CSotD: Words, words, words
Skip to comments
Tim Eagan points out the obvious in Deep Cover, and I don't know why he bothers.
I don't know why I bother to pass it on.
I'd say that Jesus spent half his ministry criticizing religious hypocrites who quote Scripture to explain why they don't follow Scripture, but that wouldn't be true.
At least, I don't think it's mathematically possible.
He spent more than half his ministry telling us to help the poor and less fortunate. And he didn't say "if you want to" or "with at least X-percentage of your extra money" or "once a month" or "once a year" or "when it's convenient" or "if you know them" or "as long as they agree with you."
He did tell people that the things he said and the attitudes he modeled were necessary to salvation.
But, then, he also made it clear that salvation was optional.
There are those who will find ways to explain, at great length, quoting Scripture, why Jesus was just bullshitting and didn't really mean it. Doing that is how they exercise the afore-mentioned option.
As is praying on street corners so all may see them pray.
And priding themselves on how much they give to the poor, though it's a much smaller percentage of their income than the pittance given by a poor widow.
And walking past a wounded, bleeding man because they're late or they might get in trouble or they gave at the office.
I won't bother with the links. If you don't know the references, read the book.
But that doesn't mean "thumb through it looking for ways to justify what you need to justify in order to avoid altering your behavior."
That's how you end up as one of those "revoltingly fake" experts on Scripture that, whatever percentage of his ministry he applied to the task, Jesus so furiously denounced.
As for me, I dunno why he bothered.
And thou art to them as a musical song which is sung with a sweet and
agreeable voice: and they hear thy words, and do them not. — Ezekiel 33:32
In other news that also isn't new:
Doonesbury is in reruns for the summer, but that's okay.
We've seen this one before.
And the comic, too. We've seen the comic before, too.
And on a lighter note:
Despite how often I cringe at cultural references that go over the heads of readers under 50, today's Pickles is wonderfully appropriate. After all, the strip is largely based on what it truly means to be an old fart.
In 1987, when I got a reporting job on the East Coast, I was used to Colorado customs, which included a kind of Woodward/Bernstein approach to both reporting and professional attire: Tattersall shirt, knit tie, jeans, and a tweed jacket.
At my intake interview, after laying out the health benefits, pay schedule and conflict-of-interest-policy, the editor laid out the dress policy, which included "no dungarees."
Which was how I knew he wasn't kidding. Welcome back to the Rust Belt, baby!
The term, by the way, comes from the Indian village, Dungri, where the fabric was made. In contrast with "khaki," which is Urdu for "dusty."
So apparently dirty pants are more appropriate for work than trousers made of imported fabric.
(See? I, too, can use citations to justify whatever I choose to believe!)
Comments
Comments are closed.