Indifference (American Judgment Day II, Nine.)

Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
~Daniel 3:14-18

...

Cassian Andor: What? To steal from the Empire, what do you need? A uniform, some dirty hands, and an Imperial toolkit. They’re so proud of themselves, they don’t even care. They’re so fat and satisfied, they can’t imagine it…

Luthen Rael: Can’t imagine what?

Andor: That someone like me would ever get inside their house, walk their floors, spit in their food, take their gear.

~From the Star Wars series Andor, S1, E2 "That would be me."

I saw this while I was writing my last post.

Some dude had a medical emergency right in the Oval Office and Trump just stood there, staring straight ahead at the camera, looking annoyed.

I've written extensively about the SNAP shutoff cuz that affects me and my partner.

If there's three thing that define "Conservatives" or Republicans at this point, they're depravity, indifference and selfishness.

But just standing there like a bump on a log when somebody falls over right next to you? 

That takes it to a whole new level.

Sorry, but I just wasn't taught like that.

And I think that needs to be said.

A lot of these fucking people seem to think Trump is God based on exactly that depraved indifference and selfishness, or because he tickles their ears like a typical false prophet and tells them what they want to hear.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. ~2nd Timothy 4:3-4

I saw this earlier, too.

Apparently, things that I was taught were just...basic consideration for other people...are "Communism" now according to at least some Republicans.

No, Tony, that ain't it.

Communism hasn't been a thing since 1989.

Maybe it's just me and I was taught back in the 1970's and 1980's but damn, basic consideration for other people shouldn't even be political. Or at least, when it has to be there should be a lot of bipartisan support for it.

I mean, I'd hope if you got hurt or lost your job, you're smart enough that you'd want somebody else to give a shit?? 

Or is that only cuz it's you??

You either believe in civilization or you don't.

I'm just sayin' These Fucking People's feral cat rugged individualism bullshit must be a lonely life.

Although probably not lonely enough, given how these assholes treat women.

And at this point, if we want to go back to having a society that gives a shit about people, it's gonna be a fight to make it that way.

Sorry, but that's the truth.

We as a nation are facing a Biblical-level plague of narcissism, and I think we need to face that and deal with it before it gets worse.

I'm just sayin' when one of the main religious sects in this country...Evangelical Christianity...maintains an obsessive focus on its members having a "personal relationship" with Jesus Christ. You know, Jesus, a guy that's been dead for 2,000 years and who while believed to be alive in Heaven has not provided any evidence of such (which is kind of the idea, actually) but the problem with that is conservative Evangelicals...basically trained to be radically atheistic towards any other belief system or way of looking at the world besides conservative Evangelicalism...sooner or later figure out that they don't care for much of what's in the Bible and pretty much don't believe that, either.

And I say that as somebody who's been pointing out that political conservatism shouldn't be being taught as though it was Christianity for over 25 years.

I guess in the way I was taught to look at the world, pretty much everybody should be able to support the basic gist of much of the teachings of Jesus.

But I suppose when one's goal is to do about anything but "Love Thy Neighbor" the Truth then becomes problematic.

Anyway it seems to me like teaching people that crap produces empty religiosity rather than actual true faith. I suppose that might be useful to a certain kind of politics, to have a kind of Christ-less Christianity. But, spiritually, according to the Lord's Word that's how you go to Hell.

And when your so-called leader can't be bothered to even turn aside and see what happened when somebody standing right next to him falls over, that tells me a lot of stuff about you, too.

You either believe in civilization or you don't.

You either believe in freedom or you don't.

You either believe in truth or you don't.

It really is that damned simple.

Слава Україна!

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

~Matthew 22:36-40

Eight

The dark is generous and it is patient, and it always wins.

But at the heart of its strength lies weakness.

One lone candle is enough to hold it back.

Love is more than a candle; Love can ignite the stars.

~Matthew Stover, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith novelization.