Saturday, January 19, 2019

Film: Love Thy Neighbor

by Nomad


Here at the blog, we spend quite a bit of time bashing phony Christians and evangelicals for their hypocrisy. In fact, we are in good company. Americans have a long and proud tradition of mocking the self-righteous, especially the religious variety. 

One of America's most beloved authors, Mark Twain once wrote:
If Christ were here there is one thing he would not be--a Christian.
As Twain pointed out many times, the major problem isn't so much that there are not enough Christians, but that so many Christians refuse to actually follow the tenets of their faith.

For example, being a Christian means choosing to forgive your enemies and not to “hate” anyone. That we must strive for peace with everyone. What's wrong with that?

I suppose that's what makes evangelical support of a hate-inspiring politician like Trump such an irreconcilable contradiction. In word, character, and action, Trump is everything a Christian should not be and yet, according to an October poll, a stunning 71 percent of white evangelicals approve of his presidency. Amazingly, that's the only religious group in America to view Trump favorably.
For Christians, the greatest commandment of all (as stated in Mark 12:31 and John 13:34) has always been to ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

In the short film below, we look at two families- one American Christian, the other Syrian Muslim- putting this particular principle to the test.

Love Thy Neighbor from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.