Meh_Gerbil
March 23rd 2007, 07:40 PM
I want to take a moment to clarify my perspective because in the Al Gore thread there have been some responses wherein the authors seem to be mistaking Meh Gerbil for Mad Gerbil. There is a reason why I've changed my name and I want to deal with that to help make conversations more profitable.
First, a relevant passage from 1 Peter 2:
1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
<snip>
13Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Now then, there are a few statements I'd like to make in response to this passage - these are things that I've said before, but bear repeating.
1: During Clinton's term in office the treatment of him by a conservative segment of Christianity in this country was deplorable. At that time, I made several posts here that were outright sin. During his term I didn't honor him and I helped to spread slander against the man and his wife.
2: The slander included not only Clinton, but several Democratic leaders. Everyone from Barney Frank to Ted Kennedy on down through local state and city officials.
3: I owe these people an apology - I wronged them.
Based on 1 Peter I think it is clear that I need to work on having the proper level of respect for these people. I'm to respond with respect for the Lord's sake according to the passage. I didn't write that passage - I don't particularly care for it on one hand but on the other hand it has become a favorite too. :tongue:
That being said, when I created the thread about Al Gore - and I want to be clear on this - the thread was not intended as a hit piece. I don't want to go back to the way Mad Gerbil was - I want to get as far away from that sin as possible. I'm really starting to hate slander, gossip, and partisanship - which is one reason why I've not spent much time on the Pol-Sci board lately.
Now if you doubt my resolve on this issue then you need only visit my Sunday School class where there are several people disgusted with my refusal to vote in upcoming elections. I refuse to vote until I can love my political 'enemies' and properly respect them when they take office. This stand makes some of my Christian friends very upset - but then, I've opposed Christians every step of the way in my spiritual walk and I'm certianly not going to shrink from opposing non-Christians.
Lately, during prayer, I've been asking God to show me who I hate so that I can spend time praying for them. This hatred nonsense has to go - I won't tolerate it anymore in myself.
So what was I thinking when I wrote the Al Gore thread?
I was thinking how it's funny that I've a tendency to want to be suspicious of Al Gore while at the same time I give a pass to Bush on oil deals. I also think it's amazing that I expect more of Al Gore (integrity wise) than I do from myself. Honestly - no joke here - when I completed the thread I began asking myself if I'm as consistent as Gore on important issues.
Now none of this means I won't tell jokes (the photography joke about Hilary comes to mind), for me, the joke is less an issue than the condition of the heart. So even in the midst of a joke I'm very conscious of the condition of the heart and I know already I'll fail, and slip into old patterns of hatred and slander, but then that is why I need the cross.
The long and short of it is this: If you want to talk to Mad Gerbil then you'll have to go find him because Meh Gerbil doesn't want partisan discussions anymore. I'm tired of the kool-aid drinking partisanship - I got my fill of that in the 90's with Clinton and I'm looking towards being a better person than that.
I'm just serving notice because if people respond to me like I'm a partisan in the future I'm just going to put them on ignore. I'm not saying I'm perfectly fair minded - I'm not, I do have preferences - but I've got enough of the partisanship out of my system to be repulsed by people who want to reduce a discussion to a mud slinging contest - I won't have it anymore.
People who make hatred their religion bore me - I feel this way about 'them' as much as 'us'.
I no longer have time for kool-aid drinkers or evangelists of any type.
First, a relevant passage from 1 Peter 2:
1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
<snip>
13Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Now then, there are a few statements I'd like to make in response to this passage - these are things that I've said before, but bear repeating.
1: During Clinton's term in office the treatment of him by a conservative segment of Christianity in this country was deplorable. At that time, I made several posts here that were outright sin. During his term I didn't honor him and I helped to spread slander against the man and his wife.
2: The slander included not only Clinton, but several Democratic leaders. Everyone from Barney Frank to Ted Kennedy on down through local state and city officials.
3: I owe these people an apology - I wronged them.
Based on 1 Peter I think it is clear that I need to work on having the proper level of respect for these people. I'm to respond with respect for the Lord's sake according to the passage. I didn't write that passage - I don't particularly care for it on one hand but on the other hand it has become a favorite too. :tongue:
That being said, when I created the thread about Al Gore - and I want to be clear on this - the thread was not intended as a hit piece. I don't want to go back to the way Mad Gerbil was - I want to get as far away from that sin as possible. I'm really starting to hate slander, gossip, and partisanship - which is one reason why I've not spent much time on the Pol-Sci board lately.
Now if you doubt my resolve on this issue then you need only visit my Sunday School class where there are several people disgusted with my refusal to vote in upcoming elections. I refuse to vote until I can love my political 'enemies' and properly respect them when they take office. This stand makes some of my Christian friends very upset - but then, I've opposed Christians every step of the way in my spiritual walk and I'm certianly not going to shrink from opposing non-Christians.
Lately, during prayer, I've been asking God to show me who I hate so that I can spend time praying for them. This hatred nonsense has to go - I won't tolerate it anymore in myself.
So what was I thinking when I wrote the Al Gore thread?
I was thinking how it's funny that I've a tendency to want to be suspicious of Al Gore while at the same time I give a pass to Bush on oil deals. I also think it's amazing that I expect more of Al Gore (integrity wise) than I do from myself. Honestly - no joke here - when I completed the thread I began asking myself if I'm as consistent as Gore on important issues.
Now none of this means I won't tell jokes (the photography joke about Hilary comes to mind), for me, the joke is less an issue than the condition of the heart. So even in the midst of a joke I'm very conscious of the condition of the heart and I know already I'll fail, and slip into old patterns of hatred and slander, but then that is why I need the cross.
The long and short of it is this: If you want to talk to Mad Gerbil then you'll have to go find him because Meh Gerbil doesn't want partisan discussions anymore. I'm tired of the kool-aid drinking partisanship - I got my fill of that in the 90's with Clinton and I'm looking towards being a better person than that.
I'm just serving notice because if people respond to me like I'm a partisan in the future I'm just going to put them on ignore. I'm not saying I'm perfectly fair minded - I'm not, I do have preferences - but I've got enough of the partisanship out of my system to be repulsed by people who want to reduce a discussion to a mud slinging contest - I won't have it anymore.
People who make hatred their religion bore me - I feel this way about 'them' as much as 'us'.
I no longer have time for kool-aid drinkers or evangelists of any type.