The Beam In Thine Own Eye.

(CW: A bit heavy on the Word tonight, if religion isn't your thing, that's Okay, you don't have to read any further.)

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

~Matthew 7:1-10

I saw this earlier today. There are American evangelical preachers at the Polish/Ukrainian border telling tired refugees that they need to "Accept Jesus as their savior, so their lives will be better."

A lot of people are evidently just ignoring them, because of course most Ukrainians are *Already* Christians. More to the point, the Orthodox Church of which Ukrainian Orthodox is a more recent specific offshoot, is far older than Protestantism itself, much less modern Evangelicalism, which is a recent innovation.

In point of fact, much of the (Greek) linguistics and (Byzantine) liturgy of the various Orthodox churches specifically recalls the Greek-speaking culture of the Eastern Empire in which its roots were set with the Great Schism of 1054...and the roots of that goes further back, still, to Classical Greece and Plato and the thread winds down through early Christianity as well.

The New Testament was originally written largely in Greek.

In point of fact, the various Orthodox Churches hold the same creeds and texts holy as Evangelicals claim to. Indeed, the Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed established there is, canonically, specifically, the very basis of these people's faith...as are a number of subsequent councils and creeds that further codified their beliefs.

And 67% of Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians, a further 20% other Christians (everything from Catholics to Pentecostals) around 3% are Muslim and 11% atheist or non-religious, plus small percentages of other faiths such as Buddhism or Paganism.

So, really, the vast majority of Ukrainians are just going to roll their eyes at these fucking people preaching, and deservedly so.

And these fucking people deserve worse that being disdained or ignored. 

I mean, what the hell kind of low-down dirty shithead do you have to be to go and preach at refugees fleeing from a war? 

You notice they're not preaching against this "Z" bullshit, or against war.

Seriously?

I shouldn't even have to ask that kind of question.

I also saw this, Vitali Klitschko being interviewed by a reporter who said that "Putin says he's only attacking military targets" and of course the response was "Bullshit, sorry." Dude does not fuck around.

These people's country is being bombed, with civilians deliberately being targeted and their military is still keeping up the will to fight and winning the fucking war, Ukraine is well known to already be a Christian country. In fact, Ukrainian Evangelicals, Fundamentalists and Pentecostals are overrepresented in the Ukrainian Armed Forces because they know that Putin persecutes people like them in Russia and they value their freedom...religious and otherwise.

And White American Evangelicals want to go and preach at these people, women and children fleeing from bombs and missiles?

Seriously, White American Evangelicals, the fuck is even wrong with you??

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. ~Matthew 7:11-15

And remember, this is what they're up against, and that is not hyperbole. This is an official Russian MoD photo of a Soviet flag on a current Russian military vehicle.

This is a thing that would not be without Vladimir Putin's knowledge, consent, and/or specific orders.

Yet there are still American "Conservatives" who praise Putin's "Christian values."

Do I need to tell you how Christianity fared in the old Soviet Union? Mind you I have books somewhere around here that go into some detail on the persecution of Christians...especially of Evangelical types...under Communism.

And Ukrainian civilians are dying at the hands of Russian troops operating under the color of the Red Banner.

Yet today, American Evangelicals...and their Republican political avatars...remain some of Vladimir Putin's fiercest backers on a global level.

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ~Matthew 7:16-21

Does that quite spell it out for you?!

You can either believe in the Cross of Christ or the Hammer and Sickle.

You don't get to claim both.

Either you believe in The Word...or you believe only in the vain words coming out of your own mouth.

One of these things is not like the other one.

I think a sincerely practicing Christian should be...and would be...helping those refugees instead of preaching at them.

These fucking people don't even rate as "Wolves in sheep's clothing." They're vultures, pure and simple.

And what they desire is a feast of blood and souls. 

They don't want to help people who need it. They just want to fool the feeble-minded into thinking they're righteous so they can get Man's approval for their agendas.

And they don't give a damn whose souls they break in the process or who dies in this war.

In point of fact, the cruelty is the point. 

Heaven isn't heaven if everybody gets to go. That's these people's whole game right there.

And they think when they go to Heaven they're going to do it without dying first and then get to watch other people suffer. That is literally the entire basis of their "religion."

Jesus would chase these fuckers around with Vitali Klitschko's AK-47 while shouting profanity in multiple ancient languages. And then He'd laugh about it with Klitschko after.

And I'm pretty sure He would be helping the Ukrainians try and fix up some shit after that, or build some shelters for refugees. Dude was a carpenter after all.

To believe anything else is to have missed the whole damned point of the Gospels.

Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy soul and all thy might and love thy neighbor as thyself.

To do one without doing the other will not suffice.

And, are the Ukrainians not our neighbors in this ever-smaller world we inhabit? Are not the Russians as well? Shouldn't we be helping all those people who desire to flee from or to resist the might of Putin's neo-Soviet state?

Thing is, the Evangelicals aren't there to resist Putin, they want to be just like him.

It was never about Jesus. 

It was always about Power and Privilege.

And if you don't think that the Lord knows this, well, you'd best either figure it out or be prepared for a warm afterlife.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. ~Matthew 7:22-23

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