Charles Barkley Should Stick to Basketball and Spare Us His Ignorant Rants
One Conservative to Charles Barkley: Bring it on!!
His remarks to the Wolf on CNN demonstrate an ignorance that should scare Democrats who may support his intentions to run for Governor of Alabama in 2014. (click here for Brietbart link)
According to Barkley, conservatives are "fake" Christians. Conservatives are not forgiving...Conservatives judge people when they are not supposed to...
Barkley is misinformed and misguided.
Conservatives generally support the idea that there are people who are unable to help themselves or have been so impacted by unforeseen tragedy that society should respond in a very caregiving manner. Conservatives also generally believe that individuals are society's most powerful weapon against virtually every thing that undermines it. If all people made responsible choices in relation to their personal situations a tremendous amount of the vast government bureaucracy and spending would be unnecessary.
First, Christians, conservative or liberal, are not bound to support selfish, irresponsible people who make choices that put them and their children at a disadvantage. Christians who knowingly support people like this are in fact acting in a non-Christian manner. People who support programs that foster dependence should be ashamed of themselves. People who support programs that demean and disrespect people by sending the message they are incapable are not acting in a Christian manner.
We all should have learned by now that giving people something for nothing leads to more irresponsibility not less.
Next, Christians- both conservative and liberal- have a duty to make decisions and support programs and initiatives that encourage self-reliance. Tragedies happen, so people should plan for them. Things like buying insurance come to mind... Things like getting and staying married come to mind... Things like reading to children before bed and teaching them the alphabet and how to count come to mind...
When people plan and a tragedy overwhelms, those not hurt by the tragedy should come to the aid of those in need. Christians do this all the time. Conservatives do this all the time. I hope liberals do this as well. They give money to non-profits and churches, they volunteer their time and they pay taxes. The idea that conservatives sit at thome counting the money they clearly took from the underclass is pathetic. (And by the way, as a person who was paid millions and millions of dollars to put an orange ball in a hoop he is really something: If he thinks his vast wealth came from rich people he is wrong. He capitalized on the adoration of millions of young impoverished people who chose to buy his sneakers rather than a book, who chose to watch him play basketball rather than do their homework, who have unrealistic dreams that they will someday be like him...)
Mr. Barkley has asserted that conservative Christians are not forgiving. What does this even mean? Does this mean that Christian people can not remember the misdeeds of others and view with skepticism the words of those who have acted and continue to act inappropriately?
Does Mr. Barkley understand the concept of forgiveness in regards to repenting? The key here is people should be sorry for their misdeeds. Often people like Mr. Barkley engage in behavior or support behavior that is immoral. They aren't sorry for their actions, they want to be excused for their behavior by secularists who don't "judge" anyone.
Finally, Christians have a duty to stand up and defend behavior that is moral and just and they also have a duty to stand up against those who encourage inappropriate immoral behavior. For example, if a conservative Christian can not stand up and defend the position that 15 year olds should not be sexually active, who will. Certainly not liberals who believe their agenda in regards to sexual freedom is more important than the emotional, spiritual and health needs of children...
It is not the place of conservatives or anyone else to condemn people to H*** or announce they know what the afterlife holds for another. It is the duty of conservatives to encourage people to make decisions that support individual responsibility. Many of these positions would also be Christian. This is not to say that conservatives are all Christian or that Christians must be conservative.
Many Americans practice religion in an increasingly secular manner. Moral relativism does not belong in any church. If a church can not identify and condemn immoral behavior than can any entity? As more and more people seem to look to their churches for acceptance rather than tolerance, for affirmation rather than guidance, our churches increasingly sacrifice right for wrong, right for money, right for membership...
People like Mr. Barkley pose a tremendous threat to America. They use celebrity to push positions and policy that divide people for all of the wrong reasons. They use rhetoric of hate backed by ignorance to undermine people who really are trying to help people in need.
The real questions people like Mr. Barkley should be asking:
One Conservative to Charles Barkley: Bring it on!!
His remarks to the Wolf on CNN demonstrate an ignorance that should scare Democrats who may support his intentions to run for Governor of Alabama in 2014. (click here for Brietbart link)
According to Barkley, conservatives are "fake" Christians. Conservatives are not forgiving...Conservatives judge people when they are not supposed to...
Barkley is misinformed and misguided.
Conservatives generally support the idea that there are people who are unable to help themselves or have been so impacted by unforeseen tragedy that society should respond in a very caregiving manner. Conservatives also generally believe that individuals are society's most powerful weapon against virtually every thing that undermines it. If all people made responsible choices in relation to their personal situations a tremendous amount of the vast government bureaucracy and spending would be unnecessary.
First, Christians, conservative or liberal, are not bound to support selfish, irresponsible people who make choices that put them and their children at a disadvantage. Christians who knowingly support people like this are in fact acting in a non-Christian manner. People who support programs that foster dependence should be ashamed of themselves. People who support programs that demean and disrespect people by sending the message they are incapable are not acting in a Christian manner.
We all should have learned by now that giving people something for nothing leads to more irresponsibility not less.
Next, Christians- both conservative and liberal- have a duty to make decisions and support programs and initiatives that encourage self-reliance. Tragedies happen, so people should plan for them. Things like buying insurance come to mind... Things like getting and staying married come to mind... Things like reading to children before bed and teaching them the alphabet and how to count come to mind...
When people plan and a tragedy overwhelms, those not hurt by the tragedy should come to the aid of those in need. Christians do this all the time. Conservatives do this all the time. I hope liberals do this as well. They give money to non-profits and churches, they volunteer their time and they pay taxes. The idea that conservatives sit at thome counting the money they clearly took from the underclass is pathetic. (And by the way, as a person who was paid millions and millions of dollars to put an orange ball in a hoop he is really something: If he thinks his vast wealth came from rich people he is wrong. He capitalized on the adoration of millions of young impoverished people who chose to buy his sneakers rather than a book, who chose to watch him play basketball rather than do their homework, who have unrealistic dreams that they will someday be like him...)
Mr. Barkley has asserted that conservative Christians are not forgiving. What does this even mean? Does this mean that Christian people can not remember the misdeeds of others and view with skepticism the words of those who have acted and continue to act inappropriately?
Does Mr. Barkley understand the concept of forgiveness in regards to repenting? The key here is people should be sorry for their misdeeds. Often people like Mr. Barkley engage in behavior or support behavior that is immoral. They aren't sorry for their actions, they want to be excused for their behavior by secularists who don't "judge" anyone.
Finally, Christians have a duty to stand up and defend behavior that is moral and just and they also have a duty to stand up against those who encourage inappropriate immoral behavior. For example, if a conservative Christian can not stand up and defend the position that 15 year olds should not be sexually active, who will. Certainly not liberals who believe their agenda in regards to sexual freedom is more important than the emotional, spiritual and health needs of children...
It is not the place of conservatives or anyone else to condemn people to H*** or announce they know what the afterlife holds for another. It is the duty of conservatives to encourage people to make decisions that support individual responsibility. Many of these positions would also be Christian. This is not to say that conservatives are all Christian or that Christians must be conservative.
Many Americans practice religion in an increasingly secular manner. Moral relativism does not belong in any church. If a church can not identify and condemn immoral behavior than can any entity? As more and more people seem to look to their churches for acceptance rather than tolerance, for affirmation rather than guidance, our churches increasingly sacrifice right for wrong, right for money, right for membership...
People like Mr. Barkley pose a tremendous threat to America. They use celebrity to push positions and policy that divide people for all of the wrong reasons. They use rhetoric of hate backed by ignorance to undermine people who really are trying to help people in need.
The real questions people like Mr. Barkley should be asking:
- Should government (federal or state) force people to help those who REFUSE to help themselves?
- Are there any people who do not deserve help? If yes, who decides which people are left to suffer the consequences of their choices?
- Is the government generally successful in its efforts to help individuals? If you think yes, please provide examples.
- Are nonprofits more accountable and generally more successful than the governemnt?
- Are states more able to meet the unique needs of their citizens or is the federal government generally able to respond to the unique cultures of the various states in our union?
Some questions the Wolf should have asked Mr. Barkley:
- How much money did Mr. Barkley pay in taxes last year?
- How much money does Mr. Barkley pay an accountaqnt to minimize his taxes?
- How much money does Mr. Barkley send to the government every year over and above his tax bill?
- How much money did Mr. Barkley donate to charity last year and did he deduct that money from his tax bill?
- Has Mr. Barkley read the Constitution of the United States?
I am sure there are other questions he should be asked but don't expect to hear them any time soon.
If Mr. Barkley runs for office, I will be happy to send a contribution to his opposition...
posted by Susan Shogren Smith at
2/16/2008 11:34:00 AM
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