Talking About Today's World of Religion - A Single Christian Woman - Open Memoir - Gifts of the Spirit - Judgment Versus Love

 

Do you personally know anybody who is a Christian? Do you know any people from the Jewish faith? Or of Muslim faith?How can you tell? Did you meet them in a Church? A Synagogue? A Mosque? Maybe worked with him or her? When I was younger, I became involved with a group that was active at that time in Morgantown, It was Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship. 

Not once did anybody question me as I walked in and sat down. Not once was I asked if I were a Christian. Not once did anybody tell me to go because I was a woman... And, not once did anybody turn me away when I asked to be anointed at a meeting and received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. We met in a meeting room in a local motel. It was informal, people roamed around, or sat praying... 

Then one night I saw a man come in and I knew who he was but did not know him personally. Suddenly I heard a word of knowledge for him. I waited, just to be sure. The man continued to stay, looking around. I was urged on. I spoke to the man: "You are worried that if you receive gifts of the spirit, that your congregation may not accept your change. I went on, your gifts are between you and God and you have no need to speak of them unless you find it appropriate... I think I shook hands with him and walked away from him. I have no idea what happened after we left. That really didn't matter. I had given God's message to him. That was to be my only role in his life...

I did invite two individuals from work with whom I'd been sharing a small fellowship during lunch. Both came, at different times. One spoke in tongues at his first meeting. Both of these individuals were involved in another God Incident, which I'll be writing about.

 

Although I had spoken in tongues and had received a word of knowledge to share, none of us got actively involved with this group. In fact, for me, which I thought was quite interesting, it was through a book (!) that I received the full blessing and blanketing of His Love... I was reading a book by Catherine Marshall Something More...

I remember that I was reading  in bed, which is normal for me, of course. Suddenly, heat started coming into my body, it seemed to start in my head and slowly encompassed my entire body. I was totally submerged in His Love! God's Love! And tears of joy flowed, as I spoke words I did not know, some over and over. I remember, I wrote down "Ascil-li-up Tito" down in my Bible later, spelling out the words by sound. (Of course, I've searched to find those words. I did find Tito. I had thought that Tito might be Jesus in some language, but, finally, I decided it really didn't matter.)I have no idea how long I lay there with a body temperature well above normal but feeling so blessed. As I calmed, I began to pray for everybody that I knew...just saying their names, sending out God's love to them... Until I felt Him leave, the heat was gone... In a few minutes, of course, I went back to reading--wondering what would happen next...

Now, I am back at the beginning, it seems... I wasn't really away, but all of the above was not what I planned to write about today! So, it seems that, perhaps like I do for writers of non-fiction religious books, especially, I want to share their "credentials..." Could that really be the reason I felt a need to let you all know that I am truly a Child of God?! I don't know. You'll have to decide. But I do know something that I can now say, after reading Dusenbury's book, I Judge No One.

And yet, as Christ did before he had been blessed with His resurrection and became fully a part of the Holy Trinity--God, the Father, Christ, His Son, and The Holy Spirit who abides in us, if we allow...

I know that I am a human...and I do judge. I judge actions. Sometimes for personal reasons, but also as part of the political world in which we live.

You see, I know that God sees us as humans. Jesus had been human for a very short time, in order to fulfill His Mission given by His Father. When I say I do not judge, I speak of Christ's global love for all of mankind. If I believe that we are all made in God's image, then I believe that I am to extend love to all, no matter what religion. It is those times that I am most close to how I know that God wants us to be.

But, I am still human, and I falter, fall, and sometimes get confused. So, let's now look at Today's World of Religion...

Oops! This morning as I was waking, I began to think about all those books I have read in which somebody had shared their personal lives--and, in particular, their faith or religion. I knew one book in particular I wanted to mention, but, in the search it didn't come up, but another did... It was my 2014 interview with Lee Harmon, who wrote, among others, The River of Life as an agnostic christian... Even I was amazed at this second God Incident. Please, if you have the time, click over to first read that discussion with Lee. For one, it felt to me, that I was given the "affirmation" that many suggest should be received that God wants us to speak on a topic. And, second, it has so much more to say than I planned to include in today's article--yet very relevant and important!

I have now read and shared about two books by Dr. Michael Brown, Donald Trump Is Not My Savior and The Political Seduction of the Church. (You can search on Dr. Brown's name and bring up all of the blog posts that were done while I read these two books.) Although both of these books were informative for those who are interested, I did not feel that any of the questions about the role of The Evangelical Church's alignment with the Republican Party had been successfully addressed.

Somewhere along the line, I read that at least one writer felt that we of the Christian Faith were at least due some form of accountability. It is clear, to me, that most involved individuals do not feel they owe anybody anything. Indeed, in the last book, where Dr. Brown continues to repeat that Donald Trump is not his Savior, he never acknowledges that there was anything significant that he, himself, did not agree with. And there's the issue, isn't it?

Since Dr. Brown's book was published, we have gone through the January 6th Insurrection, the Supreme Court's overthrow of Roe-Wade and its concurrent and very real distress, anger, and disruption that has occurred in the lives of not only pregnant women, but in doctor's, nurses, clinic staff, et.al. Not only has elections been shrouded in misinformation and fear, but from, traditionally, red states, we are hearing of all that is happening at the local level that is clearly prejudicial between non-white citizens of America.

In I Judge No One, one of the parables shared by David Dusenbury, was one that I've often thought and wrote about... It is about the woman who was caught having sex...

Early in the morning Jesus came again to the Temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. Making her stand before all of them, they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to tempt him (Greek peirazontes auton; Latin temptantes eum), so that they might have some legal charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her.” And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, lord.” “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” (John 8:2–11) The first thing to note is that this temptation is framed by Judaean law—not Roman law. The legal charge that Jesus is in peril of is a Judaean one—namely, that of subverting the divine law-code of “the truly sacred Moses,” as a second-century Egyptian Christian philosopher calls him.14 The question put to Jesus—Now what do you say?—is a lure for him to cancel a Mosaic statute. But there is also a temptation for Jesus to implicate himself in the machinery of Judaean law and politics. In effect, Jesus cannot release a woman caught in the act (in flagrante delicto) without committing blasphemy, and he cannot condemn her without becoming a punisher of the body—and a political Christ. Hostile observation of Jesus by the “the scribes and the Pharisees” is noted in much the same language in the synoptic gospels.15 In Mark, for instance, certain Pharisees ‘tempt’ Jesus by asking him: “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?” (Mark 10:2). There are numerous “legal episodes” of this sort in the gospels.16 And read with sufficient care, most of Jesus’ healing narratives have a legal aspect—they occur on the sabbath day, they render a person ceremonially pure, and so on.17 Nevertheless, the Incident of the Adulteress is one of only two scenes in the gospels in which Jesus is formally requested to render a judgement. The other is in Luke 12 (the topic of chapter 10). Yet the unique scene in John 8 should not be read in isolation. Wherever it may have originated, its original location in the gospel collection is in chapter 8 of John. And this means that Jesus’ non-judgement of a condemned woman can be read in light of a later scene of judgement in John’s gospel. Namely that in John 19, where the prefect of Judea takes a seat with ritual intent on his “judge’s chair”, and then sentences Jesus to be crucified (John 19:13, 16).18 The penultimate scene of Jesus’ natural life, in the fourth gospel, is a legal ordeal in which an innocent man is condemned to death by a guilty judge. In dramatic terms, John 8 is the inverse. Here, a guilty woman is not condemned by a uniquely innocent judge.19 There is no hint in the received text that the woman set before Jesus is falsely accused. The charge brought is that she has been trapped “in the very act” (John 8:4)—or, in one commentator’s gloss, in coitu.20 The text introduces this charge without comment (John 8:3). Further, there is no sign that Jesus doubts her guilt. On the contrary, he says to her, in parting: “Do not sin again” (John 8:11). This implies her guilt. It is striking, further, that there is no sign that Jesus doubts his right to judge. He is seated on a ‘judge’s chair’ when the pericope opens, and he seems to remain seated throughout the ordeal, even when he bends to write—more than once, and with his finger—in the dirt.21 “He Bent Down and Wrote” Before we ask what Jesus wrote in the dirt, we should pause to note a couple of curious parallels which are rarely noted.22 For the fact that Jesus writes is immensely suggestive. (i) Like Socrates, Jesus is not a writer. In both cases, however, there is one exception to the rule. Socrates traces geometric figures in the dirt, in Plato’s dialogue Meno, on behalf of a slave-boy who (per Socrates) has an immortal soul.23 And Jesus writes in the dust, in John, during the ordeal of a woman he refuses to condemn.24 (ii) Like Pilate, Jesus writes during a trial. The only place in the gospels where Jesus writes is in John 8, and the trial of Jesus in John 19 is the only place in the gospels where Pilate writes. “What I have written,” says the guilty judge, “I have written” (John 19:19–22). But what the innocent judge may have written, we are not told. We can nevertheless ask: What did Jesus write in the dirt during the adulteress’ ordeal? “Nothing certain can be stated,” according to Cornelius à Lapide’s baroque Great Commentary.25 This is true. Yet J. D. M. Derrett reminds us that “writing with the finger was symbolic of divine ‘legislation’” in Hebrew culture.26 Patristic commentators had already made this connection. And Derrett reconstructs the dramatic logic of Jesus’ leaning down to write, not once but twice, with his finger, in this way: The effect of his writing, and pausing after writing, was to produce from those in a position to watch him an insistence upon his giving his sentence … What he wrote was not unintelligible, but it did not satisfy them. This need not mean that it was irrelevant … It made them more anxious than ever to hear what he would say.27 “Has No One Condemned You?” And what did Jesus say? Of course, this is the question that marks the centre of the pericope. “The law Moses commanded us to stone such women,” say the hardliners. “Now what do you say?” (John 8:5). After he writes in the dirt—and before he resumes writing in the dirt—Jesus lifts his head to say to them: “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). This is Jesus’ sentence—and it is, in George Steiner’s phrase, a “radiant challenge”.28 Is it a judicial sentence that Jesus utters? In a novel sense, yes. For the lawbreaker figures in Jesus’ sentence. Yet the sentence which he pronounces is only obliquely concerned with the one who is to be punished for her crime. The subject of Jesus’ sentence is not the lawbreaker, but rather her would-be punishers. Her executioners, says Jesus, must be wholly innocent before the punishment sanctioned by Moses can be meted out—beginning with the first, who ‘legitimates’ the cascading violence of a stoning. The pitiless enforcers of Mosaic law must be flawless observers of that law—and this, Jesus claims, no one is. (My italic emphasis.)

And here is the key I found in Dusenbury's book that was lacking in both of Dr. Martin's books, et.al. Let's consider the difference between the three books. Dr. Martin's is written as an Evangelical Christian, dealing with the presidency of Donald J. Trump. While Dusenbury's book is purely a scholarly analysis of the Life of Jesus, and, in particular, as He related to those with whom he lived and met during his life.

The authority of Jesus to judge came as His Role in The Holy Trinity. As such, he was concerned ONLY with the souls of those who God had created. That's all of us who were born in His image.

On the other hand, while Christ was living as a human and before He was Baptized, his judgments dealt with how our souls were being treated. To explain further, if I can, when Jesus became angry at those selling and buying within the front of the Temple where He taught, it was anger for their blasphemy. Jesus knew that the Temple was dedicated to God and should not be defiled.

Because of the role of the Evangelical Christians in their willingness to support Trump--if he did what they asked--I am using them as an example at this critical time in our lives. That is not to say, that there have not been others within religious facilities and/or as their members who have not also acted in ways not pleasing to God. Using the parable of the adulterous woman, Jesus did not take a role in open judgment of her... Let me repeat that. God knew the woman's heart and finally spoke to her as to how He wanted her to act in the future. In a way, even then, there was little emphasis on what she must do. Did He know, perhaps, that the woman had only turned to selling herself because she had no husband and had no way to eat, to live? Did He realize that, perhaps, it was the man with whom she was involved, that should have, at a minimum, also been there to be punished? We don't know... do we?

And that's the whole point. Insofar as possible, we, as Christians are asked to love--to give aid--to give food and shelter if needed. It was quite obvious to Jesus that there had been no love involved in what had been discovered. There was no search for the Truth of why she was involved in a forbidden action. There was nothing to be done by those who were willing to stone her, except to...stone her, or, in this story, use her to try to trick Jesus into becoming involved with Moses' Law...

Ok, let's get really serious about what happened during this decade. The conservative republicans either went to the Evangelical Christians, or vice-versa, and made a deal to work toward being able to ban abortion once again. And to rig the courts by placing conservatives totally thus attempting to ensure that conservative issues would be handled as they wished. It would have been the same process that occurred decades ago when the pro-choice; pro-life debate began (and even earlier than that). However, somehow the authority to abort was given... Could it be that this issue was only made into law because of those conservatives who wanted laws to follow which supported their own agendas?

Let's now look at what Jesus did with the woman caught having sex. His concern was mainly with those who judged the woman... And so it was that when the pharisees, even Judas, and others chose to attack Jesus, it was a judgment made for which Jesus felt they had no right to make, was it not? And yet they did because of the human laws that were being used to accuse Him.

I believe that the issue of abortion or any other part of the medical activities surrounding a pregnancy is part of the will that God has given to us. It is a choice that is made by the human whose soul belongs to God. And if that choice is wrong, then any judgment will be by God toward that individual. Bluntly, the federal government should never have been involved with this issue...

And we all know that those who are conservative "anything" want what they want, no matter what damage might evolve out of their own personal opinions and/or beliefs. I don't think I'm wrong. but I'm going to stop now. I feel anger, frustration, and, yes, judgment of the merged Evangelical Christians and the Republican Party...that now are daily causing unknown tragedies as well as beyond those which we do find out about...

In order to clear my mind of emotions, I took yesterday off from writing. First thing this morning, the name Frank Shaeffer came to mind. It was one of his earlier brief videos which talked about his being at the meeting where the Evangelical Christians and Donald Trump met. He finally left, saddened, but after he had already heard the conditions which were then demanded by the leaders of Evangelical Christians. After Trump agreed, Frank indicated that they more or less told Trump that he could do anything he wanted... I think the above two videos speak well about what had occurred pre-2016 presidential election. Indeed, Schaeffer Frank Shaeffer, himself, accepts accountability for his role in spotlighting abortion and other prejudices, for example, against gays and others different from white protestant conservatives. 

I must admit I was relieved when I heard Schaeffer talk about the republican party. Indeed, I remember, once, when a niece talked about anti-abortion. I started crying. The following is a summation of what I said: How can this be logical? How can abortion be so wrong at the same time that incest, child sexual abuse, human trafficking is so rampant? I then said that some homes don't deserve to have a child there. Indeed Schaeffer uses similar documentation to judge what the merge of Evangelical Christians and The Republic Party has resulted in.

As can be seen, it is the women of this world that would be those who rose up against Trump. Not only because of his loose sexual references, which demeaned women... From what we learned from Frank Schaeffer, it was a quest for power, recognition, and prejudice that brought the topic of abortion out once again. Noting that, when emotions are incited globally rather than individual as should be, then humans are making judgments that either contradict the laws of the land--constitution--or by the use of misinformation and/or the scripture to claim that they are doing only what God teaches us...

It is clear, over and over, that Jesus acted totally the opposite. He came to the Samaritan woman to speak of Himself and what He offered. Indeed, that what clearly we are called to do, tell others about Jesus... There is NO law in America that says that Evangelical Christians and The Republic Party have the authority to reign over the rest of us via coercive actions! 

Consider how the former administration began their term... It started with Jeff Sessions referring to this scripture: (Excuse me for "more than" the Sessions announcement. Sometimes a little light message gets the point across...

So let's go back to Dusenbury's review of Jesus judgment versus the judgment of humans... For, indeed, it is quite clear since the merge of Evangelical Christians with The Republican Party, that certainly humans are doing the judging...NOT God!

Kant criticizes Reimarus’ theory of Jesus by distinguishing two ideas of the state. One he calls juridico-civil, the other ethico-civil. A juridico-civil state is one in which humans live together under a system of “juridical laws”, all of which are coercive. To belong to such a state is to belong to an ordered system of coercion. An ethico-civil state, however, is one in which humans are united by laws without being coerced, which is to say, “under laws of virtue alone.”29 In a less rebarbative (objective) terminology, Kant holds that a “political community” is by definition one that “compels its citizens” in a host of ways. An “ethical community”, however, is one that has “freedom from coercion in its very concept”. What Kant means is that what he calls “ethical ends” can only be chosen. Virtue originates in the heart, a place where—Kant stresses—“a human judge cannot penetrate”. Only a divine mind can be the judge of human hearts, because human judgments cannot reach “the depths of other beings”.30 (my emphasis) This is a Kantian idea which is deeply rooted in the gospels. For Kant, the Jesus of history hoped to inaugurate an ethical community, a new form of order in which, theoretically, all humans could be united by laws without coercion. Numerous caveats could be made here, but this new form of order is what Christians call the church, and what Kant calls the “invisible church” (giving the phrase an Enlightenment-style meaning).31 In Reimarus’ telling, the Jesus of history hoped to revolutionize the political community of first-century Judaea, by installing himself at the summit of an apocalyptic system of coercion. Reimarus’ Jesus failed because his political revolution was crushed, and his political faith was traduced by his cadre of disciples. The gospels, for Reimarus, are a testament to the disciples’ final betrayal of Jesus. It is in these writings that they systematically corrupt the memory of Jesus’ life and hope. Kant’s Jesus, no less than Reimarus’, is revolutionary. But his Jesus did not ultimately fail, because an “undeserved yet meritorious death” became the symbol of an ethical revolution,32 and because the ethical faith of Jesus is still with us. Kant writes that Jesus “brought about” through his life and death “an incalculably great moral good in the world, through a revolution in the human race”.33 At the heart of that revolution is the idea of what Kant calls “a kingdom of virtue”.34 And what is a kingdom of virtue? It is one which has “freedom from coercion in its very concept”.35 It is a ‘kingdom’ which must be freely chosen. Before Jesus, the idea of a kingdom of virtue—one which is still contentious—had never been articulated with the force and urgency that we hear in some of the sayings in the four unsigned texts which we call, in keeping with tradition, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This book offers a political life of Jesus in the broad and variegated tradition of Spinoza, Kant and Nietzsche. With them, it resists the modern notion that Jesus’ life, sayings and death are in essence political. Against Reimarus’ idea of a political Christ—one which has been revived countless times in the last 250 years—I will try to show (i) that the modern theory of a political Christ is utterly incongruent with the dramatic structure of our earliest texts on the life of Jesus; and (ii) that something like Kant’s theory of an ethical Jesus, whatever its limitations, is far more philosophically interesting. For the divergent philosophical traditions which Nietzsche, Kant and Spinoza represent, the modern idea that Jesus is nothing but a failed, first-century rebel is doubly problematic. It blurs (or destroys) the structure and meaning of our earliest witnesses to the life of Jesus, and it is philosophically inert.36 I believe that if the figure of Jesus is to be thought-worthy in future, we must break with the modern tendency to reduce him to his milieus. In the city of his youth (Nazareth), in the tetrarchy to which he legally belonged (Galilee), in the Roman province he visited (Judaea) and in the holy city where he died (Jerusalem), Jesus remained—in Nietzsche’s words—a “strange figure” (fremde Gestalt).37 It is this strangeness that shaped his political life, and that led—I will argue—to his death as a political criminal. It is this strangeness, too, that makes Jesus’ life intriguing and his sayings still worthy of reflection.

When reading a scholarly analysis, it is sometimes not easy to pull out the fragments which deserve more than a first-time read. Going back to the parable of the adulterous woman, we find a simple illustration that speaks to the point of Dusenbury's book. Jesus did not judge the adulterous woman. As mentioned earlier, we humans could never know what was behind the decision of the woman to commit adultery. Yet, there was a law that clearly defined that she was to be stoned. Jesus prevented the law to take place to stone the woman. Yet, after it was all over, Jesus then judged the woman as He saw her soul. Yes, she was guilty, but there was to be a difference from applying the law of stoning and what judgment Jesus ultimately gave. Bottom line, Jesus chose to not agree that the archaic law was a satisfactory judgment upon the woman... And then, bid her leave and consider other options, perhaps?

To me, this logical separation presents us with where Jesus wanted us to be. He had no desire to coerce us to follow Him. He had no desire to interfere in our God-given will to make our own decisions. Yet, he did realize that there would be those who chose to act in an evil manner and that political laws would be required to ensure that those who did harm to others could be identified and punished...

Therefore it seems to me that what has traditionally happened, going back to even the Crusades historically. Those leaders felt that all must follow Jesus and would force--coerce--their opinions of their christianity onto others. I recently read a book by an indigenous friend of mine where he spoke of how Christians began to force their religion upon those natives who very obviously had their own beliefs. Why? If we are to show God's love through our actions towards others, then by what political reason should we require others to forcibly act as conservative christians wish... And, as we have seen during the past six years, anybody who is different than white evangelical christians and/or a member of the republican party...must...be...controlled. Thus the republican party has turned into a purely judgmental group that does not act to love and be concerned about their neighbors, but, rather, to control, even through elections, so that, they are not even willing to recognize as our constitution clearly says... That we are all equal... 

During the period between 2016 and today, I have been continuously urged to go about my Savior's bidding. It has caused friction within my own family, as I understand has happened with others. But, even then, you and others have a right to question what I've shared with you... I believe that once, a major portion of Christianity has acted to gain political power through the election of a United States president, that the nation is floundering in the attempt to have coercion controlling our lives beyond the need stated and made into laws of our country.

Indeed, there is every evidence that love for our neighbors is not even a consideration by this merged group. We have seen personal freedoms stripped from us. We have seen attempts to change American history to hide how the white conservatives actually have acted in the past and are still not acting to discriminate against anybody that is different from them. And, to be even more specific, we have seen those who committed an insurrection against the U.S. Capital and the constitution, continue to lie and claim that what happened is NOT what actually happened.

We are confronted with evil leaders who are telling us that they can use force against small children. We are confronted with children who are abused sexually through incest and/or other leaders, such as within the church. We are told that non-christians are to be banned, controlled and have a loss of their freedom of speech, religion, and more...

And we are once again told by an extensive study and research of the Bible that Jesus Does Not Judge... that God is Love... That we shall love one another as ourselves...

Surely you can see that the logic coming out of the merged group--Evangelical Christians and The Republican Party is totally opposite of what is taught by Christ?

 

I Judge No One: A Political Life of Jesus - By David Lloyd Dusenburg - A Review and Beginning of Discussion in Relation to Today's Chaos in America

 

“The state, or rather, the whole world is in such error that it persecutes good and just men—torturing, condemning, and killing them.” 

– Lactantius, Divine Institutes

 

“The just man will have to 

endure the lash—
and finally, 

after every extremity of suffering,
 he will be crucified.” 

– Plato, Republic

Yesterday, I pointed out a personal caveat in reading the book, Donald Trump Is Not My Savior. It was that I believe the Holy Bible was God Inspired but not spe The Word of God. It would appear that, once again, a God Incident has occurred in leading me immediately to a book, I Judge No One: A Political Life of Jesus. You will also recall that in that caveat, I pointed out that when I started reading the Bible upon my baptism at age 13, I quickly realized that I could not understand much of what was being said. At that time, I purchased a number of Bibles in different versions. Finally, I found The Way. That became the book that I used and began to learn more. However, there was never a time when I totally understood what was being said...

And, then, in one book, I got my answer... It is an important statement. One that responded to me about what is happening within Christianity in America.

Let's learn a little about the author...

David Lloyd Dusenbury, MPhil, MPhil, PhD

I am senior fellow at the Danube Institute, visiting professor at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, and current holder of a joint chair at the University of Antwerp.
My newest book, I Judge No One: A Political Life of Jesus (2022), is out now with Hurst in London, Oxford University Press in New York.
I have held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Leuven and Hebrew University of Jerusalem; and visiting professorships at Loyola University Maryland and Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele. I have lectured widely in Europe on topics in philosophy, religion, law, and the history of ideas.
My essays and criticism have appeared in the Times Literary Supplement, Corriere della Serra, Los Angeles Review of Books, American Affairs, and other cultural and political reviews.

~~~

Dusenburg begins his latest book, I Judge No One, with an extensive literature review which explores how Jesus was written circa the time of His life and death, together with philosophers who were writing during the same time period. From a purely technical standpoint for reading this book as an ebook, I want to point out that, for me, I would have preferred to have the literature review footnoted at the bottom of the pages, so that we could have immediately read what was clarified in the footnote. That is practically impossible to do in standard text in ebook form. 

One of the more interesting for me is the comparative analyses with Socrates and Jesus. From the standpoint of placing Jesus within the world of philosophers as opposed to religious leaders, I was able to read writers speaking related to religion, in particular, without a dogmatic approach of ensuring that what was written "jived" with the Bible or other religious-oriented books. That is not to say, though, that Dusenburg does not have  a specific goal in mind as he reviews these writings and, in particular, in relation to the first four Books, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, from the Bible.

This first-century dating is contested, however.16 Mara’s allusion to the fall of Jerusalem and other catastrophes might have been occasioned by the second Judaean revolt of 132 to 135, and not the first revolt of 66 to 73 CE.17 But whether Mara’s Letter is dated to the first or second century, it is a pagan philosophical text, composed in Syriac, in which Jesus’ death seems to be remembered.18 Anticipating Nietzsche by as much as 1,800 years, Mara links the deaths of Socrates and Jesus. Unlike Nietzsche, he sees their deaths as belonging to an august history of philosopher-martyrs. This ancient Syrian philosopher believes that it is culpable human error which led to the executions of Pythagoras, Socrates, and Jesus—and the ruination of the cities that put them to death. Here is the text in question: What else can we say, when wise men are forcibly dragged by the hands of tyrants, and their wisdom is taken captive by slander, and they are oppressed in their intelligence without defence? For what benefit did the Athenians derive from the slaying of Socrates? For they received the retribution for it in the form of famine and plague. Or the people of Samos from the burning of Pythagoras? For in one hour their entire country was covered with sand. Or the Judaeans [from the slaying] of their wise king? For from that very time their sovereignty was taken away. For God rightly exacted retribution on behalf of the wisdom of these three. For the Athenians starved to death, and the people of Samos were covered by the sea without remedy, and the Judaeans, massacred and chased from their kingdom, are scattered through every land. Socrates did not die, because of Plato; nor yet Pythagoras, because of the statue of Hera; nor did the wise king, because of the new laws that he gave.19 Mara’s brief meditation on the deaths of Pythagoras, Socrates, and Jesus is ultimately redemptive. For he tells his son that, despite a confusing tradition about Pythagoras’ death-by-fire, the spirit of Pythagorean thought is honoured, in some way, by the great Samian shrine to the goddess Hera. And despite the poisoned cup that killed him, “Socrates did not die”; rather his wisdom lives on in Plato’s dialogues. And despite Jesus’ passing, he is still present in the observance of “the new laws that he gave”. What Mara calls new laws, here, we would now call Syrian Christianity—a rich and long-suffering tradition.20 That Mara’s wise king is Jesus is suggested by his claim that Judaeans were punished after his death, by the destruction of Jerusalem, just as Athenians were punished after Socrates’ death, and so on. There is nothing untoward about this notion of “divine nemesis”, per se.21 In chapter 2, we glimpsed the pagan conviction in Dio of Prusa’s Orations that Socrates’ death is “the cause” of the Athenians’ later misfortunes. Similarly, Josephus tells us that many Judaeans interpreted Herod Antipas’ humiliating defeat in 36 CE, by a Nabatean king, as divine retribution for the murder of John the Baptist.22 The notion that Jerusalem incurs its ruin in 70 CE, by Jesus’ death in the year 30 or so, is rooted in the gospels and many early Christian traditions. It is worth noting, however, that in Matthew and Luke, Jesus’ lament for Jerusalem is not only occasioned by his sense that he will be killed there. Rather, it seems that in Jesus’ mind, his holy city is doomed because “killing the prophets” is a recurring drama in that city. His death belongs to a history of Hebrew prophet-martyrs.23 This must be stressed. For a first- or second-century pagan philosopher such as Mara, ‘killing the philosophers’ is a recurring drama, which crescendos in the gods’ destruction of Mediterranean cities. And for a first-century dissident rabbi such as Jesus, ‘killing the prophets’ is a recurring drama which includes himself, and which calls down God’s judgement on Judaean cities.24 Beyond this, there seems to be a recognizably Syrian physiognomy to Mara’s Jesus. We catch this by glancing at a later text by the dazzling Syrian satirist, Lucian of Samosata...

Still, I want to be clear on my part that I, too, have a goal in reading. That is to move toward some type of rational and logical understanding of what is now occurring within American, and in particular, in relation to that division I see within the Christian faith. 

Hopefully, you, too, might become just as interested as I am; therefore, I'm including the following lengthy video since many of you may not be able to read the book itself...

To Be Continued...

Donald Trump Is Not My Savior - By Michael Brown, PhD - Review and Discussion

 

About the Author

Michael Brown is a Jewish believer in Jesus (he came to faith in 1971 as a heroin-shooting, LSD-using, hippie rock drummer) and he holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University. He's written more than 40 books, including wake-up calls to the Church of America, scholarly monographs and commentaries on biblical subjects, a series of volumes on answering Jewish objections to Jesus, and much-discussed books on today's hottest cultural issues. He has spoken throughout America and in more than 30 countries, and he hosts the nationally syndicated, daily talk radio show "The Line of Fire." He is the founder and president of FIRE School of Ministry in Concord, NC and serves as a visiting or adjunct professor at a number of seminaries. He and his wife Nancy have been married since 1976 and have two wonderful daughters and four incredible grandchildren. His heart beats to see a gospel-based moral and cultural revolution in this generation.

I had starting reading this book several times, but various medical issues always seemed to interrupt and prevent an ongoing analysis--which I very much wanted to do. Now that we are in the midst of the former president again running for the presidency, I felt a more urgent need. In doing so, I want to share three caveats for myself. 

1. Up until I heard those infamous words about "grabbing..." I had little or no interest in following politics. Like many Americans, I had spent all of my life working to earn a living while also studying for possible promotional opportunities. Thus, in reading this book which referenced issues pre-Trump, I did learn from the book, some of which I was able, to some extent, accept what was being said--as he saw it.

2. I had long ago turned from the belief that the Bible was a factual word of God, for a number of reasons. I have always believed in this being a God-inspired set of both historical value as well as a compilation of those direct words from Jesus. It is a well-known fact that there were many documents available to individuals living in those times. And, that, those materials were then reviewed by many, some of which were ultimately included in the Bible that has generally been used for centuries. I had accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 13. I found the Bible hard to understand. But it was not until I learned from a dear friend who was a member of the Catholic Church, that she did not even own a Bible. Instead, at that time, it was the Priest who taught about the book. Since then, there were many issues I have found revelatory and which caused me to become in my own mind, a "doubting thomas..." Indeed, during my more than 50 years being in a protestant church, I can not remember at any time that the issues of our culture were ever addressed. 

3. I had been the last child to a mother of four, when my father was killed in a mine accident. I watched as my mother worked day and night to provide food and shelter to us. It was quite understandable for me, in my opinion, to become a woman who became self-sufficient, and an individual who knew that she could be required to one day also take care of herself, and possibly others. I became interested in women's rights and indeed participated in ways by which women could be sure that they could be self-reliant. There were two instances in this book that I personally found offensive on behalf of women: "I’m not just talking about his silly attacks on Megyn Kelly (blood), Carly Fiorina (face)..."Frankly, Trump's statements, including the two Brown mentions are, in my mind and many others, not just silly attacks! especially coming from a presidential nominee! 

And another omission of relevance to women's religious and personal freedom... While Brown alluded to King David and Bathsheba, I have never heard this discussed by any pastor... Indeed, as we now learn of, for instance,  one Ohio 10-year-old child being raped by a relative, that the republicans refuse to recognize incest as an exception. It seems to me that by claiming that the Bible is fully God's Word, that this tale in itself could easily be construed by men/boys that rape of siblings is quite alright! And that lusting after another's wife, and murdering her husband, is also God's Word. Clearly, at a minimum, Calling the historical references within the Bible as God's Word can be misleading to, especially, new young Christians!

With these caveats about me, the reader, I began to read from an awareness that I, indeed, was a never-Trumper as defined in Dr. Brown's book. It is therefore incumbent upon me to verify upfront, that my analysis of the book, Donald Trump Is Not My Savior, is based upon several basic assumptions. For one, up until everything started to happen, I was not aware that I was anything but a Christian. And I was not aware that I was without religious freedom as the Evangelical Christians claimed. And, you are correct, there is a reference to christians being murdered. However, that is no different, it seems to me, than anybody else being murdered for one reason or another. It certainly did not actually change my religious freedom, rather my life would have been taken. There is little reference to anything else as being the cause for being willing to make a deal with Donald Trump. My thoughts are shared by others including Frank Shaeffer... Son of Francis Shaeffer, for evangelist around the time period of Billy Graham.

It all started when my sister told me that I had to sign up as a republican when I mentioned I wanted to vote. (Note that I had lived in a different state prior to this discussion) I was told that all Christians were republican! NOT! I initially signed up as an Independent, not wanting to be tied to anybody purely for the sake of party. When I saw the continued "Trump Effect," I chose to change to vote in support of the Democratic Party. I have not changed my opinion regarding that decision. Indeed, I found many issues in Brown's narrative about which I could speak knowledgeable. For instance, Brown's assertion that the past president doing the bidding of the Evangelical Christians to put conservative judges on the Supreme Court and other courts was given high praise... Apparently, he had NO problem with the republican party STOPPING Obama from placing now, AG Garland, on the Supreme Court. In fact, it became apparent that republicans routinely tried to hold or stop anything that President Obama tried to get through Congress. Considering that Brown admits that he watches little television and that, in his view, it was biased, it seems to me that the breadth of Dr. Brown's actual knowledge may very well be lacking, and, in turn, detrimental to his book's conclusions.

To create the book that is now titled Donald Trump Is Not My Savior, AND get it published quickly which he felt a need to do, Brown actually took a series of previously written articles, created a front and back to those and added an index of footnotes. Actually, it turned out well and is easily useful. Want to know how Dr. Brown felt about this or that, then check the chapter titles and go directly to that article. You will find, however, that, perhaps, many issues that you may have been concerned about, during the Trump years may not be covered. For instance, While Trump published a book called The Art of the Deal, it was ghostwritten and that man later regretted his taking on this project. It is not known whether that was on purpose or just an attempt to deal with those issues that concerned him most. I will say that Brown has been vocal--indeed very vocal--about his ongoing concern about Trump as president for the nation. He even wrote trying to Trump questioning that Trump said his favorite book was the Bible, yet he, as well as most of the country clearly saw that he didn't even know what the Bible said...

Dr. Brown is an excellent communicator. But he made one basic mistake I've seen before, at least from my review experience--and probably will be seen by many others. Dr. Brown wrote as if we all knew what he was talking about! Let's hope that he really didn't expect us to stop and research the background of all of the "negative" statements for which he provided no justification. So, that, whenever he started to justify his decisions, it was based upon his assumption that surely his readers would feel the same as he. Let me be very specific as Dr. Brown provides a set of apparent concerns or beliefs that are the base foundation for Evangelical Christians.

Dr. Brown points out that one conflict for Evangelical Christians was deciding to accept the bad with the good of Mr. Trump...or... vote for Hillary Clinton. Now, I've never been especially impressed with Hillary. But, let's face it! She's a woman! A woman who would understand what women wanted to have dealt with in the country... I am a woman. I saw that on the day of the inauguration, that thousands and thousands of women went to Washington to protest Trump's selection! There us no doubt in my mind, given the large turnout about the Trump presidency (as well as the massive turmoil now taking place re women's health issues) that women in America, as a majority do not support Trump nor banning abortion.

So expecting us to understand why voting for Trump over Clinton was, certainly, not as inevitable as Dr. Brown thought that it should be... Indeed, for me, this just confirmed a, perhaps, long-time bias by conservatives regarding the role of women in the world. Proven, in my opinion, by the mass of marching women that day.

Taking this a step further. Dr. Brown pointed out that Hillary was Pro-Choice. Conservative Evangelical Christians are not. Nuf said? I think not! I am Pro-Choice, simply because I do not believe that the government, the president, the congress or any other official has the right to decide what a woman does about her body. Their are several religious issues that I would pinpoint. Years ago, the separation of church and state was formally adopted. Indeed, I believe that many immigrants were and are coming to America through the years based upon a desire to have freedom of religion as well as other freedoms. I fail to see why this group of Christians feel that they have already had Religious Freedom, just as all Americans do...as promised and protected by the Constitution.

Could it mean that what is actually being said is that conservatives are prejudiced against anybody who does not support their stated conservative values? We have watched as Donald Trump incited prejudice, hate and violence against anybody and everybody that opposed him...while treating the Evangelical group as special? Is that what this is really about? I will stop and just say that this book will not provide an answer. 

What I do know, having seen what happened personally, heard the foul words and misinformation from Donald Trump, is that the Holy Trinity--God, the Father, Christ, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that lives within me KNOWS that did not support or condone the actions of this man.  Dr. Brown, et.al., refers to a little known Biblical story when God used a little known man in the Bible to do something that was apparently wanted by God. I will quickly say that I believe that people can be chosen to act on His behalf. Indeed, I was involved in, what many would call, a miraculous happening years ago. 

The key difference is that, in my opinion, if republicans and evangelical christians claim that abortion is a sin, then why, or why, does the same group refuse to do anything about REAL MURDERS. Specifically, while some want to say that a child is born at the point of sexual intercourse...then, why and how can this same group refuse to ban guns?!

My personal opinion has not faltered from the first I learned about the pro-choice versus pro-life argument. If Christians really cared--as opposed to using abortion as a political issue--then Christians would be working day and night to stop the murder of already-born children!!! Yet, they do not!

Let's stop there a minute... Freedom means, just that, freedom, right? Democracy means that we have freedom. Even God gave us freedom (our will to decide) Yet, here is one segment of America who wants to have the government restrict that freedom! By stating that they are after--wait for it--Religious Freedom... back to that later...

Moving on to the belief by Evangelical Christians that those who have "chosen" a different sexual orientation must be "controlled" by law, so that, they have no freedom whatsoever. Now, I will quickly point out that some issues need to be addressed and determined. Use of restrooms is one of those items to be considered. Discussion and negotiation does not, however, require that those individuals must lose their freedom to please Evangelical Christians. It has been clear to me, after knowing individuals who call have a different sexual orientation,  that these individuals do not choose to be what they are. Let's face it, why would anybody choose to live a life in which they had been, often, beaten, killed or simply bullied because they had different sexual desires? It has been years since I have evaluated what I did know: God made us in His Image. God has a preordained plan for each of us, though still controlled by our own will. God asks us to love one another not to attempt to change them. If those are not sufficient to ensure that we accept all in His Love, then, merely a final. Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged. We simply do not know God's Mind. Yet, so many attempt to act in hateful ways for those who are different than they are... WWJD - What Would Jesus Do? 

Let's get specific... If you hate somebody so badly that you want to not make a cake for a gay marriage, then that is your problem. As a service business owner, however, it is your responsibility to perform that request or simply to say, sorry I'm not able to do so. It does not make it necessary to have a law preventing those individuals from their basic freedoms...

The United States Bill of Rights - Original First 10

        Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

And that brings us back to one final political requirement. Ensure Evangelical Christians Religious Freedom. Frankly, Dr. Brown's continued reference to this was an amazing and confusing statement to explain why he was voting for Trump. Do we not, under the constitution, already have religious freedom? Do only Evangelical Christians not have religious freedom? Or, is it that nobody else other Evangelical Christians have the right to claim religious freedom? Could it be that as America has grown and prospered as a nation, that those with other beliefs wishing to come to our nation increased because of that same need for religious freedom... And, by desiring the same freedom, have resulted in a democracy that is made up of many different religions, all of whom worship their God, but in a different way. Is this not the basis upon which the United States was built--to provide all who seek it with Religious Freedom...

From where I sit, I learned that God asked us to go out and tell people about his son Jesus... That is our mission. 

He also asked us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

God is Love. God Created Us in His Image...

The only difference is based upon the individual people with whom we are now living as Americans. God calls us to Love, Not Hate... 

We are all, each one of God's Children, entitled to Religious Freedom, Freedom to be the People that God made us to be. Freedom to make mistakes and seek His help and support and guidance. Freedom FROM HATE, DISCRIMINATION, PREJUDICE, AND VIOLENCE AGAINST ANY ONE OF US...

I rest my case...In my opinion, I believe the conservative body of Evangelical Christians, together with the Republican Party, has acted against the Laws of the United States as well as the Laws of God: Specifically, those used to discriminate against all of our neighbors, those that are used to prevent the free will of each of us, and those that speak to judge instead of Love.

Note that it is not my intention to specify all that I found to be undefined, stated prejudicially, or lacking in proof or documentation. That is for possible readers to ascertain. The book serves as an excellent documentary of which I found extremely helpful, in knowing exactly why the Evangelical Christian chose, yes, chose to support Donald J. Trump as president.

As stated earlier, I learned about issues that I have not earlier learned about myself. However, I learned nothing that would, in my opinion, justify choosing Mr. Trump to serve as a United States President.

In fact, here's a final quote from Dr. Brown: "As for transforming the culture, that is the role of the church through the many facets of the gospel." You know, I've been an active church participant for well over 50 years. I have also watched how things have changed for the better--and for the worse during those years. Let me just say one thing, I have never seen or heard of any major attempts on the part of these Evangelical Christians" or the Republican Party, who now want to control our culture and our religious freedoms... We have already seen how that will happen: By changing our history classes to support what white supremacists want to have said. We have already seen that having lost Roe/Wade, that major medical situations are being forced on our doctors, parents and single women, all of who have no less rights than any Evangelical Christian! Or Republican! We have more gun murders (of especially children) than any other country in the world. We ourselves ARE those that are using drugs; otherwise, surely our police could ensure they are gone... (And please don't try to say that we need a WALL) Get real! The only reason drug lords come here is because Americans are using them. And IF THAT EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN GROUP HAS DONE ANYTHING TO STOP IT...IT SURELY HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH!  Human Trafficking increases; while Evangelicals cry for the unborn and ignore the millions who are abused, hungry, assaulted by incest or raped, given access to drugs and alcohol by parents or others... 

I don't know about you, but having been governed by this MAGA group, I'd like to know exactly what in the world has happened to those who claim to be "christian..." Because Donald Trump Should Never Have Ever Been Supported Politically and I hold the Evangelical Christian group responsible. God Bless the people in America who are now working hard to ensure that the corruption of this group can do no further damage to our nation!

God Bless,

GABixler

I'm now reading I Judge No One: A Political Life of Jesus. So far, I'm finding it both informative and interesting. Want to check out other books about God? Use keywords God, God Incident, Jesus, Agnostic, Christian, Atheist, memoir, to search for books on Book Readers Heaven. 

One thing I've always lived by: God has his own timetable and really doesn't need us to make his decisions for Him. I learned that especially when I read The Late Great Planet Earth back in the 80s I think it was. The author was sure that the second coming was soon and even gave a date. The date passed... as have many others. Then I was reminded when, after I was Baptized with the Holy Spirit, I was told that gifts of the spirit weren't being given these days... Who knew? Especially when He'd already visited with me and shared His Great Encompassing Warmth and Love... And now, right now, He wants us to trust in Him, His Love. Abandon feelings incited of hate, prejudice, anger, violence, and recognize that this has all been disinformation by those seeking political power. Be Alert. Be Careful. Be Aware that even The Supreme Court has come under suspicion of corruption... Do your own research. Read books, but read books from different sides of the issue. Form Your Own Opinion. God Has Given Us Free Will! He has given us His Love. He will Guide you; lean on Him not on Those who do not speak Truth. God's Truth. Listen to News. Sure it may be slanted...but if you're not sure, do some online research and listen to those talking about what is happening right now. I recommend Frank Shaeffer. His inside involvement with the Evangelical Christian group has been a good counterbalance for me, as has been books written by those personally involved in politics during the last 6 years. One think I recommend... find Dino or other Christian videos and listen to them. Allow the calmness to bring you peace and then listen. You just might feel The Holy Spirit pulling you in the right direction for what you need to know... He is The Great I Am. and God Loves us Just as we Are... And, Know that Jesus says I Judge No One. So, why should we?

With Continued Incitement of Lies and Violence, Republican Party Continues to Provokes and "Use" Americans to Gain Power

 

Each morning as I awake, I start thinking about writing about the wonderful books I've been reading, only to turn on the News and Learn of Still Anothr Mass Shooting!

Have you noticed that many television stations are pulling out specific past programs to highlight what is now happening in America... All over America, there are people striving to stop what has and is happening to America... Many writers are also using topics that are on the nightly news in one way or another, again, normally to show the "good over evil" theme... For surely, there is indeed a fight between good and evil... and right now, evil is winning... In my opinion, because they are allowed to, for whatever reason... And, it appears that, also my opinion, most of this incitement is coming from the republican party...

Take for instance, the Law and Order program last night. (The third video aboves highlights the theme.) Freedom of Speech Versus Use of Speech to Incite Hate and Violence. Let me just say that the man who incited hate and violence in white boys, was found guilty!!!

Yet republicans continues  to incite... Mike Pompeo chose to name One Woman the most dangerous person in the world... Is this garbage dissemination for real? 

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas on November 18, 2022.

Weingarten pushed back hard on Twitter. “I know that Mike Pompeo is running for president, and frankly, I don’t know whether to characterize his characterization ... as ridiculous or dangerous,” she wrote.

Weingarten accused Pompeo of defending “the Middle East’s tyrants,” “undermining Ukraine,” and kowtowing to Trump instead of “fighting 4 freedom.”

“So Mike, let me make it easy for you,” Weingarten continued in her Twitter thread. “We fight for freedom, democracy, and an economy that works for all. We fight for what kids & communities need. Strong public schools that are safe and welcoming, where kids learn how to think & work with others. That’s the American Dream!” (Click to read the rest of the news story...

Of course, all those running for office, or those who are now in congress or will be coming on board in January...are telling lies and spreading and inciting disinformation...

It is quite easy, therefore, to immediately tie all of the recent mass shootings to the republican party as well. Why? Well, we all know that answer don't we? But, just to clarify...I'm sharing what happens when the republicans refuse to stop assault guns used to murder in large numbers 

 Mass Murder at Walmart last night

Mass Murder at Community social club November 21

Mass Murder on college campuses days ago...

And it's extremely hard for me, especially, to see that supposed Christians have supported all of this such as January 6th!

The thing is, most of us are so confused because of the lies and disinformation, that we cannot know WHO TO BELIEVE! When I was told that if I was a Christian, I had to vote for republicans... Then, I've sat watching all the incitement of hate, prejudice, and so many lies... One thing I cling to is that God Is Love. Surely, He does not expect us to believe those who claim being a christian when at the same time, we see that republicans have for many years refused to do just one thing: Ban the military style guns which have and are being used to murder innocents, including our children... I find only one solace, I see those speaking out, those voting out extremists who claim to be christian, but talk of war, hate...instead of loving our neighbors...

I have NO choice. I must believe those who seek to eliminate the hate, the violence... Can we justify to ourselves, our God, doing something differently?

Bottom Line for me, though is this: Where were the Christians' outrage when ball games began to be played on our supposed Sabbath, and so many watch or play and even left church early (where I attended) to get to games! 

Or consider that Christians have made no public concern about the fact that TV and Movie, and Game stars pull in more of an audience than do church leaders...

Or consider that many Christians have allowed and made Santa Claus and the Bunny Rabbit more important on two of the most important Christian celebrations...allowing their children to see just how much parents supposedly follow Christ our Savior...

Or consider that sexual abuse, human trafficking of children and teens, especially, and drugs are part of many lives of those who claim to be Christians... No wonder young people are having more and more problems with mental issues, given the hypocrisy seen... while their parents scream and even kill for changing laws on abortion, while supporting political leaders who "approve" of incest, rape, and lack of medical care for women... How could we possibly expect Americans to believe that we should be a "Christian" nation?!

God Bless

Gabbie