Saturday 19 November 2016

"Jesus Loves Me..." So How Can You Hurt Your Neighbour?

The above pic depicts the starving children of Brasil. The contrast between their lives [probably dead now] and the Olympics there is too real for them!  The quote is from James 5. Read it. Live it. But don't water it down.

"Jesus 💜 me
this I know
for the bible tells 
me so" - you sing

Yet you hurt
your neighbour
whom Jesus said you must love
and DIE for

You pollute
her water
her air
her land

Your investments
devour the land
where the resources
are stolen from

"You cannot love money and God"
Jesus said
But you say "God blesses me with what I stole
from the poor here and there"

"Go sell all your possessions
and [then you can] follow me"
But you accumulate
more and more

You read the bible
But you ignore most of it
You constantly read irrelevant passages
And ignore those that require you to live as the poor or to BE poor

You are sheltered
with lame intellectually dishonest
"answers"
Let us pray

You have no shame
Pride fills your heart
And mouth
Smothered by your full wallet

You plan your next vacation
You FLY, drive
Using more resources and polluting
More than most of the planet

You build your wealth
upon the backs of the poor
Your cell phone enslaved
so you can have convenience

You don't care
about equality,
 justice,
 fairness

Your comfort is your god
Your greed
Your oppression of people
and all of creation                                                         thrives

To avoid shame
and keep the "free market"
free for the rich
and privileged

You lie:
Your cult-r-r-e, church, priest, synagogue, mosque, chief, professor, economist, "spiritual" leader, ...  

But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the LORD,
and with justice and might, 
to declare Jacob his transgression,
to Israel his sin....

who build Zion with bloodshed,
and Jerusalem with wickedness. 

Her leaders judge for a bribe,
her priests teach for a price,
and her prophets tell fortunes for money...
- Micah 3

Again, the bible condemns the sin of the religious/state: Israel [not to imply only this state/religion]. Note it's about oppression, power, money, greed...all things that many "christians, jews, muslims, economists, doctors, atheists"..."follow" .... how oft have you heard these sins condemned in a religious service? Isn't it time? [Likewise politicians, teachers, parents might show some concern!]

It's rather ironic that Jesus was a peasant Palestinian. A Jew. Most of his followers were peasants. He condemned the status quo and the rich. And yet today most of the churches/shopping malls, universities, ... are emptied of the out-casts: cast out. And the interpreters of a radical bible/church are middle/upper class....the very ones Christ condemned. Hence the radical-ness of the bible/church gets twisted, ignored and put to rest. "May the peace of Christ be with you."

It's time to shut down PAC [pick and choose] theology/philosophy/economics, etc. It's time to live love [the requirement/test of the christian: no love = no faith = not a christian]. This must extend to how we live: our transportation, food, jobs, investments, police, economics, social issues....It's time to die for our neighbour: giving up our own greed and turning, instead, in com-passion and act-i-on. Without change and sacrifice, the 1000000000 will continue to starve DAILY! while you pack your bags for the winter. Bon Voyage!

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