Every time you use a credit card, the merchant is charged 1.5% to 5% "merchant discount fee" that helps pay for the bank’s services and for the credit card system. This means every time you use a credit card, you help support a corporation that does not have your or most peoples’ interest in mind. Credit card corporations vehemently fight against legislation to cap interest rate limits and other methods to keep vulnerable people from ruining their financial security. Every time you use a credit card, you support the exploitation of poor and uneducated people. Stop using credit cards! Credit cards are only useful in rare situations and should never be used on a regular basis.

"Virtually all credit card holders are being taken advantage of under the present circumstances. If you’re a responsible person of middle-class or upper-middle-class means, and you act totally responsibly by paying off your balances every month, doing it on time, you are not being rewarded for that. In fact, you can be penalized for doing that. If you are very poor, if you are older, and if you’re very young, very vulnerable, three very vulnerable constituencies, you’re being exploited by this process. So virtually everyone who holds a credit card one way or the other, under existing laws today and provisions, can be completely taken advantage of by the credit card industry." Chris Dodd, senior Democratic member of the Senate Banking Committee.

More at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/credit/interviews/dodd.html

Stop credit card use

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize

I don’t want to live if others have to die for me to live.

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12

Love is the Golden Rule and greatest purpose for life.

Would purposefully dieing to donate all your organs and tissues be loving if it would save many peoples’ lives?

I would not want another person to die for me to live. Purposefully dieing to donate my organs is not loving.

Is killing to save another person’s life loving?

No, I would rather die, then have someone killed to save my life.

Would setting yourself on fire to protest war be loving?

"To burn oneself by fire is to prove that what one is saying is of the utmost importance…. The Vietnamese monk, by burning himself, says with all his strength and determination that he can endure the greatest of sufferings to protect his people…. To express will by burning oneself, therefore, is not to commit an act of destruction but to perform an act of construction, that is, to suffer and to die for the sake of one’s people. This is not suicide." (http://www.geocities.com/tcartz/sacrifice.htm).

Self-Immolation awakens the conscience of people, helping to foster peace. I would desire for the social conscience to live even if a person willingly dies. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Self-Immolation is loving. It’s a baptism of fire.

It is only loving to die to change people’s minds, not to save people’s lives. It is only loving to die for "bad" people (i.e. sinners, enemies), not "good" people (e.g. family, your country).

What is love?

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize

Anyone who thinks the Bush administration is on the side of Christian conservatives should read this

Notable quotes

In his days as a notorious "hatchet man" for President Richard M. Nixon, before he had allowed Jesus to transform his life, Chuck Colson used to oversee outreach to the religious community. "I arranged special briefings in the Roosevelt Room for religious leaders, ushered wide-eyed denominational leaders into the Oval Office for private sessions with the President," Colson later wrote. "Of all the groups I dealt with, I found religious leaders the most naive about politics. Maybe that is because so many come from sheltered backgrounds, or perhaps it is the result of a mistaken perception of the demands of Christian charity … Or, most worrisome of all, they may simply like to be around power."

"George W. Bush, the man, is a person of profound faith and deep compassion for those who suffer. But President George W. Bush is a politician and is ultimately no different from any other politician, content to use religion for electoral gain more than for good works. Millions of Evangelicals may share Bush’s faith, but they would protect themselves–and their interests–better if they looked at him through the same coldly political lens with which he views them." David Kuo, ex-deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.

Policies

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize

While trying to decrease the number of U.S. nuclear warheads, the White House administration proposes making new nuclear warheads and is waiting on "an expected decision in December by the NNSA on a design for the new "Reliable Replacement Warhead" (RRW). The nation’s two nuclear weapons laboratories, Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore, are competing for the new warhead design. Before going ahead with any new warhead, however, the NNSA would have to get Congress’s approval to move into actual engineering development."

More information at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/19/AR2006101901863_pf.html.

New U.S. nuclear weapons development

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize

The government’s Faith-based Initiative is not what it seems. While the faith-based initiative has allowed religious social service groups to have access to federal grants, there has been less money available for social service groups in general than before. "The faith-based initiative has been used largely as a political tool to attract support from religious communities." Amy Sullivan. The White House could "can add another few billion to insure every American child has health care. It could launch a program to simply eliminate hunger. Groups like America’s Second Harvest have the plan. Bump up the Compassion Capital Fund to $500 million a year and be marveled by change." Instead of working to provide social services, the White House favors money for almost everything but this.

"No administration since LBJ’s has had a more successful legislative track record than this one. From tax cuts to Medicare, the White House gets what the White House really wants. It never really wanted the "poor people stuff." Not only were the tax items dropped from the 2001 tax relief bill, they were also ignored on numerous occasions when they could have been implemented. In December 2001, for instance, Sen. Daschle approached the Domestic Policy Council with an offer to pass a charity relief bill that contained many of the president’s campaign tax incentive policies plus new money for the widely-popular and faith-based-friendly Social Services Block Grant. The White House legislative affairs office rolled their eyes while others on senior staff yawned. We had to leave the offer on the table."

This is from the ex-Special Assistant to the president and ex-Deputy Director of the Faith-Based Initiative, David Kuo, http://www.beliefnet.com/story/160/story_16092_1.html .

Other interesting information includes the difference between Kennedy’s and Bush’s faith. "War and hunger and ignorance and despair have no religious boundries." We should judge based on fruits, not on someone calling out to God.

Faith-based Initiative: white-washing

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize

Songs of Songs is difficult to understand. It’s a musical and love song that’s been interpreted in very different ways. Some interpret Songs of Songs to be only figurative, which describes a spiritual intimacy with God, not a physical intimacy with people. Others interpret it literally to mean sexual intimacy.

In Songs of Songs it talks about three types of love:
1) Rayah - friendship love
2) Ahabah - love that is seen in commitment
3) Dowd - is the physically intimate love

Dowd is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek Eros. The New Testament never mentions Eros. Instead the NT uses agape, storge and philia for specific reasons. You can read my blog entry on this at http://www.interconnectedness.net/2006/07/31/agape-eros-storge-and-philein/ .
(Rayah is the similiar of Philia. Ahabah is sort-of similiar to Agape.) If we interpret Dowd to mean Eros in a physical sense, then it would contradict the NT writers. Hence, if a completely literal understanding of dowd/eros was possible before Christ, Christ updated this teaching in the same way he updated other teachings, such as the verses in Matthew 5 saying, "You have heard that it was said … But I tell you …", since the use of Eros was abandoned.

Pope Benedict XVI recently addressed this issue in Songs of Songs by stating that Eros is not destroyed, but purified, by Agape, so the body and soul can live peacefully with each other. This means the NT purifies the OT. The OT serves to lay out a set of laws, which inevitably condemns humanity. Christ purifies us of this sin. Hence, the OT gives an apparent set (i.e. Torah) of unideal rules (i.e. "You have heard that it was said … But I tell you") which the Pharisees perfectly obeyed, while the OT unapparently giving a much greater path (i.e. the basis of the Greatest Commandment) that was only apparently revealed by Christ (i.e. sermon on the mount, etc.). In the NT, Christ dwells in us, so we should be perfect as God is. In the OT, the law dwells in us (i.e. Deuteronomy 6:4-9), so we should be as perfect as the law requires. Therefore, the Songs of Songs allowed eros from the Law, but was inundated by the perfection of agape from the Holy Spirit.

An interesting rebuttal to my interpretation is presented at http://www.spiritualityandsexuality.com/SnS-ViewsArticles.html . It argues against Greek/Roman stoic and epicurean teachings, and proposes we follow OT Hebrew teachings instead. This boils down to ignoring Paul’s letters [Paul was a big fan of Socrates/Plato (Jesus was like the Gadfly) and stoicism (indifference to pleasure or pain, as shown through holy joy in suffering)] and ignoring the ascetic nature of Jesus’ discipleship. There’s a lot of truth in Greek/Roman stoic and epicurean (fyi, John Piper’s Christian hedonism is Christian epicureanism) philosophy. There’s also a lot of truth in OT teaching, but some of it was updated, such as in this case. The main argument against Greek/Roman stoic and epicurean philosophy tries to tie dishonoring women with dishonoring Eros, which is a weak connection and need not be the case.

P.S. This was a response to an entry by Lisa Treumuth at http://agape720.livejournal.com/208768.html.

Songs of Songs

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize

The words of Hosea are upon us. The status quo Christian church has grown to love power and by doing so, spiritually destroying itself. Spiritual destruction is marvelous because a refiners fire separates the pure from the impure. It is a phoenix rising from the ashes, the plough overcoming the sword and the lamb saving the lion. "I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, And will make them lie down in safety. … And I will say to those who were not my people, ‘You are my people’"

It is not too late, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. "For the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no faithfulness or kindness Or knowledge of God in the land. There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, And everyone who lives in it languishes Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky, And also the fish of the sea disappear."

Why have the status quo Christian leaders "eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your way, in your numerous warriors."

Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life (a book I’ve read and support), writes in his voter guide (http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/default.asp?id=178&artid=7543&expand=1) about the five most important issues Christians must consider when voting: 1) abortion, 2) stem-cell research, 3) homosexual marriage, 4) human cloning, and 5) euthanasia. Focusing on these issues as the most "crucial issues" of  "the most important election Americans have had in 50 years" is misguided at best and complete rebellion against Jesus’ teachings at worst.

Rick Warren is not at fault for this, nor the proverbial religious right; instead, it is the entrenched wolves in sheep’s clothing of the materialistic/militant Greek/Roman culture that overpowers Christian love. Many Christian leaders are oblivious to this and become "blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!," as seen with Rick Warren’s proposal.

Why is his proposal so bad? All over the globe, 1.1 billion people live in extreme poverty, which means they live under $1 a day. Billions more live in poverty without adequate health care, nutrition, safety and a loving home. Countless children die of preventable diseases. The environment is continually destroyed and we could face a global climate shift. Weapons are endlessly manufactured and traded across the globe (with the U.S. being a major supplier). HIV/AIDS, poverty, abuse, malnutrition, disease, war, racial reconciliation, health care, welfare, education, diplomacy, alternative energy, the environment, research, the U.S. industrial infrastructure, prison reform, human rights and economic accountability are important issues too.

Why are these issues more important? Because Jesus would care less about the "moral" issues Rick Warren presents, and would feed his sheep. The hungry sheep number and die in the billions! Are we going to be so concerned with "morals" as to ignore the call to feed the sheep? In summary, a candidate could perfectly fit Rick Warren’s points, yet completely ignore Jesus’ call to feed the sheep. Worst of all, these points apply not only to priorities for voting, but covertly outline the social role of "ideal" Christians as moralists, not humanitarians. "If you judge people, you have no time to love them." Mother Teresa

The goats care for ‘the least of these’ with bombs, indifference, hostility and "morality." We must first become powerless as the sheep to care for the sheep, or else, unwittingly, we become wolves in sheep’s clothing. Are you ready to disarm yourself and walk in the naked boots of peace with us?

Matthew 25:22-46
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 37"Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 40"The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

 41"Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

 44"They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

 45"He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

 46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Archetypal goat, Rick Warren among others

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize

When I think of this new community, I think about people from all over the world reaching out to each other in total vulnerability. In my mind’s eye, I see a worldwide network of men and women so totally disarmed that they not only have given up the power of weapons but also religious concepts, symbols, and institutions. I see them moving over this world, visiting each other, binding each other’s wounds, confessing their brokenness to each other, and forgiving each other with a simple word, an embrace, a touch, or even a smile. I see them walking alone or together in the most simple clothes, caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, comforting the lonely, and waiting quietly with the dying. I see them in apartment buildings, farm houses, schools and universities, hospitals and office buildings as quiet witnesses of God’s presence. Wherever they are they bring peace, not as much by what they say or do, but mostly by their connectedness with those others with whom they form a new community of hope.

Jesus’ way is the way without curses, weapons, violence or power. For him, there are no countries to be conquered, no ideologies to be imposed, no people to be dominated. There are only children, women and men to be loved. And love does not use weapons. Love is not made manifest in power but in powerlessness. Jesus challenges all his followers to take this way, the way of disarmed, nonviolent, powerless resistance.

This was taken from http://www.johndear.org/articles/henri_nouwen.htm and written by the late Henri Nouwen.

This is happening now! A movement of young and old are coming together in abandonment of childish dreams, in solidarity with the poor, to overcome the gates of oppression with endless love today. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven! Check out The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. You cannot serve both Caesar and God. Make a stand. Live love.

Art of weakness

This entry was originally published at Interconnectedness by Mikhail (Misha) Lomize