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The Truth of Christianity vs. All Other Belief Systems

Stand Up For Judas Leon Rosselson



The Romans were the masters
When Jesus walked the land
In Judea and in Galilee
They ruled with an iron hand
The poor were sick with hunger
And the rich were clothed in splendour
And the rebels, whipped and crucified
Hung rotting as a warning
And Jesus knew the answer -
"Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's"
Said, "Love your enemies"
But Judas was a Zealot and he
Wanted to be free
"Resist", he said, "the Romans' tyranny"

So stand up, stand up for Judas
And the cause that Judas served
It was Jesus who betrayed the poor with his word

Now Jesus was a conjuror,
Miracles were his game
He fed the hungry thousands
And they glorified his name
He cured the lame and leper
He calmed the wind and the weather
And the wretched flocked to touch him
So their troubles would be taken
And Jesus knew the answer -
"All you who labour, all you who suffer
Only believe in me"
But Judas sought a world where no-one
Starved or begged for bread
"The poor are always with us", Jesus said

Now Jesus sowed division
Where none had been before
Not the slave against the master
But the poor against the poor
Caused son to rise up against father
And brother to fight against brother
For "He that is not with me
Is against me" was his teaching
Said Jesus, "I am the answer
You unbelievers shall burn forever
Shall die in your sins"
"Not sheep or goats" said Judas but
"Together we may dare
Shake off the chains of tyranny we share"

Jesus stood upon the mountain
With a distance in his eyes
"I am the Way, the Life" he cried
"The Light that never dies
So renounce all earthly treasures
And pray to your heavenly father"
And he pacified the hopeless
With the hope of life eternal
Said Jesus, "I am the answer
And you who hunger only remember
Your reward's in heaven"
So Jesus preached the other world
But Judas wanted this
And he betrayed his master with a kiss

By sword and gun and crucifix
Christ's gospel has been spread
And two thousand cruel years have shown
The way that Jesus led
The heretics burned and tortured
And the butchering bloody Crusaders
The bombs and rockets sanctified
That rain down death from heaven
They followed Jesus, they knew the answer
All unbelievers must be believers
Or else be broken
"So place no trust in saviours"
Judas said, "for everyone
Must be to his or her own self a sun"
 
A Christian Sceptic said:
Because to many, many Christians God is not just some sort of magical wish granter - answered prayers aren't the only thing Christians approach God for. For my mom (judging from the diary she left behind) belief in God and her relationship with Him and her understanding about how uniquely special she was to Him helped rebuild her self-esteem. Her belief in God gave her the inner strength to kick that guy out on his ass (probably one of the first times in her life she stood up like that) and this time around be on her own at her choice.
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The problem with religious belief is that it takes away not only responsibility but a good dose of pragmatism. Problems ? God wants it that way. But if God wants it that way, who are you to argue ?

Roadtoad said:
It does give pause. If those who are blessed have their memories erased, is it damnation to retain your own mind? What does this say about salvation? And is that a good thing?
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"Ignorance is bliss" is the motto of the ignorant.
 
Belz... said:
The problem with religious belief is that it takes away not only responsibility but a good dose of pragmatism. Problems ? God wants it that way. But if God wants it that way, who are you to argue ?
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Would you unpack this a bit as it seems something of a generalisation.
 
Are you sincerely saying you need/want Belz's post to be "unpacked"?
 
six7s said:
Are you sincerely saying you need/want Belz's post to be "unpacked"?
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Yes, because it is bollocks. I didn't realise that I do nothing to help my problems. Oh, hang on, yes I do. Whoops, I've taken responsibility for myself.
 
Belz... said:
In fact, someone said that God only slightly falls short of being the greatest monster imaginable. All he has to do now is damn every single person and he'll get the gold.
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I'm not sure about that. If he damns everyone, then he can't be randomly arbitrary in his judgements.

How about if he rewards the most evil, and damns the rest?
 
six7s said:
Erm... that's a rather unorthodox interpretation of the term 'sincere'

And that's a rather unorthodox interpretation of the term 'responsibility'
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Ok, it appears that I am missing the point, so would you make it clear. And that last sentence is written without sarcasm.
 
Belz... said:
No, it isn't. I'm saying it's an incentive for being lazy or detached. I didn't say that all believers use it profusely.
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OK. I agree that some people sometimes might pray and then sit back, waiting for an answer to fall out of the sky.
 
One more, I guess. Then, I need to concentrate on reality.

It's been made clear to me that there are those who believe in a god, and there are those who want a sacred Santa Claus.

When you're dealing with the former, you can understand that the myth of Eden, with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, is an allegory. Man chose knowledge over life, and in turn, chose to refuse to accept responsibility for his own actions. ("The woman you gave me tempted me! It's HER fault!") It was a misuse of free will, as we've seen time and again in human history. It has happened in the past, it will happen again.

Knowledge of Good and Evil does not mean that we will choose correctly. It simply means that we will know the difference. That the two trees cited are so closely intertwined in their meanings indicates just how slim a margin it was in our decision. The greater choice has always been life, and that more abundantly, (though "abundance" seems to have taken on new meanings over the past millenia.) It's not a question of mere wealth, but of something far greater, and that comes about when people join together in a community and serve one another.

Over the course of human history, you can demonstrate how this line of thought emerged, and how it has benefited people. Yes, it's been abused, (what ideals haven't?) But in the end, we have prospered. We're no longer living in dirt caves, hoping the wild things out there won't turn us into kibble.

However, Kathy has demonstrated that she'd rather have her Santa Claus. Jesus giveth and taketh away, and it's become something of a joke to watch.

It's come down to passing the buck. It's unfortunate, but the truth of this is that most evangelical Christians will do all they can to ignore their responsibilities to be members of the greater community. They will flee at the earliest opportunity to serve, rather than roll up their sleeves and get into fight. Sure, you'll see them helping out Habitat for Humanity, but that's more about networking and proselytizing. If those opportunities weren't there, I doubt you'd see many Christians involved. Whether or not homes are built and people sheltered is irrelevant to their service, their goal is to preach Jesus, and everything else be damned, (literally.)

It's something similar with food closets and food banks. We've been so lacking in basics that we've had to use them here in Sacramento. The vast majority of churches in Sacramento don't have them, but those that do want you to listen to their recitation of their gospel, to pray with them, and they want to make sure you have the opportunity to get saved. It's not about feeding the hungry; it's about feeding you the latest line about "salvation."

It's sad, actually, but it underscores what anyone with any sense of the political understands, that all politics are local. These are political moves on the part of the churches, designed to build congregations, but not to build up people, to strengthen them, to make sure they can contribute to the greater body politic. Where the goal in ages past was to build up others so they could in turn help others, and thereby build up the community that it might build up still more, what exists today is a desire to undercut, to break, to weaken. The sentiment is that in our weakness, Jesus is strong, though it ignores the very ideals expressed by Medieval scholars that communities which work towards mutual health and aid are a greater service to God than those who turn on themselves. Communities where personal responsibility was directed towards the greater good tended to build strong nations. It seemed to be the better way to go. It was that kind of thinking which built a nation of shopkeepers, which ultimately wound up building one of the strongest navies in the world, and which gave us over the course of time the Pax Britannia. There's a line which can be drawn which demonstrates this, which can be shown in the histories of France, Spain, and much of Europe, to greater or lesser success, based on how they interpreted people's civil liberties.

Those who want a god to do for the community at large aren't really faithful; they're playing at faith, going through the motions of "belief," but ignoring their personal responsibility. They are, in fact, denying the very god they claim they love, and in their failure to serve, they ultimately prove the atheist, the agnostic, and the skeptic correct. How can you expect people to believe in your god when you yourself sit on your ass doing nothing as people suffer and die?

I've cited this before, but it bears repeating: Churches in ages past built hospitals. Why couldn't churches in communities talk to doctors about donating time, and use the Sunday School classrooms for clinics for those who can't afford health coverage? When I suggested this in the past, pastors told me they'd think about it, then do all they could to distract me from pursuing it. (Why, do you realize the kinds of people that sort of thing would draw?) That we ignored the necessities of basic living in this day and age, yet wasted people's time talking about Jesus as the Bread of Life was so vile to me, it ultimately led me to examine what it was I believed.

I left.

Of course I left! When I had people telling me they'd pray for me, but they were unwilling to lift a finger to help us, especially when they had the means to do so, why the hell would I stay? Even worse, when I found myself able to help, I was discouraged from helping others who were in far worse shape than I'd ever been. It's psychotic, this attitude. Why would I continue to support it, unless I were choosing to be as cruel and sadistic?

See, that's the underlying theme of all this; god is sadistic. So are his people. I could accept the Bible as a very crude understanding of a very complex being, if that being existed. But this is all put forth to us as "inerrant," and that we are to follow Jesus in lockstep, goosestepping our way into an eternity where those we love who don't fall in step are tossed into unimaginable suffering, where our memories of them are blotted out, and all lessons learned are chiseled out of mind. Anyone else would call the abuse of a spouse evil, but under this mindset, there's some sort of weird sense to it all. It's considered merciful to leave someone hungry and homeless, telling them "I'll pray for you," ignoring the real needs of others and your own ability to meet them, because in the eyes of the evangelical, this is "love." Jesus, quite literally, loves you to death.

In ages past, I would have asked for help from the Church and been told, "I'll pray for you." Coming here, when I speak of needs, I'm told where I can go for real help, and in many cases, people here actually roll up their sleeves and assist. I am humbled by this, but encouraged to gain my own strength that I might help others. I could only wish that were happening sooner, rather than later. The needs are far greater than anyone could ever realize.

Sorry, but Kathy's persistent declarations of her God's "holiness" are blatant lies. She knows this, but persists in them not because she wants us to respect, honor, and fear her god, but because in doing so, she builds a sort of constituency within her church. These people are cowards, and they know it.

I've been a coward far too long. I would rather stand up and demonstrate real courage in the face of real need.

It's time Kathy's Jesus grew a pair.
 
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