We bug bombed our house yesterday. As we finished preparing the house and were about ready to set the foggers off, my fourteen-year-old shouted back into the house, in a most malevalent voice, "Tell Saddam we said 'hi'!"
Posted by Danny Carlton at January 5, 2007 9:57 AM
You and I are both Christians but, I guess, we're just different kinds: I don't believe my friends' enemies are to be my enemies or that my enemies are to be killed or that when they are it's at all humorous.
I wouldn't be proud if my child thought so little of a human life to make a joke like this either. I don't think your son's a horrible person - just young and immature like fourteen year olds get to be only once in life...but that doesn't explain your reaction. I do have a sense of humor. And I know this "joke" is really about bugs and not politics and faith to you, but the lack of value placed on Saddam's life is also key to getting the humor - don't you think?
See, if Bush were assassinated - and you and I were both saddened about that because he's like us, a good guy - and your son were to say "Tell George I said hi", I don't think you'd find that as amusing. No, you wouldn't because you value Mr.Bush's life.
Jesus blessed peacemakers, told us to turn the other cheek, and did so while reminding us why we're not above our enemies or any one else: ALL mankind is "poor in spirit" and loved by God and therefore equal in terms of our shared depravity and value in the eyes of God. Sadam's death is no more humorous than that of Bush or you or me or Jesus.
Posted by: shaun groves at January 6, 2007 10:09 PM
A mass murderer is dead and this is bad how?
Y'need to grow up and get a clue, bro. What tense was the pronoun in Matthew 5:39?
Does it say...
"...but whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also."
or
"...but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."
There's a big difference between the two (that's missing in the newer, inaccurate versions, BTW). Thou and thee are singular, you and ye are plural. Jesus wasn't making a collective standard, but an individual one. Jesus never gave any instructions on how governments should be run, but lots and lots of stuff on how individuals should behave. Killing a mass murderer is not a bad thing for a government to do.
To try to pretend some sort of moral equivalence between a supposed assassination of George Bush, and the legal execution of Saddam Hussein is preposterous, and shows an alarming failure on your part to grasp simple moral concepts. I have no problems with my son laughing about the execution of a mass murder. I'd be horribly worried were he to think it morally equivalent to the assassination of a good man. I find your words much more offensive and outrageous.
Posted by: Danny Carlton at January 8, 2007 7:15 AM
Oh, Shaun, and on your music...
If you can't understand the words...where's the ministry?
Posted by: Danny Carlton at January 8, 2007 7:18 AM