Was Jesus a Jealous Hater? Herman Cain Thinks So.

Republican presidential candidate and cheerleader for corporate corruption (but I repeat myself) Herman Cain thinks that the Occupy Wall Street protesters are just "jealous" and "envious" of those hard working banksters and stockbrokers who helped engineer the financial collapse of 2008 and the current, on-going recession -- the worst one since the Great Depression (also caused by Wall Street).  To wit, he is quoted as saying, of the protesters, "I'm not sure I know why they're there. If they're there because they are jealous of Wall Street and bankers and people who have succeeded, then they're there for the wrong reasons. This country is based on people who achieve their dreams and work."  Of course, if Cain is not sure why the protesters are there, he could ask them or do five minutes of research.  Instead, he chooses to answer his own question instantly and speculate that they must just be "jealous" haters who don't want to "work" or "achieve their dreams".

There was a person that most Republicans claim to admire named Jesus (No, not that dude from Mexico) who also preached against excessive monetary greed and materialism.  He spoke hundreds of times, in the Gospels, about helping the poor and/or of the spiritual dangers of excess materialism and the greed that often comes with it.   Of the Seven Deadly Sins, GREED (or avaritia) is often listed as the second one.  Yes, it's called a sin, not a virtue, contrary to the mantra of false prophet Ronald Reagan who thought "Greed is Good".  The ridiculous revisionism of the Prosperity Gospels to one side, Jesus did not speak very approvingly of the Rich.  I know that Cain and Romney would label it "class warfare" today, but Jesus was quoted by Matthew as saying, " I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Mt 19:24).  He said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."  (Mt 6:19-20).  He said, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Lk 18:22).

Jesus didn't say that he's not sure why the poor are here but that they are probably just "jealous" and "lazy".  I know that Herman Cain claims to be a Christian, so the idea that he cannot understand why other people would be critical of the excesses of the wealthy is hard to reconcile.  I know you're probably not sure why Jesus drove the money changers out of the Temple, Herman.  However, I am pretty sure that it wasn't because Jesus was JEALOUS of their success or wanted to penalize them for "working hard" or that he wanted to redistribute their profits to the poor.

To take a page out of his playbook, I'm not sure why Cain dislikes these protesters and favors the plutocrats of Wallstreet.  If it's because he hates Jesus and is in league with Satan, having sold his soul to serve Mammon and corporate greed, betraying the interests of the people, then that sounds pretty anti-American and anti-Christian to me.  

Baptist President To Anthony Weiner: Turn to Jesus

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler offered some free and unsolicited advice to Congressman Anthony Weiner, who is embroiled in a scandal over the posting of racy pictures of himself. He says that, "There is no effective ‘treatment’ for sin. Only atonement, found only in Jesus Christ." Some considered this statement provocative, since Congressman Weiner is Jewish. However, perhaps they are missing the larger picture of what is wrong with this kind of cheap-shot evangelism.

Like most free advice, Mohler's seems to be worth every penny, and here's why. This man is offering no licensed medical advice on the subject, and it is clear that he has done little research on treatments related to sexual disorders. He claims that "sin" cannot be treated, but clearly Weiner is not trying to treat his previous actions, which cannot be undone. Rather, he is seeking treatment, presumably to understand and therefore avoid some of the irrational, perhaps even obsessive behaviors in which he engaged. Obsessions can be, and frequently are treated quite successful, Mohler's apparent ignorance on the subject notwithstanding. The same goes for irrational ideations, which are frequently addressed in therapy.

Jesus may or may not be able to forgive Weiner for his actions. Some of them, such as the sending of the single x-rated photo, if legitimate, may arguably cross the line into marital infidelity. Weiner's wife, being the injured party, would be the primary from whom atonement should presumably be sought. Given that she is a Muslim, it is unlike that she would want to involve Jesus as a third-party mediator here.

As a consequence, we have to conclude that Mohler could not have been altogether genuine in his suggestion. He had no reasonable expectation that he would convert a Jew or a Muslim to his brand of hard-line Christianity. Instead, he just wanted to exploit the present circumstances as an excuse to proselytize. He was just reminding his own base, as thought they did not already know, that Anthony Weiner is not one of them.

I would like to suggest that Congressman Weiner is not the only person who needs therapy. Mr. Mohler could probably benefit from therapy to treat his own obsessions with evangelical Christianity.

Pictures of a Weiner. Put it in perspective.

US Representative Anthony Weiner recently admitted that he had send lewd pictures of himself to several women whom he had met online, over the course of several years. He had previously claimed that his twitter account had been hacked. Now everyone is looking at a shirtless picture of someone who is purported to be Anthony Weiner. Really? Is this all they've got. It's not illegal or immoral for men to walk around topless in the summer. Ever heard of a public swimming pool?

Holier than thou right-wing theocrats are having a hypocritical field day condemning Weiner for such activity. That is, they are condemning him just on the basis of a few photographs less provocative than many Hollywood celebrities have taken of themselves on an almost daily basis.

Remember that, on many occasions, holier-than-thou right-wingers have been caught doing far more than sending photographs. For example the self-proclaimed "bishop" Eddie Long has been accused of homosexual activity with four men who were members of his church. Nobody is actually claiming that Weiner really had sex with any of these women. A number of these photographs, while inappropriate, are not invitations to perform any kind of sexual act. Some are just jokes. Yet in the minds of many evangelicals, they can't see the distinction. Even feeling momentary lust is tantamount to adultery, for them. To wit, see my previous post called "The Imaginary Teaching of Jesus".

See, according to Jesus, even looking at a woman lustfully is tantamount to adultery. Arguably, sending a provocative picture of yourself to a woman is not even looking at the woman, though presumably he did look at her picture online, or he probably wouldn't have sent the provocative photo. Still, is there really anyone who observes the standard of not even looking at an attractive woman (or man)? Is it even possible, without living in a monastery, or being blind altogether, to avoid this kind of momentary, hormone-induced reaction?

Now, if it turns out that Weiner actually slept with other women while he was married, or attempted to sleep with them, then that is a different story. But just sending mainly clothed pictures isn't much of a scandal.

Tupac, Elvis, and Jesus still alive and well...or NOT!

The recent hacking of pbs.org's website , in which a fake story was posted claiming that Tupac Shakur was "alive and well in a small resort in New Zealand", illustrates something fundamental about human nature and our inability to deal with death. Denial is a common reaction when confronted with the sudden, shocking, and brute finality of death, especially when it is a well-know or beloved figure. Tupac's fans didn't want to believe he was dead. The same was true for fans of Elvis, who was the biggest star of his era. It's unsurprising that similar reactions existed even thousands of years ago, when various small sects of reformist Jews, known as Christians, could not accept the reality of the death of their founder and leader. Instead, like all these other groups, they invented a story appropriate to their own era, culture, and level of technology. Unlike Elvis, who is often reputedly modified with plastic surgery, cyrogenically preserved, and hanging out on UFOs, Jesus was attributed various magical and supernatural properties to cheat the executioner. None of us want to believe that our heros are dead and gone. However, unlike christianity, most of these other modern groups have eventually developed the maturity to eventually accept the reality of the death of their heros. That is why it is essentially a bad joke to insist that Tupac is really alive. Few people sincerely believe Elvis faked his death today. Yet Christianity clings to its denialist rhetoric, despite the fact there is no independent evidence for their claims outside their own partisan stories in their own Bible. How do we know where Joseph of Aramathea really took the body, or if he substituted it with another before reaching the tomb. How do we know there was ever really a tomb, or that they found the right one, or that there even was a Jesus apart from fanciful stories about him. At least we know that Tupac and Elvis lived, which is more than we can say about claims made of Jesus. It's time for people to grow up and accept the reality of their own mortality, instead of inventing bogus stories about people coming back from the dead to give us false hopes. Perhaps, though I doubt it, this latest Tupac example will serve as a teachable moment for those still in denial and living in fantasy.

Thy Will Be Done ... well duh.

I read a story about a priest in Joplin who lived through the May 24th, killer tornado there. Naturally, he prayed, since that's the only tool he's got in his box, and he thinks that this is what saved him. His prayer, according to his hero in the mirror version of the story, was to constantly repeat the phrase "thy will be done" as he took cover in the bathtub. Well duh, if there is an all-powerful god then he doesn't need this priest's permission to do what he is going to do anyway. Therefore to pray to god telling him to do what he is already doing right now, and presumably planned to do is beyond ridiculous.

Now I know some people will say, "you missed the point". This guy humbly resigned himself to his fate and that's what God wants us to do. Well it hardly matters whether people resign or not. God could kill people who resigned themselves or spare them, just as he can kill or spare people who do not resign themselves. If it is your fate then it is going to happen and there is really no resigning to even do because it would still happen, even if you protest that you don't want it to.

Besides, I can't be the only one who suspects that this priest is trying to compare himself to Jesus in the Gethsemane. Recall that he also resigns himself to be crucified (which was the whole point of him coming to Earth, according to Christian doctrine). Do you still think the priest was being oh so humble by comparing himself favorably to Jesus?