Once More, With Feeling...

...Good riddance to bad rubbish!!

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, BoingBoing has reported that everybody's favorite fundie, Jack Chick, died yesterday. While BoingBoing's report claims nobody is divulging his cause of death, the Chick Publications Facebook page announced that he passed in his sleep. Like another of his ilk who was sentenced to prison earlier this year, I'm not going to bother talking much about his misdeeds, save to say that he was a hateful, misinformed man who inspired and misinformed many people to spread his hate and ignorance.

As someone who constantly wrestles with my faith, politics, and the meanings of right and wrong, I know how easy it is to get drawn into doing the wrong thing for what some would claim is the right reason. That struggle doesn't get any easier when you have family and friends who all have differing political and religious beliefs - but it sure makes things interesting from time to time.

In all honesty, with regard to Chick's reasoning (or lack thereof) behind his ignorance and hate, I think the smoking gun can be found in this statement from his Wikipedia page (bracketed text added from the actual FAQ to clarify things):

"On his 'Roman Catholicism FAQ', Chick said he began publishing his theories about the Roman Catholic Church because 'he loves Catholics and wants them to be saved through faith in Jesus[, not trusting in religious liturgy and sacraments.]'."

Having studied theology, I know the theological (and political) reasons behind Luther's 95 Theses. He voiced his dissent with regard to an increasingly meddlesome Papacy which indulged in greed and idolatry in a variety of ways, ranging from letters of indulgence to priests and bishops marrying into powerful families and fathering illegitimate children to gain money and property. Luther wanted to break down the barrier between the people and God's word that was imposed by the church. While that is certainly how Chick's reasoning appears on the surface, his ideas are much more conspiratorial and derogatory when exposed to the light of day.

I'll be the first to admit I'm not an angel. I get angry; I mess up; I stumble; and when I fall, it results in a pretty heavy thud (both literally and metaphorically). I can only hope that now that he's on the other side, Chick has seen the error of his ways because his minions employees have vowed to stay the course.

The madness continues...

My response. For context, start here and read to here. Something Positive is ©2016 R.K. Milholland.

In closing, I'll leave this bit of wisdom from Isaiah 5:20-21 (NIV) for us all, myself included.

Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes

and clever in their own sight.

And 2016, I know you did this to try and get back in my good graces. For the record, you're not even close...