Having observed an anti-masking rally at the Rood Center, I was shocked that a participant was reading from the Bible to the crowd. One of the leaders, a woman, stood up and said, “This is all about God.”
Really?
Does God want us to shout and yell at people with different points of view? Does the Bible tell us not listen to the scientists and doctors who ask us to mask up and socially distance ourselves so that we don’t pass on or get infected by COVID-19? Would Jesus wear a mask?
A few days later, I received a packet in the mail from a “Christian” organization that boasted of ringing over a million door bells and sending 10 million packets before the 2016 election in favor of Donald Trump.
Really?
Is it Christian to promote a person whose adultery is well-known? Is it Christian to separate children from their parents at the border and put them into cages?
Really?
Why are Jesus and God politicized? Why does one Christian group think that they are more aligned with the principles of Christianity than the other groups?
Let me tell you that there are hundreds of millions of Christians who do not support radical points of view that seem the antithesis of how Jesus would want us to act. There is a long gamut of Christian sects (to say nothing of the other religions). Some spend their time worshipping an idealized human being as the son of God. Others use the Bible as a handbook on the way to treat others. Some, both.
The New Testament teaches that we need to love each other as much as we do ourselves. That we should forgive each other not just seven times but seven times seven.
Is this the philosophy of your candidates?
Really?
Jesus, as I understand him, wants people to get along, to be safe and healthy, to love and respect each other and to realize that we need to work together in these very dangerous uncertain times.
Please do not forget that the Ku Klux Klan used the Christian symbol, the cross, to terrorize black people before they burned their homes and killed them. Is that Christian? Really?
God is the One who made the different races of humans. If you don’t like that, take it up with Him.
I will tell you why Jesus, God and the Bible have been politicized. They are being used as weapons against people who think differently from others. It is manipulation, the artful use of control of people’s feelings and loyalty. It is a sacrilege. There is nothing Christian about it. It is a con job.
Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do!
If you are told something is Christian, here is a checklist that might be useful to decide if it is true. Is this organization one that promotes unity or division? Does it speak of listening to people with opinions different from your own or does it promote one viewpoint as the correct one? Does it take into account the feeding, clothing, and health of the “least among you”? Does it speak of kindness and loving one’s neighbor as oneself? If so, it is truly Christian.
A suggestion here: Let’s keep Jesus purple. He’s on every side.
Really!
Shanti Emerson is a Nevada County resident and a member of The Union Editorial Board. Her opinions are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of the board or its members. She can be reached at EditBoard@TheUnion.com.
The Link LonkSeptember 07, 2020 at 08:57PM
https://www.theunion.com/opinion/columns/shanti-is-jesus-red-or-blue/
Shanti: Is Jesus red or blue? | TheUnion.com - The Union of Grass Valley
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