Oh Susanna!
Posted on 11/08/2004 6:27:21 AM PST by Dr. Scarpetta
I know bunches of people who take their faith very seriously and shudder at the works of George Bush: the WARMONGERING, the DISREPECT FOR THE POOR and the WEAK, the ARROGANCE.
Here’s the problem: RELIGIOUS LIBERALS don’t wear their faith on their sleeves. We don’t evangelize; we consider it disrespectful to shove our spiritual views down other people’s throats.
Faced with a movement that has no such scruples, unfortunately, we’re flummoxed.
We’re always on the back foot, being forced to resort at the last minute in an election cycle to taking out ads in newspapers under the umbrella of People of Faith Against the outrage du jour: wars, the death penalty, assaults on women’s rights, whatever.
Candidates like John Kerry who share our values feel they have to make uncharacteristic public noises about their religious views. It all seems kind of tacky. We’d prefer to wear our faith like a nice little black dress, not like a G-string.
If you think that analogy is over the top, consider a conversation my kid had at school last week. They were discussing the election, and the other child said, “KERRY’S for QUEERS.” She also informed my daughter that “GOD KILLS QUEERS.”
You see the problem? The other side’s ammunition is so inane, we haven’t taken it seriously. But they’re WINNING. These little slogans, appealing to gut instinct, beyond rational discourse, have power. That’s partly what being a liberal is about: live and let live.
But times have changed, and we need to change with them. The RELIGIOUS BIGOTS, who think it’s CHRISTIAN to hate gay people and who are ready to forgive any degree of callousness toward their fellow humans — as long as it’s cloaked in pious clichés — are winning the ideological battle in this country.
The rest of the world is horrified and perplexed. Friends from other countries ask me, “How could you let this happen?” I have to admit that I don’t have a good answer. Or maybe the answer is just too uncomfortable.
We’ve screwed up. We haven’t found a way to counter the religious right, because we’re all too damned tasteful and tolerant to be pushy about our beliefs.
That has to end, friends. We have our work cut out for us. If we’re going to rescue this country from the GAY-BASHERS, the CREATIONIST SCIENCE-HATERS (Good Lord, what more gorgeous divine plan could you find than evolution?), we’re going to have to stop being so nice and restrained.
We’re going to have to start doing some pulpit-thumping ourselves. We’re going to have to put OUR VALUES(you remember the ones: CHARITY, LOVE, that sort of thing) back into the public eye and we’re going to have to be loud about it.
We’re going to have to stop being so WASPY and RESTRAINED. We’re going to have to take on these neo-Pharisees, Bible verse for Bible verse.
We haven’t really lost this fight. The problem is that we haven’t been fighting at all.
Susanna Rodell is editorial page editor of The Charleston Gazette. E-mail: srodell-wvgazette.com
Susanna Rodell should stick to what she does best, writing opeds/articles pushing the Gay Agenda.
http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=Susanna%20Rodell%20Gay
The world became civilized because of Christians and evangelism.
"I bet $50 that's a lie."
Is this some kind of sucker bet? Because the conversation cited sounds like it was written as part of a script for a bad teen movie, by people who were under the influence of crack cocaine at the time.
I am not afraid of the idea... I know it's false.... As simple as that!
We reject it from knowledge, not from ignorance!
More ramblings by a Gay activist pretending to be an editor and oped writer.
Here's the problem you are not beleivers in Christ as in; you have not made him lord of your life above yourself and your love for the things of the world. The word of God is not a series of commandments but suggestions. You only go to church because it is a family tradition -- you have never had and never will have a life changing event in relation with the Gospel or your Church and that my friend is because your pastor is a hireling he does it for the money -- shock of shocks ministers are the thrid highest paying profession in the nation right after doctors and lawyers he is paid to be comapssionate -- your pastor is a shrink that speaks smooth sounding things to please his congregants.
When if ever has your pastor preached a sermon on hell fire? When has your pastor ever suggested that if you have a love for the world and the things of the world you are an enemy of God? when Had the pastor preached if ever that if one is to believe they have to beleive in Jesus Christ as the only way the only truth and the only life and and aht without him you can not have any life within you? Your religion is not on your sleeve becasue you have none to put there, Your liberal heart is on your sleeve because that is your true religion for out of the heart the mouth speaketh. You can't call up what is not in you. why do you suppose so many of your vacant empty heared religious ilk are willingly converting Islam? I hear christians in europe and the US are converting at the rate of 30,000 a month. They are no more christains than you are.
The word christian actually means something more than a brand name. Its not a sock or shoe taht you can slip on and off when its fashionable the word salvation in the greek is Sozo it heans to save to heal to deliver and this in the gosepls is demonstrated in body sould and spirit -- if Christ has not reached into the uttermost part of your being with this sozo and healed and delviered you body soul and spirit you have never been touched by the Gospel.
God is willing to prove himself alive and demonstrate that the Gospel the one true gospel has remained the same for the last 2000 years. Whoso shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. If you mean it God will come and turn your life inside out, You will have a joy and a peace that you have never had and you will have this bububly feeling within, the very life of God that wants to be expressed and confessed to others.
This isn't true at all... And would ask for a long, long answer...
But as to Christianity, let me give youy a few of its civilized hits...
Chrisothom on the anti-judaisers, the Inquisition, Luther on the Jews etc. etc.
If this is civilization...
Pray for W and Our Troops
Yes, you are. You called it a personal attack. Mature adults don't see entire theological systems as personal attacks.
Of course, I realize that I'm speaking to a person who has called upon the God of Israel to damn the entire Polish people, so we know you don't understand Judaism very well either.
What's the definition of THAT species?
Not sure what the exact definition would be, but as an example consider those who think the Commerce Clause is for banning pornography.
Oh Susanna!
Brace yourselves for an avalanche of exclamation points, too. They really mean business.
I guess these liberals who claim to be religious need to check out some of the parts of the gospels that the cult churches they attend have managed to keep glued together.
The leaders of their cold pews have managed to turn their religion into a 1/2 hour of "I'm ok, you're ok" now go home and do whatever you need to feel good and call that your religion.
Religion, true religion changes you and as a result it eventually changes those around you. That is the heart of evangelism.
Matthew 5:10-12
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven...."
The Presbyterian Church USA gives abortion coverage to its pastors and their families.
Tiens tiens... Another Pole...
I have no problem proving you that if he ever existed (doubtful) Jesus was not the messiah...
As to the Poles, well their crass antisemitism was well rewarded by the communist take-over... They were the witnesses that were so happy that they would be able to steal the wealth of their Jewish neighbors... They got a nice revenge back!
As I said, I hate the Poles a bit less than the Germans, but in fact not much less...
The bible tells us to spread the good news. I guess that's disrepectful. Jesus might disagree.
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