John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
I left Christianity many years ago simply because so many professed Christians refuse to follow Jesus’ teachings. Your comment about MAGA “Christians” is exactly right and we need more _true_ Christians to standup and say so.
We need more love in the world, a love that ignores colors, gender, gender preference, and beliefs. While I surely can’t speak for Jesus, my heart tells me he would agree.
I was born into a church going Christian family, I loved the teachings of Jesus, but as an adult, I could not wrap my head around the greed, cruelty , deception, betrayal , patriarchal paternalistic racist and misogynistic behavior I saw in the Church and it’s congregants.
I cam to agree with
Mahatma Ghandi, “ I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
while each gospel tells the story a little differently, and over the years, books have been deleted, we can still learn from the stories, Christ represents what is best in our species, our altruism, kindness, sense of responsibility to each other, the aspiration to work for peace and honesty, the ability to accept and love each other for their differing gifts,
The money lenders, rulers, and easily manipulated crowd represent our worst traits, wanting to put people in castes with delusions of superiority , a sense of entitlement to be greedy, cruel, to enslave, and to kill without empathy or remorse,
The battle of good and evil seems to be between the two strong natures of humanity.
We don’t need gods or devils,
That was what the Civil War was fought over, The north wanted to fight for for all men being created equal, and the south wanted to fight for a white supremacy that could enslave others, treat them as property for personal wealth and power.
This is the same battle we see playing out in front of our eyes today,
trump/vance/musk/theil/ kevin roberts/MAGA Nazi white supremacists vs all who want to continue to fight for the dream of a country of immigrants working toward a multiracial pluralistic democracy,
While this may be the dream of this country, the nightmare must be acknowledged , forgiveness asked, and we must learn to never treat each other this way again, .
This country was built on the land theft and genocide of the American Indian, built up by slaves and en dentures servants, trump wants to return us to that state,
The story of Jesus teaches us that tyranny cannot be appeased. It never works.
Tyranny only wins when we submit.
Solidarity is how we win,
The risk to our democracy is urgent, Now is the time for a coordinated plan of attack from Congress, lawyers, judges, educators, and the populace through economic boycotts,
Here's a more detailed list of boycotts and their dates:
Walmart: April 7-14 and May 20-26.
Economic Blackout: April 18.
General Mills: April 21-28.
Amazon: May 6-12.
Target: June 3-9.
McDonald's: June 24-30.
Independence Day Boycott: July 4.
Nestle: March 21-28 (for specific products like Purina, Gerber, and KitKat).
and organized workers strikes, protests in the streets, trump and his ilk, like the villains of Gotham and Gilead have been working on this for years, infiltrating local school boards and governments, police, politicians, judges, etc. while democrats wore rose colored glasses and ignored what was happening, Now is the time for the DNC to stop acting like this is just politics, se that this is war and make a war plan worthy of saving our democracy,
I wa raised as a Lutheran and I went to parochial school. Lutherans, as I was growing up were taught not to trust Catholics or Jews and the evangical Protestant faith was the only true faith. Everyone else was probably going to hell. So many wars were fought be cause of religious factions that all used Jesus as their just cause to hate and kill non-believers that I do not know how that Easter story ever accidentally slipped out or is not banned. Because nothing I have seen from these so called religious sects are showing me that what Jesus taught is what they practice.
Well-written Joy! As the older folks would say … “We know Joy is saved!” Praying for your strength, especially during the crazy times we are in … we love you!
Love the African American version of the Last Supper! Some great choices as disciples. I was raised Roman Catholic and was faithful for a long time...the refusal to even discuss women as priests, the refusal to accept LGBTQ as equals, and then pedophilia scandal drove me out. Now I have a new reason - the MAGA interpretation (or should I say reversal) of Christ's teachings!
A little history is helpful in thinking about Jesus and Christianity.
Once it was installed as the official religion of Rome (the Pope's title Pontifex Maximus was inherited from the Roman high priest) Christianity embraced he imperial role of the state and its cruelties and rulership over subject peoples, while abandoning many of its virtues -- such as respect for learning and religious tolerance.
Under "Christendom" Europe descended into barbarism, witch-burning, extermination of unbelievers and inquisitions. When Christians displaced the 800-year, advanced and tolerant civilization of Muslim Iberia, they expelled Muslims and Jews, instituted a rigorous "cleansing" of their cultural influences and send barbaric sociopaths like Columbus, Pizarro and Cortes to slaughter and forcibly convert the peoples of the "New World." The Pope blithely divided those areas between Portugal and Spain -- treating them as basically unowned.
But Christendom had far worse to offer humanity than simple murder, theft and oppression.
It dealt with Jesus's' love of all people and Paul's teaching that "all men are of one blood" by fashioning a racial hierarchy that rationalized slavery as kind of guardianship overy peoples pictured as children needing guidance-- the "White Man's Burden."
That vile racial system which still distorts and mangles humanity until this very second, is one of Christianity's major "gifts" to humanity, rationalized , explained and taught as "God's"will. It, combined with its two-thousand years of Jewish persecution -- is the precursor of the Holocaust. -- which was its logical outcome. Christianity ironically accepted many of the Enlightenment's racist errors, while questioning valid science to the current age.
Jesus, who may have anticipated what humans are capable of, left a prescient warning about "Christians."
Ye shall know them by their fruits. ( Matthew 7:16 )
Strange fruit Christianity has produced, as Billie Holiday memorialized in her song.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
I left Christianity many years ago simply because so many professed Christians refuse to follow Jesus’ teachings. Your comment about MAGA “Christians” is exactly right and we need more _true_ Christians to standup and say so.
We need more love in the world, a love that ignores colors, gender, gender preference, and beliefs. While I surely can’t speak for Jesus, my heart tells me he would agree.
This is so beautiful, Joy. I needed this. We are fighting however we can. We are meditating and praying. 💙💙💙
I was born into a church going Christian family, I loved the teachings of Jesus, but as an adult, I could not wrap my head around the greed, cruelty , deception, betrayal , patriarchal paternalistic racist and misogynistic behavior I saw in the Church and it’s congregants.
I cam to agree with
Mahatma Ghandi, “ I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
while each gospel tells the story a little differently, and over the years, books have been deleted, we can still learn from the stories, Christ represents what is best in our species, our altruism, kindness, sense of responsibility to each other, the aspiration to work for peace and honesty, the ability to accept and love each other for their differing gifts,
The money lenders, rulers, and easily manipulated crowd represent our worst traits, wanting to put people in castes with delusions of superiority , a sense of entitlement to be greedy, cruel, to enslave, and to kill without empathy or remorse,
The battle of good and evil seems to be between the two strong natures of humanity.
We don’t need gods or devils,
That was what the Civil War was fought over, The north wanted to fight for for all men being created equal, and the south wanted to fight for a white supremacy that could enslave others, treat them as property for personal wealth and power.
This is the same battle we see playing out in front of our eyes today,
trump/vance/musk/theil/ kevin roberts/MAGA Nazi white supremacists vs all who want to continue to fight for the dream of a country of immigrants working toward a multiracial pluralistic democracy,
While this may be the dream of this country, the nightmare must be acknowledged , forgiveness asked, and we must learn to never treat each other this way again, .
This country was built on the land theft and genocide of the American Indian, built up by slaves and en dentures servants, trump wants to return us to that state,
The story of Jesus teaches us that tyranny cannot be appeased. It never works.
Tyranny only wins when we submit.
Solidarity is how we win,
The risk to our democracy is urgent, Now is the time for a coordinated plan of attack from Congress, lawyers, judges, educators, and the populace through economic boycotts,
Here's a more detailed list of boycotts and their dates:
Walmart: April 7-14 and May 20-26.
Economic Blackout: April 18.
General Mills: April 21-28.
Amazon: May 6-12.
Target: June 3-9.
McDonald's: June 24-30.
Independence Day Boycott: July 4.
Nestle: March 21-28 (for specific products like Purina, Gerber, and KitKat).
and organized workers strikes, protests in the streets, trump and his ilk, like the villains of Gotham and Gilead have been working on this for years, infiltrating local school boards and governments, police, politicians, judges, etc. while democrats wore rose colored glasses and ignored what was happening, Now is the time for the DNC to stop acting like this is just politics, se that this is war and make a war plan worthy of saving our democracy,
Thanks for this great article, Joy. I love the first painting!
I wa raised as a Lutheran and I went to parochial school. Lutherans, as I was growing up were taught not to trust Catholics or Jews and the evangical Protestant faith was the only true faith. Everyone else was probably going to hell. So many wars were fought be cause of religious factions that all used Jesus as their just cause to hate and kill non-believers that I do not know how that Easter story ever accidentally slipped out or is not banned. Because nothing I have seen from these so called religious sects are showing me that what Jesus taught is what they practice.
Thank you, Joy, for this meaningful message today. It was so pointed and truthful. A real blessing today.
Well-written Joy! As the older folks would say … “We know Joy is saved!” Praying for your strength, especially during the crazy times we are in … we love you!
Well said, Joy! Loved the synthesis of biblical narrative, history and current events. Excellent! Thank you
Joy that was a beautiful telling of the crucifixion .
It reminded me of when I was a Christian. I’m an atheist now but this breaks my heart.
Thank you Joy 🙏
Love the African American version of the Last Supper! Some great choices as disciples. I was raised Roman Catholic and was faithful for a long time...the refusal to even discuss women as priests, the refusal to accept LGBTQ as equals, and then pedophilia scandal drove me out. Now I have a new reason - the MAGA interpretation (or should I say reversal) of Christ's teachings!
A little history is helpful in thinking about Jesus and Christianity.
Once it was installed as the official religion of Rome (the Pope's title Pontifex Maximus was inherited from the Roman high priest) Christianity embraced he imperial role of the state and its cruelties and rulership over subject peoples, while abandoning many of its virtues -- such as respect for learning and religious tolerance.
Under "Christendom" Europe descended into barbarism, witch-burning, extermination of unbelievers and inquisitions. When Christians displaced the 800-year, advanced and tolerant civilization of Muslim Iberia, they expelled Muslims and Jews, instituted a rigorous "cleansing" of their cultural influences and send barbaric sociopaths like Columbus, Pizarro and Cortes to slaughter and forcibly convert the peoples of the "New World." The Pope blithely divided those areas between Portugal and Spain -- treating them as basically unowned.
But Christendom had far worse to offer humanity than simple murder, theft and oppression.
It dealt with Jesus's' love of all people and Paul's teaching that "all men are of one blood" by fashioning a racial hierarchy that rationalized slavery as kind of guardianship overy peoples pictured as children needing guidance-- the "White Man's Burden."
That vile racial system which still distorts and mangles humanity until this very second, is one of Christianity's major "gifts" to humanity, rationalized , explained and taught as "God's"will. It, combined with its two-thousand years of Jewish persecution -- is the precursor of the Holocaust. -- which was its logical outcome. Christianity ironically accepted many of the Enlightenment's racist errors, while questioning valid science to the current age.
Jesus, who may have anticipated what humans are capable of, left a prescient warning about "Christians."
Ye shall know them by their fruits. ( Matthew 7:16 )
Strange fruit Christianity has produced, as Billie Holiday memorialized in her song.
You are what you do, Christians.
Beautifully written! Thanks for sharing and reminding us of the words written in the Bible.
May God have mercy on our souls
Keep up telling and calling it like it is...
Great job!
Happy Easter, I agree we need more love in the world but now we need soldiers standing at the gates to protect us and keep us informed.