When did Jesus Become a Republican Badass?
Okay… I’ll admit, I’m not much of a theologian. I’m not even Christian… but I think Jesus was a cool dude. I love the way the guy thought, and I think if more of us lived the way he supposedly told us to, we’d all be much the better off for it.
This is why I can’t understand a few things I’ve seen Christians praying for lately. The first relates to this Anti-Obama T-shirt asking people to pray for Obama, then referencing Psalms 109:8. I looked it up, ’cause I haven’t gotten that far in the audio version of the Bible I’ve been listening to. (really… I have!.. perhaps more on that later)
It starts with “Let his days be few; and let another take his office.” Fair is fair.. I probably prayed for Bush to meet an untimely political end either consciously or subconsciously. But then the scripture goes on to say “Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.” Hold on a minute… that ever-so-cute package of American wholesomeness fatherless and widowed? These followers of Jesus wish for this to happen?
Okay… Psalms is Old Testament… so maybe it’s some other Judeo-Christian group wishing some hate on the Obama family. I mean, after all, Jesus was the same color as Obama, and Obama’s a Christian too… Throw me a bone here?
Then along comes this little number in the hallowed halls of Congress. Invoking prayer in the Senate chambers is certainly nothing new, in fact, it’s protocol. But to suggest praying for Senator Robert Byrd to die so he can’t show up to block a filibuster as Tom Coburn has done? Now that’s a bit much.
It seems to me that if Tom Coburn is a Christian (which I think is probably a prerequisite for being an Arkansas Republican) he probably shouldn’t go around encouraging people to pray for Senator Byrd’s demise. Senator Byrd is probably a Christian too. I don’t think Jesus would want this deed done.
Furthermore it seems to me that Jesus was all about the poor people. You don’t hear him running smack on poor people nearly as much as you do the rich people. And since this health care bill, as lame-ass as it is, is supposedly to help poor people get medical care, would be the kind of thing that Jesus would at least nominally support. At the very least, he wouldn’t want someone struck dead just because he wants people to vote on it.
Maybe I’m being too simplistic about these issues, but doggone it, simplicity is what I like most about Jesus’ teachings.
Filed under: Politics on December 29th, 2009
=( I know that the things some people do in the name of Christ are often reprehensible and do not at all reflect what Jesus would do. And I would not agree with what these people are doing. But I think with a little clarification, these actions do not appear quite as bad as they might have seemed, although I still don’t agree with them.
The verse on the T-shirt, Psalm 109:8, says, “May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.” It is not until verse 9 that it says,”May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.” So the T-shirt would not directly be referencing a desire for his children to be fatherless. It doesn’t necessarily seem like a direct desire for Obama’s death as much as just a desire that he be removed from office. Especially considering how often people like to take verses out of context, it would not be surprising if the majority of people who wear these T-shirts do not even know what the following verse says, much less be desiring that for our president. Although this is certainly in poor taste, it is not quite as reprehensible as a death threat to President Obama.
As far as the expressed desire that some senators be unable to make it to the vote that night, again, I will agree that this is in poor taste, but it still does not necessarily amount to a death wish. It is conceivable that various things could prevent this, obviously including death or illness, but possibly even extending to bad traffic or inclement weather. I don’t think that this statement necessarily implies a desire that other senators would die and thus be prevented from engaging in the vote.
All this being said, I would take what “Christians” say with a grain of salt. What I mean is that the label of a Christian does not necessarily mean a genuine faith in the life-changing power of the God of the Bible. Jesus himself said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” A faith that does not change your life and transform you to be like Jesus is probably not a genuine and saving faith to begin with. Jesus also said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Sometimes it is better to judge people by their actions than by their words.
And if you are looking to get an accurate picture of Jesus, I hope that you make it to the New Testament!!!