There are several reasons I refuse to subscribe to my local newspaper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
That I would be helping pay the salary of the cowardly Mike Luckovich ranks at the very top of the list.
Luckovich relentlessly bashes conservatives, especially those associated with the Tea Party. There is no balance to his world view. On those rare occasions he goes after the liberal Democrats on an issue, the kid gloves are invariably worn.
Today’s cartoon may be his most obnoxious and offensive ever, which is really saying something. It pictures an elephant, obviously representing Republicans, on CNN’s Crossfire program.
His debate opponent across the table? None other than the icon of Christianity himself, Jesus of Nazareth, to represent the Democrat perspective.
The topic of debate displayed was: “Should corporate subsidies for the rich be cut instead of food stamps for the poor?”
In fairness, the cartoon does inspire a fair question to ask — what would Jesus do?
Would Jesus advocate giving away “free” cell phones to able-bodied people perfectly capable of work, but too lazy? Would Jesus have given Solyndra half a billion taxpayer dollars to squander, with zero accountability and nothing to show for it?
Would Jesus support politicians who seem hell-bent on bankrupting an entire nation, spending more than three dollars for every two dollars of revenue?
Did Jesus say it was okay to lie in order to achieve your goals? For politicians to steal from their political opponents in order to buy votes from their constituents?
Was Jesus a Socialist, like Karl Marx? Would Jesus borrow money in order to give it away?
Did Jesus advocate total anarchy, mob rule, and the eventual destruction of the worldwide economy and modern society?
Not in my Bible.
After being a Born-Again Christian in my late teens (I needed something to cling to, although I was in other ways attached to real society), I trash-canned that crutch by age 20. No longer did I accept Jesus Christ as my personal lord and savior. I am a Registered Republican, and except for a couple of local publicans, I vote for most every Democrat out there, whoever had the right approach, which doesn’t include any deities or their supporters. To hell with the church, established or otherwise. And to hell with “conservatives” who have destroyed the Post-Clinton USA, in the name of war and corporate profits. God Bless Bill Clinton. Your Satan can take “Appalachian hiker” Mark Sanford and his foot-tapping friend Larry Craig down to your Hell place, along with Rush & Newt and Jim DeMint and Don Young and The Donald. And McCain and Rumsfeld and the whole lot. And as for Jesus, I can categorically prove he never existed, not as a “messiah” and not the product of an “immaculate conception”. He has been created in the image of man, a former-day tooth fairy. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, whoever they were, could not agree with 200 years of when “jesus” lived, or where, or what he spoke. What a messiah. “Disgusting new low”? No, George W. Bush and all his flock were Disgusting New Lows.
The problem seems to be that Mike Luckovich is anti-GOP (whereas FoxNews is anti-Democracy, favoring the concept of a Republic). And the problem seems to be the depiction of Jesus Christ as the debate partner. Sacrilege, perhaps, in the minds of believers. None of us have ever met Jesus Christ the Messiah, or God, or Allah, or Muhammed, or Buddha, or any of their compadres. Historical references, even among the Gospels, disagree as to when he lived, placing his birth anywhere in a 200-year period of time. The historical existence of a city “Nazareth” is uncertain. Believers of all of the above rely upon what they have been taught by their family, or by their church or similar religious institution. “What would Jesus Do” has rather recently become a trendy question. Would Jesus have waged wars (fake wars to get rid of an overseas despot) with Trillions of dollars of unbudget money that the whole USA didn’t have? Dooming the USA to unrepayable debt? While slashing taxes paid by rich people who receive interest, dividends, capital gains and “carried interest” (a curious term referring to the gains they get from investment funds). Typically 15% tax rates in most cases, versus 28% or so that most Americans pay on the top increment of the W2 earnings. Would Jesus have short-changed the US Treasury to such a degree that the society would become bankrupt?
As for Bill Clinton, we can thank the Democratic voters from 1992 and 1996 for electing a prudent economist who decreased our national debt and left GW Bush with a half-trillion bucks to squander. Clinton’s sexual escapades are not-to-be-admired, although Republicans like Mark Sanford are well-regarded by fine Republicans for doing the same. “At least our guy has class”, opines an opinionated 67-year old man from South Carolina, about Sanford’s adulterous quest for romance in Argentina. Republican philanderers and adulterers continue their political careers post-scandal. But Clinton “lied”. What about, sex? Sanford lied, his famous “Appalachian Hiking Trip” story, betraying his highly-educated wife and his charming children. Would Jesus lie about WMD’s and about Mideast politics? Which is what GW did. The GOP picks and chooses from statistics. And you know what they think about statistics. You can prove anything you want with statistics or with The Bible. Cherry-picking with what the fanatical GOP is good at. And criticism is what political cartoonists, editorial cartoonists are good at. All’s fair in the American Press, whether it be Texan or Georgian or Oregonian or the cartoon page. Or Fox News, CNN, Gawker, Daily Kos, Daily Beast, Huffington Post, Salon, and Mother Jones. Rolling Stone, too.
The United States IS a republic, not a democracy.
Yes, the problem is that Luckovich represented Jesus as a Democrat politician.
Without sounding too judgmental about an entire political party based on how the national politicians behave, but I must say that the party in bed with Planned Parenthood, the advocates of infanticide, food stamps and the entitlement society, it is the Democrat Party.
Democrats just implicitly told us that the government can lie to us about laws being passed when the lies serve our collective “best” interest. We were told numerous times that if we like our current insurance, we can keep it, remember? The premiums were going to decrease by $2500, not increase by $7500? It’s a penalty, unless it needs to be called a tax to get the law past the Supreme Court?
The modern Democrat in Washington seems to have a lot more in common with Satan than Jesus, based on that criteria.
Sorry, but if you want to debate me about Christianity, you’re simply going to have to read my book first. If I can handle the best shots of that Freedom From Religion guy, Dan Barker, and his open Bible test, I’m not afraid of whatever argument you think you’ve got. I bought my own copy of The God Delusion, knowing I couldn’t defeat an argument if I didn’t know what it was. I seriously doubt you’ve thought more about advocating atheism than Richard Dawkins, but you could always read my book and then delightfully surprise me. I have debated Ed Buckner, former president of American Atheists, and held my own so I’m pretty confident that I can handle what you’ve got to offer.
But no offense, frankly, I’m not interested in wasting my time. I have novels to write. I’m not going to debate “you” in the comments of my blog, when you don’t even properly identify yourself AND have refused to read my book, which I offered a free copy in PDF form. If you aren’t even going to listen to my argument, why should I bother with yours?
Sorry if this comes off as arrogant, but I’ve spent five years of my life doing the research that culminated Counterargument for God, so if you aren’t going to bother reading it so I don’t have to repeat myself, I’m not going to waste my time responding to your nitpicking little complaints about Christianity. We can both ask inane questions: would Jesus have accepted a Nobel Peace Prize? Hint: the obvious answer is “no,” because no serious person observing the politicized bias of the Nobel committee would ever believe that Jesus would even get nominated, much less win. Would Jesus have invaded Libya, or bragged about sending Navy SEALS to kill Osama bin Laden? Would Jesus have given half a billion dollars to Solyndra, which probably could have vaccinated the sick and fed all the starving in Africa for more than a week? Two can play this silly little “what if” game. No politician is ever going to measure up very well to the character of the Christ as depicted in the New Testament, Republican or Democrat. Even if you want to argue that Jesus wasn’t the Messiah, it would be pretty foolish to argue that he wasn’t the most influential human in recorded history. But some will try…
Finally, it’s more than a little offensive for a professed atheist to attempt to use Christianity against an “opponent”, and especially for political gain. In fact, it’s reprehensible, and you aren’t very good at it. Don’t ask what would Jesus do while simultaneously bragging that you don’t believe in God, or that Jesus was the Messiah, and still expect to be treated with any respect.
Atheists are always insisting on complete separation of church and state. You say you’re an atheist, so you should know this.
Please, be consistent, or expect to be ignored.