Saturday, August 4, 2007

The Bridge to the 21st Century

When I first heard the news that the bridge had collapsed in Minneapolis my first thoughts were probably pretty normal; what a tragedy, and thoughts of those on the bridge headed home from work. It wasn't long before those thoughts gave way to wondering how this would be parlayed into politics by blaming president Bush. I have been trained by experience to think this way, though It was still a half hearted thought. I have been reluctant to think that everything bad that happens can be blamed on the same person every single time. I mean it's not like we were actually living in utopia before the 2000 elections were stolen. This reminded me of the words of President Clinton and his Bridge to the 21st century. Seems his party has been busy burning and destroying them ever since, this red banner being just one more example of such an exercise. Surly the "people" will eventually see a pattern, and see this incessant blame game for what it is; a shameless grab for power. I have now concluded that to over estimate the lows to which the Democrats will stoop might be quite impossible. Do I hope in vane that the American citizen sees though this charade to what it is, an insatiable lust for power by any means? What will they do with power if they are ever allowed to wield it unimpeded? I shudder to think.

Never-the-less, there they are, on the banks of the Mississippi River proclaiming that if we were not at war, this bridge wouldn't have fallen; and what ever else may ail you wouldn't ail you; and your dog would still be living; and your tooth wouldn't hurt; and on and on and on...... ad nauseam. All the while we hear no ideas, vision or plans, only impossible platitudes such as increasing spending and lowering taxes for the poor; living happily ever after, and oh yea, did I mention bashing president Bush?

17 comments:

lawrence said...

its gonna be weird seeing what the come up with if Guiliani or Thompson win...they can't criticize them for the war what will they turn to?

Jon said...

That's funny. I thought everything was Reagan's fault. Oh, wait, that was 20 years ago. Look how far we have progressed!

It is sad that there are people who try to use tragedy for political gain. And I, for one, am getting pretty tired of the anti-Bush folks. Regardless of how good or bad he is as president, what right does anyone have to hate him? Besides, why waste your time and only hurt yourself by hating someone you've never met? (Hmm, maybe this goes for Osama, Clinton, or anyone else...)

Pat Jenkins said...

you are absolutely correct dw. as jon has said it is to bad the left can not "lay" themselves down and be sufficiant leaders, instead of being out for their own political triumphs!!!

Frasier said...

You have reflected my thoughts !Its amazing what people think Pres Bush is capable of.

Livingsword said...

I like Frasypoo’s comment, it reminds me of a line I use on people: if one man could wield the kind of power people think Bush does then why didn’t they mysteriously discover tons and tons of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Would that have not been the perfect time for him to use his power and influence?

A husband or wife has a hard time keeping the secrets of their spouse to themselves, could thousands of people in conspiracies keep all their secrets?

At the same time the Republicans went overboard with how bad Clinton was, he was bad but not as bad as portrayed.

Speaking of hate, just because we are followers of Jesus and must love our enemies does not mean non-Jesus followers have to do the same thing.

What would happen if we loved our enemies the way we should? I don’t mean lip service but the real thing.

Nick said...

Rush was reading an article today saying that global warming caused the bridge to colapse. As the old saying goes, if your a hammer, every problem is a nail!

Incognito said...

people always need to blame someone and Bush has become a scapegoat. He'll be blamed for everything that does happen and everything that doesn't.

danny2 said...

just one danny wright saying hi to another.

Livingsword said...

I’m not quite sure what to make of that kind of comment (that of anonymous), so I’ll take the “scattergun” approach, since that seems to be the approach of anonymous.

It sure is troubling how Christianity in the US is so closely aligned with one political party. How does this affect reaching the lost? Is politics an unnecessary stumbling block? Is there a difference between political support and political commentary, should we cross that line?

I forgot that commandment “Thou shalt not have publicly funded daycare”, that’s somewhere in Illusions chapter 13 right? :)

Or the other commandment “Thou shalt have publicly funded daycare”, found in Deceptions chapter 6.

Question; why is it that Christians are not known by just about everybody as the most loving of people? Why do we (please note we) come across so much as hatful, so much so that somebody can think they have the “higher moral ground”? Please do not blame the government or the media, if those kinds of comments did not have a kernel of truth in them it wouldn’t matter what the government or media say; everybody would know they are lies.

I humbly suggest we not point fingers but at ourselves. Why is my walk with Jesus and that of my brothers and sisters not so amazingly authentic and evidential as an individual and as the Church so that everybody knows what we are about and cannot say we lack love.

Danny you like myself allow anonymous comments so we can’t really blame people for then using them. I am also thankful that you take the same approach as me in that you allow direct publication of comments.

Danny Wright said...

livingsword

I'm thinking of doing a post on this, although I'm not sure. I never know until I'm finished whether or not I will publish them. Probably less than half make the cut.

That said, let me say something about you. I think that you DO reflect Christianity in the manner you mentioned, that is as "the most loving of people". We will probably never meet this side of heaven, and that saddens me. Your love for Jesus comes through in your blog, and all the comments I've seen you make. When I started blogging, I wanted to make an impact on those that stopped by to read, and I hoped to be impacted as well. I'm not sure if I've had an impact, but I have been impacted beyond my wildest dreams. You, livingsword, or whatever your name is, have had a positive impact on me and you've challenged me, and I thank you for that.

That said I'd like to ask you some questions, and I'd really like an honest answer. They are not baited questions, although some are to make a point. I have struggled with this for as long as I've been a Christian and no-one has given me an answer that I have found to be satisfying yet.

Bad laws cause pain. Once a thing that had before resided in the arena of Morality becomes law, is it now off bounds for Christianity? Have you ever counseled a woman, heart broken because she realizes more and more with each passing day that it was a child, and not a blob of flesh that was living in her womb? What about the meth mom, who was taught her whole life by the government that Christianity, her only hope in life, was a sham and that she was nothing more than an accumulation of space dust, and that life is meaningless? What do you say to the child that was handed over to the homosexual couple to be raised; sorry about that, didn't want to get tangled up in politics, didn't want to appear "unloving"? Are you OK with the free for all pornography that permeate the web currently? How many Christian men have been neutralized, and how many families destroyed? Ted Bundy mentioned that porn was where it all started for him, which brings me to another matter. Many predators with their minds warped by a constant diet of porn go out and perpetrate hell on society. Once caught they get a slap on the wrist and there they go again until they finally kill some wide eyed innocent child that they abducted from her front yard while she was playing. What would you say to that child as she is being tortured to death? Do we thank her for giving her life so that we can finally put her murderer away? Is this compassion? There is mountains of evidence that show suicide, out of wedlock births, drug abuse, and the list goes on that, coincidently I guess, began to sky-rocket when God was expelled from the government education system. Free at last from the sexual oppression of the religious right I guess, but definitely not compassion.

I'm not saying that none of this would ever happen if followers of Jesus were suddenly running the country, but I think I can say pretty confidently that there would be much less. Scripture says "when the wicked rule, the people groan".

BTW, I don't think either, as I am sometimes accused, that the government is the answer. The government is nothing more than a reflection of the people it serves in a democratic society. The problem in the end can be laid squarely at the door step of the Church. Scripture clearly says that WE are the salt and the light, not the government. It also says that when we cease to be salt and light we will be thrown into the streets and trampled by men. I'd say that that's a pretty accurate description of the church today.

I once asked myself a very penetrating question: do I want to see righteousness reign in this land because I want to enjoy the better life that would accompany that reign, or because of my love for my fellow man? I had to admit that it was the former. This is something that I've been working on ever since.

I'm anxious to hear your thoughts my friend.

Anonymous said...

Danny,

I agree with you. The liberals are stupid. They kill babies but want to impliment health care. Ironic huh? Like I said, we are on the same page--but maybe I'm just a little more vocal in my hatred towards liberalism. I'm glad to fellowship with another like-minded conservative believer who staunchly supports the war, bush, and opposes abortion and gay marriage. The liberals have nothing to offer except a viel of fake compassion. Jesus--not some HMO--is the answer!

Livingsword said...

Danny;
Thank you very much for your kind words; I am truly touched by your kindness. I am equally pleased to have “met” you.

I am leaving for a short trip to beautiful Whidbey Island in Washington State till Sunday afternoon, and so I cannot at this time provide the kind of response that your excellent questions deserve and require. When I get back I will develop a response and post it as an article to my blog.

Thank you very much for this dialogue my brother.

Danny Wright said...

Thank you Livingsword, I look foward to your reply.

Jon said...

Anonymous said...
Liberals want to kill Christianity (republican America). We should follow the biblical model of Joshua and crucify them.


I just read through the book of Joshua, and I did not spot any references to crucifixion. That's a good thing, too, because what you postulated was an anachronism.

If you are attempting to use sarcasm, it is indeed a poor attempt. And if you are not, you need a better knowledge of your Bible.

Anonymous said...

Jon:

I now have started a blog. You are correct, the word "crucify" does not occur in Joshua. But the word has a wider definition than simply nailing one to the cross. Take a look at dictionary.com to see more definitions that I was aiming at (e.g. punish, subdue, etc...), or more specifically Luther's catchphrase of Paul in Galatians (mortify or crucify depending on how you translate the German). I've been reading him as part of my quiet time and maybe I should have chosen a more neutral term.

Taken literally I agree with you that crucifixion is not in Joshua--nor by extension should we, a Christian nation, do that to others. But we ought to exercise our military might to punish unjust evildoers who oppress and promote terrorism.

Thank you for your gracious correction.

Jim Jordan said...

It's amazing liberals never get tired of this one-dimensional thinking [er, dimentia, for short].

Anonymous said...

Interesting to know.