Status Updates

The friend on Facebook who constantly spews Republican ideology seems to have gone off the deep end.  He is now posting comments like this one:

"The Democrat Party has always been the racist party of America."

Seriously??  I don't get it.  I don't get him.  Because I know that he is a hard-core Christian, and because the ridiculous tie between the Republican Party and Christianity in the United States has much to do with why I left my church and didn't look back, I'm having a hard time.  I so want to just write off all born-again Christians as imbeciles.  That's not nice, but it's how I feel! 

It's especially sad that this is my state of mind during the Easter holiday...  A sacred time for all Christians.  In fact, yesterday my friend (or should I say former friend/ ideological nemesis?) posted this:  

"One Friday afternoon 2000 years ago, an innocent Jewish man was brutally murdered. His life, death, and resurrection would change the world forever." 

I find myself wondering how much change Jesus really effected, if his staunchest supporters are so antagonistic.  If his biggest fans can't follow him, how relevant was he?  What an awful thing to write, but jeez.  It's all the more frustrating that none of this individual's 500 other facebook friends have anything to say, aside from the occasional applause.  Do they not see a disconnect between Republican politics and following a man who preached humility, accepting the down-trodden, and not having treasure on earth??  The two do not peacefully coexist!!  I'm sorry, but they don't.  They are diabolically opposed to one another.  I see very little evidence of so called "family values" in Republican ideology.  Condemning homosexuality and making a big stink about abortion are in my mind acts of fear and hatred...  I sure don't see such behavior as supporting the family-- or at least that's no family that I want to be a part of.

Not that I think the Democratic Party is leaps and bounds ahead...  But at least Democrats preach such things as social justice, environmentalism, etc...  If Jesus walked the earth today, I suspect he would be a little bit more interested in causes like education and universal health care than tax cuts for the wealthy and "keeping our borders secure"-- just a suspicion!

It's a few hours later, and I've reread my post...  And I wonder, referring to Christians:  When did "we" and "us" become "they" and "them"?  Was it a moment in time?  Was it a process?  When did "He" become "he" in my life?  I'm not sure.  I grieve as I read this, because it hurts me, but I can't believe.  I can't be a part of what I see...  What Christianity represents.  I can't throw my lot in with people like my friend on facebook.  I don't think I like him very much- or at least I don't like his facebook persona very much.  It almost seems as though Christianity is a mask that people wear so that they can get away with their intolerance and so that they can live in blissful ignorance to certain realities...  I don't know.  I must explore further.

In other news, E joined us for dinner the other night and kept trying to convince us that we should take her along when we go for our honeymoon in a few months.  She also tried to convince us to take her with us when we use a gift certificate that our neighbor got us for a nice restaurant in Palos Verdes (his wedding gift to us)...  I don't think so!  Not on either count.  She wants to join us on our honeymoon because she can "really use a vacation"-- from what, pray tell?  A vacation from the vacation that is her life?  Once she's worked for a while, or carried a full load of classes as a college student, I think she'll be deserving of a vacation!  Being sick of sharing a house with her mom and step-dad doesn't qualify.

She also told us that she wants to house-sit for us again- she enjoyed the privacy.  I'm sure she did, but that also won't be happening any time soon.  In fact, when we go for our honeymoon, I will make a point of asking my mother to house-sit.  E doesn't seem to get that being responsible for a house is a big deal.  When we return home from a single night away to find the plumbing system not working properly, it doesn't inspire confidence.  Our home is our retreat.  The grout on the floor in the bathroom is stained from the flooding that occurred, and the carpeting reeked for a week or so afterward as well.  It's a big deal... I will think long and hard before allowing her the privilege again!

At dinner she also repeatedly made comments about how she doesn't have money.  Again, I would like to say that I care, but until she is either (a) going to school, (b) working at least part time, or (c) working on overcoming her eating disorder, I don't care.  She kept making comments about how she doesn't have money for gas, and how the oven, refrigerator, and computer are all broken at her moms' house...  We offered to give her our convection toaster oven (we got a new one as a wedding gift) but she left the house without it.  So I guess the need isn't as great as she wanted us to believe!

Her behavior is typical for a teenager...  And that gives me pause about motherhood.  I don't want to welcome another member into our family if it means that the balance will be thrown off.  Things are working just fine the way they are.  I don't want to deal with the selfishness of a child right now.  No, not all kids are selfish, and usually they have enough redeeming qualities that you can overlook it (at least they have the cuteness factor going on when they're young) but still....  What if you get a child that you don't like?