Here's a heading from YouTube this morning (Sunday): "Jesus was led by the spirit in the wilderness."
You know what? I don't care. Maybe I could care about the essence of Christianity again, if it could be removed from the context of U.S. politics. I cannot view Christianity the same now. The Jesus in the wilderness story is probably inspiring for some, or many, although I have always listened to such stuff mostly out of courtesy. I am far more concerned about the impact of one's faith in the present day.
What matters now is trying to stop a whole new Cold War. "Saturday Night Live" still finds humor in what's going on. So they lampoon Fox News. That's way too easy a target. Though it is still funny. The humor vanishes of course, the instant that Putin goes nuclear. The Cold War gave us the Vietnam war.
Why does Putin view military action as essential now? Can't everyone just get along? This is not an ideological struggle, is it? If not, what is the point?
U.S. people who fashion themselves "conservative" once loved saber-rattling. They felt patriotism demanded a military commitment sometimes. Resist that, and those people would pigeon-hole you with the left wing "softies."
That whole crowd is now being led around by the nose by Donald Trump, who just won't go away. Simple explanation really: the media of America finds that Trump "sells." Trump developed a skill for attention-getting when he was literally in entertainment. "Apprentice" or whatever. He was high-profile for a long time, learned the tricks of the trade.
And now he has the whole pathetic reactionary element of America eating out of his hand. So now when this Putin-wannabe says "no more Mideast wars," he causes a reversal among his flock. They now see Liz Cheney as part of the "neocon" family that rattled sabers. "Operation Iraqi Freedom." Not sure what that venture got for us. Premised of course on "weapons of mass destruction," a 100 percent dud.
Let's remember how many lives were lost or permanently damaged. This happens every time there is military engagement.
Now when Trump trumpets his view of no more wars, he's suddenly perceived as fountain of wisdom, not a "left wing softy" as would have been proclaimed before. So now, Laura Ingraham of Fox News actually "retracted" her support for the Iraq war. You can't "retract" your support for a war, not when the war has totally gotten in the rear view mirror. Nothing can fix the lives scarred by the horrific injuries, or bring back the dead like our David Day. It's just like Vietnam, the quagmire of my generation.
Christianity became so high-profile in propping up Trump. Most likely he could not have won the highest office without the faith, particularly the evangelicals, the type of Christians who buy into a lot of the voodoo stuff. "Jesus was led by the spirit in the wilderness." Probably an inspiring story of how Jesus came to embrace humanity's capacity for virtue.
In this context I can go to church and at least pay lip service to this stuff, though I doubt that many of the stories are literally true. I guess that's what sets the evangelicals apart: they go for the more literal interpretation. And if they can believe all that, they can watch Trump on TV at a rally and be impressed, mesmerized by everything he says. Stevens County has many such souls - I have tried reasoning with them. But I am no rival for Pat Robertson.
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| Pat Robertson ("wavy" image) |
So why can't my minister get quoted anywhere? He just doesn't. Robertson does. Media people would just shrug and admit that's how the system works: Robertson says something stupid or provocative, and just like with Trump it leaps into the headlines.
Maybe this shows just how helpless us human souls are, why we need Christ as our savior, because heaven help us if we were on our own. What do you think Jesus Christ would say about Pat Robertson? What would Jesus Christ say in response to Robertson asserting that Vladimir Putin is "compelled by God" to invade Ukraine.
Robertson felt he had to come out of retirement to make this proclamation. A press account: "Televangelist Pat Robertson came out of retirement on Monday to declare that Russian President Vladimir Putin is following God's wishes by violently invading Ukraine."
The televangelist feels this is a step toward a global "End times" battle in Israel. I am sick of "Christian leaders" so often invoking the interests of Israel. If it's in the context of religious voodoo, I resent it. "Prophesies" etc.
Keep the Bible out of foreign affairs discussions. The Bible is a matter of faith. It's harmless if you just put it aside, put it in a different compartment from serious geopolitical issues.
Robertson asserts with urgency that Putin "went into the Ukraine but that wasn't his goal. His goal was to move against Israel, ultimately."
Robertson sees Ukraine as a "staging area" for one of the great Biblical armies that will gather for "Armageddon in Israel."
Why is it necessary for anyone to postulate in this way? These are gravely serious matters, life and death matters for a great many. And yet a prominent "Christian" leader "comes out of retirement" to plead along these lines. It's a strong argument for rejecting the Bible, for being just a step away from damning the Christian faith entirely. And that's not fair.
Why did Robertson's element of the Christian faith get such primacy? Why are we at a point where national media reporters feel it's important to weigh what the "evangelicals" are thinking? As if those are the definitive Christian thoughts. These are the people who were a bulwark behind Donald Trump. I see no evidence this has dissipated.
Congressman Jim Jordan has floated the idea that Trump's adversaries could be executed. Such things have happened through world history. The guillotine for Liz Cheney? Well, who knows?
Robertson told viewers to "read your Bible." Why listen to him regarding this? Why listen to Donald Trump about anything? Obviously he lies constantly, evades the law constantly. And yet, I'm certain the local Apostolics would vote for him again, would drive around in pickups (as I personally witnessed) with "Keep America Great" flags (two of them) flapping from in back.
This is not my late mother's Christianity. It's a far cry. All I can do is write a few words on this blog site. I am doing that on Sunday morning as I skip church.
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| Triumphant Love Lutheran Church |
Addendum: Here's a fresh headline as of Sunday afternoon: "Trump proposes escalating war by having U.S. fighter jets 'bomb the sh-t out of Russia,' try to blame China for it."
A majority of Stevens County churchgoers would appear to still be in with this guy. I have tried communicating with some of them. These include a retired Morris schoolteacher who I know would have been profoundly offended by someone like Trump in the 1970s, would be disbelieving. Today he's so devoted to Trump, if you try discussing this with him, a little grin crosses his face like he's just shutting you out. Who can explain this?
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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