Compassionate Conservative Christianity?
by Gary Amirault
Why is it that those Christians who want to put Christ back into Christmas, who want to stick the Ten Commandments in schools and public buildings, who strongly support the death penalty, who are often armed like a small army, who usually support war efforts in far off countries “for our defense” here at home, who usually support a hefty military budget, who are usually against programs that help the most needy, who are the strongest defenders of a Hell of everlasting tortures for most of mankind — why is it that they look and behave more like the Pharisees of the Bible than the Jesus they claim to love and follow?
Famous American author Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) wrestled with the same contradictions in Christianity during his life. The War Prayer expressed some of his misgivings. Near the end of his life, he wrote:
“There is one notable thing about our Christianity: bad, bloody, merciless, money-grabbing, and predatory. The invention of hell measured by our Christianity of today, bad as it is, hypocritical as it is, empty and hollow as it is, neither the deity nor his son is a Christian, nor qualified for that moderately high place. Ours is a terrible religion. The fleets of the world could swim in spacious comfort in the innocent blood it has spilled.”
Why is it that God’s own people so grossly misrepresent God? The Jews misrepresented Him. And now Christians, for over 1600 years have done the same. May God have mercy upon us all. And may the peoples of this world see the Victory of His Cross for all mankind despite our terrible misrepresentations.
This is so clear. I cannot see how so many are so blind and oblivious to the truth. They are self-deceived and being deceived. I cannot help but think that this is the way they really want to be without realizing it. It would be hard to believe if Jesus had not spoken of “the blind leading the blind” what a circus we are beholding today in the political arena and the spectators shouting them on! So sad yet true.
I was listening to my favorite radio show and they were talking the death penalty. And these Christian callers called in and said they were in support of the death penalty because The Bible says an eye for an eye. And after hearing that I was saying to myself what about when Jesus talked about turning the other cheek and what about blessing those that curse you and what about when Jesus stopped the woman caught in adultery and from being stoned and talked about let he who is without sin cast the first stone.