Friday, December 25, 2009

Celebrating the birth of history’s most famous liberal

The Last Chance Democracy Cafe, in toto and without comment, links at site:

The woman was as guilty as sin of the crime of adultery: the penalty for the offense, death by stoning, was clearly established. So what was Jesus Christ’s response?

“He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.”

Talk about a bleeding heart liberal!

Now, to be fair to the alligator brains out there who have somehow managed to construe words like these to constitute an endorsement of intolerance, vengefulness and greed, I should probably note that there’s some controversy over whether this particular story belongs in the Bible. It wasn’t in the earliest versions of the Gospel of John, apparently having been added later.

So, perhaps the alligator brains are relying, instead, on less disputed examples of Jesus Christ’s teachings. This for example:

Matthew 25:33-40:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Let me see if I’ve got this straight. The test of being a good Christian is generosity toward the underprivileged. Strange. I mean, what’s that got to do with the prosperity gospel?

Come to think of it, wasn’t this the same man who overturned the money changing tables, declaring: “Get these out of here! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

Hasn’t he heard of the divine right to unfettered and unregulated markets?

You know, if I didn’t know better I’d have to say the man sounds like a card carrying . . . liberal.

Wow. Whoever would have thought there’d be a whole holiday set aside celebrating the birth of history’s most famous liberal?

Merry Christmas.

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