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I mean I have been a christian all my life, and I am also unambiguously very far to the left explicitly because that is the only way I can see to truly act with

I mean I have been a christian all my life, and I am also unambiguously very far to the left explicitly because that is the only way I can see to truly act within my religious beliefs in the world right now. So I'm not sure how far this framework can get you, really. I certainly don't find it to have much explanatory power on any of these issues. I also think it could be rephrased in a way that would make it easy to see how it describes the american political right, but I kind of trusted the readers to do that and didn't bother. But things like refusal to wear masks, wide-spread gun ownership, these are the "self-actualizated rights" that conservatives understand as needing no forgiveness regardless of harm caused.

WalterBright 4y ago
> that is the only way I can see to truly act within my religious beliefs I've been unable to find in the Bible the phrase that says "take from bob and give it to bill and you will be righteous". My interpretation of the Bible is that Jesus encouraged people to freely give of their own to help others. I'm genuinely curious where your leftist views derive from Christian principles.
- giraffe_lady 4y ago
  You've already mischaracterized my views and further I'm not particularly educated or skilled in debate or theology, nor do I enjoy defending the deep foundations of my self from what is likely to be a hostile audience on the internet. So you will have to remain curious, sorry. But I am lucky enough to have received a centuries-long tradition of christian radicalism, and came to no conclusions on my own. You can read john chysostom, or mother maria, or tolstoy, or talk to your own priest. The path is well-worn and there are many ways to find it.
  - WalterBright 4y ago
    You're safe with me, as I eschew use of rhetorical tricks and traps in debate (people try them all the time on me). I do my best to rely on facts and reason. I only take sides that I believe are correct. I believe that if one espouses honest opinions, and they don't hold up to facts and reason, one should re-evaluate those opinions, or acquire a stronger basis for them.
- Natsu 4y ago
  Actually the Apostles try having "all things in common" for a while in Acts 4 or so, find that their initial ideas don't work out that great (see, e.g. Ananias), but eventually set up institutions of communal living with some monasteries and such.
  - WalterBright 4y ago
    There's nothing wrong with voluntary communism. It's the forcible kind, though, that is unjust.

WalterBright 4y ago

> that is the only way I can see to truly act within my religious beliefs I've been unable to find in the Bible the phrase that says "take from bob and give it to bill and you will be righteous". My interpretation of the Bible is that Jesus encouraged people to freely give of their own to help others. I'm genuinely curious where your leftist views derive from Christian principles.

giraffe_lady 4y ago
You've already mischaracterized my views and further I'm not particularly educated or skilled in debate or theology, nor do I enjoy defending the deep foundations of my self from what is likely to be a hostile audience on the internet. So you will have to remain curious, sorry. But I am lucky enough to have received a centuries-long tradition of christian radicalism, and came to no conclusions on my own. You can read john chysostom, or mother maria, or tolstoy, or talk to your own priest. The path is well-worn and there are many ways to find it.
- WalterBright 4y ago
  You're safe with me, as I eschew use of rhetorical tricks and traps in debate (people try them all the time on me). I do my best to rely on facts and reason. I only take sides that I believe are correct. I believe that if one espouses honest opinions, and they don't hold up to facts and reason, one should re-evaluate those opinions, or acquire a stronger basis for them.
Natsu 4y ago
Actually the Apostles try having "all things in common" for a while in Acts 4 or so, find that their initial ideas don't work out that great (see, e.g. Ananias), but eventually set up institutions of communal living with some monasteries and such.
- WalterBright 4y ago
  There's nothing wrong with voluntary communism. It's the forcible kind, though, that is unjust.