Saturday, October 9, 2010
Jesus would let your house burn down
Here's an example of a blend of theology and economic theory that explains a lot, I think, about what many current debates are about in this country. Bryan Fischer argues that letting someone's house burn down was the Christian thing to do. And he explicitly invokes gender images; is your theology feminized or masculine? Is God about compassion or accountability? See what you think.
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(1) That article is a great example of what is wrong with neocons. Why bother bringing up religion at all when the argument is basically economic? It seems like when he brought up religion just to strengthen the point he was already inclined to make. He didn't search the bible to find what it told him to do, he searched the bible for a way to justify what he was already going to do. Which is exactly what we were talking about in class last week.
ReplyDelete(2) The parable about the virgins and the oil is weird. Just saying.
(3) I'm willing to bet that he didn't even realize (or won't admit) that he was being sexist by equating "weak" with "feminine." This is one of those classic thoughtless statements that irk me in the same way casual racism irks me. It's not worth getting angry over, but it is worth pointing out when it happens.
I took this class a couple years ago; thanks for posting it for everyone to comment.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the idea of "God" should be characterized as one or the other; morals seem to encompass and balance both. In this case, the Bible may direct the homeowner to accept accountability, but it may simultaneously direct the firefighters to be compassionate, especially towards the 3 pets that perished in the fire through no fault of their own. Emergency medical workers are directed to help victims regardless of whether they have insurance for the same reason. I think there should be an exception for emergency situations, especially when the risk of making a mistake is so high. What if the payment records were incorrect?
By the way, if an atheist follows the law (aka the "right thing to do"), does that automatically make him a Christian? I found that analogy odd.