We must stop looking to the government to make America a Christian utopia. Our kingdom is not of this world.
Sunday, September 11, 2022
THE CHRISTIAN LEFT: YES, WE EXIST.
Sunday, July 12, 2020
SUNDAY MEMES:
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Shelter in place: Biblical?
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Monday, June 10, 2019
The Golden Rule:
One of the founding fathers most important contribution to the preservation of religious freedoms was the concept, a Christian concept, of the separation of church and state.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Sunday, November 20, 2016
The Christian Left: Yes, we exist.

"...Did the thief on the cross have a “correct doctrine?” Of course he didn’t. He had not studied the sacred texts and formed the correct conclusions. He knew nothing of what was said in the sacred texts. And yet Jesus promised that he would be in Heaven with him that very day.
Did Jesus make a special exception for the thief on the cross? No. That would contradict the many passages in the Bible where it states that God is no respecter of persons and he does not show favoritism...
...We must pray for those who have made “correct doctrine” their idol. They miss the spirit and meaning of what scripture says and instead worship the Bible itself. They are unable to see what God is saying between the lines of ink."
Saturday, October 15, 2016
Compassion?
by Glenn Littrell
REPOSTED from January 2015
I remember when criticizing the right wing or republicans as lacking compassion for the poor who were on welfare or getting government aid would result in being rebuffed as promoting 'classism' or even socialism. But now it is apparent that the criticism was understated. The right wing republicans lack compassion for anyone! The working poor, unemployed WORKERS, senior and 'almost' senior citizens, teachers, 9/11 first responders, non-stock holders, and those of their own 'kind' who fit into these categories. Even their co-opting of the fundamentalist leaders and televangelist has not softened their hearts for those less fortunate. And now it appears as if the fears of Rev. Graham are being realized everyday as religious leaders seem to be turning the keys to the temple over to the moneychangers (corporate America) via their far right-wing friends.
The quote below from Rev. Billy Graham and the one above from Barry Goldwater demonstrates the historical mistrust and disdain for each other that the conservative right and the religious leaders held for each other. So what happened?
Several things:
- The ‘Southern Strategy’ of appealing to the fears of white middle class southern males increased the Republican appeal in the south. Pulling Democrat voters as well as Democrat politicians into the party through defections. The Republicans took advantage of the split between the northern liberal Democrats and the traditional southern Democrat who was more loyal to their region than their party. Today’s average conservative republican does not resemble the republican of 40 years ago as much as some would suggest. But the agenda and tactics of the leadership in the republican party greatly resembles the southern democrats of the civil rights era and the reconstruction democrat, harsh. The current republican leadership has no problem with pushing up against those long held fears of the southern white male to attract the extreme elements on the other side of those boundaries. Which gives them an energized and forceful constituency.
- Roe v. Wade gave Religious leaders a rallying cry for reinventing the ‘fire and brimstone’ rhetoric that had energized religious revivals for centuries. Where in the past it was cries to go to war to fight the ‘godless invaders’, or the the temperance movement, communism, etc. Even now, as abortions and unwanted teen pregnancies are at their lowest since Roe v. Wade, we see the anti- abortion fervor taking a back see to the “Muslim Jihadist” rhetoric.
“I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalist and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it.” --Rev. Billy Graham, Parade, 1981
"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are...a few...Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid," wrote Republican President Dwight Eisenhower to his brother in 1954. Unfortunately, this splinter group is now in charge of this once-respectable political party.
The Surprisingly Progressive Republican Party Platform...Of 1956
GlennDL
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Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Universal Considerations of Our Fellow Man:
Three Simple Rules:
Rabbi Hillel, who lived around the time of Jesus was approached by a pagan saying that he would convert to Judaism if Hillel could teach him the whole of the Torah in the time he could stand on one foot. Rabbi Hillel replied, "What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your fellow man. That is the whole Torah; the rest is just commentary. Go and study it."
Talmud Shabbat 31a
"...And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."
Mark 12:28-31
"Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have all been called by different names brethren of the same principle..."
Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, 1801
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Chasing the money changers from the temple…
“…I did not believe Christ was meek and lowly but a real living, vital agitator who went into the temple with a lash and a krout and whipped the oppressors of the poor, routed them out of the doors and spilled their blood and got silver on the floor. He told the robbed and misruled and exploited and driven people to disobey their plunderers, he denounced the profiteers, and it was for this that they nailed his quivering body to the cross and spiked it to the gates of Jerusalem, not because he told them to love one another. That was harmless doctrine. But when he touched their profits and denounced them before their people he was marked for crucifixion.”
Speaking to a reporter for Call from his prison cell in 1919 while serving time for making anti-war speeches.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
12 Laws of Karma:

“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” Gandhi
- The Great Law: “As you sow, so shall you reap.”
- The Law of Creation: “What we desire comes through participation.”
- The Law of Humility: “Refusal to accept what is will still be what is.”
- The Law of Growth: “Our own growth is above any circumstance.”
- The Law of Responsibility: “Our lives are of our own doing, nothing else.”
- The Law of Connection: “Everything in the Universe is connected, both large and small.”
- The Law of Focus: “One cannot direct attention beyond a single task.”
- The Law of Hospitality and Giving: “Demonstrating our selflessness shows true intentions.”
- The Law of Change: “History repeats itself unless changed.”
- The Law of Here and Now: “The Present is all we have.”
- The Law of Patience and Reward: “Nothing of value is created without a patient mindset.”
- The Law of Significance and Inspiration: “The best reward is one that contributes to the Whole.”
Thursday, December 31, 2015
A New Years Challenge Instead Of Resolutions:
by Glenn Littrell
OK, instead of a New Years resolution, or a year ending/beginning New Years message, I propose a challenge. A year ending challenge to where or how you seek inspiration. Do you seek inspiration from sources that reafirm what you beleive? Or do you accept a chalenge to seek inspiration, in whatever form, from a source that you expect to disagree with?
This is a challenge with no expected outcome, no purpose. It is not meant to convert anyone, to change anyones mind, to get you to admit anything or concede anything. You are the sole judge of what, if anything, is proven or realized. You are free to ‘grade’ if the challenge was productive.
Is there a point? Maybe. Let’s call it an experiment. Below are several podcast of discussions on “Believers and Doubters”. Each discusses different sub-topics concerning the main topic and each are addressed by someone of a different philisophical/religious persuasion. Each podcast is from 7 to 12 minutes long. The object is to select a podcast, listent to it, and consider its meaning. Make of it what you will.
But here’s the challenge: Don’t select the podcast that is most likely to support your current view. Based on whatever criteria you choose, the sub-topic, who it is discusing the topice, or even the length of the podcast. Whatever your criteria is choose the podcast that you deem the furtherest from what you would expect to agree with. You can listen to them all, but make the first one, or the only one, is the least one that appeals to you.
Here are the choices::
- What’s The Difference Between Believe and Faith. Billy Graham, Christian Minister.
- Is Doubt Essential To Faith? Lesley Hazelton, Agnostic Jewish writer.
- How Does A Person Go From Beleiver To Athiest? Julia Sweeney, actor and writer.
- What Can Atheism Learn From Religion? Alain de Bolton, Atheist and Author.
- Are There Any Universal Beliefs And Truths? Devdutt Pattanaik, Hindu Mythologist.
Too often when we seek information we seek information that confirms our beliefs, our opinions. Sometimes we may seek information with no concern for confirmation, we’re just looking fo an explanation, a starting point before forming our opinion. In both cases, we tend to limit what we learn because we seek confirmation or because we rely on one source.
If you believe, as is the gist of this challenge/experiment, that sources of information can be biased then you should consider that all sources can be biased. In fact, no source can be completely unbiased. It is virtually impossible to a certain degree and for too many of us we tend to accept as ‘least bias’ that source which affirms our beliefs.
The basis for deciding if a source is biased or not is not whether it agrees with us, but to discern how relative the information when compared to other sources. Of course, if we make the comparison between ‘like-minded’ sources then our affirmation will be proven in that context, but it will nonetheless be biased.
Notice the many themes spoken of in the podcast: doubt, faith, belief, etc. Yet none of the themes are spoken of by the Christian, the Hindu, The agnostic Jew, or the Athiest as being absolutly, completly or exclusivly important. They all speak of the importance of doubt, faith and belief, not the absoluteness of any, but the importance of all.
I guess the experiment here is
- did you listen to all of the podcast?
- did you come away with something from listening to all, more so than if you had just listened to the first one that appealed to you?
If I’m wrong then nothing gained, but hopefully, we can agree that multiple sources can help inform not just a better opinion, but also a more informed and better opinion.
The speakers that were interviewed in the above podcast from NPR Radio were selected on the basis of a Ted Talk that they had given. To here their complete talk use the links below.
TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. On TED.com, we're building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world's most inspired thinkers — and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other, both online and at TED and TEDx events around the world, all year long.
In fact, everything we do — from our Conferences to our TED Talks to the projects sparked by the TED Prize, from the global TEDx community to the TED-Ed lesson series — is driven by this goal: How can we best spread great ideas?
TED is owned by a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation. Our agenda is to make great ideas accessible and spark conversation.
click to hear their original, complete Ted Talk:
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Using Veterans As A Political Diversion:
It is not an either/or choice. We can help our Veterans and still do other things. The proposition that we aren't helping our Veterans because we are spending money somewhere else is meant as a distraction, making a false argument that its neither helping the poor, refugees, immigrants etc., or Veterans, shows a lack of determination to help Veterans, period. All congress has to do to help Veterans is to vote to do so. Bringing up hot button distractions steers the conversation away from Veterans towards those hot button issues, leaving the Veteran issue just setting there. Why would they solve the Veteran or any hot button issue if it serves their re-election interest over and over again.
If you are troubled over the plight of Veterans, let that be the point you make. Argue for Veterans and stay focused on Veteran issues and leave the other complaints and problems to be solved as separate issues.We are capable of dealing with more than one issue at a time as a country and individuals, but when we allow detractors to mingle unrelated issues we loose the ability to solve anything… you think its a coincidence that issues like immigration, abortion, education, and gun control are never solved? No, as long as we are easily distracted the big issues will remain unresolved only to be brought up at the next election and then put back in storage afterwards.
The plight of Veterans has become a political football to be thrown into the air every time someone wants to distract us from addressing a problem... welfare, illegal immigrants, any government expense, but those (Republicants) who are always bringing up Veterans homelessness, etc., fail to do anything about the plight of Veterans!
These Veteran problems, and the VA scandals and problems have existed for decades... stop buying into these diversions and demand results. We can address more than one problem at a time... unless you prefer holding Veteran issues hostage for the sake of ignoring other problems and getting your guy, your party re-elected.
Disabled Veteran DESTROYS Cowards Who Won’t Help Refugees
Tom Cahill | November 19, 2015“Don’t use me as your fucking excuse when a week ago you were happily voting away my benefits and healthcare.”
see also:
Bills Supporting Veterans Rejected by the GOP/Republicants:
GOP/Republicans “…slashed more than $1.4 billion from President Obama's requested budget for American's Veterans.”
GOP Senator Calls Veteran’s Care ‘Entitlement’ We ‘Can’t Afford’
Ted Cruz Threatens Troops, Veterans, and Their Families
House Dems bolster Obama veto threat
Senate Republicans Betray U.S. Vets By Blocking Veterans Benefits Bill
Tammy Duckworth: GOP exploiting veterans
Friday, November 13, 2015
Why Lincoln, T. Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Goldwater, Reagan and Jesus Christ Couldn't Be Elected In A Republicant Primary:
or, It’s Not Your Daddy’s Republican Party Anymore Baby!
On the Common Good:
On Labor and Social Programs:
On Corporations, Taxes, and Capitalism:
On Immigration:
On Common Sense Gun Regulations:
On Church and State Separation and Religion in Politics:
Even This Guy Couldn’t Win a Republican Primary:
Because…
Unless We Re-Wrote The Bible:
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