The "L" Word

My name is Snowyowl and I’m a . . . “LIBERAL”

Since the Reagan years, when the word LIBERAL was vilified and reduced to an initial,(THE “L” WORD). Too vulgar to be whispered aloud in the presence of children or the ladies, being a liberal has not been something told of ourselves, to strangers. Only with tried and true compatriots did one allow himself the luxury of admitting to be a liberal in any category, and to a large extent those feelings still exist today.

I started wondering if I was really a “LIBERAL” so I looked it up. The dictionary defines the word as:
1. Unrestricted, suitable for a freeman . . .
2. Generous, giving . . .
3. Ample, large, abundant . . .(being, myself ample, large and abundant, I feel I personify liberalism)
4. Free, not literal or strict . . .
5. Broad-minded, not narrow or bigoted . . .
6. Favoring progress, as in religion or education, favoring reforms tending toward democracy and personal freedom for the individual . .
7. Not mean, not low in birth or mind . . .
8. One who advocates greater freedom of thought or action . . .

I decided that the definition was about what I was, and further realized that what I wanted to concentrate on, in this essay, was spiritual or religious “LIBERALISM,” rather than the political “LIBERALISM” I practice at the polls.

The religious liberal or rationalist, in my case, looks at the biblical literalist about the same way a car buyer looks at a used car salesman, with some skepticism and one hand resting firmly on the wallet.

The liberal acknowledges that the New Testament was written between 1600 and 1900 years ago by older, Semitic men with different backgrounds, traditions, and idioms than our own. On the other hand, the literalist tries to equate what is said by those old semites, and sometimes misinterpreted in the Bible, to today’s mores, to life in the early 21st century, and the people are rebeling. Every week in the Church of Christ newsletter, I read articles to various congregations on keeping the traditions alive despite lose of membership.

All of this reminds me of the story of MA FERGUSON in Texas. PA FERGUSON was the Governor of Texas but his term was cut short for some minor indiscretion. MA FERGUSON was chosen to fill out his term and as Governor she vetoed a bill to make Texas Bilingual and print all documents in both English and Spanish. She explained, “If English was good enough for Jesus, it ought to be good enough for us.”

The tradition of the middle East is one of exaggeration, it’s not really a lie because everyone knows you are just expanding the truth. If someone asks you, “How was your meeting?” you might answer, “It was great, there were thousands of people there, they stood in the aisles, and applauded every time I took a breath. We only had enough food for a few hundred but God provided and with this small amount we were able to feed them all. Everyone converted and each gave half of their life savings to the ministry.” Now, the listeners of the middle East hear, “It was all right, there were a lot of people there, and they ate all of our food, they were fairly enthusiastic, there were some converts, and they gave me enough money to get me home.” If the listener is not sure of an accurate translation he might ask, “Verily?” At that point the raconteur must rephrase his anecdote to a more plausible story. Thus saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto you . . .

And, here is another point. How can we equate something said 2,000 years ago, then written down 300 years later and in a different language by a man who holds women as chattel, then mistranslated 1200 years later into yet another language, then read 450 years after that, as a law by which we should live? The liberal or rationalist looks at the Bible and all beliefs in a reasonable fashion. Take the reasonable parts as a guideline and ignores the minutia. The conservative looks at the King James Version of the Bible and never questions how it got into his hands. Not how many translations(or mis-translations) it has gone through.

In the “LITERAL BIBLE,” Christians have been told and truthfully believe, that Christianity has a lock on morality. That if you’re not Christian, you’re not moral. The names Jimmy Swaggart, Robert Tilton, Jim Baker, Oral Roberts, and Mike Messner come to mind. I find it a shame that most Conservative Christians think that they themselves have to have their beliefs to keep them from being morally depraved. In that case, I am glad they have their beliefs. There is enough depravity in the world. But, my findings have revealed that SOME of the most moral people I have met, claim to be atheists and SOME of the most immoral, claim to be Christian.

Once, when questioned about my patriotism to a CHRISTIAN Country, I explained how I felt. I told the questioner the basic difference in Patriotism between a Fundamentalist Christian and my self is, “If I were faced with going to war so that you could believe in Christ, I would go gladly for you, and defend you rights. You, on the other hand, would not fight for my rights of belief. Now who is the most Patriotic?”

Yes, my name is Snowyowl and I am a religious Liberal . . . and I’m proud of it. And yes, I am a Heretic, from the Latin(Haereticus) and the Greek(Hairetikos) meaning–able to choose. I choose to choose

WITHOUT CHOICE, YOU CANNOT BE FREE!

Be proud to be a Religious Liberal and a Heretic because it is with you that our tradition of freedom will continue.