tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824802900660124636.post1309083540202816814..comments2024-01-20T12:06:29.979-06:00Comments on Fencing Bear at Prayer: Fear ItselfFencing Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16825525662123382529noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824802900660124636.post-29990089128233470822008-10-22T17:34:00.000-05:002008-10-22T17:34:00.000-05:00"P.J. O'Rourke when I was younger. Does that count..."P.J. O'Rourke when I was younger. Does that count?"<BR/>Yes.<BR/><BR/>"Does being the daughter of a Vietnam veteran not give me some insight into the conservative perspective?"<BR/>It makes it more likely.<BR/><BR/>"Bible isn't conservative"<BR/>We'll have to agree to disagree here. I think it is conservative.<BR/><BR/>More later...Sean Garciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05833986740999022153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824802900660124636.post-59338178612281864702008-10-22T16:48:00.000-05:002008-10-22T16:48:00.000-05:00I read an awful lot of P.J. O'Rourke when I was yo...I read an awful lot of P.J. O'Rourke when I was younger. Does that count? I don't think you're reading my posts closely enough. Does being the daughter of a Vietnam veteran not give me some insight into the conservative perspective? Oh, and my grandfather was a two-star general in the Air Force. Career military. A very strict father, indeed. I grew up arguing politics with them. You need to read "Competition, Morning of, Day Two" to get a sense of how much I miss my father. That's why I wish he were still alive to be having this argument with me.<BR/><BR/>The Bible isn't conservative. It's beyond politics, as I have been trying to say. Again, as Christ said, "My kingdom is not of this world."Fencing Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16825525662123382529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824802900660124636.post-71907231047352749872008-10-22T16:33:00.000-05:002008-10-22T16:33:00.000-05:00"You were making an inference about my reading lis..."You were making an inference about my reading list, too, when you assumed I only read Harper's"<BR/><BR/>I don't assume you only read Harpers. What I assume is that you don't read any conservative material, other than the Bible.<BR/><BR/>I assume this because you don't understand the conservative mindset. <BR/><BR/>I'll also guess that you have never been conservative. <BR/><BR/>I have been liberal, so I have a bit more perspective on this subject than you.Sean Garciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05833986740999022153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824802900660124636.post-71725950397176134242008-10-22T15:38:00.000-05:002008-10-22T15:38:00.000-05:00Sean,You were making an inference about my reading...Sean,<BR/><BR/>You were making an inference about my reading list, too, when you assumed I only read <I>Harper's</I>. Fair's fair.<BR/><BR/>Jesus did not say how we were to help each other; he just said that we should.<BR/><BR/>"Render unto Caesar" is about paying taxes, not deserving to be rich. Jesus said to pay taxes.<BR/><BR/>See my "Family Matters" post on what liberals like Obama mean by "sharing the wealth": it's about public responsibility. I still don't see why this is a bad thing.<BR/><BR/>Christianity is both personal and communal. It's not just about one's personal faith relationship with Christ; it's also about the faith of the Church, the community of believers. Some of us believers believe in helping our fellow citizens by way of governmental support. I don't know about you, but it's as much as I can do to hold down one job. I'd like people like my father to have the money to help others, as, for example, in the emergency room.<BR/><BR/>Fencing BearFencing Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16825525662123382529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824802900660124636.post-38232687439565269702008-10-22T15:20:00.000-05:002008-10-22T15:20:00.000-05:00"you would benefit from a more diverse reading lis..."you would benefit from a more diverse reading list"<BR/>Why do you say that? I have not mentioned what I read. You are making an inference.<BR/><BR/>"I’ll read the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal"<BR/>For at least a month? :)<BR/><BR/>"if you’ll read a bit more theology"<BR/>It's a deal.<BR/><BR/>"you haven’t answered my comment"<BR/>I have a hard time keeping up with someone as prolific as you. (Congratulations on that, by the way.)<BR/><BR/>"about what Christ said about caring for the poor and the sick and the stranger"<BR/>Jesus advocates personal charity. He didn't advocate government welfare. <BR/><BR/>The difference between charity and welfare is that in the latter case, the govt takes from the citizenry in the form of taxes. So by definition, the govt can't give charity, only welfare.<BR/><BR/>"Where exactly does Christ say that the rich deserve to be rich?"<BR/><BR/>Related to that, there's the famous line: Render unto Caesar.<BR/><BR/>But where did I say the rich deserver to be rich? Or are you making an inference?<BR/><BR/>"give all their possessions to the poor. This isn’t communism; it’s Christianity"<BR/><BR/>I haven't used the word communism.<BR/>I think the word you are looking for is "socialism." I don't believe I used that word either, but it IS in the new lately with regard to Obama and Joe the Plumber.<BR/><BR/>Some liberals are crying foul, saying that Obama is not a socialist for saying he wants to redistribute the wealth.<BR/><BR/>My answer to that is: Whatever we call Obama (and I am all for a respectful tone), what he's advocating is a central tenet of socialism.<BR/><BR/>"give all their possessions to the poor. This isn’t communism; it’s Christianity"<BR/><BR/>Christianity, at its heart, is a personal faith relationship with Christ.<BR/><BR/>Giving to the poor is something that individuals are shown as doing. <BR/><BR/>The Good Samaritan was not a govt agency.<BR/><BR/>That is the difference.<BR/><BR/>sincerely,<BR/>Sean<BR/>(who is posting anonymously because he has been having trouble logging into his account)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824802900660124636.post-40146038680035627942008-10-22T08:14:00.000-05:002008-10-22T08:14:00.000-05:00I think you would benefit from a more diverse read...I think you would benefit from a more diverse reading list, too. I’ll tell you what, I’ll read the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal if you’ll read a bit more theology, starting with Augustine. Try <I>Concerning the City of God against the Pagans</I>, trans. Henry Bettenson (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1972, 1984. And for liberalism, try John Stuart Mill, <I>On Liberty</I> (1859).<BR/><BR/>By the by, you haven’t answered my comment about what Christ said about caring for the poor and the sick and the stranger. Where exactly does Christ say that the rich deserve to be rich? Again, as I remember, he advises them, if they are to be his followers, to give all their possessions to the poor. This isn’t communism; it’s Christianity.Fencing Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16825525662123382529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-824802900660124636.post-19558447788275238372008-10-22T02:24:00.000-05:002008-10-22T02:24:00.000-05:00"It's hard being a Christian and believing two imp..."It's hard being a Christian and believing two impossible things at once"<BR/>The two things things you're believing at once that are at odds with each other are: Christianity and liberalism. Liberalism is antithetical to Christianity.<BR/><BR/>"I read an essay in Harper's"<BR/>You would benefit by having a more ideologically diverse reading list. For instance, the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal. I would advocate reading that for a month.<BR/><BR/>"[Democrats] believe in the decency of the American citizenry and so refuse to descend to the level of personal insult in order to sway the vote"<BR/>Having been a Democrat for years and then a Republican for years, I can say that Democrats are more likely to make personal insults.<BR/><BR/>sincerely,<BR/>SeanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com