Hope from our Christian Friends

[Gunnar]

If this really does turn out to be the start of a long-lasting peace in the Middle East with justice and fairness for Gazans, Israelis and others who live in that region, and it is clearly attributable to Trump's efforts, and if Trump also succeeds in brokering an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine while still preserving Ukraine's sovereignty, freedom and territorial integrity, then even I would favor awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to him. I hope you will forgive me, though, for being at least somewhat skeptical about how long and how just that peace will turn out to be.

Read the whole thing carefully, and ask yourself - how much nearer does the signing of this plan get us to any certainty of peace in the Middle East? I agree, of course, that it is full of nice feelings, but that is not quite enough in the world we live in. Still, who would not wish it well? I certainly do, but that is a very different matter from expecting it to get us very far along the hard, hard miles ahead of us,

Thank you for providing the details of the plan. What rational and compassionate person would not indeed wish it well! I hope it succeeds. But I, like you, remain skeptical that we will see it come to fruition in our lifetimes. It does seem well thought out in many respects. Are there enough sufficiently rational and compassionate people with enough power, competence and influence to defeat the selfish, irrational and evil forces who will oppose it tooth and nail?

[Gunnar]

Speaking of hope from our Christian Friends, consider this inspiring speech from a great Christian friend, James Talarico before a rally of 3,000 cheering Texans. As he so eloquently said: "The only minority destroying America are the Billionaires." This is the minority that is doing its level best to pit all the other minorities against each other so they can't present a united front capable of defeating the tiny minority of billionaires who control more than 90% of the nation's wealth.

I love his metaphor of the "barefoot rabbi" who taught 2,000 years ago and walked into a temple and started overturning the tables of injustice of the selfish and corrupt.

I agree! It's time for us to start "flipping tables!"

[Jersey Girl]

Speaking of hope from our Christian Friends, consider this inspiring speech from a great Christian friend, James Talarico before a rally of 3,000 cheering Texans. As he so eloquently said: "The only minority destroying America are the Billionaires." This is the minority that is doing its level best to pit all the other minorities against each other so they can't present a united front capable of defeating the tiny minority of billionaires who control more than 90% of the nation's wealth.

I love his metaphor of the "barefoot rabbi" who taught 2,000 years ago and walked into a temple and started overturning the tables of injustice of the selfish and corrupt.

I agree! It's time for us to start "flipping tables!"

Righteous indignation? I deliver!

Just over 3 minutes. Watch it.


The Chosen - Season 5, the famous -The cleansing of the temple 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKZiHoSsnfQ

Wish I could post the whole scene. You can find it on The Chosen free app. online and your phone. Here's the official trailer for Season 5.

The Chosen: Last Supper Official Trailer (Season 5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CVj41dtkIA

[Gunnar]

Speaking of hope from our Christian Friends, consider this inspiring speech from a great Christian friend, James Talarico before a rally of 3,000 cheering Texans. As he so eloquently said: "The only minority destroying America are the Billionaires." This is the minority that is doing its level best to pit all the other minorities against each other so they can't present a united front capable of defeating the tiny minority of billionaires who control more than 90% of the nation's wealth.

I love his metaphor of the "barefoot rabbi" who taught 2,000 years ago and walked into a temple and started overturning the tables of injustice of the selfish and corrupt.

I agree! It's time for us to start "flipping tables!"

Righteous indignation? I deliver!

Just over 3 minutes. Watch it.


The Chosen - Season 5, the famous -The cleansing of the temple 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKZiHoSsnfQ

Wish I could post the whole scene. You can find it on The Chosen free app. online and your phone. Here's the official trailer for Season 5.

The Chosen: Last Supper Official Trailer (Season 5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CVj41dtkIA

My dear wife is a big fan of that series and has watched most of the episodes on the BYU cable channel. I have watched some of them with her. It is a very well done series, in my opinion, and has a very good cast of actors.

[Jersey Girl]

My dear wife is a big fan of that series and has watched most of the episodes on the BYU cable channel. I have watched some of them with her. It is a very well done series, in my opinion, and has a very good cast of actors.

Absolutely well done. Best Christian related series (or film) I've ever seen in my life. Due to illness I was only able to go to one showing in the theater.

With an atheist history buff, who loved it.

[Gunnar]

My dear wife is a big fan of that series and has watched most of the episodes on the BYU cable channel. I have watched some of them with her. It is a very well done series, in my opinion, and has a very good cast of actors.

Absolutely well done. Best Christian related series (or film) I've ever seen in my life. Due to illness I was only able to go to one showing in the theater.

With an atheist history buff, who loved it.

I can understand why even an atheist history buff would love it, even though atheists and even some leading Christian scholars maintain that there is actually far less credible and demonstrable history in The New Testament's narratives of Christ's birth and life than the overwhelming majority of devout Christians insist on believing. What is undeniably credible, valuable and historic is the most basic core of the teachings attributed to Christ, namely the principle of loving and treating our fellow beings as we would want to be treated ourselves.

This principle is also echoed by other wise sages such as the Jewish Rabbi, Gamaliel the Elder who, according to Acts in the Bible, was a teacher of Saul (Paul) the Apostle and also famously taught,

That which is hateful unto you, do not unto another. This is the entirety of the law. Everything else is commentary.

This is, as far as I am concerned, "the baby that must not be thrown out with the bathwater." So important to me is this principle that by comparison to it, much if not most else attributed to religion can be likened to chaff, which often obscures that bedrock principle, and sometimes even contradicts it. Arguably, Gamaliel influenced early Christianity through his relationship with the Apostle Paul.

[Jersey Girl]

HERE. This right here. It's what I've been saying on this board for a long time now including concern about Franklin Graham.

False Christianity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gbZRTczLYQ

[Some Schmo]

HERE. This right here. It's what I've been saying on this board for a long time now including concern about Franklin Graham.

False Christianity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gbZRTczLYQ

I mean, it's a lot of assertions about the mind of an asserted god, but I appreciate the message. Within the context of Christianity, he's correct.

MAGAte Christians are into performance living. They are about not sacrificing anything for other people except their integrity.

[Gunnar]

HERE. This right here. It's what I've been saying on this board for a long time now including concern about Franklin Graham.

False Christianity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gbZRTczLYQ

Excellent post! I agree that Fr. David has correctly identified the essential core of honest, practical and honorable religion--as I like to say, "the baby that must not be thrown out with the bathwater!"

[Gunnar]

I mean, it's a lot of assertions about the mind of an asserted god, but I appreciate the message. Within the context of Christianity, he's correct.

MAGAte Christians are into performance living. They are about not sacrificing anything for other people except their integrity.

I couldn't agree more! Nothing could be more antithetical to the teachings of Christ as expressed in the Christian Bible than most of what Trump and his MAGA followers espouse and do.