You have eyes but you do not see. You have ears but you do not hear. You say the words, but you ignore the deeds. You claim to profess a belief in Christ, but you do not live according to the words of Christ. You follow Christ by your own desires but not by the desires of Christ.
O Ye Christian Hypocrites!
Let me be clear. I have known many Christians whose lives reflected extraordinary compassion, humility, mercy, and sacrifice. This essay is not about them. It is about those who invoke Christ’s name while ignoring Christ’s teachings.
I have watched Christians for seventy years now and what I see are too many hypocrites. People who commit the same sins over and over again, buoyed up by their belief that they will be forgiven. Forever forgiven for their debts and trespasses. They call out the Lord’s name over and over again, “Please forgive my sins” but they do not change how they live or what they do.
O Ye Christian Hypocrites!
You rant and rail against those who disagree with the specific brand of Christianity that you belong to. All the rest of the Christians in the world will not be allowed in the same heaven as your Christian sect. You demand that the Government put the Ten Commandments of Moses in the schools. You demand they be put in City and Municipal offices. You want to tear down the wall separating Government from Religion so that America can become a Christian Nation.
You ignore the fact that nothing, absolutely nothing in the Declaration of Independence calls for America to be a Christian Nation. Where it says “God,” in your hypocrisy you read Christ. Where it says “Creator” you read Christ. The Founding Fathers knew what it was like to live under religious tyranny. That is why they were wise enough to open the doors of America to all religions. Religions such as Congregationalists, Quakers, Calvinists, Muslims, Catholics, and Jews were all welcome.
O Ye Christian Hypocrites!
If this hypocrisy was not enough, the worst is still to come. The Christians who totally ignore the Sermon on the Mount. Not the commands of Moses. Not the commands of Joseph. Not the commands of Isaiah. The very commands of Jesus on how to live and what to live for and by. In my eighty years, I cannot recall hearing Christians campaign for the Sermon on the Mount with anything approaching the fervor devoted to displaying the Ten Commandments. I have never heard a Christian demanding the Sermon on the Mount be placed in any schools. Never in any Church. Never in any Government Office. The words of Moses and the Old Testament flow easily on the lips of many Christians but the very words of Jesus himself are ignored. They are ignored or treated like so much heresy.
The Sermon on the Mount – Christ’s Beatitudes:
The Beatitudes are a series of blessings that are part of a more extensive order of teachings, including the Lord’s Prayer, called “The Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7). The Beatitudes describe the virtues and attitudes of those who will inherit God’s Kingdom.
The Sermon on the Mount and its blessings, the Beatitudes, were purposefully spoken by Jesus to challenge our conventional thinking, to turn our world upside down and guide the disciples and those who followed Jesus into a “new” and genuine Biblical life that reflected the attributes and values of God’s Kingdom.
- Love for all people, even our enemies
- Servitude over acquiring earthly wealth and power
These values opposed the law of retribution (eye for an eye) provided for within the Old Covenant and the Law of condemnation under the weight of sin leading to death.
They also oppose the entirety of this world’s systems and values, which are measured by accumulating wealth and power.
Let us look at what Jesus said and what he wanted Christians to do in this world.
The Beatitudes from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount
- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus placed this first because spiritual humility is the foundational starting point for entering a relationship with God. You must acknowledge your spiritual need before you can receive spiritual wealth. Those who are too arrogant to accept the help of God will not receive it nor will they enter God’s Kingdom.
- Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Mourning” goes beyond standard bereavement. It refers to a broken heart over one’s own moral failures and the pain caused by turning away from God. However, It also includes feeling deep sorrow for the injustice, tragedy, and pain present in the world. Not just in your own little family or your own church but for all the people suffering in the world whether from disease, injustice, famine, or politics. Jesus meant for us to be Citizens of the World and not just our own little corner of the world.
- Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.
While the aggressive and ruthless seem to conquer the world now, Jesus promises that the quiet, trusting, and resilient will ultimately inherit the renewed creation. The people with faith in his words. The people who are silent but live out the words of Jesus in action and deeds. Not the men and women who boast loudly of their faith like the Pharisee bragging about his wealth and contributions.
- Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Do these hypocritical Christians even know what righteousness means? Do they think the mansions of the rich and famous are full of “Righteous” people? Do they think the politicians collecting their bribes from lobbyists and corporations are “Righteous” people?
According to Judaism a “Righteous person” is someone who acts justly, showing mercy, and fulfilling moral and communal obligations. Jesus saw true righteousness as results in practical actions. It means treating others with fairness, defending the vulnerable, showing mercy, and actively seeking justice.
O Ye Christian Hypocrites!
It saddens me to get this far with the Words of Jesus. It is exceedingly difficult to live in a world with people who profess one thing but do another. People who claim that they want the USA to be a “Christian” nation, but who support violence, hatred, intolerance, and bigotry to others. People who think that only members of their clans deserve respect or deserve to be treated like Jesus thought all people should be treated.
The questions that beg to be answered all start with Why? Why do people who claim to be followers of Jesus not follow his words? Why do people who read the bible and go to church regularly have a fundamental misunderstanding of the Beatitudes and instead practice hate, vengeance and intolerance. Why do religions become tribes that insulate their members from understanding the beliefs of other religions? Why is identity often more important than discipleship and following the true words of Jesus?
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
The late Pope Francis authored a book titled, “The Name of God Is Mercy.” This book by Pope Francis gave me a deeper understanding of what it meant to be merciful. I have never been what you might think of as merciful. Francis said, “A little mercy makes the world less cold and more just.” This is a beautiful thought. Jesus also implied that those of us who have hard hearts towards others, the poor, the sick, the immigrants, the elderly would have a tough time being granted the mercy that we could not extend to the truly needy.
- Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Who among us is truly “Pure” in heart? What Christian out there would say they are not? Yet, purity would seem to be an impossibility in this world. Why then would Jesus put this onus on us? Was he being unfair? What did he mean by Pure in Heart?
Jesus meant that a pure heart is undivided. It means loving God with your whole being, rather than having split loyalties between the world and spiritual life. It means doing the right thing for the right reasons, completely free from hypocrisy, deceit, or the desire to impress others. Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Jesus did not care for hypocrites, liars, and cheats. His life exemplified his constant battle with these types of behaviors.
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the Sons of God.
This may just be the one that most people regardless of religion whether Christians or not, ignore. The world seems to run on an engine of violence against others.
It has been said by some that “Violence is as American as Apple Pie.” Many Christians seem to have no problem finding passages in the Old Testament to validate any war that their leaders want to support. Christian leaders as well as other sects have routinely met in the old Rose Garden with the President to bless America and wish us success in vanquishing our enemies.
I could understand this idea of violence from people like me who were taught by their parents to never let a slight or slur or assault go unpunished. But if you say you subscribe to the words of Jesus then show me where Jesus said, “Go smite your enemies.” When his disciple Peter drew a sword and cut off a man’s ear to protect him during his arrest, Jesus rebuked him. He commanded Peter to put the sword away, warning that those who rely on violence will perish by it (Matthew 26:52).
- Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Easy to say but so hard to do. I am amazed by the hundreds of Christians who willingly gave their lives rather than renounce their belief in Jesus or his Father. Not all Christians by any means are hypocrites. Many Christians lead exemplary lives. Many Christians try every day to put the words and ideas of Jesus into practice for themselves and for others.
It is easy for me to stand on a soapbox and excoriate Christians for being hypocritical. I have never denied that in many parts of my life, I am a hypocrite. I admit it. I denounce it. I work to overcome being a sexist, being a racist, being violent, being greedy, being xenophobic. I know it is not easy since I have never reached the heights spoken of by Jesus. Yet, I do not support those who claim to be Christians but who by their every word and deed show themselves to be anything but apostles of Jesus Christ.
I am fed up with the so called Christian religions and churches that support hatred and violence towards those who do not subscribe to whatever they call Christian beliefs.
I am fed up with those who want all Americans to become Christians.
I am fed up with those who want to wage war on people and nations that do not subscribe to their religious, political, or economic values.
Too many of these efforts are led by people who say that they are “Good Christians.” People who claim they only want to do the will of God. But the will of God is bent to their own biases and prejudices.
God save us all from the Christians who profess Christianity but practice a belief system that Jesus would not recognize.
Christianity does not rest on a change of mind. It rests on a change of heart.
Aging Capriciously 
Jul 08, 2026 @ 09:54:28
Hi, John. We all know that Christianity today is not what Christ preached. Happily, Messengers from God reappear from time to time to freshen things up. Baháʼu’lláh showed up in the 1840s and gave us teachings designed for today’s world. Very refreshing!
John G
LikeLiked by 2 people
Jul 08, 2026 @ 10:02:55
Hi John, how are you doing? Karen and I have been under the weather for the past two months with some kind of respiratory problem that they can only call Idiopathic. We have not been going to Tucson in fact the only place we have been going is to the grocery store. Hope to see you again sometime when skys brighten up. Thanks for the comment. I agree and I enjoy the readings from the Bahai scriptures. It is too bad that many Christians think they are practicing the words of Jesus. I wonder how we come to such different interpretations?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Jul 08, 2026 @ 10:10:02
Nor would Jesus/Yeshua verbally advocate! In fact, my wife (Sandy) and I, both who have graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary (her) with a Master’s Degree and myself who attended the same Master’s program for 3-years, but could not finish due to my Dad’s suicide in July 1990… we are daily amazed, appalled, and deeply saddened that this very blog-post that hits home hard and poignantly, tells TRUTH about U.S. Christians (or Christian Nationalists). She and I too frequently state, “that is no the Yeshua/Jesus we thoroughly know in the Gospels. Not even close!” 😕 We both see far too much lip-service and nowhere near enough action/behavior. Besides, isn’t judgement ultimately their God’s domain and not their own how they want it?
Oh John, my wife could go on and on and on about how little we see Scripturally-based behavior mimicking Yeshua/Jesus… and way way too much lip-service, judgement, and hate from them. Very sad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 08, 2026 @ 10:14:31
Hi Jon, I would imagine coming from a more religious background than I do that this must sadden and perplex you both more than it does me. I get frustrated and do not understand why so many profess beliefs that I think would shock Jesus to the core. Do they not read or hear the same things that we read and hear? Where is the disconnnect? Thanks for taking the time to comment. I hope more than those of us out there get to see my blog. I do not want to just be preaching or teaching to the choir..
LikeLiked by 2 people
Jul 08, 2026 @ 10:16:29
Also John, if I may please kind Sir, I’d like to leave two links to a Page on my blog, followed by one (of many) blog-post I published in August 2023:
Why Christianity Will Always Fail and…
The Failures of Koine Greek & Christianity
Much thanks John. Let me know if there is technical issues, etc., with these two links. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Jul 08, 2026 @ 12:47:17
I hope that does it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 08, 2026 @ 11:33:47
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the Sons of God.” I think (cannot know) that President Trump truly believes that is him. That is why, to everyone’s condemnation, he’s done what he has, and is, doing regarding Iran. He believes, with some good reason, that God spared his life in Butler, PA. so as he could try and bring peace to the world. Call it narcissism; but he’s got a lot of evidence that says otherwise. That’s his driving force – to be viewed as a peacemaker. He’s even admitted that Iran may succeed in killing him.
So, yeah, crazy. So say you. How do you know? Do you have a direct line to God/Jesus?
https://www.postindependent.com/news/before-i-say-ta-ta-for-now-new-castle-honors-jack-jabbour-with-a-celebration-of-life/ My brother is one of those “good Christians”. COVID-19 took him after an almost four year battle. That whole story is remarkable, and ongoing.
I don’t know about you, sir.
My brother’s service was remarkable. Nevertheless, I knew him better than any one. I’ll let that stand – above the fold in the local newspaper.
I miss him every day. I told the medical professionals to pull the plug.
You and I are in that stage of life. Cheers. I know you mean well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 08, 2026 @ 12:54:04
Mark, If you are apologizing for Trump, you have come to the wrong person. When someone needs forgiveness, they need to ask for forgiveness and then accept the penance to make things up. Trump and his ilk see nothing wrong with what they are doing. Killing and assigning thousands if not millions of people to their deaths by their policies and then invoking Christ. What good reasons does Trump have? His driving force to be viewed as a peacemaker? Are you kidding? He is money hungry, glory hungry and power hungry. He does not give one damn about peace. I don’t have a pipeline to God since I don’t believe in God. But I do know what I read and nothing in Jesus’s teachings condone Trump’s behavior. I have made 43 silent Jesuit retreats and I have yet to believe that Jesus would support Trump or his so called quest for peace. John
LikeLiked by 2 people
Jul 08, 2026 @ 12:56:08
Okay, thanks for the clarification.
LikeLike
Jul 08, 2026 @ 16:03:41
Dear John and Mark,
Hello Mark! I hope that you are now in better health and wellbeing. Happy July to you and John!
Let us coin a new word:
Trult = Trump + Cult
Cultrump could work too, although it has not one but two syllables. In addition, I prefer Trult because it sounds like a carnivorous fish “trout” but rotten to the core. Besides, Trult rhymes with Insult.
Some of us share many similar concerns for composing posts involving thorough examinations of some of the most salient issues that have led the USA to this moment in time. Needless to say, due to misinformation and disinformation as well as the pandemic and other global issues, 2016 to 2026 have been very difficult and trying, not to mention having to deal with the pandemic. It was all quite surreal, perhaps in some ways more bizarre than ghosts and the paranormal (not that I believe in such things). One could indeed say that we live in interesting times, but often for the wrong reasons. It is all quite a big mess in danger of getting bigger still. Even a global pandemic and an insurrection at the citadel of democracy still cannot unite folks in the USA and wake them up. Perhaps it will take an even bigger crisis to do so, such as a series of shocking events or climate change disasters.
You and I are definitely on the same page. We now find ourselves here having to face the state of mounting chaos and even fascism in the USA, a country that seems to be imploding, and its cancer has metathesized even more, both within and without!
There is an important piece of work that sheds light on the sorry and sordid state of the US democracy and partisan politics marred by disinformation and corruption. Published on 13 March 2025 and entitled “A Movement to Destroy U.S. Democracy Controls the Presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court—But What’s Behind It?“, this is a great article from Religion Dispatches, which “is a publication of Political Research Associates, a social justice research and strategy centre that has been researching, monitoring, and publicizing the agenda and strategies of the U.S. and global Right for over four decades.” I very much concur with the author Katherine Stewart, and I am very impressed by how well and detailed she has described some of the issues. I would like to add some of my own observations and analyses.
The “disease” of the corrupt is spreading far and wide. Rather than the “Bloody Immigrants” as scapegoats, it is actually the bloody plutocrats and their ill-informed supporters, and the matter is much more than a backlash against globalization. There is also the ongoing Christian institutions’ war on knowledge and alignment with power. Some factions of Christianity have even evolved into clerical fascism (also called clero-fascism or clerico-fascism), which is an ideology that combines the political and economic doctrines of fascism with clericalism. For instance, the Silver Legion of America (also known as the Silver Shirts) in the United States led by William Dudley Pelley has combined American Christianity (specifically Protestantism) with American white nationalism.
Indeed, there are numerous compelling and irrefutable reasons as to why there is no justification in supporting such corrupted Christian organizations and their doctrines, whose leaders and followers have aligned themselves with the likes of Trump, and by extension, other corrupt entities, including Putin and numerous wretched rulers, politicians, plutocrats, autocrats, officials and corporations. Sadly, many of those who are supposedly more morally or spiritually attuned to the wise and virtuous seem to have fared even worse, given that a large percentage of Trump’s supporters have been disproportionately Christians. So much for Christianity being the guiding conscience and ultimate salvation!
The blame game is still very much rampant in Homo sapiens, which has firmly ushered in an apocalyptic age of deplorable politics, outright complicity, devious duplicity, shameless mendacity, excruciating inhumanity, extraordinary brutality and unrelenting cruelty! Considering the countless wretched situations and dire outcomes that humans have repeatedly created for themselves and nonhumans through war crimes, holocausts, slaveries, genocides, environmental destructions and ecological disasters plus a litany of gross injustices, unconscionable exploitations and staggering corruptions, any reasonable person may insist or conclude that there is emphatically no longer the need, excuse or justification to blame the old serpent, Devil or Satan, who can permanently retire from being the stigmatized scapegoat, catch-all villain and evil incarnate.
On the whole, how shocking and deplorable it has been that despite these staggering amount of reasons and overwhelming evidences against Trump, he has still become the President for the second time as a convicted felon!
The salient issues of democracy versus autocracy (and plutocracy) aside, there are many sobering implications of authoritarianism, which is a very topical area for exploring the many outstanding tensions between (the sociopsychological states of) sanity/stability and insanity/instability, affecting even the very existence and survival of humanity. In recent years, many citizens have willingly aligned themselves with misinformation, disinformation, post-truth politics, demagoguery, plutocracy, oligarchy, ochlocracy, kleptocracy, kakistocracy, narcissistic leadership, neoliberalism, globalization, clerical fascism and Trumpism. We can also agree that the ongoing chaos inflicted by the Trump presidency finally culminated in the infamous riot at the Capitol. You and I can be justified for being cynical, snide, snarky and facetious in characterizing Trump as the symbolic messiah who is going to lead his misguided supporters, sycophants and funders to glory on Earth and the promised land! It is often futile to reason with such misguided folks. Perhaps only when the country truly becomes autocratic or fascist, or when it plunges into a civil war, will such folks wake up, but then it will be too late. Consequently, any reasonable person can conclude that the USA has been plagued by ignorance, dogma, falsity, blind faith, spiritual stagnation and epistemological impasse . . . . .
I have continued to shed light on the grim reality of blatant corruption, continued carnage, calamitous inhumanity and unrelenting brutality, as evidenced by some dreadful statistics pertaining to Ukraine and Palestine as well as other regions in dire conflict. For instance, of all major Arab-Israeli conflicts assessable with calculated percentage of fatalities for each war, the deadliest is the 2023 Gaza War, which amounts for almost half of all casualties. The plights of those suffering people have been so immense and protracted that I have not enough tears to cry for them. They are so searingly painful to witness! For some of us, it can be too emotionally distraught to witness such tragedies and annihilations. We have heard the phrase “Never again!” being uttered after each major war, and yet tragic history keeps repeating itself. It is all getting to the point of “Never say never again!”
To make matter worse, even those who are supposed to know better, who are in the most privileged position or at the highest echelon, have displayed objectionable conducts, caused much disunity, and/or generated unwisdom. We have been witnessing so clearly the insidious nature of Trumpism, Machiavellian conservatism and inimical illiberalism perverting democracy for nefarious purposes and for justifying, obfuscating or muddying the waters of systemic sexism, racism, historical negationism, discrimination, marginalization and curtailment of civil rights. In a similar vein, one of my latest posts highlights not just the various traps awaiting us from the fallouts of the main event regarding the SCOTUS’ decisions on abortion and its striking down Roe v. Wade, but also how the capacity of laws and legislation to be legally valid, binding and enforceable in different contexts is both contingent (acceptable only if certain circumstances are the case) and circumscribed (restricted to certain roles or situations), given that the content, relevance and quality of laws and legislation are fundamentally filtered and moulded by class structures, social stratifications, cultural reproductions and communication frameworks as well as by the interaction between legal cultures, and the social construction of legal issues, as discussed in my post entitled “🏛️⚖️ The Facile and Labile Nature of Law: Beyond the Supreme Court and Its Ruling on Controversial Matters 🗽🗳️🔫🤰🧑🤝🧑💉“.
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle🦅
LikeLike
Jul 08, 2026 @ 16:24:17
Very well said SoundEagle. If not a little over the top. You really need to learn to make your writing more consise and less verbose. I did agree with everything you said but I recommend you read Chris Hedge’s blogs and Robert Reich’s blogs. They say much the same story about Trump and his minions but somewhat easier to understand. Reich is the eternal optimist and I might say that Hedges in the eternal pessimist. Reading both of them is a little like putting salt and pepper on your eggs or potatoes. The problems with many such analyses is that they do not provide a path forward. I posted a Petition which I think provides some solutions for getting us out of the quagmire we are in. Corporate capitalism, rampant militarism, autocratic leaders who want to do away with democracy, a country devoted to buying more and more stuff no matter the impacts on the economy or the environment. Some say hopeless, others say keep hope . I think we need to start by getting the money out of politics. If we can not ban the lobbyists, I believe, we can kiss democracy goodbye. Have we come too far down the path of greed and avarice to turn around?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 08, 2026 @ 17:52:18
Dear John,
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle🦅
LikeLike
Jul 09, 2026 @ 07:56:30
SoundEagle, you might find this blog interesting. I wrote this ten years ago before AI.
It was titled a “Conversation between Satan and God.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 09, 2026 @ 15:22:37
Dear John,
There is a lot to read on your website. I have completed perusing your five-part series on Truth some days ago. I shall read your post titled a “Conversation between Satan and God” in good time, as there are errands to deal with. Thank you for your recommendation.
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle🦅
LikeLike
Jul 10, 2026 @ 09:48:33
Thanks SoundEagle. Hope you are not too stressed out. You seem to keep a very busy schedule. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 09, 2026 @ 07:50:59
SoundEagle, I would never have believed that in my last decade or so of life I would have three major crisis to deal with. Climate Change, Covid and Trump. I am glad SoundEagle that we are on the same page with Trump. He may just be the most virulent disease of all. Or at least what is passing for his ideas on Democracy and Freedom. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 09, 2026 @ 15:26:54
Dear John,
Trump is not on the same page with SoundEagle🦅 and John.
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle🦅
LikeLike
Jul 10, 2026 @ 10:02:31
I liked your graphic. I must state though somethings are opinions like the impact of art on a person. However, some are not. I gave my students a task one time to find the Coefficient of Elasticity for cigarettes. One young woman just came up with something out of the blue and put the answer on her paper. When I asked her “how did you derive that.” She said “It was just my opinion.” I told her I would give her a D if she did not come up with an answer that she could support with the known data and statistics. She bacame very irate and said “Are you saying that I am not entitled to my own opinion.” I told her that most of the Coefficients we were looking at had nothing to do with her subjective opinions. OR as Dr. Deming always told me “In God we trust but everyone else must have Data.” At least for somethings anyway. THe following is a recent calculation for cigarettes. It goes to show why they can keep raising the prices and most smokers will keep paying the price. Kinda sad.
The coefficient of price elasticity of demand for cigarettes typically ranges between -0.2 and -0.6 in high-income countries (averaging around -0.4), and between -0.2 and -0.8 in low- and middle-income countries. Because the absolute value of this coefficient is less than 1, the demand for cigarettes is classified as price inelastic. This means that a 10% increase in the retail price of cigarettes will generally result in a relatively small drop in consumption of only about 4%.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 10, 2026 @ 15:36:14
Dear John,
Well done! I concur with you in matters that you highlighted in your reply.
I explained many complex issues in great detail using this graphic over many long paragraphs in my expansive post entitled “The Quotation Fallacy “💬”, which you can easily locate from my main website.
https://wp.me/pkM63-23A/#top
Please kindly submit a comment there to let me know what you make of the discussions that I set up there.
Meanwhile, I would like to wish you all the best as follows:
May you as well be well and end well in the weekend!
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle🦅
LikeLike
Jul 10, 2026 @ 15:42:53
Dear John,
I have just submitted a very long comment a few minutes ago, and hope that you have received it. If you cannot find the comment, then you need to unspam and then approve it manually. Please kindly check your spam folder, then retrieve and approve the comment as follows:
To access your WordPress spam folder, go to the following URL:
[insert your blog url here]/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?comment_status=spam
After unspamming the comment, you will need to approve it by going to the following URL:
[insert your blog url here]/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?comment_status=all
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle🦅
LikeLike
Jul 10, 2026 @ 18:44:45
I will check it out tonight. Thank you very much. Funny, it did end up in spam. I think it is strange because it has not done that with other posts from you SoundEagle. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 10, 2026 @ 19:02:40
Dear John,
The said comment is still not showing up because you have yet to unspam and then approve it manually.
WordPress’ commenting system can make mistakes and misidentify comments as spams from time to time. I have had to manually approve and resurrect plenty of legitimate comments submitted to my blog, and other bloggers have had to do the same on their blogs. The repeated misidentifications of legitimate comments as spams are quite baffling and frustrating indeed. From time to time, I examine whether there are legitimate comments misidentified as spams. Likewise, it is prudent to check your spam comment folder in your WordPress account from time to time. From memory, the default setting is that spam comments (whether rightly or wrongly identified as such by WordPress) will be permanently deleted in two weeks. So, if we don’t check our spam comment folder at least weekly then we might indeed lose legitimate comments that are falsely flagged as spams and consigned to be deleted from our spam comment folder in a week or two.
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle🦅
LikeLike
Jul 10, 2026 @ 22:33:09
Thanks SoundEagle, I did unspam it but I did not approve it. That should take care of it. Nothing in spam and nothing in Pending. I often check my Spam but in the past most were advertisements. I assumed (bad to do) that anyone I had been corresponding with on a regular basis would not go into spam. So much for assuming. Thanks for the heads up. I have also read your blog tonight on Quotations. Very informative and I left you a long reply that remarks on some thoughts I had while reading it. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 11, 2026 @ 04:14:11
Theb only reason DJT wants a peace prize is because his predecisessor is Black, and he cannot abide that a man of colour is more deserving of anything than him. He is NOT a Chistian by any stretch of his imagination. Would a Chtistian hold a Bible upside down and pretend to be reading from it. Only a liar who cares about noone but himself would would do such a thing. Would a Christian rape young girls, and brag about it, flaunting this in your face because he knows you are too scared to take him to task?
Sorry, but this is not a living being I want in my world. Why is he in yours?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 11, 2026 @ 09:01:21
Rawgod, Thanks for the comment here. I am definitely in line with your thinking about DJT. He is just the type of person I was thinking of in my blog on hypocrisy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 08, 2026 @ 14:23:37
I’m going to be honest here because I really liked what you said. I liked it because it was clear and honest and talks about how religion is going into areas where it should not be. I don’t know the answers and I’m skeptical to the divine creator. I’m more in line with an energy and god is a man made construct out of fear. Religion is an extension of that but I never question anybody faith. What you said is very true that if this is a persons faith and what they believe this should not be in government and government should not be in the faith business. Also they should practice what they say they believe. For me that is a big issue with the whole concept.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 08, 2026 @ 16:00:00
Thanks for the comment. I have often said that God did not make man in his image, Man made God in his image. John
LikeLiked by 2 people
Jul 09, 2026 @ 05:18:15
That is an excellent way to look at this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 09, 2026 @ 07:53:20
Yes, Kevin, it does seem to warrant some judgement. I am reminded of what Jesus said about “Judge not others lest ye be judged yourself.” I guess I stand ready to be judged but I do not know that I could go through life without saying something about the Christians who claim to follow Jesus in word but not in deed. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 08, 2026 @ 16:09:07
Dear John,
Well done for another informative and well-reasoned post!
I have just submitted a very long comment a few minutes ago, and hope that you have received it.
Yours sincerely,
SoundEagle🦅
LikeLike
Jul 08, 2026 @ 17:32:54
Thank you. I really resonate with the blessed are the pure in spirit for they will see God. At times but not always I am pure in spirit and can see God. I also love your point about Jesus being completely against violence and yet people that are supposed to be Christians call for violence. That is not Christian, it is not what Jesus believes in. I also despise the teaching that people get sent to an eternity of torture. That is completely irrational and Jesus loves everyone so this idea of being tortured forever is completely a false evil teaching. Thank you for posting this. People really need to read it. Sharing on Facebook.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 09, 2026 @ 07:46:00
Thanks Jacob for your comments. They resonate with my thinking quite well. Uncle John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 11, 2026 @ 04:47:46
Hello. I am an atheist who happens to still believe that life does not end, ever, in our understanding of reality. But that is just an introduction so others can understand the background of my thoughts.
And while your thoughts may have some merit or truth in them, I always wonder why non-believers think they are allowed to question how other people present themselves. So what if Christians do not live by the “words” of their beliefs, they are just living beings trying to go through their lives doing whatever it is they do. I hope you are you judging them for this? Live and let live. It does not matter what they believe in this world — whatever happens or does not happen upon death is the same for all living beings. Whatever they do in life, they cannot change whatever happens to them when we all die, if anythig. Who are we to say they are not following what their god has “told” them to do. Our choice to believe or not believe is our decision. It has nothing to do with anyone else, just us.
That is my thought.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 11, 2026 @ 08:57:43
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response. I appreciate both your civility and your willingness to share your perspective.
I actually agree with one important point you make: none of us is perfect. Whether we are Christians, atheists, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, or hold no religious beliefs at all, every one of us falls short of our own ideals. I certainly include myself in that observation.
Where we may differ is in what I believe the purpose of criticism should be. My intention was not to judge Christians as people or to question the sincerity of their faith. Rather, it was to examine the difference between the values people publicly profess and the way those values are sometimes expressed in everyday life.
I would make exactly the same criticism of an atheist who passionately advocated reason but refused to follow evidence, of a politician who preached honesty while lying, or of a scientist who ignored scientific evidence.
The issue is not Christianity; it is inconsistency between belief and conduct.
You ask why non-believers should question how others present themselves. My answer is that we all question one another’s actions because we all live together in society. If someone publicly claims compassion, justice, honesty, or humility, it is reasonable to ask whether those principles are reflected in their behavior. That is not an attack on their identity but an invitation to greater integrity.
In fact, many of the strongest criticisms of religious hypocrisy came not from atheists but from religious figures themselves. Jesus repeatedly criticized the Pharisees not because they were religious, but because their outward profession did not match their inward conduct. His concern was hypocrisy, not imperfection.
So my blog was never intended to say that Christians are worse than anyone else. It was intended to remind all of us—including myself—that our character is measured less by what we claim to believe than by how we treat other people.
Thank you again for your thoughtful comment. Respectful conversations like this are far more valuable than shouting matches, and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify my intent.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 12, 2026 @ 16:32:16
“How” we treat others is also my concern. The difference between us is how we think, I guess is the best way to put it. For me, debating issues, even informally, can help to keep emotions in check. But debating beliefs is inherently impossible. There are no “facts”! Things may be calmly argued that beliefs are facts to the believer, that is how strong they believe. But there just isn’t any way to prove or disprove beliefs, and trying to show “your facts” to someone else who does not have the same beliefe will almost always end up with emotional outbursts, frustration, anger, hatred, and sometimes actions that can and might end up in violencs and even death. I ask you, how many people have died from differences in beliefs since humans developed speech and language. Is it in the billions yet? Probably not yet, but I do not know. To shorten this thought, “Belief breeds bitchiness”.when challenged, and in my esperience calling someone a hypocrite is exactly that “to them,” a challengs, no matter if we the challegers think it is or not
We already have more than enough bitchiness in the present world. Why foster more?
I agree that from your point-of- view, you believe you are trying “to examine the difference between the values people publicly profess and the way those values are sometimes expressed in everyday life.” Yes, in your mind, you are calling out hypocrisy , not just in Christianity (many or even most religious beliefs are breeding grounds for hypocrites but so are politics, racism, genderism, sexism, birtherism, abortion, and so so many more.’ Trump’s present attempt to “Make America White Again” is one of the newest. America was never “white,” but he is convincing a lot of people it was, despite all the available truths. MAWA is becoming a belief, and if we do not stop it now, humanity is going to suffer more than it ever has before.)
So what I would like to ask you to consider your “war on hypocrisy” from the other side, and ask you how you would feel if all your core beliefs were challanged. You have the title Dr. In front of your name. I do not know if this is a mediical term or a professional term, but that is not important. How would you feel if someone ranted at you that all Dr.-ships were a fraud! That all the title did for you was to allow you to charge exhoritant fees for your services, no matter what those are. The difference here is that you are a Doctor of something, which you believe is a fact. But is it really a fac? Yes you went to university, and possibly medical school too. Definitely you spent a number of years in post-graduate studies, and passed every barrier placed in front of you in order to have the right to have the honourific title of Dr. in front of your name. You worked for it, you deserve it, you own it. And though you are retired, you still use it. Why?
Now let us imagine someone who doesn’t know you from anything but what they see in front of them, an old man who (as far as they can see) is not doing any doctoring in any way they can see. They say, “Why should I call you Dr., John? You couldn’t doctor anyone at your age, unless you are doctoring the books, race norses, or just the plants in your living room. You do NOT deserve the right to be called Dr.” And as far as they can see, they have every right to do so. Now, I don’t know you, so I do not know how you would react, if you do react. But somewhere deep inside you something is going to say, “Damn right I am a Dr- and for anyone to say I am not, they are either a fool, or a mean-spirited asshole.” I am not saying this is how you would probably react to some degree at some level of your being. Maybe you could shrug it off in the moment and walk peacefully away, but you will never forget what he said. It will haunt you when you least expect it. Or, maybe you will tell the guy to “Go to hell!” or call him a whackjob, or maybe you will tell him of your past service so that he will understand that you do deserve the honourific Dr. and why. Or you just might the guy does not know me, so what do I care what he thinks. The options are endless, but I doubt you will ever “justwalk away” from the experience, not in your mind — not in your heart. The thing is, you know your truth, and he does not.
I have a simple BSW degree, not a Masters, not a doctorate, but after I retired I dropped the BSW. I could hav kept the honourific, but th en, I had never used the BSW after my name except for professional purposes. Not everyone needs to know I was a social worker.
Now let us go back to examing the differences between belief and behaviour. Belief (Christianity, in this case but use almost any belief system you like) comes mainly from two sources, the Bible, or from someone else who believes. The concept of a God, or god, or gods is almost universal (read Earthly) in scope, so it seems to be natural to human beings. It is not. (Not here, not now, but anytime you like. Just ask.) The important idea is, there is no factuality in belief “so far as we know,” so we have a choice, you and I, we can believe anything we like. But not everyone knows they have this choice. The family I was raised in had no choice, supposedly we believed in the Christian God..So I had to also (another long story). I could not read, I could not write. What I was told, I believed. Eventually I read the whole Bible, but not yet in this dissertation. And that is one point I want to make. Not all Christians have read the Bible. I would venture to guess 75% of Christians have not read it. It is learned from parents, schools, churches, friends, wherever. We were force-fed religion from Day I. So, without rancour, I just want to say not everyone knows, or understands, what they believe. They just reguritate what they were told. Therefore not everyone is a pure Christian, and for many of them, they do not “understand” what they were told to believe./ Can you say with authority that all Christians know and believe everything the supposed Jesus Christ knows and said. Hell no! If they do not have it first hand. And if they don’t know it, how can you expect them to act like Christians when they don’t know what that means. Therefore they are not necessarily hypocrites. Please be gentle with them.
Secondly, a lot of preachers, teachers, pulpit speakers, bishops, popes, etc. do not themselves believe in God. Though I am only talking from a sample of one, belief is not a necessary trait for seminary school. But they will lie through their teeth to say they do. And even if they do believe, many of their sermonic rants to their floccks are more fire and brimstone rather than peaceful love. That would put their parisheners to sleep. No, it is not the words found in the “New Testament” they emphasize, but the stories from the Old Testament before God suddenly changed his attitudes toward violence and fearmongering. They are not necessarily hypocrites, but rather they are religious stooges.
Me: I have studied to various degrees many religious writings and practices, and have never been truly satisfied with what they have to offer. I thought I had found something good in Tibetan Buddhism, but the deeper I dug the more I was disappointed. I gave up looking. But, I dd learn some things from most of my readings and attendence at different meetings/congregations. And in the end I rejected everything, and came to my own conclusions.
And yes, I have had some conflicts with religious people, but I stopped doing that too. Now, I believe we are all living beings, and therefore we are all worthy of love, and respect. One of my mottos is “Where they stand, I once stood.” Let them be who they are, they are each on their own path. Let them be there.
This whole too long comment is just asking you to look at life from a different point-of-view. People cannot be expected to be perfect. We learn more from our mistakes than our successes. Allow people to make mistakes. Let them learn.
Peace and love to you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 12, 2026 @ 19:49:06
Thank you again for taking the time to write such a thoughtful reply. I genuinely appreciate the time and care you have invested in this conversation.
After reading your response, I think I understand our differences more clearly.
You place your emphasis on respecting people’s beliefs and allowing them to follow their own path. I respect that, and I agree that none of us is perfect or possesses all the answers.
Where I differ is that I separate belief from behavior.
I have no desire to tell another person what they must believe. Matters of faith, philosophy, and conscience are deeply personal. Whether someone is Christian, atheist, Buddhist, Muslim, or follows no religion at all is ultimately their own decision.
However, when any of us publicly profess certain moral principles, I believe it is fair to ask whether we are sincerely trying to live by them. That is not because I expect perfection. I don’t. I fail to live up to my own ideals more often than I would like.
The distinction I am making is between imperfection and hypocrisy. Imperfection is failing despite trying. Hypocrisy is presenting ourselves as something we are unwilling to become.
You used my title of “Dr.” as an analogy. I actually think it illustrates my point rather than contradicts it. If someone questioned whether I had earned my doctorate, they would simply be mistaken about a matter of fact. But if I publicly claimed to value honesty while knowingly deceiving people, then criticism would be entirely appropriate. The issue would not be my credentials; it would be the inconsistency between my words and my conduct.
I also agree with you that many people inherit their religious beliefs rather than arrive at them through careful study. That is one reason I try to criticize behavior rather than sincerity. I cannot know another person’s heart, but I can observe actions.
Finally, I appreciate your closing words about peace and love. I share that aspiration. Where we differ is that I believe love sometimes includes honest accountability. Throughout history, many of the most influential moral voices challenged people who were failing to live up to their own professed values. They did so not because they hated them, but because they believed people could become better.
Thank you again for engaging respectfully. Even when we reach different conclusions, conversations like this are worthwhile because they help clarify our own thinking as much as they challenge one another’s.
Peace and a long happy life to you as well. John
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 12, 2026 @ 22:06:36
I will agree to disagree. Our backgrounds are obviously different, so it is expected that we come to pretty much the same conclusions through different reasoning. I am glad Filosofa reblogs some of your posts. Yes this was a good conversation. If the inspiration arises again I will be sure to comment. And so it goes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jul 12, 2026 @ 22:19:02
I appreciated your comments Rawgod. The one thing all writers like is feedback. Nothing is worse than no feedback and wondering if anyone reads something you wrote. We may have different perspectives but one of my thoughts is that life is like a kalidescope. You look into one and you cannot grasp all the pieces separately but you can see the whole. However, each facet of light or each movement of the scope and you are looking at a different pattern. I think life is much like this. Thus, as you say facts are tenuous and ephemeral. What is a fact today might be fiction tomorrow. A kalidescope holds all the facts we see at one time but we each see something different. Perhaps that is the beauty of life. Best to you. John
LikeLiked by 2 people