| One of the less great "thus sayeth the Lord" | | | | hell. |
| moments in the Bible was the imposition of | | | | |
| the very well know principle of "an eye for | | | | I still vote Rodney King of "Can't we all |
| an eye and and a tooth for a tooth." I | | | | just get along" fame be head of the UN or at |
| understand that an apologist can say it just | | | | least advise the next President. This one |
| means that people should be paid restitution | | | | would just say "No".Speaking of the current |
| for losses, but in practice, Governments and | | | | powers that be, its disturbing just how |
| most Evangelicals, love the literal | | | | difficult if not impossibe it is for anyone |
| translation. I assume that also went on to | | | | to get to talk with this guy when sabre's are |
| mean to those who know the deeper meanings of | | | | a rattlin' and agendas are a formin'. Seems |
| such things that it could also mean, "a leg | | | | the converstaion goes something like this.The |
| for a leg", "a spine for a spine," and "a | | | | Threatened: "Can we talk?"The Decider: |
| skull for a skull." While God claimed the | | | | "No"The Threatened "Would you like to |
| exclusive right to vengeance in the Old | | | | debate it?"The Decider "No"The |
| Testament (Psalms 94:1 O Lord, the God who | | | | Threatened "Would you like to come |
| avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth." | | | | look?"The Decider "No"The Threatened |
| and in the New Testament, (Romans 12:19 "Do | | | | "Could we have lunch?"The Decider |
| not take revenge, my friends, but leave room | | | | "No"The Threatened "May I send you some |
| for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is | | | | Pistachio nuts?"The Decider "No"The |
| mine to avenge; I will repay," says the | | | | Threatened "Would you like to kill me, my |
| Lord,) the Israelites pretty much did the | | | | family, lots of children, women, men and our |
| work for Him, and the Christians who evolved | | | | younger generation and take all our resources |
| to make up the Church of history did a darn | | | | under your supervision?"The Decider |
| nice job of inflicting God's wrath upon both | | | | "Now your talkin, get on the floor!"I don't |
| the believer who believed the wrong thing and | | | | know where religion came up with the idea |
| unbeliever who needed to be pursuaded.As a | | | | that vengeance, retaliation and revenge was a |
| child, when hearing this all in Sunday | | | | great characteristic for a Deity and one that |
| School, I had a picture of all the people in | | | | was so well advised to follow. In practical |
| the Old Testament running around blind and | | | | fact, few really practice the religion of |
| toothless and it explained why Jesus may have | | | | their guru. They find ways around it so they |
| had so many blind people to heal in the New. | | | | can manipulate the results and take the short |
| I don't recall Jesus restoring any teeth | | | | cuts they wish for personal gain, power and |
| however.Later I began to think that vengeance | | | | prestige, and yet retain a form of the |
| was one thing reserved only for God, but | | | | religion that they must appease to get |
| retaliation must be somewhat of a more subtle | | | | selected or elected in the first place. |
| human endeavor. You know, a way around the | | | | Smoke and mirrors, masks and make-up...it's |
| problem of not being allowed to inflict | | | | what most "World Leaders" and human beings |
| vengeance per se. But then I find that Jesus | | | | who profess to know and need to propel them |
| nixed the idea of retalaliation with his own | | | | to places of authority and power use against |
| example in 1 Peter 2:23. "When they hurled | | | | aveage humans.No one seems to notice that |
| their insults at him, he did not retaliate; | | | | when Moses is said to have come down the |
| when he suffered, he made no threats. | | | | mountain with the Big Ten, one of which said, |
| Instead, he entrusted himself to him who | | | | "Thou shalt not kill," and before reading |
| judges justly. " But then I got to thinking | | | | them to the troops, got pissed off at the |
| about the entire theme of the Book of | | | | people for wondering where he had been, and |
| Revelation, where Jesus, well the Cosmic | | | | had "every man slay his neighbor and in that |
| Jesus at least, wreaks vengeance, revenge and | | | | day about 3000 perished," and then went back |
| retaliation big time upon the entire planet | | | | to explaining the wonderful new Law of God he |
| for not going with the program. The Jesus of | | | | had been given by the Deity Himself! It's |
| the Gospels might be the distant cousin of | | | | almost as bad as Cain worrying about "every |
| the Jesus of Revelation, but I don't think | | | | man who finds me shall slay me," when God |
| the Jesus of the Gospels could actually be | | | | booted him out of the Garden, but never |
| the Jesus of Revelation, at least not without | | | | stopped to think that there were only four |
| a change of brain chemistry and his | | | | people on earth at the time and he had just |
| Meyers-Briggs Personality Profile. So then I | | | | killed one of them." Actually it was the |
| got to thinking that it's not that you can't | | | | writer of the story who had a brain fart. |
| retaliate or get vengeance, but you have to | | | | But in the Bible and in the Middle East and |
| wait until you have tried everything else | | | | now in America, it's really all about |
| before scraping your enemies off the face of | | | | vengeance, retaliation and revenge. The go |
| the earth. But then I learned from President | | | | nowhere and accomplish nothing but the death |
| Bush and my government that trying everything | | | | of a few hundred thousand doctrine.The fact |
| only took a few weeks at most, and never | | | | is that it does not work and no one is ever |
| worked so you had to bomb the sh-- out of | | | | satisfied that enough is enough. Who gives |
| people quickly and with shock and awe. | | | | up their last son and says they no longer |
| Yeah, that works and in a very short time | | | | wish to take another man's son to pay him |
| people are apologizing for 911 and wondering | | | | back? Who then says "I will if you will," |
| what were they thinking?I did read an | | | | and they will! Who loses a tooth and does |
| interesting study once by a psychologist who | | | | not wish to retaliate by punching out all the |
| felt Jesus could have written Revelation | | | | teeth of the attacker? Who gets their eye |
| (the intro does say it is His revelation) in | | | | poked and doesn't wish to totally blind the |
| his later years when delusions and | | | | poker? Well we did have the example of a |
| schizophrenia would have been at it's worst. | | | | Pope who forgave the man who shot him in a |
| I was taught he channeled it through John | | | | very dramatic scene in the man's cell. But |
| which is how we got it. The fact that it | | | | remember, the Pope is a Professional |
| said 2000 years ago that it was the story of | | | | forgiver! It's not like he can demand to go |
| things which "must shortly come to pass" | | | | in and shoot the man twice for him shooting |
| kinda bothers me because that's not my | | | | him once! No one, and certainly no one in |
| personal idea of "shortly." Maybe someone | | | | this administration, has the insight or |
| missed their cue.But then I wonder if that's | | | | foresight to try a new way that excludes the |
| not what's happening to our leaders today. | | | | idea of being the bully and getting even. Of |
| It would explain a lot. I wonder if they | | | | course a more pure motive and heart would go |
| might be thinking of writing their own | | | | a long way too.What a different world it |
| Revelation and pouring out all their own | | | | might be today if men had no agendas and that |
| vials and plagues along with the blowing of | | | | when 9-11 came calling we had an enlightened |
| assorted trumpets. Kinda worries me. I have | | | | leader who was not connected like a mass of |
| noticed the President and friends tend to | | | | worms in a can to other plans and masters. |
| surround themselves with those who read the | | | | The buck might stop with someone, somewhere, |
| Book of Revelation like a newspaper and see | | | | but vengeance, retaliation and revenge seems |
| themselves in some of the leading roles.At | | | | to be what humans demand and we get over and |
| any rate, let's get back to this idea about | | | | over what we see today... blood, anquish, |
| vengeance, no matter who it belongs to, | | | | hatred, car bombs, depleted uranium by the |
| retaliation and revenge. As far as I can | | | | ton, birth defects, cancers and terrorism we |
| tell it does not seem to promote anything but | | | | never would have had if there was a genuine |
| vengeance, retaliation and revenge, which | | | | leader in place in all these countries, ours |
| seems counterproductive. When the Hatfields | | | | included. As long as "God told me attack |
| and McCoys went at it over decades I believe, | | | | Sadaam and I did," is the mentality, (how |
| all we ended up with was less of each and a | | | | scary is this?) and my YHVH can woop your |
| great story....all because of a pig I | | | | Allah is the stupidity that rules in the |
| believe. Actually I have lived in Eastern | | | | minds of world leadership, we're in for hell |
| Kentucky and vengeance, retaliation and | | | | on earth...again and again and again, |
| revenge is what you do in them thar hills | | | | worldcrap without end.I know I'd feel a lot |
| because reception of both TV and radio | | | | better if our current President conferred |
| signals is so bad. There is little else to | | | | with the Dali Lama more frequently instead of |
| do or talk about after the day is done | | | | the Boys of Revelation and those of |
| without those modern conveniences. It is no | | | | Evangelical Zionist Christianity gone nuts. |
| coincidence that the Hatfield and McCoy thing | | | | But then I'd be afraid this President would |
| eased up a bit right about the time you could | | | | think it funny and welcome him by saying |
| put that one big ass satellite dish in your | | | | "Well Hello Dali!...hehe," and not understand |
| front yard! I often saw dishes almost half | | | | a word much less a concept he endeavored to |
| as broad as the house, but darn it, there was | | | | explain about the futility of vengeance, |
| peace in that family and surrounding county. | | | | retaliation and revenge propelled by religion |
| Watching the Dukes of Hazard is safer than | | | | out of control. I'd be afraid he'd embarass |
| BEING the Dukes of Hazard!I've been to the | | | | me again.I know...I'm too idealisitc and |
| Middle East where every stone upon the ground | | | | don't understand a thing about how people end |
| has been thrown at sometime, by someone, at | | | | up where they do in places of power and |
| someone for some reason and often. The | | | | what's really going on. Ok, well maybe I am |
| Middle East is the Land of Handy Stones or | | | | not letting on to as much as I do know. But |
| perhaps we should say the Land of "Oh Yeah? | | | | it's past time... way past time, to replace a |
| Yeah!, Oh Yeah? Yeah! I know you are but | | | | Deity and His chosen religio-political |
| what am I, Oh Yeah? Yeah? Make me! Take | | | | minions who believe vengeance, retaliation |
| that! Doh!" It's all nuts. Kinda like | | | | and revenge are the fruits of their Holy |
| growing up in the 50's picturing the launch | | | | Spirit that will bring their idea of the |
| of one missle that lead to two back that lead | | | | Kingdom of God for us all to regret. |
| to twenty that led to a hundred that led to | | | | |