Further proof texting

I'll confess to being a blog crasher of sorts.

Some of you may not be aware of the blogospheric tool called the trackback ping.  Among other uses, it's essentially a way one blogger can join the conversation taking place at another blog and add an opinion (usually admittedly in agreement) with what's going on at the blog being pinged.

I admit to using the tool to let Mike know (since he continues to love his enemy, ie. me, by disallowing my participation at his place) that I've got an opinion I think he should pay attention to (you know, in the spirit of turning the other cheek, understanding before seeking to understand, being open, tolerant and accepting of diverse perspectives and other preachy and less than honest phrases the left usually uses against the right).

Which brings me to Mike's Epilogue:

Luke's account, which is the most unique as well as my favorite, says this:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

Note that it does not say:

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself, unless your neighbor threatens your existence, in which case you may retain the right to murder him."

Idealistic, you say? Absolutely! The Ideal is our goal and ultimate destination, and we need to start contributing to it's creation now.

Perhaps we are suggesting that Jesus was exhorting individuals, and that nation-states may, out of necessity, operate under different moral and ethical guidelines. We say while pre-meditated murder is out of the question for individuals, it is acceptable national policy.

This is hypocrisy, disguised as something else. And, while it may regrettably be the current reality, it should be resisted at every turn, and not endorsed, by followers of Christ.

Lots to react to.

I'll start with the notion that Mike seems to be using selected texts of Scripture and isolating them into a litmus test.  Either believe what Mike is believing and thus earn the badge of honor bestowed upon those who purport to be Christ followers or disagree and be something else, anything else but certainly not, absolutely not, unequivocally not, a follower of the Lord Most High.

That seems... something other than inclusive to me. It seems rigid.  It seems not to allow for followers (or more specifically wannabees) to come to Christ just as they are. 

Mike's stony proclamation (one that conjers up images of his coming down the side of a mountain with a couple of tablets) seems to ignore those texts where Christ's actions don't exactly fall in line with the Lukan text he's citing.

Was Jesus exemplifying loving neighbor as himself when he called the Pharisees hypocrites (over and over) and compared them to white-washed tombs?  And was he loving neighbor as himself when he cleared the temple of money-changers?  Was he loving when he directed his disciples to carry a sword? Does this sort of thing suggest that isolating the loving neighbor as self text as the defining characteristic of a Christ follower is a tad... limiting?

And didn't Jesus reserve his harshest criticism for those holier-than-thou religionists who attempted to constrain who would be seen to be a followers of God?

In Mike's pell mell rush to leave behind the so called fundamentalists he abhors, he becomes one.

And yet fails to see it.  It's a troubling thing. 

One could argue that loving your neighbor can be evidenced by the attempt to point out to said neighbor an aspect of his belief system that seems to have some logical flaws in it.

And seems to contain the perspective that Christ spoke loudly against.

Then again, I wouldn't know. 

I fail the litmus test. 

I suspect many do.

Comments

[robert]

no, only you.

[MarcV]

"Love your neighbor as yourself." That "love" may look strange when you are full of guilt, that you did not do enough to prevent the "evil Bushitler" from claiming his office, when you equate terrorists with freedom fighters.

I suppose the question is (after defining "is") who is your neighbor. Jesus was specifically asked that, after giving the two commandments, in Luke 10:29 - "But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”" How did Jesus answer? Anybody? Everybody??

Jesus answered with the parable of the Samaritan. His example of a neighbor is one who would go out of his way to help another. Which side of the fence is the US on? Hopefully there will be enough Arabs (Samaritans) who appreciate what the US is doing and will return the favor of treating us as neighbors - kinda like the golden rule.

[jchfleetguy]

Hmmmm

First, I have a problem with thinking that Jesus is required to act the same as us. He is God, and the offended party, in those areas where He got angry.

He may judge. Well, actually we judge too - we just get judged (by Jesus) later by our own standards instead of Jesus's

My major problem with Mike's epilogue is that he believes a secular government in a fallen world has any need to follow scripture - at all.

He needs to read a little "just war" theory just for fun