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IF JESUS DIDN'T DIE A MARTYR'S DEATH, THERE WOULD BE NO CHRISTIANITY....... 
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At a Christian event, Lauren Boebert just said jokingly that Jesus should have had some AR-15 rifles to arm his followers to keep the government from crucifying him...........The audience laughed ...... What the hell does that mean?......These so-called Christians have lost the whole thread of their own religion.......
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Submission to God's will does not mean aggression and violence but somber acceptance of divine authority. "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" Matthew, Mark, and Thomas clearly define those aspects and divisions setting Christian values apart from those of the "Governmental authority"
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So you wouldn't have laughed at Boebert's Jesus AR-15 joke? I don't even know who this Boebert is, but I think the "joke" was a stupid thing to say. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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You asked this of Darter, but I'll answer it for myself. NO. I would not have laughed at it because it is not funny and trivializes the horrible events that have been happening. Jesus had more a more powerful method of rescue if He had chosen to use it, but He chose to be obedient to His Father's plan for salvation and to make such a sick joke trivializes His sacrifice as well. I don't even know who this Boebert is, but I think the "joke" was a stupid thing to say. There sure are a lot of different interpretations of Christianity....there are leaders calling for the execution of all homosexuals ....where is the gentle, forgiving Jesus of my childhood.......?.....I thought it possible that it was some inside joke that only Christians understand, but I was brought up in the church and I can't see any humour in it......
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Lauren Boebert is an American politician, businesswoman, and gun-rights activist. A member of the Republican Party, she serves as the U.S. representative for Colorado's 3rd congressional district. There sure are a lot of different interpretations of Christianity....there are leaders calling for the execution of all homosexuals ....where is the gentle, forgiving Jesus of my childhood.......?.....I thought it possible that it was some inside joke that only Christians understand, but I was brought up in the church and I can't see any humour in it...... BUT, Christianity, like every other good thing can be so bent out of shape by people that it becomes unrecognizable. It gets twisted and politicized to fit whatever they want it to say to justify their own positions. You mentioned homosexuals, so I will use that as an example. I have had coworkers, both men and women, who were gay. Did I like all of them? Nope, but it had nothing to do with their lifestyle, and there were straight people that I didn't like either. I did like some of them, just like I liked some of my other coworkers. Did I love all of my coworkers? Yes, and wanted to see good things in their lives because that is what Jesus teaches us to do. Christians are not called to be judge, jury, and executioner for anyone, but from the rhetoric spouted by many Christians, they seem to think they are. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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Thanks Mrs. Joe.......It must be frustrating and heartbreaking for many Christians to see so much hatred and cruelty in the world perpetrated in the name of your religion.....I just watched a 4 part series on Netflix, about the LDS Church ........generational abuse........People get so extreme sometimes...... I watched the latest chapter of the Jan.6 commission.....I felt a bit queasy when several of the politicians/lawyers talked about meetings starting with prayers....the mingling of church and state seems unhealthy ........unwise.....I wonder why the commission decided to put that info out there....it was done very matter of fact, but it was an overt, deliberate move to include it....I wonder why......It was in association with Pence's firm refusal to change the election results........They wanted the world to know that Pence's decision was at least partly based on his faith.....interesting...
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That painting was made by Mathiu Grunewald in 1503.....He painted it for a cloister of monks who were dedicated to helping people who were affected by a plague of a kind of smut/mould that grew on Rye....the principal grain of the culture at that time.. It caused the whole body to be covered in small sores that caused pain like that of Shingles.....The same smut had a chemical makeup almost identical to LSD.......causing vivid hallucinations......At that time, they did not realize what was causing the hallucinations............What strange times Humans have lived through....... If you see close-up details of the painting, you will see Christ's body covered with the small sores.......
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Thanks Mrs. Joe.......It must be frustrating and heartbreaking for many Christians to see so much hatred and cruelty in the world perpetrated in the name of your religion.....I just watched a 4 part series on Netflix, about the LDS Church ........generational abuse........People get so extreme sometimes...... I watched the latest chapter of the Jan.6 commission.....I felt a bit queasy when several of the politicians/lawyers talked about meetings starting with prayers....the mingling of church and state seems unhealthy ........unwise.....I wonder why the commission decided to put that info out there....it was done very matter of fact, but it was an overt, deliberate move to include it....I wonder why......It was in association with Pence's firm refusal to change the election results........They wanted the world to know that Pence's decision was at least partly based on his faith.....interesting... Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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The artist's name should be "Grunevaut" He named it "St'Anthony's Fire", which was the name of the affliction of small sores that felt like your whole body was on fire.......
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The artist's name should be "Grunevaut" He named it "St'Anthony's Fire", which was the name of the affliction of small sores that felt like your whole body was on fire....... Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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When I was a child in Norway, my grandmother, who lived in the same house as we did, read to me a lot.....I still have a book of short stories that was given to her in 1897......I have the same name as her.......She read to me the whole Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy by Sigrid Undset, which was written when my grandmother was a young woman......It's set in Norway in the 14th century, around the same time as this painting was made....... Undset won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1928, I think.....because of the rigorous historical accuracy of the books......I read them myself in Norwegian when I was 14 and have read them in English as an adult......I've always been fascinated by the time period......Christianity plays a very large role in Kristin's life........the last book of the trilogy is "The Cross."......You might enjoy reading them.
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When I was a child in Norway, my grandmother, who lived in the same house as we did, read to me a lot.....I still have a book of short stories that was given to her in 1897......I have the same name as her.......She read to me the whole Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy by Sigrid Undset, which was written when my grandmother was a young woman......It's set in Norway in the 14th century, around the same time as this painting was made....... Undset won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1928, I think.....because of the rigorous historical accuracy of the books......I read them myself in Norwegian when I was 14 and have read them in English as an adult......I've always been fascinated by the time period......Christianity plays a very large role in Kristin's life........the last book of the trilogy is "The Cross."......You might enjoy reading them. Thank you for this interlude of pleasant conversation. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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Just ordered them. The synopsis sounds interesting, and hopefully, this will help me return to enjoying reading time. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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I'm enjoying this too.....I hope you enjoy the books.........My lovely friend Joy died five years ago, age 98.....She had been my neighbour for many years.....She was an anthropologist who specialized in the First Nations of this coast and an artist......we had that in common....The first time I met her in person was at a story-telling workshop where she was speaking about the role of Raven in the First Nations culture. Raven was the creator and the fool/trickster......a concept very alien to European Christian culture. There are many indigenous cultures who hold this concept however.....In Africa, there is Anansi, the Spider, In the US South and Mexico, there is the Coyote creator/trickster/fool. During the workshop, I intervened and talked about Raven's role as Trickster/Fool......Well, Joy didn't like that at all and insisted that I was wrong.....A few days later, I saw her at an event and she called me aside and told me she had gone home and done some research and found that Raven was indeed a trickster .....Instant mutual respect.. Anyways, the last 6 years of her life, I didn't see her as often.....She slept a lot in the middle of the day and was often not up to visitors......I had just read a book that I really needed her opinion on, so I dropped it off with her care-giver and didn't hear back from Joy.......She had been my sounding board on Anthropology subjects for decades......the only other person who had known what I was talking about had Dementia and didn't even recognize me........ Turned out Joy couldn't see well enough to read and didn't want to admit it........I also organized a crew of people to make a path for her through the woods near her house and it turned out she was incapable of walking on anything but a floor.........I was flabbergasted.......5 years later and I now understand why she pretended to be more able than she was, because I'm now experiencing the deterioration of functions........I find myself insisting, even to myself that I'm capable of doing things I can no longer do. I used to sew a lot of my own clothes and have continued to buy patterns and fabric......and even cut out the pieces and read the instructions,.......Looking through my Summer wardrobe recently, I came across 4 abandoned sewing projects......not especially difficult and until now, not challenging.......I'm searching inside me to pinpoint exactly why I have abandoned these projects and I pulled them out and looked through everything.....I can't really pinpoint what exactly it is that prevents me from being able to proceed with these projects, but I folded them all back in their bags and shrugged..........
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I do understand. It's sometimes hard enough for me to realize my limitations, but I don't want to admit them.... neither to myself and defintely not to others. Yesterday was my birthday as well as Father's day and we received many calls with love and well wishes. Joe's son from Maine called him and Joe told him it was my birthday, and a little later in the day, he called me. We talked for quite awhile, and I found myself giving him an update on Joe's physical and cognitive health, both of which have improved over the past 9 months or so, mostly due to supplements, increased physical and mental exercise. When we finished our conversation, I took stock of myself too, and realized that I often focus too much on what I can't or don't do and not enough on the positives. This is something I need to improve. It will be work, but I have to do it. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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Do as I say not as I do. 
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