tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230277033516913627.post2258703062537627386..comments2016-07-15T22:11:12.142-07:00Comments on Keeping Jesus Weird: Proper 29 ProjectJohn Elfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11253042838539348496noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230277033516913627.post-51971265375644335502010-11-18T21:09:04.440-08:002010-11-18T21:09:04.440-08:00I do not have any solid answers to why our nation ...I do not have any solid answers to why our nation is blinding itself to the consequences of not only going to war under false pretenses, but also allowing our agents engage in unnecessary acts of torture. What is most disturbing is how a substantial minority of Americans seem to take delight that we used the most brutal forms of cruelty that we call war crimes and tyranny when other peoples do them. It reminds me of the scene from Orwell’s <b>1984</b> where the crowd cheers while watching movies of innocent civilians fleeing in boats being shredded to bits by machine gun fire. They seem motivated by rage or fear to the point that merely defeating someone they label “enemy” is not enough; the “enemy” has to be completely destroyed. This theme of domination has infected our political process as well to the point that winning elections and getting most of an agenda passed is not enough; one has to humiliate ones opponents and keep attacking them until they are coerced to say that they agree with your position. <br />I found Crossan and Reed’s take in <b> In Search of Paul</b> fascinating. This idea of keeping us “safe” and fighting for “family values” could have come straight out of the propagandists for the Caesers. America has fallen too much under the sway of the imperial arguments of “peace through victory” instead of Christ’s and the Prophet’s “peace through justice.” The idea that America is exceptional because it is a “Christian nation” and that means everything we do is blessed by God is eerily close to the imperial Roman claims Crossan encapsulates as “piety, war, victory, peace.” <br />> NGHAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com