Thank you John. You beautifully articulate exactly what I feel. How can we claim to love Jesus when we refuse to welcome the “other.” I hope others are as moved as I am after reading your message today.
When I said this a few months ago, nobody read my poem. Obviously, a few people haven’t read their Bible, either. There seem to be two types of “Christians” now.
A huge problem for US people is so few of them have been anywhere else long enough to experience culture shock without buffers, or to experience the benefits offered to taxpayers of other countries. We spent two years while I worked in Australia. Since I had a work visa I had to pay taxes, which amounted to nearly 50% of my gross income. We also had zero added on costs for health care, dental, vision, pharmacy when both my wife and I at different times required delicate surgeries. We lived in a beautiful home with a courtyard garden and ALL of our acquaintances, NONE of whom had gone to college, lived lives that were free of worry and want. Some left work to take care of family members at end of life or when a crisis arose.
Americans are tied to the grinding wheel and don't know it. We do know something is wrong, and leaders use that sense of unease to accuse the immigrant, the poor, other races, sexual preferences, ANYTHING to keep us occupied so they can continue to exercise their greed. This is not the Land of the Free, that's a false idol meant to keep us insisting on our separateness.
It must be obscenely easy for those who watch Fox “news” to believe it when they say Santa Claus was white, and so was Jesus. No word on whether they believe Jesus was also a Jew, or how that is reconciled in their faith.
I also often think about the lyrics of a Jackson Brown song called The Dreamer:
“We don’t see half the people around us
But we see enemies who surround us
And the walls that we’ve build between us
Keep us prisoners of our fears”
Hypocrisy is alive and well and living in the USA.
Thank you so much, John, for once again so powerfully, honestly and beautifully voicing what are also my own deep emotions, fears, and concerns regarding the plight, injustices, cruelty, harm and anti Christian attitudes and actions immigrants in our country will be facing in the weeks, months and years to come.
I too pray that hearts can be opened rather than hardened, and I am going to join others to make that happen as my primary focus of resistance to the incoming administration’s policies.
Jesus was stolen by the right wing so called Christians. It’s up to those of us who still believe in the social justice, anti imperial movement he began to set him free and create the kingdom here on earth he gave his life for.
Thank you, John, for this piece. I was very moved by it and it highlighted the hypocrisy of the Trump-supporting Christian community. I read The Violent Take It By Force by Matthew D Taylor and he very eloquently showed that, while the Charismatic Evangelical Christians believed thy were on the side of God, how easy it was for them to be corrupted by the promise of power. I am British/English and most of the images of Christ are of a blue-eyed, blonde-haired white man. I take it it’s the same in America? It is so easy to see how that imagery can lead to people thinking Jesus was an English Man or an American man. Please keep up the good work.
And that's why I as an agnostic am a better Christian than 95% of Christians, because I live my life by the Golden Rule and they don't. Disgusting. Tax churches out of existence. If they want to do good works they can deduct it on their tax return. Nothing against you John, I love your writing, I just detest "Christians".
Thank you John. You beautifully articulate exactly what I feel. How can we claim to love Jesus when we refuse to welcome the “other.” I hope others are as moved as I am after reading your message today.
You said exactly what I was taking. And, John, God bless you for your writings.
Indeed, We are to be the Hands&Feet, Eyes&Ears, Hearts&Minds and finally the Spirit of Christ HERE NOW ON EARTH!
When I said this a few months ago, nobody read my poem. Obviously, a few people haven’t read their Bible, either. There seem to be two types of “Christians” now.
https://open.substack.com/pub/caroleroseland/p/contradictions?r=3myco9&utm_medium=ios
Thank you for your poem. Thought provoking, incisive, challenging.
A huge problem for US people is so few of them have been anywhere else long enough to experience culture shock without buffers, or to experience the benefits offered to taxpayers of other countries. We spent two years while I worked in Australia. Since I had a work visa I had to pay taxes, which amounted to nearly 50% of my gross income. We also had zero added on costs for health care, dental, vision, pharmacy when both my wife and I at different times required delicate surgeries. We lived in a beautiful home with a courtyard garden and ALL of our acquaintances, NONE of whom had gone to college, lived lives that were free of worry and want. Some left work to take care of family members at end of life or when a crisis arose.
Americans are tied to the grinding wheel and don't know it. We do know something is wrong, and leaders use that sense of unease to accuse the immigrant, the poor, other races, sexual preferences, ANYTHING to keep us occupied so they can continue to exercise their greed. This is not the Land of the Free, that's a false idol meant to keep us insisting on our separateness.
I love so many of John's writings but this one may be his best yet. It resonates with me.
Truth.
It must be obscenely easy for those who watch Fox “news” to believe it when they say Santa Claus was white, and so was Jesus. No word on whether they believe Jesus was also a Jew, or how that is reconciled in their faith.
I also often think about the lyrics of a Jackson Brown song called The Dreamer:
“We don’t see half the people around us
But we see enemies who surround us
And the walls that we’ve build between us
Keep us prisoners of our fears”
Hypocrisy is alive and well and living in the USA.
I’d also love to scream at them”Jesus was a person of color, you damn hypocrites!”
Thank you so much, John, for once again so powerfully, honestly and beautifully voicing what are also my own deep emotions, fears, and concerns regarding the plight, injustices, cruelty, harm and anti Christian attitudes and actions immigrants in our country will be facing in the weeks, months and years to come.
I too pray that hearts can be opened rather than hardened, and I am going to join others to make that happen as my primary focus of resistance to the incoming administration’s policies.
Jesus was stolen by the right wing so called Christians. It’s up to those of us who still believe in the social justice, anti imperial movement he began to set him free and create the kingdom here on earth he gave his life for.
"Love your neighbor as yourself."
Jesus knew it would be hard,
because He knew you couldn't
love yourself.
Before I forget,remember the rich man
who couldn't give up his wealth and
stayed,rich and unhappy. He couldn't
follow Jesus.
Or the man who couldn't get in the pool.
He had been there, moaning for years.
Jesus asked him if he wanted to get healed!
Then He said, " Get up, make your bed, and go.
Hypocrisy irked Jesus.
We are stalled because changing scares us.
Honest change lessens the bad days.
Rand Paul doesn't want the army to rush into houses to drag Hispanic people out.
When the cops come for your neighbors,
what will you do? Watch?!
Watch the horror of deportation.
Thank you, John, for this piece. I was very moved by it and it highlighted the hypocrisy of the Trump-supporting Christian community. I read The Violent Take It By Force by Matthew D Taylor and he very eloquently showed that, while the Charismatic Evangelical Christians believed thy were on the side of God, how easy it was for them to be corrupted by the promise of power. I am British/English and most of the images of Christ are of a blue-eyed, blonde-haired white man. I take it it’s the same in America? It is so easy to see how that imagery can lead to people thinking Jesus was an English Man or an American man. Please keep up the good work.
And that's why I as an agnostic am a better Christian than 95% of Christians, because I live my life by the Golden Rule and they don't. Disgusting. Tax churches out of existence. If they want to do good works they can deduct it on their tax return. Nothing against you John, I love your writing, I just detest "Christians".