The Bible says many things. Among them, Jesus said there would always be poor people (the inference is that we mustn’t get too excited about them). The Bible also says that servants must obey their masters. And that wives must obey their husbands. Sweet. Rich Christian fundamentalists, who literally believe this, get to be kings on earth before they even get to the Rapture part, the point in the final Biblical blood baths (Book of Revelations) where they rise up into the sky with Jesus. Having finally escaped this convoluted thinking that saturated my early life in the US, (my father was an fundamentalist preacher) I now find myself living under the guidance of a Canadian prime minister who also is a member of this fundamentalist Christian club, one who believes literally in the Bible, particularly the Book of Revelation that gave us the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Revelations: 6:1-8).
These Four Horsemen have always made my head ache. The horsemen each ride different colored horses; white, red, black and ashen. And it is Jesus himself who sends these horsemen out to wreck terrible havoc upon the world, especially the ashen horsemen who has death written over him and is given authority to kill (by Jesus) with sword and pestilence and famine and wild beast. Fancy that. Whatever happened to the notion of “gentle savior?” Isn’t this a tad contradictory?
Nevertheless, the story of the Four Horsemen in the Book of Revelations is what fundamentalists believe literally, including Prime Minister Harper. And to buttress up Harper’s belief in these futurist horsemen, he has his own literal four horsemen waiting in the wings. These are the four judges of the Supreme Court of Canada he will appoint in the next four years to replace four retiring judges.
These new judges may be in many respects seem much like any other appointed judges except they will share one mind set because Stephen Harper will only appoint judges who believe as he does. They will perhaps belong to different churches, but will essentially hold very similar beliefs. They will believe abortion to be wrong and will rule against it. They will believe same sex marriage to be wrong and will rule against that too, along with most other rulings on Charter Rights. These are the four horsemen we must fear, not Biblical ones. Stephen Harper’s judicial four horsemen must not be allowed to ride. We must send out our own horsemen of hope and change, and not be dismayed by Harper’s Four Horsemen of death and destruction. And it is our vote on Monday that will halt Harper’s ride. Please let’s do this. Anybody but Harper.
I would like to correct you by giving the context of the verse you quoted.
ReplyDeleteThe story is in Matthew 26:6-13 and is about a woman that was honoring Jesus by pouring an expensive ointment on him. Then some of his disciples, specifically Judas, said this was a waste and could have been given to the poor, not that he cared for the poor but he had the money box and took from it for himself. (John 12:4-6) Jesus rebukes gently by saying essentially, there is always the job of taking care of the poor but don't criticize this woman for doing something good.
Here is the Verses from Matthew 26:6-13
6 ¶ Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.