It always amazes me how into God the Republicans are when by their definition Jesus was a peacenik cross-dressing communist who hung around with 12 other blokes and a prostitute.
In my previous life I secured a contract to build a ski centre at Liberty university in Lynchburg, Virginia which is/was allegedly the world’s largest Christian university. It was founded by Jerry Falwell who was one of these ‘fire and brimstone’ TV evangelist preachers in the 60’s who also founded ‘the moral majority’ movement. I used to personally deal with Jerry Falwell Jr, who was then chancellor of the university (and one of Trumpty Dumpty’s biggest supporters and was recently forced to resign due to his and his wife’s alleged indiscretions). Though, in the main, we got on exceptionally well with all the staff there, on several occasions my colleagues and I witnessed the senior staff treating some of the lower level staff (mainly blacks and Mexicans) and the local rednecks abysmally and with contempt and derision. Occasionally we would politely point out to that perhaps they could treat people/deal with a situation a little better because what they were doing wasn’t ‘Christian’ and they used to look at us blankly and really didn’t understand what we were saying. Being a Christian meant something very different I think, but I’m not sure what.
Having been to the Middle East I was amazed to find out there wasn’t anyone called Simon, Joseph, John and James.....
Many Arabic names are similar. Joseph/Yusuf Simon/Saymun But generally their names were translated/hellenised/romanised by the early Christians spreading the Word around the Mediterranean. Peter, for example is from “petros”, Greek for “rock”
For balance, it isn't just Bible-belt Republicans who are exemplars of hypocrisy. My dad was taught by Christian Brothers, who, for any of our readers who don't already know, were utter psychopaths, like a Catholic version of the Taliban. He still has a deformed fingernail from when he was struck 6 times with the edge of a metal ruler across the bed of his nails for the heinous crime of forgetting his school cap. I was also taught by a nun who was similarly sadistic and because I was a disobedient mischief-maker, she constantly picked on me and beat me black and blue. I know there are people who will pay good money to be spanked by a lady dressed in a habit and a wimple, but it wasn't really my bag when I was 8
