As I sat down to peruse a few blogs of my friends and favorite reads before heading for bed (early church day tomorrow–it’s Easter, in case you didn’t know), I saw this post by Michele. On the surface, it’s about baking with her grandma through the years, but it’s way deeper than that. The memories she conjured up in the first part made me all misty with thoughts of my great-grandmother, my mother and my mother-in-law. Why she isn’t paid to write is beyond me.
The latter part of the post, however, is another story.
You see, some lovely soul decided to twist Michele’s thoughts about death and dying and the Terri Schiavo case into their own disgusting debating point. Because, you know, if you want Terri Schiavo to die, then you must want all people who inconvenience you to die, as well. This person had the audacity to ask Michele if she smiled when her grandmother died.
I haven’t made a big deal out of Terri Schiavo here, because there is enough of that going on in the real world. But comments like that one from a good “Christian” directed at one of my friends has me too pissed off to sleep.
So, in compliance with new Federal “you must make your opinions known so we can mock them” laws, here are mine:
- Make a living will. Save everyone grief.
- Don’t let me hang on in that state forever. Let me go.
- Despite that, I could see myself fighting just as hard as the Schindlers, if it were one of my kids.
- The Federal government had no reason to get into the middle of this mess. It’s all political grandstanding, and I hope it backfires.
- Jeb Bush is being a tool.
- Anyone who doesn’t see the scary hypocrisy of threatening to kill those who don’t agree with them over this has mental problems.
- Anyone who claims to know God’s will in this has serious mental problems.
And just out of curiousity… Why couldn’t it be God’s will that Terri be released from the state she is in and join Him in Heaven? Why wouldn’t He have had a conservative, Baptist judge stand up to overwhelming pressure to uphold the law? Why does God want Terri (or what’s left of her) to lie in a hospital bed for another 20 years?
I am a Christian, but sometimes I despair of claiming that title in public, because of the hateful, assinine ways in which those who profess to have faith in Jesus use it.
And I am a heathen (of sorts) and I agree with you completely.
(I think that if there were more Christians like you that I might be more open towards “the Church”, but that’s another story entirely.)
Nicely stated, as usual. Say one for me tomorrow, ‘k?
Braco. Well said Sol. 🙂
I have a new quote for your quote generator….Sollie gots wisdom.
Amen.
Actually, what we need is to hear more from Christians such as yourself and less from the idiots who make you cringe. You do much to counteract their hypocrisy.
Don’t you hate when people twist what is an otherwise wonderful piece of writing to be someone political to fight about?
What Les said.
Absolutely — I can understand why you’d be concerned about using that label in public, but you do the faith a great favor every time you do. Thanks to right-winger volume, now there are many people who believe *all* Christians are people like Randall Terry. Those who are not — and I believe they are by far the majority — need to find their voice and take their religion back.
Excellent.
Also, I, too, wish moderate and liberal Christians would take the image of their faith back from these contemporary Puritans. The division they create between their fellow citzenry and the animosity they engender toward their faith does not seem very Christ-like. Furthermore, just as the political left allowed the right to coopt the symbols of patriotism, and thereby frame the definition of patriotism, American Christians have allowed these puritanicals to coopt the power to define, at least in public discourse, who or what is “Christian.”
Again, excellent post. Thank you.
Amen, brother.
Seriously, why lose sleep over some odd, bizarre, and/or cruel comment? I get that kind of stuff all the time.
you got a damn fine head on your shoulder Mister Solly.
It kind of reminds me of that thing that the comedian said on that comedy special I watched on late night TV last night.
“If gods plan is too great of any mans mind to get around, then the only blasphemers are those decreeing others as being blasphemers.”
You’re a good guy. I’m glad that turd caused you to speak up. You should do so more often.