An Open Letter to Mike "The Huckster" Huckabee

[calimary]

24. And while I'm listening to a premature 4th of July fireworks splurge, I'm reading an essay that goes

"BOOM!!!!!"

DANG, Nance - again you hit it not just outta the ballpark but all the way to Mars.

I couldn't agree more! INDEED...

Doesn't it strike you as odd that all these self-congratulating, self-anointed uber "Christians" just never ever seem to get around to quoting from the Beatitudes? You NEVER hear that.

Nor do you ever hear them quoting the passage that describes Jesus's encounter with The Rich Young Man - who is instructed that if he truly wants to follow Christ, then he needs to give away all his worldly goods and come join up.

Nor do you ever hear them quoting the passage that describes really the only time Jesus ever got pissed off - when he threw a fit in the Temple and drove the money-changers and the local capitalists outta there.

Nor do you ever hear them quoting that passage that compares the rich dude who parades down the center aisle of the Temple to show off the bags of gold he intends to contribute in public so everybody can see and ooh and agh - to a poor widow hiding over in the shadows to the side with only a penny to put in the collection plate. She's embarrassed because that's all she had, and she doesn't want anybody to see. Well, GOD saw. And Jesus made it clear whose offering God found more pleasing.

Nor do you ever hear any of them quoting the passage where Jesus talks about how you should go in secret and hide in a closet or some such private place when you pray. He recommended AGAINST making a big showy splashy public production out of it.

And there's another thing, that's not written but I bet it's possible, just considering demographics and laws of averages and the ongoing theme in the New Testament of Jesus being inclusive of EVERYBODY, including the poor and downtrodden and shunned. There were 12 apostles, we're told. I have seen studies that suggest the number of gays compared to straights in the general population is thought to be about 1 out of ten. So doesn't it stand to reason that at least one of the 12 original apostles might be gay? Why wouldn't it? Seems like an entirely reasonable speculation to me, just on the basis of sheer numbers. Also seems entirely reasonable to think Jesus would minister to EVERYBODY of every sort, size, shape, color, age, orientation, physical condition, legal status, and belief system, both insiders and outsiders. That sure was what He was always quoted as talking about.

There are SO many things I've learned about Jesus, starting in Catholic school, that run SO contrary to the "teachings" and advocacy of those who claim to have an exclusive franchise on speaking and interpreting for Him. Maybe that's what the apostle Paul meant by "noisy gongs and clanging cymbals."