09.30.2012 10:27 AM

At Mass, a day before the book tour starts

From today’s second reading:

“Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you.”

So: can a conservative read James 5:1-6 and actually remain one?

As Fight The Right speculates: if Christ was here, right now, he’d be with the Occupiers.

Not the conservatives.

37 Comments

  1. james Smith says:

    I too like that today; you will note it was a letter from SAINT JAMES

  2. Ron says:

    Warren, read your “Fight the Right”, and it’s a good history read plus future hopes. However before you can Fight the Right, you must Unite the Left, otherwise it’s all for naught. How are you gonna do that, Warren?

    Oh, as for Justin, he’s just Liberal window dressing to stir up the media, the youth, and horny women. He is just the preview for the Real Liberal Leader—somebody with gravitas, legitimacy and worthy to be PM of all of Canada.

    Mark Steyn sums it nicely when on page 285 of his book “End of America” where he coins the phrase “Identity and Authenticity”, a concept which you also promote in your book. Justin has “identity” of sorts but he lacks clear values and authentic leadership chops. Few serious Liberals, like those in the Liberal caucus, will follow him.

    Justin will do his pied-piper bit and then stand aside for the still secret and “authentic” Liberal leader to emerge. Nice one-two punch— am I Right, Warren?

  3. JStanton says:

    .. this is a rueful observation of the ages.

    The hypocrisy of conservatives begins at the beginning. One need only read the old testament to get the gist of what has continued in the same vein ever since.

    Their deluded mind state justifies their behavior, however shameful, by invoking the notion that the individual must, at all costs, be saved from what are unilaterally and arbitrarily interpreted as the unjust demands of the community as a whole.
    Unless, of course, they stand to directly benefit… then it’s OK.

    Regarding Christ’s political affiliations, yes, it would be consistent for him to be with the Occupiers, and for the same reasons, the NDP.

    .

    • Ron says:

      Have you ever thought that Canadians just don’t want to pay more taxes for dubious government services and then turn the other cheek to get whacked again?

      In our dangerous world, economically, politically and religiously, our spines stiffen and we look to the Old Testament while preaching the New Testament to children. Hail Mary and pass the ammo—we are at war and preaching socialist liberalism may not win the war.

      Read Warren’s Fight the Right and then think why and how Harper is progressively winning the political war. It’s all there.

      • JStanton says:

        Actually, Canadians have been quite willing to pay taxes for services that benefit the community. It’s Harper’s dubious spending they have problems with, all the while he cuts programs and jobs that form the foundation of our country.

        Harper is “progressively winning the political war” through lies, deceit, mis-appropriation of the state apparatus, and by cultivating fear in the minds of the uneducated, ill-informed and otherwise vulnerable.

        That is why you apparently think we “are at war” and in greater relative danger than ever before. Not because we are, but because you are being conned by Harper’s propaganda machine.

        .

        • Ron says:

          I agree, but the war is quite real between the battle-hardened Conservative propaganda machine and the crippled Liberal propaganda machine. It’s not only me who realizes this, but it is also explained in WK’s Fight the Right book. Have you read it?

          I empathize with your feelings, but the winner of the propaganda wars becomes the duly elected government and bellyaching ain’t gonna help. Warren’s look inwards is an unavoidable medicine for the wounded Liberal party. I again suggest you read FtR because Warren’s analysis is spot on—and I hope serious Liberals will heed Warren.

  4. Peter says:

    What an amazing coincidence that this is the week Liberal thoughts turn to Christ and the Second Coming.

  5. Martin says:

    That Bible quote is excerpted from a passage that talks about the rich who don’t pay their wages to their workers, and who condemn innocent people and kill them. Sure you want to tag conservatives with that brush?
    I totally disagree with you that Christ would have been with the occupiers. Because Christ loathed hypocisy. The occupiers who claim to be part of the 99% are quite simply not. Occupiers live in the most wealthy countries in the history of the World. They have access to education, running water, electricity, food, shelter, a pension, etc…. they have more time for entertainment and self-enjoyment than any man in history. Compared to those living in the 3rd World, these occupiers are part of the 1% too. There are millions of people in poor countries who would consider themselves to have won the lottery to be in the shoes of the occupiers who get to live in North America.
    Christ wouldn’t have been, and he wasn’t with any political movement. His mission was far greater than that. He came to save every human being, whatever their ideology, label, social status, creed, etc…

    • smelter rat says:

      You need to take off those rose colored glasses.

    • patrick Deberg says:

      Martin,

      Jesus came to save everyone indeed. But he asked that you examine yourself and all you stand for before you invoke his name. The young rich man asked what was necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven and Jesus said, Hey! Follow the commandments and live a good life and that is yours. The young man wants more so responds, “I’m doing all that!” Jesus sees that this man wants real answers so says “give up all you have and follow me. ” The wealth of this man is great and he is unwilling to make this sacrifice. It’s not about what you have but about what you deem important. This young man is the average Tory today. The spirit is willing but the flesh is so weak. I find it pathetic that you would say Jesus had no political leanings and see what has been wrought in his name through history. He did have a message to follow him. His message was that man was made in god’s image. And that God can be found in everyone of us. Thus we must serve everyone rich or poor. All the gospels single out this same message. Conservatives hate these passages because they don’t fit the world view they have. They get confused with the ayn rand version of individual isolation and worship this as the way Jesus is. Your wrong Martin. Read more scripture and you will come to understand if you have the guts to live the scripture.

      I think Galbraith’s old adage fits here: “Conservatism is the search for superior moral justification for selfishness.”

    • !o! says:

      yes, yes, there are people starving in the world. This means that we aren’t allowed to protest anything until our country is just as poorly off.

    • Ron says:

      Didn’t Jesus expels the money changers from the Temple, accusing them of turning the Temple into a den of thieves through their commercial activities?

      I think He would have had empathy for the Occupy Movements—since He is the Good Shepherd and the Oppressed are his Lambs.

    • Dan says:

      It’s debatable whether Christ would be with any political movement, considering his views that rocked the Roman Empire.

      But we know he’d be against any political movement that denied wages that were earned by working people.

      You know, the right-wing parties around the world trying to slash health care and pension benefits that were promised to those workers and earned by those workers.

  6. Emily M says:

    Ah Ron, a Canadian conservative…searching for a superior moral justification for selfishness?

  7. Jon Evan says:

    Christ is not against wealth or He would have demanded the gold of the Temple be sold and given to the poor! He is against the love of wealth and its illicit gain through hypocrisy, corruption, and greed which is found on all sides of the political spectrum and is an apolitical malady of fallen human kind which Christ came to redeem. The message of some of the Occupiers has been and is wealth redistribution and if that is the idea ‘progressives’ are espousing it will not save the nation and nor will Obama’s Robin Hood tax as imported by McGuinty not save Ontario or Quebec!

    • patrick Deberg says:

      Jon,

      You started out on such a grand gesture but quickly fell into your own trap! If the words of Christ matter to you then “wealth distribution” would be no matter to you. That you bring it up illustrates that you are in the wrong camp. There are no “progressives” in the camp of Christ. Just those who feel money is a tool to build or those who feel money is a finite commodity belonging to them. I earn a lot but never feel it’s there to be “redistributed” to others. I feel Jesus asks me to seek a better world. If someone in NFLD needs it or Yukon onr Alberta so be it. My taxes go to so many things I cannot keep track of it all!
      The first half of your statement revels an eloquence worth repeating but then you descend into stereotypes, foolish and childish bearing no resemblance to living words related to the words of Christ. Try harder Jon. Dig deeper.

  8. Mulletaur says:

    Matthew 25 provides the theological basis for being a Liberal. It condemns both the far left for not putting money to work (the Parable of the Bags of Gold) and the far right for not treating the least of us as they would treat Jesus Himself (the Sheep and the Goats). It even exhorts us constantly to be ready (the Parable of the Ten Virgins). Many wise words in the Good Book.

  9. frmr Disgruntled Con now Happy Lib says:

    Mr Kinsella……any plans for a promo tour of the Left coast?…….

  10. Aurelia says:

    “Jesus ate with whores and tax collectors, but he never ate with a politician.”

    Just sayin’

  11. Pete says:

    Michael F, How so is he representative of the 1%?

    Did he not run and win a working class riding?
    Does he not spend a lot of time in that riding helping people and attending events with the people of that riding?
    Does he not cross Canada speaking to youth about being involved?

    Your Dipper skirt is showing way too much and it has made you somewhat arrogant….a 1% trait

  12. Anne Peterson says:

    I don’t mind paying taxes at all. I just don’t want to pay taxes to fund what Mr. harper does – campaigning endlessly on my dollars, tax breaks to corporations that won’t create jobs, warmongering military procurement, hypocritical appointments to the senate.

  13. Neil says:

    Yes, Warren
    I assume the book tour will bring you to Calgary, When/Where?

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