travis' brain dump

Ok, I’ve been keeping tabs on this whole Dobson/Obama thing the last couple of days and I have seriously got some issues with it. In fact, this post is going to mark the creation of a new category called ‘ Rants ‘ …

If you will, go read the following article:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/24/evangelical.vote/index.html

Now… first and formost I have yet to pick a side on this whole presidential race so this is not an article which speaks on my political decision by any means. I simply have issues with the grounds by which this battle has been waged. 

On with the rant.

Evidently Obama made some comments back in June of 2006 that really riled up James Dobson (founder of Focus on the Family). From CNN:

In the speech, Obama suggested that it would be impractical to govern based solely on the word of the Bible, noting that some passages suggest slavery is permissible and eating shellfish is disgraceful. “Which passages of scripture should guide our public policy?” Obama asked in the speech. “Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is OK and that eating shellfish is an abomination? Or we could go with Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount? “So before we get carried away, let’s read our Bible now,” Obama said, to cheers. “Folks haven’t been reading their Bible.” He also called Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount “a passage that is so radical that it’s doubtful that our Defense Department would survive its application.”

So, I don’t see anything wrong with those statements being disputed. He makes a very clear and valid point and I firmly back his comments 100%. There is a reason why a seperation between church and state exists and this is one of them. You cannot impose a single view based on religion on a people and maintain freedom. History lesson folks: While this country was founded by God fearing people, it was also founded by God fearing people who understood FIRST HAND what it was like to be ruled by a churches single interpretation of the messages in the Bible. Simply put, that seperation is VITAL to keeping the First Amendment intact for without it we would be no better off than those first colonists who fled here to escape religious persecution. Again, Obama makes a very, very valid point and that was the entire reason for his comments. It’s so typical to see someone taking things directly out of context to twist and mangle for their own agenda.

So… what does James Dobson have to say about this? Well, in his radio show aired Tuesday, he stated that Obama should not be referencing antiquated dietary codes and passages from the Old Testament that are no longer relevant to the teachings of the New Testament.

“I think he’s deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own world view, his own confused theology,” Dobson said, adding that Obama is “dragging biblical understanding through the gutter.”

So wait a minute here… You’ve obviously missed Obama’s point and for lack of a better reasons started a completely dumb argument which really has no ground to stand on. You have just judged a person and stated that they have no idea what they are talking about without actually opening your mind to the intent behind what was said. Did it ever occur to you that maybe the use of those specific passages were to make a specific point? That some of those ideals are in fact contradicted by not only modern day interpretation of the Bible but also American beliefs in practice by most of the general population regardless of race, religion, etc? Or is it that you just like to hear yourself speak and need to have something to whine about like some other “religious leaders” that I won’t name specifically…

I don’t see how Obama is dragging biblical understanding through the gutter by stating valid points and expressing his understanding for biblical passages. Or are you just forcing your opinion and views and your own personal understanding of the teachings of the Bible on another individual thus making yourself a poster child of the reason why Obama made the comments he did in stressing the point that there is a definite need for seperation of church and state? 

Dobson stated that the suggestion is an attempt to lead by the “lowest common denominator of morality.”

hmmm… So this phrase here scares me… How so? I mean I understand that hearing things such as gay rights and abortion becoming legally recognized makes you feel that they’re killing Christianity and family values as you see it and all but still, despite the way things are going do we have any right to strictly enforce any one religious view on an entire body of people? What gives us the right to judge an entire people based on what they believe? If so, what’s next after merging your “Christian morals and judgement” with politics to raise the moral bar for this country? Are we going to deport all of the Muslims, Jews, Athiests, Homosexuals and anyone else who doesn’t conform to your views on religion out of the country so that the land may be cleansed and purged of all evil or will we just shun them and call them sinners who are going to hell? Judge not and condem not those whom you have no governance over for you are not God. It is not your place, my place or anyone elses to judge someone on their moral decisions wether it affects us or not.

Matthew 5:38-48

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

So according to this passage, if you’re going to take it for what it’s worth, this excerpt from the aforementioned Sermon on the Mount basically says we have no right to strike out against the evil that man may do unto us but in turn we should be as the children of our Father as Christ instructs and love and bless those who niether believe nor follow the will of God and in some cases may cause us direct or indirect harm. As it clearly states here, there is no reward for showing love and respect for only those who believe as you but yet the reward is only found in swallowing your pride and judgemental nature and follow the example of Christ by loving those whom you may feel do not deserve it. If this is what you believe, where is the application?

Slight tangent while discussing said sermon, I see how this passage alone could support Obama’s statement about the Department of Defense not surviving it’s application. To follow it completely would basically mean that we would have to roll over and allow those who oppose the United States to do what they will and trust that only God will defend us. Hey, the world isn’t perfect and sadly, we do need such defenses in order to repel those who do not believe in the same things being taught in Matthew. If only the world were perfect huh?

Back on course… Please tell me how you are living to this standard by which you say you believe by pushing the views that you are against others? It is true that we live in a world that has embraced ideals which go against the very things which we may hold dear, but it, again, is not our place to cleanse this country or this world of it’s evil because we believe it must be done as we are all human beings equally and should treat each other as such despite how we may feel sometimes. I myself cannot say that I follow these things to the letter, I am imperfect yet I do my best to remind myself to view things a little differently than my first instinct says to.

I again feel that this entire debate is completely unwarranted and groundless. It sounds to me that someone feels a little like their point of view is being pushed out the door because of it’s contradiction with the Constitution and they must “rally the troops” to support against someone who mentions the slightest deviation from what they believe should be policy in support of their own views and beliefs.

My suggestion? Stop flapping your lips and wasting your breath about what should be and shouldn’t be in politics and focus more on what’s going on at home with your family. Encourage them to make good decisions in life and choose the higher ground in all things and follow things which promote good morals and values. Things like hatred, confusion and lack of confidence and faith in one’s self, dependancy on drugs and alcohol,  and a general lack of morality are due to ignorance, neglect and abuse. If you want to fix this country and dig it out of the downward spiral it’s in, it won’t be done in Congressional or Senate hearings or behind a desk in an oval office… it can only be done in the home. It’s the little things that are responsible for the bigger picture.