New News is Good News!

5 Responses to New News is Good News!

1. James says:

   Fri, 09 February 2007 at 07:05

   Why does “Christian” have to be right wing? Jesus was a super leftie… I mean like big-time bleeding heart commie leftie.
2. Chris Penningroth says:

   Sun, 11 February 2007 at 00:54

   That particular site has a pro-life and pro-traditional family bias, these aren’t issues that are usually associated with the left wing of American politics.

   If Jesus was a commie leftie, what would He have to say about Karl Marx referring to religion as the “Opium of the people?” Or would he have agreed to all of the Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_manifesto)?

   Methinks Jesus was indeed all about taking care of the poor, and that a rich man had about the same chance of entering heaven as did a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

   But then, communism as applied by humans didn’t do a very good job in practice of environmental stewardship or truly equalizing everyone in economic terms, because after all, some pigs are more equal than others!

   Christianity isn’t right wing, of course, but it’s traditional in America. Evangelicals especially tend to want to hold the line culturally against ‘progressive’ issues.

   This particular website looks like it caters more to evangelicals and conservatives who tend to also be nationalistic Americans, hence ‘Right Wing.’
3. James says:

   Mon, 12 February 2007 at 07:19

   That particular site has a pro-life and pro-traditional family bias, these aren’t issues that are usually associated with the left wing of American politics.

   I was just being a smart-ass anyway, but actually, that’s a good point. The converse question is why is Christianity NOT more central in the politics of the left? Seems like a good fit, but for some reason the left shuns Christianity like the plague. When I talk to lefties I always substitute Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for Jesus and I get them nodding. Then I remind them that Dr. King was a Baptist minister and man of Jesus.

   And as for the camel rich-man thing: I was listening to a Jesuit scholar describe the etymology of the word “camel” and it seems that there’s a fair chance that the word was mistranslated (it’s a homonym or something). The original use was “a big rope” It was a kind of mooring line I think. So the phrase would have read, “it is easier to pass a mooring line through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” or something like that. Frankly, I think it works better that way and plays nice with the rest of the fishing culture already present. The whole camel thing always seemed like an incongruity to me, like “why would you want to pass a camel through the eye of a needle anyway.”

   But I digress.

   As for Jesus being a commie. Look, Chris, he was a commie way before Mr. Marx decided to pervert it. I don’t mean communist in the sense of modern communism as a form of government, but rather community sharing. What I also mean is that everyone’s free will should be directed to pouring oneself out completely in service to those less fortunate.

   Things are distractions. Things are only means to an end. There is no such thing as “wealth,” only a richness of resources meant for a mighty task. The accumulation of wealth insomuch as it exists for its own sake is an abomination. Modern communism tried to codify that but blew it big time. They took away free will. They took away individual compassion. They took away love.
4. Chris Penningroth says:

   Tue, 13 February 2007 at 05:30

   I figured you were being sarcastic, but then, we’ve never quit debating since 1983, so I felt compelled to respond.

   I think Christianity doesn’t go well with the left because traditional liberalism has been hijacked by special interest liberalism. In order to be a post-modern liberal, you seem to have to be in favor of abortion-on-demand, gay rights, and squelching Christian religious expression but not Islamic, Buddhist, or Confucian expression. There are people out there who seem to think folks like me are more of a threat than Charles Johnson’s “Head-chopping Holy Warriors.” [Well, then again, I’m an F-16 pilot, so maybe that’s true — ed].

   One hundred years ago, I’d’ve been a liberal myself. Modern liberal thought in international relations appeals to me (as it does to the current occupant of the White House), but liberalism in international relations bears little resemblence to the American left.

   I tend to agree with your views on the community of Christ. Wouldn’t it be better to refer to Jesus as “Communalist” rather than “Communist?” In any case, I figured you’d say that. It’s a pretty widely held belief, and not necessarily wrong, especially if the entire community is acting in genuine Christian love.

   I think Adam Smith had a great point that selfishness has a lot to do with self-sufficiency and wealth. Although I don’t agree that avarice is the root of all evil, I do agree that one cannot serve both God and mammon. I’m pretty sure evil is the root of all evil.

   To those whom much is given, much is expected. I think it’s reasonable to expect that those ‘less fortunate,’ as you put it, use their God-given abilities to become self-sufficient. Charity is supposed to be a hand up, not a way of life.

   If the good Lord graces me with everything I need to get by, whatever extra He gives me, I have a Christian duty to pass along. I think I’m better at figuring out who needs the hand up than the government (federalist, democratic, republic, communist, socialist, oligarchal, etc). I won’t throw good money after bad.

   I’ve also started to learn that things most people consider luxuries become essential when you reach tycoon status. The couple times I’ve gotten to fly first class, I jumped off the plane ready to hit the ground running; most of the time I fly coach, and it takes me days to get back to 100%. Time becomes more and more precious the less of it you get. I think that’s one thing that capitalism really has over other politico-economic systems. If you’re an honest employer who needs to double-check your management teams’ leadership progress on the other coast and you have a shareholders’ meeting at the home office six hours afterward followed by more of the same each day ad infinitum. I’d offer you have a valid need for your own jet.

   On the other hand, if I were the owners of a certain hotel chain, I wouldn’t have let my daughter have access to any of the wealth. She doesn’t have a valid need for it, and rather would abuse it.

   Everything has its drawbacks. Except true Christianity. I don’t understand why the left refuses to draw from it, either.

   I’ve never heard that piece about camel vs large rope. That’s pretty interesting. It’s nice that while it changes the context, it doesn’t ultimately change the meaning.
5. Chris Penningroth says:

   Wed, 14 February 2007 at 03:44

   . . . And then we have the following from the old web site’s quote generator:

   “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased.”
   — Kehlog Albran, “The Profit”

   Kellog All-Bran? When was the last time Kellog’s turned a profit? Am I missing out on a hot stock tip? If so, am I missing out on an opportunity to become a capitalist savant?

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