A Yard Sale
Where does creation end
and destruction begin?
--Under the Glacier, Haldor Laxness
When I discovered that history is a fable,
and a poor one at that,
I started looking for a better fable,
and found theology
--ibid.
"Summertime and the living is not easy"
--Heading for a yard sale advert,
6.15 Tallahassee Craigslist
Wars are poor chisels for carving
out peaceful tomorrows
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
__________________
At a yard sale last weekend, a middle-aged woman living in a most humble house tried to sell me some books by Right-wing political writer Cal Thomas. Ranger replied to the effect that he would not read such tripe, to which the woman said she was a Conservative and proud of it.
Putting her to the test, he replied, "What has the Conservative philosophy or leaders ever done for you?" To this, she could not reply save to say honestly, "I don't know."
Pressing on, "The Conservatives have given us middle Americans nothing but war, and we are still suffering the consequences." As many good Americans do, she sought refuge in her faith:
"In the Bible, God wants us to have wars. What if my neighbor strikes me? What am I to do?"
Ranger: "Wouldn't Jesus say to turn the other cheek?"
She: "If they strike my children, I will strike them!"
R.: "Strike them maybe, but burn down their house?"
Well, it was clear this was not what the woman was in for when she tried to sell her Cal Thomas book. Surely her intellectual rigor is not grossly less than that of her local fellows. Ranger hopes his point was not lost, adrift in a sea of contradictory biblical directives.
If his followers think Jesus wants war and killing, Ranger suggests perhaps his message was not that successful.
Labels: cal thomas, conservatism, war, yard sale
posted by rangeragainstwar at 3:02 PM
7 Comments:
Ranger, excellent-I am so tired of the religious, political and moral HYPOCRISY of all of them-but you are correct again when you say it was the Neo-Con-Right Wing-Tea Party Corporate mind set that has destroyed not only America but the world.
I stopped a few years ago confronting these types because they first get angry, then try to bully you with their bullshit and then violent when you stand up to them- plus you can not have an "Intelligent discussion with an unarmed person"--I told a couple of good ole boys(R) that once and they said to me, I'm not unarmed I have my gun on me. They missed the joke entirely. So no real discussion can be had with these idiots. Truth and facts which are synomonous aren't in the equation of common sense with this type of mind set.
After reading about your adventure at he yard sale I AM going to start calling these idiots out again, thank you for the kick in the ass--Doc
"When good Men & Women do nothing real evil prevails"
I forget who said that it's not that "real" Christianity - the loving, forgiving, care-for-your-neighbor, turn-the-other-cheek type of Christianity - has been tried and found wanting, but that it's been found difficult and never tried.
In my life I've found some genuinely faith-full people who try to really live the fundamental tenets of their faith; not the niggly no-fish-on Friday, hate-the-homos type tenets but the deeply disturbing commandments to do stuff like love those who hate you and give everything you own to those who need it more than you. Frankly, they're kinda scary in an unthreatening sort of way.
But HARD. That's a damn hard way to live. IT demands you give up all the poop-flinging monkey rage, hate, lust, greed...all the stuff we do all the time.
Obviously your yard sale woman has done what 99.9% of all "religious" people do; adopt the parts of her creed she likes and blow off the rest.
Whoa. Now THERE's a shock...
Doc,
I don't think this woman was evil, but she bought the bullshit with vigor.
What else do these people have, except the promise of eternity, exactly the same dogma that fuels suicide bombers.
I'd never kick you in the ass.
I wouldn't like the blow back.
jim
Chief,
Why would i wanna love jesus IF i couldn't hate homos?
:)
jim
Doc,
I gotta confess- i really enjoy fucking with people.
Esp. those that hide behind dogma and theology.
I believe the reason we tyrannized the Jews over the last milenia is because we had to steal their god and their baby jesus.
They have angst over the fact that god loves desert gypsies.
Jesus and god are copy righted by the Jews, and he ain't a blue eyed boy.
jim
Doc,
i'm sorry, but i'm on a roll.
Imagine if our leaders had to shop yard sales ,AND ACTUALLY have to talk with middle Americans????!!!!
We're at ground zero and they're in 1st class seats in hot shot airplanes cruising the world.
Most of the times i've flown i was chuted up.
jim
Beautifully done, RAW. I never try to challenge these types but I always use the "interrigation" model. Most of the self proclaimed conservatives melt down on the second quesiton and the more thoughtful ones never make it past the third question without the same result you have documented.
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