about the six year old who's repeatedly sexually molested by her grandfather?
How about the ten year old with medical problems who is stuffed upside down in a trash can at school by his peers because he is small and wears leg braces?
How about the fifteen year old who is wanted by neither parent when they divorce?
How about the seventeen year old with skittles and iced tea who is terrorized by a maniac with a firearm?
How about the eighteen year old who's told he's a man when he's killed his first "enemy combatant?
...and these are just the ones from the last few days news. I haven't gotten started about the kids in other countries who aren't as "lucky" as the ones I've already mentioned.
He writes:
Driving home from work today, came across a billboard paid for by Michigan "Right to Life" [sic]. It stated, "Abortion: the ultimate child abuse."
Struck me as odd. How about the two year old who experiences weeks and months of abuse--burns, hits, pinches, and neglect, before finally being dashed to death against the living room wall?
How about the four year old who, in imitation of his policeman father, gets the gun while dad's not looking and kills himself?
How about the six year old who's repeatedly sexually molested by her grandfather?
How about the ten year old with medical problems who is stuffed upside down in a trash can at school by his peers because he is small and wears leg braces?
How about the fifteen year old who is wanted by neither parent when they divorce?
How about the seventeen year old with skittles and iced tea who is terrorized by a maniac with a firearm?
How about the eighteen year old who's told he's a man when he's killed his first "enemy combatant?
...and these are just the ones from the last few days news. I haven't gotten started about the kids in other countries who aren't as "lucky" as the ones I've already mentioned.
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