First time in the Dkos pool. Since there isn't a shallow end, I'm going in head first, eyes open. Let's call it a baptism.
The recent outburst of blood-lust applause at the TeaNN "debate" has poked my lethargy with a very sharp ethical stick. I thought it was time to share a little tactic that I use when confronted with a God appointed proselytizer of the Gospel of Republicanism. Pardon my use of the dialogue format, but it works.
Opening scene: party, bar, sideline of my kid's soccer game, etc.
Blah blah blah, you liberals should read your Bible!
So I take it you're a religious person. Go to church regularly, call yourself a Christian?
Yes I am. Proud of it.
Well, I'm not a very churchy person, but I do go about once a month. (Methodist)
Then you know that God helps those that help themselves. God doesn't like people on welfare. And God also said it was OK to execute people too. You know, an eye for an eye. Also the gays are violating God's laws too. It's in the Bible.
Yep, that's in the Bible alright. I haven't read the Bible cover to cover, but I've read a lot of it. Can I ask you a question? You do know what the Gospel is, don't you?
Well yeah.
In my mom's bible it's the actual words of Jesus. They were printed in red. As a kid I thought it was cool.
Well yeah.
Would you agree that the most important part of the Bible are the actual words of Jesus?
Well yeah.
Maybe I missed it, but where in the Gospel does Jesus say it's OK to kill anyone? I thought he said "Turn the other cheek." I could be mistaken, but the only time Jesus ever got mad was when he threw the money-changers out of the Temple. And even when he was being tortured on the cross by Roman soldiers, he asked God to forgive them. And doesn't Jesus give pretty specific instructions about taking care "of the least of these?" And the Beatitudes, you know, Blessed are the Peacemakers and all that. As a Christian, don't you follow the words of Jesus?
(This is where my wife pulls me away from a potentially violent dynamic. She goes to church less frequently than I do, but she knows WWJD.)