Microblog Memes

When I was in Sunday School, we were given a strict (Catholic Catechism) definition: Your neighbor is anyone you meet. It doesn't even specify any "human." My mom always brought home that point whenever animal cruelty was discussed.

Of course, my parents who taught me that lesson are still Catholic and yet super proud of my identity. Very chill with my trans spouse. Even marched with me at a local pride event.

Maybe they're the exception but "love thy neighbor" does still have tangible meaning to some folks.

Race science was created specifically so that they could see non-white people as non-people. This was done so that Christians could (just barely) hold onto their belief system while committing all of the atrocities of the colonial era.

Do they see "love thy neighbor?" I think many ignore that part entirely

Wow tax collectors catching strays even 2000 years ago.

Transcription for those who need it:

Matthew 5:43-48 New International Version

Love for Enemies You have heard that it was said "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Trust me, it's mostly Christians taking them out of context and denying clear statements. For example, Charlie Kirk spun: 'but what did the original word for slave mean in the Bible'. Well context actually defines the word for us:

Leviticus 25: 44 “‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 45 You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46 You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.

I've never seen a Christian effectively argue context by showing context (as above).

Me, 89% of the time when I see or hear Christians use this statement.

When someone uses the Bible to justify their hate or bigotry, it’s very easy to throw back in their face. They never believed any of it — especially not anything that radical leftist Jesus taught — it’s a tool that represents whatever they want for their manipulative, selfish, self-centered purposes. What is written there doesn’t matter. It never did.

Watch as they dismiss you anyway, with greatest hits like:

• “That’s not what {$DENOMINATION} teaches.”
• “That’s just heretical.”
• ”So your interpretation is right but everyone else is wrong?”
• ”You’re taking it out of context”, especially after you just added context to a thing they were deliberately taking out of context.
• “Even the devil can quote scripture.”

Which is kind of funny, as some would say Jews of Old Testament times were expecting their coming messiah or king to be some kind of military leader. One who might lead them against the oppression of the Romans. Maybe kind of like Moses.

Even when I was a religious child, I still found contradictions in the bible. But, as you know, when you were a young naive child like everyone of us and found something odd, we're told to ignore it and just don't think about it.

"then you ain't one of mine. go on, git!" -Jesus apparently, Gospel of John chapter 13 verse 35

Show me the part where Jesus says the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. I'll wait.

Show me the part where Jesus says conservatives are also people. I'll wait.

Show me the part where Jesus says you can't say fuck on the internet. I'll wait.

I could go on forever. I would love to express how utterly fucking dumb it is to base your moral compass on one book only (which prooooobably doesn't cover all areas of life, society, science, etc.), let alone one that was written more than a millenium ago, but I guess once you ignore everything else (such as scientific proof, actual observations, wellbeing of others) and only stick with whatever a select few people tell you, and believe it unconditionally, there's no point bringing up logic.

so, as a gay man i agree with the sentiment however

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

it’s real easy to find references, but part of that is shoddy biased (or just ignorant) translations… part of it is selective interpretation (guess we can wear mixed fabric and eat pork… and what was that about the camel and the eye of the needle? i’m pretty sure it applied to billionaires)… and that’s all with the assumption that the bible wasn’t just written by a bunch of people that saw a way to make a (figurative) buck

finding a statement that supports pretty much anything you’re doing is pretty easy… this is how we got the crusades and witch trials after all, despite thou shalt not commit murder

Well a lot of people professing to be Christians could do a lot better at loving LGBT people than they are doing right now, so I say take them up on that.