Elites Cause Crime by Acing Marshmallow Tests

I suppose there is one thing I want to say the most. It's not often that I read something that makes me reflect back on the lens of Christianity that I view the world through. There are two points that this article raises about widely practiced Christianity that tap on that glass rather well.

The first is "the monkey dance" and what my response should be. There is no computer logic for this-- something I only say for the computer-minded. I am expected to make the best judgement call as I see it, then to reflect on if what I did was right, then make another judgement call. Here is a short list of Christian teachings that crossed my mind: Turn the other cheek, offer your shirt if they take your jacket; Jesus had his deciples buy swords, but later tells them not to live by the sword lest they die by the sword; do not act out in anger; the tongue can be a whip, can kill, and spew evil, but can also heal and lift up; the strongman wins until a greater strongman comes along and binds him; give to Ceasar what is Ceasar's, and to god what is god's; god does not need to be in power to do his will.

The other is this idea of being superior and more self-righteous by not taking revenge. That's not in the Bible. That's looking down on others in contempt and allowing fellow citizens to experience harm out of a desire to let the unjust be unjust. The law is for the lawless! There are many ways to strike a balance when it comes to how a place is policed. Countries all over the world do it differently and there are pros and cons. California has the money to do a better job is my opinion. It's a hard question to solve and I won't discuss it further without keeping the conversation to specifics. God looks at the heart. If the "right thing" is done for the wrong reasons then that is something the Christian is directly asked to confront within themselves. I'm reminded of two Christian pieces specifically: God loves a cheerful giver; & The people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

I hope this adds to the discussion. I won't take offense to an athiest retort.