Prairie Sunday and the nature of Evil. With Cats.

I missed posting for Caturday as we were in Denver for a brief visit and not only was I struck by the green-ness and abundance of beautiful landscaping and flowers, I actually enjoyed the heavy traffic and congested I-25. I miss light rail. I miss HOV lanes. (More...)

      I  was also struck by nine mosquito bites, so on Sunday morning I am icing and salting said bites (works about half the time), sweeping up tiny litter fragments that seem to be everywhere and anywhere the cats found an interesting place or new surface upon which to catch those 18 hours of napping. In between these two activities I ponder the two posts below, and consider what we consider evil.

     Growing up fundamentalist, we pretty much understood that sinning was most likely sexual in nature. Anger was bad, also, unless it was 'righteous' anger. Drinking, smoking, cussing and playing cards - also sin. Hard work, personal responsibility, patriotism, capitalism, faithful membership in a Bible-believing church, witnessing, voting Republican - all good. Jesus loves America better than any other country, so if we can just get back to prayer in schools, the Ten Commandments posted in every public building, oust those liberal activist judges and Godless politicians He will bless our nation once again.

     So we vote for any 'family values' politician that claims to be one (in word of not deed) and they sell the government to the highest bidder. We vote for people who want to keep the Bush Tax Cuts so that the top 2% wealthiest people in the U.S. don't have to pay any tax, shifting the burden to the lower and middle class. We're OK with forcing people into bankruptcy because someone in their family got sick and the price of what insurance wouldn't cover was astronomical. Because a public option would be socialism and your pastor told you Jesus loves a free market. No child in this country goes hungry because they could eat off the dollar menu at Taco Bell if they wanted to. Because an oil spill is a act of God and not the result of ignoring precautions because we value profits over people.  

     It's popular to hate the government; remember WE are the government. Before you yell that Jesus hates socialism, note that we pool our taxes to pay for the community good: roads, highways, parks, recreation, a police force and fire fighters. What if we also pooled our taxes to ensure everyone had health care coverage; higher education was free. Productive citizens who can innovate, invent and become that 'shining city on the hill' again.

     Explain to me how that is un-Christ-like. But be careful thinking. It could lead to dancing.