The God-forsakin' Blog

If you claim to follow a man who wandered the cities homeless, but then demonize the homeless in your own city; If you claim to follow a baby whose family illegally crossed a border to save his life, but then demonize anyone who tries to do the same in your own country; If you claim to follow a man who said "You cannot serve two masters; you cannot serve God and Mammon", but then vote for a trust fund baby who ran on the platform of taking funding away from social services because you want a bigger retirement fund; If you claim to follow a man who gave up his life because he believed it would save others, but then refuse to get a shot to save others; If you claim to be "pro-life" because you follow Jesus and then consistently do anti-life things; Then Jesus is not your master. He is your mascot. He is the picture you slap onto everything you do, so you can feel good about what team you're on.

  To me, the worst part of 9-11 didn't happen that day. PLENTY of bad shit that day, of course, but the worst came later. The worst part wasn't spending a 12-hour workday unable to call friends and family in NYC to see if they were alive. The worst part wasn't seeing a landmark that had been part of my hometown blown up - over and over and OVER again every time the T.V. was on anywhere. The worst part wasn't having to put on a brave face and try to comfort a dozen people with profound disabilities when I myself was angry and scared. The worst part wasn't even learning that my grandpa, a WW2 vet who'd almost died and had lost hundreds of his friends in one especially gruesome battle, wept that day because he felt he'd failed to do enough to protect our country from attack. All that shit was BAD. But it wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the way so many in our country responded to a threat from violent far-right anti-democratic theocratic jingoism b...

  Yes, really. I became first a liberal, then an atheist, BECAUSE I took Evangelical Christianity at its word. From early childhood I was given a book and told "This is the highest and purest truth there is. In this book are the secrets to eternal life, and the very purpose of your existence, as told by the being that made you for that purpose. It was so important to him that he showed up in person to make sure you would hear about it. It is absolutely true in every jot and tittle. Read it and live your life by it." So, I did. And what I read was the story of my god, the author of all things, showing up in person and telling everyone that the secret of everlasting life is to love your neighbor as yourself. And when asked "Who is my neighbor?", his answer was the parable of the good Samaritan. The answer was that your neighbor is... everyone. Even people you don't like. Even people you don't believe deserve your help. Even when helping will cost you. Even whe...