tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post3905430478950800560..comments2023-10-05T09:42:27.834-07:00Comments on Pamela Mordecai @ Jahworld: Is Stephen Harper's government to be trusted?clarabellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18046264094193801260noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post-89486959645476099822008-09-15T18:59:00.000-07:002008-09-15T18:59:00.000-07:00fsjl:I don't like the word 'religion' much. It say...fsjl:<BR/><BR/>I don't like the word 'religion' much. It says less and less about human beings and their relationship to God, and their responsibilities towards one another, and more about a lot of other things that have not got much to do with doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with my God, as the prophet Micah says. The notion of my punishing anybody (even if I could) is quite beyond my ken. Finally, if I've ever changed my mind about anything, it's been by means of "gentle persuasion", not by having it shoved down my throat. So it rather seems that there are Christians, and then again there are Christians...clarabellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18046264094193801260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post-14729868185773287762008-09-15T12:05:00.000-07:002008-09-15T12:05:00.000-07:00Pam:For you, as I know well, the purpose of religi...Pam:<BR/><BR/>For you, as I know well, the purpose of religion is not to punish people you do not fit into your world-view. For far too many Xtians, that does seem to be the only thing religion is for -- the one-upping of the world. The funny thing is that they insist on calling it 'love'. I'm certainly not going to lump decent human beings like you or Dick Ho-Lung in the same category.FSJLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15803079547494458258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post-69216859946860123192008-09-15T11:37:00.000-07:002008-09-15T11:37:00.000-07:00Hi jdid:I hate to agree, but I think you may be ri...Hi jdid:<BR/><BR/>I hate to agree, but I think you may be right about a Conservative majority, in which case, I may have to consider going to live in Belize or Costa Rica! If one's vote is to count this time around it will surely have to be for the Liberals. And I agree with you about Canadian politics. People are unbelievably apathetic, as you say. My husband has always maintained that people get the government they deserve. The price of freedom is, as that slave owner, Thomas Jefferson so famously said, eternal vigilance. If we don't look to our responsibility as citizens, we may soon find our citizenship diminished.clarabellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18046264094193801260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post-38020624776194994322008-09-15T11:29:00.000-07:002008-09-15T11:29:00.000-07:00Hi fsjl:So, am I, a Bible-believing, hopefully eva...Hi fsjl:<BR/><BR/>So, am I, a Bible-believing, hopefully evangelizing, disciple of Jesus, who does indeed believe that we may be in the end times (whatever that may mean, however long it may be, bearing in mind that a thousand years are as a day unto the Lord) to be lumped in with an host of narrow, judgmental, self-righteous people who presume that they have some sort of 'in' with God that permits them to not be accountable? A post coming up on that...clarabellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18046264094193801260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post-58323018100988057062008-09-15T07:21:00.000-07:002008-09-15T07:21:00.000-07:00the really scary thing is that Harper will probabl...the really scary thing is that Harper will probably win his majority easily as the Liberals have not discredited Harper enough to really make any inroads and have not sold their agenda enough to win back the same number of seats that they currently have. I also believe the NDP will be decimated in this election as well.<BR/><BR/>Canadian politics is amazing. A story comes out that the Conservatives tried to bribe a dying politician to vote their way and that Harper likely knew and no one really runs with this story. It made the newspaper like two days and then died. This plays in the US and we have 24/7 coverage on CNN for weeks and people at least have some semblance of outrage. Here the apathy is overwhelming. unbelievable.<BR/><BR/>maybe we do deserve that conservative majority.Jdidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08493622796742761799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post-65161837497532691742008-09-15T05:56:00.000-07:002008-09-15T05:56:00.000-07:00Harper may not care. There's a strand among Evange...Harper may not care. There's a strand among Evangelical Xtians that really, truly does believe either that these are the End Days and that they will be Raptured away to spend Eternity (with a capital E) in Glory with their Maker. Since, judging by their behaviour on earth, their Maker is Old Scratch Himself, I wish them well of him. Or, in the alternative (as the lawyers say), they want to Immanentise the Eschaton and bring about the Coming of the Lord as swiftly as possible. These are not nice people in either case, and the god they project from the darkest recesses of their fears is not a nice god.FSJLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15803079547494458258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post-13572995695246584192008-09-14T08:51:00.000-07:002008-09-14T08:51:00.000-07:00jdid, fsjl:You wonder if these politicians know "w...jdid, fsjl:<BR/><BR/>You wonder if these politicians know "what clock a strike..." as we put it in Jamdown. Stephen Harper has children, young ones. Does he want them to die of respiratory diseases in their mid years? Does he think that HIS children will escape the effects of a degraded environment by some miracle? Does he not realize that the immoral stance that sees US, and now Canadian (in Afghanistan) invasions into other countries as "promoting democracy" and "fighting terrorism" may well stretch its tentacles out in due course to corral his children too? He has savaged funding to the arts, which are crucial for enabling all of us, but young people especially, to express ourselves, to let off steam in constructive ways, describe our dreams, tell our stories, claim our languages and our heritages. There's something called "social cost" – haven't these guys ever heard of it? Better to write a poem about injustice than to take up a gun or a knife. Things are indeed "brown" as jdid says... No sign of green, or the desire on the part of citizens to live in a sustainable world, environmentally, politically, emotionally or spiritually... I think I'll have to add fasting to the praying that I keep talking about. It's our only chance of survival!clarabellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18046264094193801260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post-2602649174910050332008-09-14T06:50:00.000-07:002008-09-14T06:50:00.000-07:00It does look like massive hypocrisy on Harper's pa...It does look like massive hypocrisy on Harper's part. On the other hand, no politician worth his or her salt would pass up an opportunity to consolidate power.<BR/><BR/>For further elucidation on the second sentence above, I refer you to Niccolò Machiavelli's little handbook for wielders of power, Il Principe.FSJLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15803079547494458258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post-52608265373018921512008-09-14T06:49:00.000-07:002008-09-14T06:49:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.FSJLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15803079547494458258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post-66999152255117242522008-09-14T06:47:00.000-07:002008-09-14T06:47:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.FSJLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15803079547494458258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147029108490505546.post-26100088378720967292008-09-13T20:00:00.000-07:002008-09-13T20:00:00.000-07:00Two things here (1) Stephen Harper knows this is p...Two things here (1) Stephen Harper knows this is probably his best chance to win a majority government and get carte blanche to rewrite our country as he sees fit which is a rather scary thing in my belief. (2) Regardless of what the "experts" say the economy is in the dump. Tough measures may have to be taken. So Harper like some of the Caribbean leaders who call elections before things get too rough so they could get a new mandate and enforce the tough measures without worrying about a poll in a year or two and hoping that things would brighten up in 3 or 4 years by the next elections.<BR/><BR/>Either way you look at it though things are brownJdidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08493622796742761799noreply@blogger.com