I’ve recently given thought that Christianity wasn’t supposed to be related to Judaism at all ... it was to be “whole, in itself” ... love and caring for one another the law.
I don’t write as well as you do. The most I can say is that I’m well-read. I’ve used logical fallacies extensively as an editorial artist in the past, so I know what they are. Now, I paint puzzles, book covers, posters, commercial stuff and the occasional editorial. Steve Brodner is a master of logical fallacies. He uses them in some of his editorials; it goes with the territory. Unfortunately it also seems a bit unfair to the ignorant out there who are easily manipulated. The fact that he also happens to be a brilliant artist makes his editorials even more powerful than about 99% of artists in the field. I’m surprised when excellent writers like you use cartoonlike descriptions of religions like “Christianity, a lousy copy of Judaism” that don’t make much sense. That description shows a profound level of ignorance of both faiths. You probably have a better understanding of Islam, but, since I’ve not studied it as much as I’ve studied my faith, I’m not sure. As a Christian, I know Islam’s origins, but, not much more. Your essays are simplistic, essentializing people of faith, but interesting and beautifully written. I understand it would take many pages to flesh out some of the ideas you cover, so maybe I’m being unfair. You argue sometimes using non-sequiturs, evident in your interpretations about the slavery of the Bible and how it was used as justification for some Americans to hold slaves. The fact that men used the Bible, which is neutral in the New Testament on the matter of slavery, to claim it was the will of God that African Americans were enslaved, is not an indictment of the Bible, but of men. The verses you pointed to have nothing to do with the approval of slavery as an institution, but how enslaved Christians should act toward their masters, and how masters should treat their slaves. As a Christian, I’m instructed to be a slave to Christ. Many biblical references to slavery have to do with our relationship as Christians to Christ. Interestingly, Christians, specifically from Puritan New England and Quaker Pennsylvania, finally ended slavery in America by turning popular opinion in the North against it. William Wilberforce, a Christian, was the main voice of the Abolition Movement in England leading to the end of the English slave trade. His life was dramatized in the movie, “Amazing Grace.”
I’ve recently given thought that Christianity wasn’t supposed to be related to Judaism at all ... it was to be “whole, in itself” ... love and caring for one another the law.
I don’t write as well as you do. The most I can say is that I’m well-read. I’ve used logical fallacies extensively as an editorial artist in the past, so I know what they are. Now, I paint puzzles, book covers, posters, commercial stuff and the occasional editorial. Steve Brodner is a master of logical fallacies. He uses them in some of his editorials; it goes with the territory. Unfortunately it also seems a bit unfair to the ignorant out there who are easily manipulated. The fact that he also happens to be a brilliant artist makes his editorials even more powerful than about 99% of artists in the field. I’m surprised when excellent writers like you use cartoonlike descriptions of religions like “Christianity, a lousy copy of Judaism” that don’t make much sense. That description shows a profound level of ignorance of both faiths. You probably have a better understanding of Islam, but, since I’ve not studied it as much as I’ve studied my faith, I’m not sure. As a Christian, I know Islam’s origins, but, not much more. Your essays are simplistic, essentializing people of faith, but interesting and beautifully written. I understand it would take many pages to flesh out some of the ideas you cover, so maybe I’m being unfair. You argue sometimes using non-sequiturs, evident in your interpretations about the slavery of the Bible and how it was used as justification for some Americans to hold slaves. The fact that men used the Bible, which is neutral in the New Testament on the matter of slavery, to claim it was the will of God that African Americans were enslaved, is not an indictment of the Bible, but of men. The verses you pointed to have nothing to do with the approval of slavery as an institution, but how enslaved Christians should act toward their masters, and how masters should treat their slaves. As a Christian, I’m instructed to be a slave to Christ. Many biblical references to slavery have to do with our relationship as Christians to Christ. Interestingly, Christians, specifically from Puritan New England and Quaker Pennsylvania, finally ended slavery in America by turning popular opinion in the North against it. William Wilberforce, a Christian, was the main voice of the Abolition Movement in England leading to the end of the English slave trade. His life was dramatized in the movie, “Amazing Grace.”