Pop down under__@(*0*)@__
Sunday, February 26, 2006
A potpourri of new articles
Mrs Mischke is campaigning to ensure her fellow citizens don't disgrace 5000 years of history with ill-timed belching, farting and spitting.
Read the rest here
Read the rest here
Congratulations April!
A new little guy is in the family. I know this is all old news if you've read Justin or Jessica or Serena's blog. Well here's something you probably didn't know that April just told us on the phone; in Mexico they put the mother's maiden name on the birth certificate. So, his name there is Bowan Geoffrey Adair Fischer. Now they considered using Adair for his middle name but that would have looked funny; Bowen Adair Adair Fischer, ha!
Thank the Lord for a speedy, safe delivery. We love you Mike, April, Dustin, Tia, Andrea, Jordan, Zepher & Bowan. (Bo Bo?)
Thank the Lord for a speedy, safe delivery. We love you Mike, April, Dustin, Tia, Andrea, Jordan, Zepher & Bowan. (Bo Bo?)
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Something on a lighter note
Baby-The Owners' Manual
by Carol Witt
Congratulations! You are the proud
owner of a brand new BABY™.
(BABY™ is a registered trademark
of God And His Myriad Wonders, Inc). If it is properly maintained and used only for the purposes for which it was intended, your BABY™ will bring you many years of bliss, joy and fulfilment.
(Disclaimer: BABY™ may also bring you
sleepless nights, fretfulness, hormonal
disturbance, loss of bladder control and
harassment by well-meaning but opinionated
strangers and/or in-laws.)
Quality and Reliability
Your BABY™ uses highly effective,
state-of-the-art baby technology made
portable for convenient use in your
home, playground or day care centre.
Traditionally hand-crafted using simple
tools, your BABY™ will run for years on
easily-obtainable, natural fuels, and will
create very little bio-waste and only a few
potentially toxic gases.
Assembly Instructions
Your unit should come pre-assembled and ready for operation. If your unit seems to be missing the external outlet valve (Fig. I Part XY), please note that this is not a design or assembly fault. You have the female model.
Connecting to the Power Supply
Do not connect to the power supply.
Do not try to insert batteries.
If BABY™ seems to be running low on
energy, simply attach mouth (Fig. I Part A) to nipple (Fig.2 Parts B or C). Your unit may need recharging several times a day.
Installation
To keep the unit in top condition at all
times, observe the following precautions:
• Do not expose to sun or rain.
• Avoid extremely dusty locations or close proximity to wild animal (especially if dusty).
• Always try to provide sufficient
circulation of air around the unit – except around the bottom plate, which should be hermetically sealed in industrial-strength containment devices, called nappies.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Your BABY™ is made from all-natural,
waterproof, stain-resistant materials and,
if treated with care, will not shrink or fade.
For general cleaning, BABY™ should be
hand-washed using a mild detergent in
lukewarm water. Do not machine wash or
dry clean. For caked-on dirt and stubborn
stains, do not use solvents or harsh
abrasives. Simply wash, rinse and repeat.
Towel dry only - do not iron.
Operating Instructions
Only one person at a time should operate
BABY™.
Do not operate while under the influence of alcohol or medication, or while operating heavy machinery. Light machinery is okay.
Keep hands away from moving parts
- especially the mouth (Fig. I Part A).
If you experience nausea, dizziness and
shortness of breath, put BABY™ down
immediately-its nappy might need changing.
When to Change Baby
If your unit is making excessive noise, and air quality around the BABY™ is noticeably reduced, the nappy may be clogged with contaminants. Replace the nappy every two to four hours, depending on the volume of contaminants trapped.
How to Change Baby
CAUTION: disconnect the unit from
the nipple before servicing. No tools are
needed. To change the nappy, there are
only two acceptable methods. Either...
1. Place the unit on a horizontal surface.
2. Remove the two nappy securing straps.
3. Take a deep breath, adjust your
protective mask.
4. Lift the unit from the nappy.
5. Knock contaminated nappy into secure,
lead-lined bin.
6. Clean unit.
7. Wrap new nappy around unit and
secure it with the two straps.
8. Breathe out.
Or get someone else to do it.
Troubleshooting Tips
Unit makes no sound?
Could be in 'sleeping' mode. Do not awake.
Unit leaking?
Overflow outlet valve designed to leak'.
Do not plug or tie off.
Unit leaking oil?
Owner fault. Baby oil should only be
applied externally.
Unit walking on hind legs, stamping feet and
constantly demanding attention?
Congratulations' You are the proud owner
of a brand new TODDLER™
by Carol Witt
Congratulations! You are the proud
owner of a brand new BABY™.
(BABY™ is a registered trademark
of God And His Myriad Wonders, Inc). If it is properly maintained and used only for the purposes for which it was intended, your BABY™ will bring you many years of bliss, joy and fulfilment.
(Disclaimer: BABY™ may also bring you
sleepless nights, fretfulness, hormonal
disturbance, loss of bladder control and
harassment by well-meaning but opinionated
strangers and/or in-laws.)
Quality and Reliability
Your BABY™ uses highly effective,
state-of-the-art baby technology made
portable for convenient use in your
home, playground or day care centre.
Traditionally hand-crafted using simple
tools, your BABY™ will run for years on
easily-obtainable, natural fuels, and will
create very little bio-waste and only a few
potentially toxic gases.
Assembly Instructions
Your unit should come pre-assembled and ready for operation. If your unit seems to be missing the external outlet valve (Fig. I Part XY), please note that this is not a design or assembly fault. You have the female model.
Connecting to the Power Supply
Do not connect to the power supply.
Do not try to insert batteries.
If BABY™ seems to be running low on
energy, simply attach mouth (Fig. I Part A) to nipple (Fig.2 Parts B or C). Your unit may need recharging several times a day.
Installation
To keep the unit in top condition at all
times, observe the following precautions:
• Do not expose to sun or rain.
• Avoid extremely dusty locations or close proximity to wild animal (especially if dusty).
• Always try to provide sufficient
circulation of air around the unit – except around the bottom plate, which should be hermetically sealed in industrial-strength containment devices, called nappies.
Cleaning and Maintenance
Your BABY™ is made from all-natural,
waterproof, stain-resistant materials and,
if treated with care, will not shrink or fade.
For general cleaning, BABY™ should be
hand-washed using a mild detergent in
lukewarm water. Do not machine wash or
dry clean. For caked-on dirt and stubborn
stains, do not use solvents or harsh
abrasives. Simply wash, rinse and repeat.
Towel dry only - do not iron.
Operating Instructions
Only one person at a time should operate
BABY™.
Do not operate while under the influence of alcohol or medication, or while operating heavy machinery. Light machinery is okay.
Keep hands away from moving parts
- especially the mouth (Fig. I Part A).
If you experience nausea, dizziness and
shortness of breath, put BABY™ down
immediately-its nappy might need changing.
When to Change Baby
If your unit is making excessive noise, and air quality around the BABY™ is noticeably reduced, the nappy may be clogged with contaminants. Replace the nappy every two to four hours, depending on the volume of contaminants trapped.
How to Change Baby
CAUTION: disconnect the unit from
the nipple before servicing. No tools are
needed. To change the nappy, there are
only two acceptable methods. Either...
1. Place the unit on a horizontal surface.
2. Remove the two nappy securing straps.
3. Take a deep breath, adjust your
protective mask.
4. Lift the unit from the nappy.
5. Knock contaminated nappy into secure,
lead-lined bin.
6. Clean unit.
7. Wrap new nappy around unit and
secure it with the two straps.
8. Breathe out.
Or get someone else to do it.
Troubleshooting Tips
Unit makes no sound?
Could be in 'sleeping' mode. Do not awake.
Unit leaking?
Overflow outlet valve designed to leak'.
Do not plug or tie off.
Unit leaking oil?
Owner fault. Baby oil should only be
applied externally.
Unit walking on hind legs, stamping feet and
constantly demanding attention?
Congratulations' You are the proud owner
of a brand new TODDLER™
Amber to SA
Amber has just arrived in SA. Our prayers are with her. I hope to be able to publish some news.
This photo is cut out of her gorgeous Christmas photo. If you didn't see the full pic, let me know.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Leona's operation delayed
Since Leona has had a fever recently the doctor put off the operation. Thanks for your prayers.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Funny kids
Big sister is dividing a candy bar between herself & little brother. It’s a little uneven and she promptly eats the bigger piece. Little brother complains that if he were dividing it he would have given the bigger piece to her and taken the smaller piece. Big sister says, “that’s what you got so what are you complaining about?”
Pray for Leona
Please pray for Leona's operation.
If she get's over her cold she'll be going in Monday at 8:30 am Australian Eastern Standard time to check in to the hospital.
See Serena's site for what's going on.
New blog for long articles
I find a lot of good articles but didn't want them on this blog so check out and bookmark Did You Read This?
I'll try to keep this for family news, pics, etc.
ILYA!
dad
I'll try to keep this for family news, pics, etc.
ILYA!
dad
Haaaappyyyy Birthday Jo ♥
Happy Birthday Joanna!!!♥♥
Here she is, our beautiful baby, cute school girl and lovely daughter. We're proud of you honey!
No we didn't forget! Not with all the alarms and computer reminders going off. We tried to ring, couldn't get through.
No we didn't forget! Not with all the alarms and computer reminders going off. We tried to ring, couldn't get through.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Back to Hawks Nest
We'll be away for 4 or 5 days at a caravan park up the coast. It's where we went when Anaik visited a couple of years ago. See pic for pre-little Justin & Jay. It was so fun. I don't think we can match it. I don't have my hopes up for anything except to relax.
Speaking of beaches-- there was an article in the travel section the other day and it said something about a beach 2-3 hours south of Sydney with 'The Whitest sand in the world'. I thought it another bit of advertising exaggeration but nope, it's in the Guinness book of records! See it here Jervis Bay
It looks like a nice place to visit.
We'll get some new photos but here is a two year old one. Hope you girls don't mind, ILY!!!
Happy Birthday Linda!!♥
To our beautiful daughter-in-law, Linda. (whom I haven't met yet, there's gotta be something wrong here!) Happiest Birthday!
So thankful to have you part of our family. Lot's of love from Kay & I. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
So thankful to have you part of our family. Lot's of love from Kay & I. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Dad's taco sause + mayo for free
Chris came over today to use our internet conection. It's good to see him. He did his 1st day of TAFE for apprentice chef yesterday. They taught him which end of the carrot to cut off and other advanced stuff. Anyway, he asked me for the recipe for the taco sauce we have in the fridge so I typed it out for him and tossed in the mayo for free. Then I thought ***blog*** I can share it with the world... or a few people anyway. So here it is---
Dad's Taco Sauce
(I thought since I've embellishedd it a little I can call it this)
1 Can of tomatoes or 5-10 fresh depending on size
2 cloves garlic (or more but you'll taste it all night!)
1 small onion (can be omitted and added to tacos separately)
1 tsp cumin (important ingredient)
1 tbls vinegar
splash of Worcestershire sauce ( or more)
1-2 tsp sugar (this takes the edge off the acid in the tomatoes)
½ jar or more of picklchiliesies (hot or mild) or chili paste or fresh chilies (will be hotter)
1-2 tsp salt
In a blender blend all ingredients to desired thickness. Add a couple of tomatoes after and blend briefly for chunky sauce.
Adjust any ingredient to taste
Refrigerate
I got the basics for this from Mike Fischer who I think got it from a little wine bar they were singing at in Sydney.
Mayonnaise
1 cup of oil (light olive the best, mum uses half n half with another oil.)
1 tsp mustard powder preparedird mustard can be used too)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 fresh egg
In a blender blend vinegar, salt, mustard & egg about 1 minute
then sloooowly add oil. It should thicken up nicely.
This is a plain Mayo. You can add chives for a nice green one or a little curry powder, good for egg sandwiches. Watch out, the curry flavour will double by the next day.
I got this recipe from a cookbook by Don Dunstan who was the premier of South Australia when we lived there around the time Jess & Jo were born.
Dad's Taco Sauce
(I thought since I've embellishedd it a little I can call it this)
1 Can of tomatoes or 5-10 fresh depending on size
2 cloves garlic (or more but you'll taste it all night!)
1 small onion (can be omitted and added to tacos separately)
1 tsp cumin (important ingredient)
1 tbls vinegar
splash of Worcestershire sauce ( or more)
1-2 tsp sugar (this takes the edge off the acid in the tomatoes)
½ jar or more of picklchiliesies (hot or mild) or chili paste or fresh chilies (will be hotter)
1-2 tsp salt
In a blender blend all ingredients to desired thickness. Add a couple of tomatoes after and blend briefly for chunky sauce.
Adjust any ingredient to taste
Refrigerate
I got the basics for this from Mike Fischer who I think got it from a little wine bar they were singing at in Sydney.
Mayonnaise
1 cup of oil (light olive the best, mum uses half n half with another oil.)
1 tsp mustard powder preparedird mustard can be used too)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 fresh egg
In a blender blend vinegar, salt, mustard & egg about 1 minute
then sloooowly add oil. It should thicken up nicely.
This is a plain Mayo. You can add chives for a nice green one or a little curry powder, good for egg sandwiches. Watch out, the curry flavour will double by the next day.
I got this recipe from a cookbook by Don Dunstan who was the premier of South Australia when we lived there around the time Jess & Jo were born.
Aussies don't use mayo so much on sandwiches just margarine. No wonder, their mayo tastes like :--((
Pharisee Nation
Whoa! This guy really tells it like it is! A person could get crucified for stuff like this. (slightly long article) Also, is it better to put the article here or a link to it?
Pharisee Nation, at a Baptist college in Pennsylvania
John Dear, CommonDreams.org
Last September, I spoke to some 2,000 students during their annual lecture at a Baptist college in Pennsylvania. After a short prayer service for peace centered on the Beatitudes, I took the stage and got right to the point. "Now let me get this straight," I said. "Jesus says, 'Blessed are the peacemakers,' which means he does not say, 'Blessed are the warmakers,' which means, the warmakers are not blessed, which means warmakers are cursed, which means, if you want to follow the nonviolent Jesus you have to work for peace, which means, we all have to resist this horrific, evil war on the people of Iraq."
With that, the place exploded, and 500 students stormed out. The rest of them then started chanting, "Bush! Bush! Bush!"
So much for my speech. Not to mention the Beatitudes.
I was not at all surprised that George W. Bush was reelected president. As I travel the country speaking out against war, injustice and nuclear weapons, I see many people consciously siding with the culture of war, choosing the path of violence, supporting corporate greed, rampant militarism, and global domination. I see many others swept up in the raging current of patriotism. Since most of these people, beginning with the president, claim to be Christian, I am ashamed and appalled that they support war and systemic injustice, that they do it in the name of God, and that they feign fidelity to the nonviolent Jesus who gave his life resisting institutionalized injustice.
I used to think these all-American Christians never read the Gospel, that they simply chose not to be authentic disciples of the nonviolent Jesus. Now, alas, I think they have indeed chosen discipleship, but not to the hero of the Gospels, Jesus. Instead, through their actions, they have become disciples of the devout, religious, all-powerful, murderous Pharisees who killed him.
We have become a culture of Pharisees. Instead of practicing an authentic spirituality of compassion, nonviolence, love and peace, we as a collective people have become self-righteous, arrogant, powerful, murderous hypocrites who dominate and kill others in the name of God. The Pharisees supported the brutal Roman rulers and soldiers, and lived off the comforts of the empire by running an elaborate banking system which charged an exorbitant fee for ordinary people just to worship God in the Temple. Since they taught that God was present only in the Temple, they were able to control the entire population. If anyone opposed their power or violated their law, the Pharisees could kill them on the spot, even in the holy sanctuary.
Most North American Christians are now becoming more and more like these hypocritical Pharisees. We side with the rulers, the bankers, and the corporate millionaires and billionaires. We run the Pentagon, bless the bombing raids, support executions, make nuclear weapons and seek global domination for America as if that was what the nonviolent Jesus wants. And we dismiss anyone who disagrees with us.
We have become a mean, vicious people, what the bible calls "stiff-necked people." And we do it all with the mistaken belief that we have the blessing of God.
In the past, empires persecuted religious groups and threatened them into passivity and silence. Now these so-called Christians run the American empire, and teach a subtle spirituality of empire to back up their power in the name of God. This spirituality of empire insists that violence saves us, might makes right, war is justified, bombing raids are blessed, nuclear weapons offer the only true security from terrorism, and the good news is not love for our enemies, but the elimination of them. The empire is working hard these days to tell the nation—and the churches—what is moral and immoral, sinful and holy. It denounces certain personal behavior as immoral, in order to distract us from the blatant immorality and mortal sin of the U.S. bombing raids which have left 100,000 Iraqis dead, or our ongoing development of thousands of weapons of mass destruction. Our Pharisee rulers would have us believe that our wars and our weapons are holy and blessed by God.
In the old days, the early Christians had big words for such behavior, such lies. They were called "blasphemous, idolatrous, heretical, hypocritical and sinful." Such words and actions were denounced as the betrayal, denial and execution of Jesus all over again in the world's poor. But the empire needs the church to bless and support its wars, or at least to remain passive and silent. As we Christians go along with the Bush administration and the American empire, we betray Jesus, renounce his teachings, and create a "Church of Christ without Christ."
The first thing we Christians have to do in this time is not to become good Pharisees. Instead, we have to try all over again to follow the dangerous, nonviolent, troublemaking Jesus. I believe war, weapons, corporate greed and systemic injustice are an abomination in the sight of God. They are the definition of mortal sin.
They mock God and threaten to destroy God's gift of creation. If you want to seek the living God, you have to pit your entire life against war, weapons, greed and injustice—and their perpetrators. It is as simple as that.
Every religion, including Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism, is rooted in nonviolence, but I submit that the only thing we know for sure about Jesus is that he was nonviolent and so, nonviolence is the hallmark of Christianity and the measure of authentic Christian living. Jesus commands that we love one another, love our neighbors, seek justice, forgive those who hurt us, pray for our persecutors, and be as compassionate as God. But at the center of his teaching is the most radical declaration ever uttered: "love your enemies."
If we dare call ourselves Christian, we cannot support war or nuclear weapons or corporate greed or executions or systemic injustice of any kind. If we do, we may well be devout American citizens, but we no longer follow the nonviolent Jesus. We have joined the hypocrites and blasphemers of the land, beginning with their leaders in the White House, the Pentagon and Los Alamos.
Jesus resisted the empire, engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience in the Temple, was arrested by the Pharisees, tried by the Roman governor and executed by Roman soldiers. If we do not want to be part of the Pharisaic culture and do want to follow the nonviolent Jesus, we have to get in trouble just as Jesus was constantly in trouble for speaking the truth, loving the wrong people, worshipping the wrong way, and promoting the wrong things, like justice and peace. We have to resist this new American empire, as well as its false spirituality and all those who claim to be Christian yet support the murder of other human beings. We have to repent of the sin of war, put down the sword, practice Gospel nonviolence, and take up the cross of revolutionary nonviolence by loving our enemies and discovering what the spiritual life is all about.
Just because the culture and the cultural church have joined with the empire and its wars does not mean that we all have to go along with such heresy, or fall into despair as if nothing can be done. It is never too late to try to follow the troublemaking Jesus, to join his practice of revolutionary nonviolence and become authentic Christians. We may find ourselves in trouble, even at the hands of so-called Christians, just as Jesus was in trouble at the hands of the so-called religious leaders of his day. But this very trouble may lead us back to those Beatitude blessings.
John Dear is a Jesuit priest and the author/editor of 20 books including most recently, "The Questions of Jesus" and "Living Peace" both published by Doubleday.
Pharisee Nation, at a Baptist college in Pennsylvania
John Dear, CommonDreams.org
Last September, I spoke to some 2,000 students during their annual lecture at a Baptist college in Pennsylvania. After a short prayer service for peace centered on the Beatitudes, I took the stage and got right to the point. "Now let me get this straight," I said. "Jesus says, 'Blessed are the peacemakers,' which means he does not say, 'Blessed are the warmakers,' which means, the warmakers are not blessed, which means warmakers are cursed, which means, if you want to follow the nonviolent Jesus you have to work for peace, which means, we all have to resist this horrific, evil war on the people of Iraq."
With that, the place exploded, and 500 students stormed out. The rest of them then started chanting, "Bush! Bush! Bush!"
So much for my speech. Not to mention the Beatitudes.
I was not at all surprised that George W. Bush was reelected president. As I travel the country speaking out against war, injustice and nuclear weapons, I see many people consciously siding with the culture of war, choosing the path of violence, supporting corporate greed, rampant militarism, and global domination. I see many others swept up in the raging current of patriotism. Since most of these people, beginning with the president, claim to be Christian, I am ashamed and appalled that they support war and systemic injustice, that they do it in the name of God, and that they feign fidelity to the nonviolent Jesus who gave his life resisting institutionalized injustice.
I used to think these all-American Christians never read the Gospel, that they simply chose not to be authentic disciples of the nonviolent Jesus. Now, alas, I think they have indeed chosen discipleship, but not to the hero of the Gospels, Jesus. Instead, through their actions, they have become disciples of the devout, religious, all-powerful, murderous Pharisees who killed him.
We have become a culture of Pharisees. Instead of practicing an authentic spirituality of compassion, nonviolence, love and peace, we as a collective people have become self-righteous, arrogant, powerful, murderous hypocrites who dominate and kill others in the name of God. The Pharisees supported the brutal Roman rulers and soldiers, and lived off the comforts of the empire by running an elaborate banking system which charged an exorbitant fee for ordinary people just to worship God in the Temple. Since they taught that God was present only in the Temple, they were able to control the entire population. If anyone opposed their power or violated their law, the Pharisees could kill them on the spot, even in the holy sanctuary.
Most North American Christians are now becoming more and more like these hypocritical Pharisees. We side with the rulers, the bankers, and the corporate millionaires and billionaires. We run the Pentagon, bless the bombing raids, support executions, make nuclear weapons and seek global domination for America as if that was what the nonviolent Jesus wants. And we dismiss anyone who disagrees with us.
We have become a mean, vicious people, what the bible calls "stiff-necked people." And we do it all with the mistaken belief that we have the blessing of God.
In the past, empires persecuted religious groups and threatened them into passivity and silence. Now these so-called Christians run the American empire, and teach a subtle spirituality of empire to back up their power in the name of God. This spirituality of empire insists that violence saves us, might makes right, war is justified, bombing raids are blessed, nuclear weapons offer the only true security from terrorism, and the good news is not love for our enemies, but the elimination of them. The empire is working hard these days to tell the nation—and the churches—what is moral and immoral, sinful and holy. It denounces certain personal behavior as immoral, in order to distract us from the blatant immorality and mortal sin of the U.S. bombing raids which have left 100,000 Iraqis dead, or our ongoing development of thousands of weapons of mass destruction. Our Pharisee rulers would have us believe that our wars and our weapons are holy and blessed by God.
In the old days, the early Christians had big words for such behavior, such lies. They were called "blasphemous, idolatrous, heretical, hypocritical and sinful." Such words and actions were denounced as the betrayal, denial and execution of Jesus all over again in the world's poor. But the empire needs the church to bless and support its wars, or at least to remain passive and silent. As we Christians go along with the Bush administration and the American empire, we betray Jesus, renounce his teachings, and create a "Church of Christ without Christ."
The first thing we Christians have to do in this time is not to become good Pharisees. Instead, we have to try all over again to follow the dangerous, nonviolent, troublemaking Jesus. I believe war, weapons, corporate greed and systemic injustice are an abomination in the sight of God. They are the definition of mortal sin.
They mock God and threaten to destroy God's gift of creation. If you want to seek the living God, you have to pit your entire life against war, weapons, greed and injustice—and their perpetrators. It is as simple as that.
Every religion, including Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism, is rooted in nonviolence, but I submit that the only thing we know for sure about Jesus is that he was nonviolent and so, nonviolence is the hallmark of Christianity and the measure of authentic Christian living. Jesus commands that we love one another, love our neighbors, seek justice, forgive those who hurt us, pray for our persecutors, and be as compassionate as God. But at the center of his teaching is the most radical declaration ever uttered: "love your enemies."
If we dare call ourselves Christian, we cannot support war or nuclear weapons or corporate greed or executions or systemic injustice of any kind. If we do, we may well be devout American citizens, but we no longer follow the nonviolent Jesus. We have joined the hypocrites and blasphemers of the land, beginning with their leaders in the White House, the Pentagon and Los Alamos.
Jesus resisted the empire, engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience in the Temple, was arrested by the Pharisees, tried by the Roman governor and executed by Roman soldiers. If we do not want to be part of the Pharisaic culture and do want to follow the nonviolent Jesus, we have to get in trouble just as Jesus was constantly in trouble for speaking the truth, loving the wrong people, worshipping the wrong way, and promoting the wrong things, like justice and peace. We have to resist this new American empire, as well as its false spirituality and all those who claim to be Christian yet support the murder of other human beings. We have to repent of the sin of war, put down the sword, practice Gospel nonviolence, and take up the cross of revolutionary nonviolence by loving our enemies and discovering what the spiritual life is all about.
Just because the culture and the cultural church have joined with the empire and its wars does not mean that we all have to go along with such heresy, or fall into despair as if nothing can be done. It is never too late to try to follow the troublemaking Jesus, to join his practice of revolutionary nonviolence and become authentic Christians. We may find ourselves in trouble, even at the hands of so-called Christians, just as Jesus was in trouble at the hands of the so-called religious leaders of his day. But this very trouble may lead us back to those Beatitude blessings.
John Dear is a Jesuit priest and the author/editor of 20 books including most recently, "The Questions of Jesus" and "Living Peace" both published by Doubleday.
Happy Birthday Lorrie!!
Happy Birthday to Lorrie
I think she's into the double digits now--wow!
Love from all of us down under
,
Hot stuff!
