I am always amazed and often saddened that "religious" people can be so blind to the heart of their claimed faith and live so contrarily to its core and example. I have to speak to Christianity because that is my background, but it does not have a corner on the market of hypocricy and ignorance.
Would someone please tell me how anyone who claims to follow Jesus of Nazareth can be so consumed with guns and violence. How do you distort the call/invitation to love God and love the neighbor into consumption of weapons and ammunition. How do you ignore the call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, house the homeless and then prepare oneself for death and destruction. How do you twist humility into aggression. How do you redefine service as selfish isolation. How do you pray for God's kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven and go about preparing for armaggadden and actively advocating violence and insurrection. [That same Bible they read admonishes submission to earthly powers-----and does not call them "communist" and a multitude of other derogatory lies.]
Matthew invites hearers to enter God's kingdom and live in service. Mark asks hearers to suffer like Jesus giving life and limb for the weak and defenceless. Luke is the clearest voice for social justice in the gospels. John shows us in Jesus' washing feet how to humble ourselves in service to others. Living in God's kingdom is being fear-less, self-less, love-full, trusting, knowing that this is an imperfect world but hoping that as we strive to be God's hands and feet we faith-fully share in that dream.
A YES to God is a NO to violence, hatred, and prejudice.
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