Comment - Part 1 - I really enjoyed reading this post. I’ve only fairly recently discovered this site, so this is the first of your posts that I’ve read. I can see (with 87 posts currently on this blog site) I could have many late nights reading through the others :D
Thank you for speaking about this book. I hadn’t heard of it before but I will definitely get myself a copy. I have a very close friend serving life in Arizona so I related to a lot of the things you were saying here.
When you mentioned the problem is the propaganda, news media & politicians demonizing you, as sensationalism sells and wins votes; I agree they are certainly contributing factors, but from a more ‘outside looking in’ viewpoint, I think there are more factors at play here also. I live in Australia and our system is a lot more lenient than that of the U.S.A. a ‘Life’ term of imprisonment here is 15 years, and I think eligibility for parole is after 8 – Just think, with the time you’ve already served you could have completed THREE life terms here already & be heading into your 4th - that’s mind boggling!). Although our countries are allies & we have a strong connection with the U.S., I think we see Americans as extremists (on many levels) who don’t stop to consider the consequences of that excessive level of behavior. As I was reading this paragraph in your post I found myself thinking that I would hope future generations of decision makers will be less-extremist, and become more lenient on offering the most challenging members of our society a second chance and even encouraging a ‘fair go’. I’m not sure that is a natural progression though, sadly. My other thought was that as more and more American’s are sentenced to prison terms for longer and more prisons are continually built, surely it’s only a matter of time before EVERY person in the U.S. is touched by having a loved one residing within the prison system, and therefore may be inclined to look at the situation differently – from a more personal perspective – perhaps this will spark the sensible change in thinking that’s required there.
“The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land” Isaiah 58:11. "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8. Yes, your Abba really loves the beach and He loves you even more!
There is a small minority of Christians, (who happen to be quite loud), who don't really represent the Church or the religion begun 2000 years ago in Judea. They are the ones who are the "go-to" people for MSNBC or other bastions of leftist atheist philosophy, in order to get, what they KNOW will be crackpot answers to any question regarding Christianity. You'll never hear an interview or read an article focusing on a thoughtful orthodox Roman Catholic Priest or Bishop who they know can actually articulate the real Christian position on some idea or issue. No....they give you Bubba from the Church of Christ babbling about God hating fags, and everybody going to hell, (except themselves), because they're "saved". Not a man among them has ever even cracked open the Summa Theologica, or The Imitation of Christ, or any number of great spiritual classics of rational classic, orthodox Christian thought, which is about as tightly woven, and perfect as philosophy gets. They are either rednecks, who were full of hate before God, and then found God and remained full of hate, but now feel justified in it, or they're hokey health and wealth evangelicals looking to show you how you deserve to be rich since you found the Lord.
It is, or course, possible one could read St. Thomas Aquinas, C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, etc. and still come away without being a believer. That's fine. Because one must still feel a call, and no book can provide that. But it's nearly impossible to imagine someone studying the richness of these theologians and philosophers, and still come away with ideas like the 6000 year earth, and judgementalism being representative at all of true Christian thought. This smacks more, I'm afraid of using Bubba as a yardstick of what Christianity is. To understand real Christian insight, better to take a look through "Confessions" by St. Augustine, than to watch a news story about Fred Phelps.
Only modernist Christians can give you ugly thoughts about Christianit. But seriously..........a VERY small (though admittedly vocal) minority of them.
All I can do is pray that things change over the years, but whether they do or don't, it shouldn't be a division between us.
People are always wanting to NOT talk about religion and politics. Well what the hell does that leave anybody to talk about? Religion and politics are the only things that matter to anyone's life at all. It's no big surprise that they have become the least favorite topics of modernism. It's because authentic religion and politics makes people stand somewhere. To take positions. To get uncomfortable in their surroundings. They call for choices, reasoning, and good old fashioned thinking and studying. These concepts are anathema to modernists.
RSS
I really enjoyed reading this post. I’ve only fairly recently discovered this site, so this is the first of your posts that I’ve read. I can see (with 87 posts currently on this blog site) I could have many late nights reading through the others :D
Thank you for speaking about this book. I hadn’t heard of it before but I will definitely get myself a copy. I have a very close friend serving life in Arizona so I related to a lot of the things you were saying here.
When you mentioned the problem is the propaganda, news media & politicians demonizing you, as sensationalism sells and wins votes; I agree they are certainly contributing factors, but from a more ‘outside looking in’ viewpoint, I think there are more factors at play here also. I live in Australia and our system is a lot more lenient than that of the U.S.A. a ‘Life’ term of imprisonment here is 15 years, and I think eligibility for parole is after 8 – Just think, with the time you’ve already served you could have completed THREE life terms here already & be heading into your 4th - that’s mind boggling!). Although our countries are allies & we have a strong connection with the U.S., I think we see Americans as extremists (on many levels) who don’t stop to consider the consequences of that excessive level of behavior. As I was reading this paragraph in your post I found myself thinking that I would hope future generations of decision makers will be less-extremist, and become more lenient on offering the most challenging members of our society a second chance and even encouraging a ‘fair go’. I’m not sure that is a natural progression though, sadly. My other thought was that as more and more American’s are sentenced to prison terms for longer and more prisons are continually built, surely it’s only a matter of time before EVERY person in the U.S. is touched by having a loved one residing within the prison system, and therefore may be inclined to look at the situation differently – from a more personal perspective – perhaps this will spark the sensible change in thinking that’s required there.
"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8. Yes, your Abba really loves the beach and He loves you even more!
It is, or course, possible one could read St. Thomas Aquinas, C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, etc. and still come away without being a believer. That's fine. Because one must still feel a call, and no book can provide that. But it's nearly impossible to imagine someone studying the richness of these theologians and philosophers, and still come away with ideas like the 6000 year earth, and judgementalism being representative at all of true Christian thought. This smacks more, I'm afraid of using Bubba as a yardstick of what Christianity is. To understand real Christian insight, better to take a look through "Confessions" by St. Augustine, than to watch a news story about Fred Phelps.
Only modernist Christians can give you ugly thoughts about Christianit. But seriously..........a VERY small (though admittedly vocal) minority of them.
All I can do is pray that things change over the years, but whether they do or don't, it shouldn't be a division between us.
People are always wanting to NOT talk about religion and politics. Well what the hell does that leave anybody to talk about? Religion and politics are the only things that matter to anyone's life at all. It's no big surprise that they have become the least favorite topics of modernism. It's because authentic religion and politics makes people stand somewhere. To take positions. To get uncomfortable in their surroundings. They call for choices, reasoning, and good old fashioned thinking and studying. These concepts are anathema to modernists.
Just my 2 cents. Sorry for the little rant.
Love ya,
Dad