Riddle me this: When did Christianity become solely owned by Conservatives?
I ask because of this:
Some in the media are complaining that Gabby Douglas is "so, so, so into Jesus." LIKE if you are tired of liberal attacks on Christians.
So, is there some attack under way on Christians by "liberals" that I am unaware of?
I am a Christian and I am a liberal. I am very proud of both!
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even though it should be completely self-evident.
People tend to read their own times back into historical documents. But even a century ago the social, political, and religious lines were drawn so differently as to be almost unrecognizable. It takes a huge amount of context to even begin to understand the milieu that Jesus lived in.
People who think that Jesus' central message can be summed up in the Sermon on the Mount might do well to read Mark, which was probably the first gospel ever written. It's not in there at all. Nor is it in John, although there is something sort of like it in Luke. However, Mark 13 is there, as well as a lot of angry diatribes.
So if it wasn't the Golden Rule and the beatitudes, what was it all about? Mark is extremely cagey. It was certainly apocalyptic, nationalistic, and purist, even if the details are not clear. The Romans thought he was plotting a revolution. That may or may not be true, but his patterns of teaching resembled others that did start revolts.
So who knows? But Jesus would probably reject both Democrats and Republicans. He might feel actually more comfortable in the orthodox Jewish community. 
Mostly though, I love her smile!
Many, like Rush Limbaugh have told their audience that Liberals and Democrats hate this country and don't deserve to be Americans. To them...I have an answer...
But then that would entail actually doing something...
liberal and Christian. We get it from both sides, and lately my thought has been "that narrow gate spoken of seems to be getting a lot more narrow for someone like me to try to enter by".
jeff47 I can not preach to you, the best I can do is suggest you find a newer translation of the training manual and go to that second half and digest the words with your own understanding. There's 180 degrees between what the conservatives loudly say, and what the training manual says. There is one thing to take notice of in reading the Four Gospels, who the thorn is in Yeshua's side- and to me in THIS day those thorns are found yelling at non-Christians. But they are equal-opportunity self righteous, they don't like Liberal/Progressive Christians either- we've "lost our way".
I have most of the translations/versions of the training manual, but have a preference for the Jerusalem Bible, I did not know it was banned in 1968 in the US and Canada when it became my choice. Yeah, I'll explain this choice: In Exodus the Creator gives a name to Moses for when he goes back to the "slaves" he's about to lead through the wilderness for 40 years. The Jewish feel the name is too sacred to be spoken. BUT in my addled brain: its like there is a football hall of fame, and a god hall of fame, so to clarify which god I believe IS GOD, I use and prefer to read that name when I study and try to understand that Book. "Yhwh" "I am that I am". The Jerusalem Bible uses the name. Plus the translation is more geared to my level of intelligence. There is also versions that include the Acrophya/ non canonical(excluded from the "Book"
, one of these is Esdras II. One of the keys that still stuns me is that it was believed the Christ would be a military leader and be the Hero that blessed the Jewish people. What came instead was a Leader who practiced love and set an example, plus opened up that it was not just those of Jewish heritage to be told. St. Paul had his reasons, but he wasn't part of those who wrote the Four Gospels, though most of his writings are wonderful and graceful, the words that are where our "example" comes from are in those first four.
Don't think I think I know it all, because there are places and words and ideas and concepts I will struggle with forever I fear. Like the Nephilim. Duh???? Another that still makes me cringe is: Okay the real reason I found my rear in the Lutheran School was because the State of California decided it would teach sight-reading over phonetics. So the number of times I read Genesis about Eve and the serpent and the fruit is beyond counting. Years and years worth. One day a few years ago I'm reading the same verses again, only THIS time- I realilzed "I'm just like Eve, naive, gullible...I am EVE." I am "easily deceived", what this did was make me more neurotic about having truth, truth being eternal not temporary.
Life is an adventure. Finding your own Soul is also an adventure, a becoming aware. Some may never feel the need to, then there are those like myself who lust after understandings.
Do I not believe in the Big Bang, dunno, wasn't there. BUT still believe even the Big Bang came from Intelligence. If there is any logic to this it has to do with what I believe are creations from Intelligent Design. The variety, be it birds; minerals; and my favorite wonders are the tastes and smells of what the earth produces. I AM easily amused, but HOW did the taste of a peach, lemon, apple, almond, walnut, watermelon, zucchini came to be separate from each other?
Okay I've blathered on too long. So I'll close with this: There is a perfectly sound reason that the Creator wants one-to-one relationships, wants it personal not as a collective. In the end it may be where the Conservatives can't see the forest for all the trees.
Yet another thing to thank Ronald Reagan for.
