Just for starters ....
Repo Man said:
Are you implying that you believe she is a troll, or something else? Spell it out for me, I'm dense sometimes.
Troll, provocateur, call it what you want. To take MZ3Boy's point for instance: "
She's made it clear that she claims Christianity as her religion of choice."
Well, she can
say it. Doesn't mean much, all things considered. Al Qaeda would have us believe they're Muslims, the Catholics would have us believe Cardinal Francis George is the right man to steer the USCCB through the continuing sex-abuse scandal, and FOX News would have us believe they are fair and balanced.
There really are a number of things she could be. Consider it like the first time I ever saw this little brown, furry thing that, when you cut it open, looked like green fruit. The first time I saw it, I couldn't have told you it was kiwi fruit, but I certainly could have told you it wasn't a freakin' orange.
She could be:
• A misguided atheistic activist. After all, Sciforums isn't the only place she puts on this show; she travels around the web giving this performance that seems to depict Christians as complete morons. And while Christians and I have certain differences about our outlooks that seem irreconcilable, I'm not as hard on the Christians as she is.
• A political provocateur. Especially among conservatives, a popular game is to pretend ignorance. Then, when people repeatedly explain what one pretends to not know, they can turn around, clip an exasperated quote from here and there, and go off to complain to their friends about the hostile, self-righteous political opponents who think they know it all. Another, which seems more Sandy's game, is to depict a group of conservatives as being the epitome of stupidity and rudeness. They seek to offend by their alleged ignorance in order to take back to their comrades more evidence of how mean and bigoted the other side is. The point is generally to stir emotions and escalate hostility in order to reaffirm the idea that their innocent comrades are under threat from an aggressive and dangerous opposition.
• An idiot. It could simply be that, no matter how much she wants to be a Christian, she can't figure out how to be one.
One critical mistake about Sandy's performance is that she shows
zero faith in God. Look at how much judgment pours from her lips. Look at how desperately she clings to tangible, earthly classifications. Watch her try to score points by playing juvenile games with people's names. She behaves as one who is absolutely afraid of trusting in God's wisdom, and while that might actually seem
smart, it is not becoming of Christian faith. The basis of her expressions of faith is
pride. She is proud to identify as a "CCR". She is proud of her faith. She is proud of the sociopolitical power she thinks it brings. The last thing her Christianity seems to give a damn about is Christ himself.
".... Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
(Matthew 25.41-ff,
RSV)
Consider her lack of compassion for "criminal aliens", and her devotion to earthly symbols (e.g., national borders, identity politics) instead of God's kingdom.
"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
"Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
"And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words."
(Matthew 6.1-7,
RSV)
How
proud she is of being born again, of being a CCR, of the political power she and her fellows wield.
The mistake of these false Christians is their pride, their impatience. They haven't
any faith in God's wisdom, and seem to reject His mercy—unless, of course, that mercy should be for them. And like many provocateurs, she seems to treat the concept of original sin and faith in Jesus to mean that she can behave however the hell she wants, just as long as she believes Jesus will save her. Faith is more than simply being a spiritual ingrate. It is accepting wisdom that may well escape your grasp, and conducting yourself accordingly.
The strongest Christian faith is found in those you wouldn't know are there except that you trip over them accidentally. These are the ones who trust in God, rejoice in the promise. It is not found among those who would take up the Cross only to bludgeon their neighbors with.
Call her what you want. But calling her a Christian really
is unfair to Christianity. Holding her behavior against Christianity would simply be bigotry. The best thing would be to leave her for God to deal with. So what if she won't be around to realize she's wrong? It's not worth wishing there
was a God just so we could take joy in Sandy's impending condemnation.
All it takes is the time to observe her conduct. Certainly, she may behave like many other "Christians" who annoy the hell out of us, but isn't part of the complaint about Christians in America the fact of their hypocrisy?
