If America had used Jesus’ great moral principles as a guide, we never would have invaded Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.2theadvocate.com/opinion/6094481.html

If America had used Jesus’ great moral principles as a guide, we never would have gone to war with Iraq.

If our leaders had considered, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” they would have known that it would be wrong to invade Iraq, because we don’t want some foreign country to invade America.

If our leaders had considered, “Why fixate on the speck in our brother’s eye when we have a beam in our own,” they would have seen that any weapons of mass destruction program that Iraq might have possessed was insignificant compared to our own WMD program. They also would have understood that any threat Iraq may have posed to America was minuscule compared to the threat America posed to Iraq.

If our leaders had considered, “If your enemy smites one cheek, turn to him the other as well,” they would not have reacted to 9/11 with anger and the thirst for vengeance in their hearts.

If our leaders had considered, “Love your enemy,” they could not have invaded Iraq. If they had considered, “Blessed are the merciful and the peacemakers,” they would surely have refrained from becoming unmerciful warmakers.

If our leaders had considered, “The judgment you mete shall be measured to you again,” they would have known with certainty that the consequences of this unjust war of aggression would be terrible for America and Iraq alike.

[porphyrian]

1. Who would Jesus have you kill?

Yep. I've found the people making the biggest overtures to prove their Christianity are usually the least like Jesus in practice. Repulsive hypocrites.

[roguevalley]

26. They are heretics and will be muchly surprised when they die.

[trotsky]

2. Riiight.

"But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them — bring them here and kill them in front of me." - Luke 19:27

[Bill McBlueState]

25. well, that proves Bush isn't a True Christian

A True Christian would bring the Iraqis to Jesus before killing them. Bush and his army just leave them in Iraq.

[gratuitous]

3. Kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?

All those stories that came out yesterday right after the Oscars, talking about Al Gore's house and nattering on and on as if it all meant something. And yet, our "good, Christian man" of a president, a guy you'd like to hunker down and have a beer with while eating barbecue, launches an imperial invasion of another country, wasting thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars, and not a peep about how this doesn't square with the principles of Christ.

I'm sure there's an explanation somewhere that doesn't include the phrase "screaming hypocrisy," but so far I haven't formulated one.

[Mnemosyne]

4. 1 John 4:20 - 21

4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar."
Should we love or hate our brother?

4:21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.


The "leaders" are sorely lacking in their proclaimed love and faith in their god/and Jesus.

4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.


"The judgment you mete shall be measured to you again" - If this isn't karma...

"The Golden Rule" is a tenant of most religions:

Brahmanism: This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you.: Mahabharata 5:1517

Christianity: All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.: Matthew 7:12

Islam: No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother what which he desires for himself. Sunnah

Buddhism: Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.: Udana Varga 5:18

Judaism: What is hateful to you, do not to your fellowmen. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary.: Talmud, Shabbat 31:a

Confucianism: Surely it is the maxim of loving-kindness: Do not unto others that you would not have them do unto you.: Analects 15:23

Taoism: Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.: T’ai Shag Kan Ying P’ien

Zoroastrianism: That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good: for itself. : Dadistan-i-dinik 94:5

Thanks for the OP NNNHOLHI, :hi:

knr

[Ilsa]

6. I think I saw twelve, maybe only ten, religions listed

on that "wheel" of the Golden Rule. I think Paganism or Wicca is on there also, and maybe Mormon is listed separately.

Thanks for the wonderful reminder of the universality of some tenets of faith.

[Mnemosyne]

16. There are so many more similarities than differences,

if only more would learn it.

:hi:

[WiseButAngrySara]

23. You are so right about that! ....n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. Nice post. Thanks.

[Mnemosyne]

15. Quite welcome, TL.

:hi:

[WiseButAngrySara]

8. Beautiful vickiss! Thanks for posting. ....n/t

[Mnemosyne]

14. Welcome Sara!

:hi:

[WiseButAngrySara]

21. and back at you! (and an excuse to kick this again by

responding!)

:hi:

[Mnemosyne]

27. Eh?

:hi: lol :kick:

[shadowknows69]

28. Modern Paganism/Wicca

If it harms NO ONE (including yourself) do as you will.

[Mnemosyne]

32. Thanks for the addition shadow! n/t

[bobbolink]

5. Nor would poverty be tolerated.

Jesus never demanded proof of health insurance!

[dysfunctional press]

9. if bush had used jesus great moral principles as a guide...

he never would have taken office, seeing as he didn't win the election.

[WiseButAngrySara]

10. Christ's two commandments ... Love God and Love your

neighbor as yourself. With these two laws, we need no other, he said. So profoundly simple, and seemingly impossible at the same time.

[and-justice-for-all]

11. And they didnt because they all know its a bunch of bullshit...nt

[WiseButAngrySara]

12. Thanks for posting NNN0LHI. Let's continue to expose

the hypocrites.

[David Zephyr]

13. Excellent.

:thumbsup:

[BlooInBloo]

17. In other words: if religion *really was* as religion *advertises*....

... or in *other* other words: if wishes were ponies...

[cgrindley]

18. I doubt we would have fought Hitler either

getting any political wisdom from the bible is asinine.

[Cabcere]

19. I think the OP meant

that if BushCo were really as "Christian" as they claim to be, they would've done things differently - not necessarily that the Bible should be used as a political manual. :) I understand where you're coming from, though.

[cgrindley]

20. True enough

but you can't fight hypocrisy with an heavy handed dose of idiocy. It would be crazy to establish a Christian foreign policy or a Buddhist foreign policy... look back twelve hundred years or so.... how well did a foreign policy based on the comings and goings of Thor and Odin work out for most of western Europe? Religion's gotta to stay away from politics.

Sure we could point out that the assholes are hypocrites, but doesn't that presuppose that they *should* follow their bible? Would anyone really want that?

Obviously, I'm ignoring the Iraq war, which is both illegal and immoral and a potential war crime for anyone who willingly participates. But we have to be able to fight a real Hitler if one should ever appear.

[Cabcere]

22. Oh, I agree.

I absolutely think church and state should be separate - it's like that bumper sticker says, "The last time we mixed religion and politics, people got burned at the stake!" (Or something along those lines - I can't remember the exact text at the moment. :)) That said, I do believe that personal spiritual/religious/moral beliefs will inevitably enter into how people make decisions, and I doubt there's any real way to completely separate the two - at least, not without turning us all into cyborgs or something. So, I guess my point was really more of a philosophical/hypothetical one than a practical solution. The issue is obviously quite complicated - and I'm notoriously bad at expressing myself on things like this, lol. :blush: Peace! :hi:

[tuvor]

24. Jesus declares:

[verse18]

29. They're just brown people.

Obviously the Bible does not apply to them.

[Quantess]

31. Unlike Jesus, who was nordic.

Just look at all those portraits of blond, blue eyed Jesus. (Usually those portraits are printed on cardboard, and are framed in plastic, but still..)

[WinkyDink]

30. I'd have been content with International Law, myself.

[Jacobin]

33. I'll second that

:thumbsup: