Susie Meister Used To Be A Conservative Bush-Loving, Liberal-Hating Conservative Christian

Everything Jesus And The Apostles Had To Say About "The Rich" And "The Poor"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/10/everything-jesus-and-apostles-had-to_13.html

Jesus Walks Back Comments On Poor

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/09/jesus-walks-back-his-comments-on-poor.html

Hey Christian! How Many Of Jesus' Moral Stands Do You Approve? Take The Test!

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/12/how-many-of-jesus-moral-exhortations.html

Yeshua Excoriates Fellow Pharisees: "The Woe Passages"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/08/yeshua-excoriates-fellow-pharisees-woe.html

"Love Your Enemies. Do Good To Those Who Hate You. Pray For Those Who Persecute You" 

Luke 6: 27-42

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/02/love-your-enemies-do-good-to-those-who.html

"Do You Know What You're Doing To Me?"

Jesus of Nazareth

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/12/do-you-know-what-youre-doing-to-me.html

Jesus Rails Against Human Traditions Of "Our Great Leaders Who Lived Long Ago" 

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/08/jesus-rails-againt-human-traditions-of.html

The Gospels With The Words Of Jesus In Red

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-gospels-with-words-of-jesus-in-red.html

"Christian Conservatism: "The Saved," "The Damned," "The Rich," "The Poor"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2014/01/christian-conservatism-saved-damned.html

Biblical Literalism And The Cultivation Of Hatred

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2012/02/biblical-literalism-and-cultivation-of.html

The Good Samaritan
(In this parable, Jesus chose a Samaritan because his people were universally loathed as not being "true Jews.")

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-good-samaritan.html

"You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image 

when it turns out God hates all the same people you do."
Fr. Tom Weston S. J.

Dorothy Day: “I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.”

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2013/02/dorothy-day-i-really-only-love-god-as.html

"Charity is the soul of faith, it gives it life; without love, faith dies."

St. Anthony of Padua

"Love and do what you will."
St. Augustine

How getting a PhD in Religious Studies caused one staunch Republican to leave and become a Democrat

Susie Meister used to be a conservative Christian, Bush-loving, liberal-hating Republican. A campaign volunteer for George W. Bush in 2001, you would be hard pressed to find a happier or better GOP fan. Now she is a Democrat who sees religion and the true words of Jesus with clearer vision—and His words hardly resemble the views and practices of many Republicans and their policies.

How did she come to change her mind? She says it didn’t happen overnight and she often felt like a “deserter.” Meister writes an extensive piece about her experience in the Huffington Post. Here are some excerpts:

Growing up immersed in the evangelical community, I was so familiar with the Christian rhetoric and worldview that it never occurred to me that they might be getting it all wrong.

Meister writes she was more than just your “garden variety Christian.” Attending church several times a week, she looked to her pastors for advice, and after having reached some reality TV stardom, she spoke to church youth groups about how to stay "pure.” But when she began studying religion at the University of Pittsburgh, she had a shift in her understanding of Scripture, which caused her to continue her education eventually acquiring a PhD in Religious Studies. 

Only after my doctrinal evolution did I realize I no longer aligned with the political conservatism for which I once literally campaigned. Jesus was a champion of the poor, the weak, the meek, and downtrodden. He encouraged his followers to "sell their possessions" and give them to the poor. He hung out with hookers and crooks.

Evangelicals do not represent a monolith, but they traditionally align with conservative politics. While much has been made of Donald Trump's evangelical supporters due to his personal life reflecting anything but the "family values" they espouse.

Many Democrats, liberals and progressives “out there” are Christians, and have views similar to Meister, including myself. It’s important for the Christian Left to call out the hypocrisy of pseudo-Christian extremists who flaunt the name of Jesus Christ, but use and twist His words to suit their selfish and hateful agendas. Doing so is called blasphemy and considered a very large “sin.” Let’s just say according to the Bible, Jesus was never a fan taking the Lord’s name in vain. I commend Susie Meister for sharing her story and look forward to other Christians doing the same. Only then will much of the world become better aware of what Christianity is really about. Or at least they’ll better understand better what Christianity it’s not about.

It Is Important To Know These Things So Religion Doesn't Do More Harm Than Good
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2016/02/it-is-important-to-know-these-things-so.html

What Too Many Christians Get Wrong

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2016/02/what-way-too-many-christians-get-wrong.html

Best Pax Posts On Psychological Projection And "The Shadow"

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2015/02/best-pax-posts-on-psychological.html