After watching two classic Jesus epics, the fundies still look wrong

In that lazy lull of Christmas afternoon, we came across two back-to-back Jesus epics on TNT Classics, including King of Kings and The Greatest Story Ever Told, and got sucked into watching them both.

And the experience made something painfully clear. The Right Wing Conservative Christian Fundamentalists are totally ass-backwards. I knew this before, but this just reinforced it.

If they had been alive then, the Fallwells and the so-called Conservative Christian politicians would not have been among the persecuted followers of Jesus. They would have either been the Romans or the Jewish appeasers who condemned Christ and diavowed him and been the persecuters of his followers.

Okay, here's my disclaimers.Movies are Hollywood. They are neither accurate historical records, or faithful literary interpretations of the Bible. Nevertheless, they did do a good job of boiling down the essence of the Gospels and the message of Jesus and putting them into the context of their times.

I should also say that this was not some profound experience or conversion. It was just reinforcing what I already believed. It was also the Sunday School verion of religion I grew up with. I am now an agnostic. I don't know the truth, but I remain open and seeking.

But the point is that the real message of Jesus -- whether supernatural or as practical guidance -- is 180 degrees from what it is being used for today by the right-wing fundamentalists. His message was about humility and peace and charity and selflessness. It was about sublimating our own ego-driven greed and aggression to a higher good, whether you want to call it God, Allah, Nirvana or just a practical recognition of the value of social interdependence and tolerance. Jesus did not condone sinning, but he seperate the sins from the sinners, and said "Judge not lest ye be judged."

Rome represented the apex of earthly power and pure materialism and secular pragmatism and the dominnce of rules and regulations to reinforce that power. The parallels between them and the Corporate Conservative State are striking. Herrod and Pontius seems to epitomize the unholy alliance between nationalistic jingoism, earthly power and wealth and appeasers who support blind acceptance of earthly authority.

IMHO, this would be a lot better country if the right wingers would stop tossing stones at the so-called sinners who deviate from their idea of "family values" and "patriotism" and instead were more critical of the modern day Romans and the actual injustices that are inflicted on the world. But that would mean they would also become Liberals.

I think many modern Christians find themselves in the position of Jonah. The one who was eaten by a whale. In the second part of his story he goes to Ninevah and preaches and actually convinces the whole city to repent and turn towards the right way. Does this please Jonah? Not really; he was looking forward to seeing them all condemned and sent to hell. God corrects Jonah once again (although in a more low-key way than being swallowed by a whale).

How many Conservative Christians really want to see people saved and how many of them are rubbing their hands gleefully in hopes that all their political enemies "get theirs?"

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

I'd forgotten about that part of the story. Yes, I agree with you - how much of the fundie mindset is due to anticipation of comeuppance? And as Jonah illustrates, that's wrong, too.

How much "wronger" can they get anymore?

...at who would be "left behind."

A lot of them would be left on earth to put up with the tribulations they helped to bring about.

Their version of being "saved' is very different than religious conversion. It is merely acceptimng their own narrow worldview as the Only Truth.

Woe Be Unto You if you don't wear a 70's style suit and tie, believe in Republicn Capitalism or don't see sex as an ugly necessity for procreation by married heterosexuals only.

felons or even drug arrested and convicted folk. The upper escelon jobs are not available to any but the most connected and those with "degrees" from schools that now cost $50,000 for a bachelor program. Try to land a $80,000 a year job with a cert. from ITT Tech or Devry!
Self employment is where the regular under class has had to turn, with corporate jobs reserved for the ruling class elites. Why does a middle manager with a meaningless degree in some non technical major get paid 20 times the hourlies out on the floor who have 15+ years experience in the same field!

It's more like Rome, in which your lot in life was based on your birth and how ruthles you were.

"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."


:evilfrown:

Correct me if I am wrong but didn't the fundies object to thiis story as well by saying it was full of sexuall subjective material? I.E. Homer Schmidt living with Nuns.

Math 21:12
And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
And the blind an the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
****And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did ...THEY WERE SORE DISPLEASED.***
end of quote
Aint it funny, that those in religion that are in powerful positions, STILL FEEL THREATENED BY CHARITY AND SERVITUDE, UNLESS THE ACT LINES THEIR POCKETS ?!

Talk about money-changers in the temples....