Found another good blog: Hannah Im She has a post which I can only describe as ‘American as Samaritan’, ‘ The Parable of the Good American?’. At first, when I read it, I was prone to disagree, based upon my general agreement with Parablemans’ point that America, as a nation, cannot be rightly described as Christian. I looked for a direct quote, but couldn’t find it so just going on what I recall from comment dialogs. ( He is good at clarifying so I may get called on this one). I refer to him because that is what most colored my thinking on the subject.
update: I do believe that the conversation I remembered was in Christian Nation. Thanks, Jeremy.
I was thinking this way: how can we predicate policy upon Christian teaching upon which we no longer have a consensus? But then I thought further into it, and we do hold the values even if we don’t hold the place name for the source. Hannah writes from the perspective of a Christian and how one reacts, as a Christian in their own view and reaction, but it has tie-ins with how we approach our foreign policy. We do -presently- behave as the Good Samaritan in some cases. Maybe the better ones of giving support and aid to other countries.
It is an interesting premise: giving help to those we consider evil. I don’t know that the Samaritan story is about that, it is more about helping your fellow man whoever he is… and the ethnic difference was not a representation of national interest. In fact, maybe that is the whole point. That we are not fully defined by national or ethnic boundaries.
Does this work well in our official government policy? Is it mixing apples and oranges… diluting the purpose of government to restrain evil?
I’m not sure, but the post got me mulling the matter over. One thing I do see, that in practice we do mix apples and oranges. We do it for a plethora of reasons, from perceived interest to compassionate goals.
Hi Ilona,
You know you need a miserable commie about the place, right 😉
“We do -presently- behave as the Good Samaritan in some cases. Maybe the better ones of giving support and aid to other countries.”
All countries with even a semi-functioning government give aid, and it usually comes with a variety of ties. The US is no exception to this. Governments being what they are, it’s as if the good Samaritan had said “I’ll give you a hand out of that ditch, pal, but first you have to sign this piece of paper giving me the right to sleep with your wife twice a week.”
“Does this work well in our official government policy?”
Have you ever tried it? 😉
“Have you ever tried it? ;)”
aghast and agog: “moi?”
-of course we need people around here who have the ability and will to penetrate the issues debated. You qualify.
Did you lose the password to your blog? Or the interest? Missed you.
“Governments being what they are, it’s as if the good Samaritan had said “I’ll give you a hand out of that ditch, pal, but first you have to sign this piece of paper giving me the right to sleep with your wife twice a week.””
Perhaps this is the prevailing argument for church state separation. We can’t help but see how Western governments tend to take the lion share of giving aid, though. Is any government clear of Machiavellian theory though?
I emailed you at your Hotmail addy, with a mini break-down of my life and times! You may have to prop up your eyelids with matches, but it’s all on there…..
My blog was going down the tubes fast. Not to put too fine a point on it, it started to suck big time. Not quite sure why, but I think because my posting was so intermittent it lost a lot of momentum. The answer to your questions is “yes” and “yes, and money”.
And likewise! I’ve been recommending your blog to my mum. She just did the Myers-Briggs and came out as INTP.
“We can’t help but see how Western governments tend to take the lion share of giving aid, though.”
Well, we’ve got the most money! Poor countries spend a lot on paying back the fantastic debts they owe us, too. Does that count?
[and….insert widow’s mite reference here….] 😉
“Is any government clear of Machiavellian theory though?”
No, the system builds it in. 😉
you are your mother, I am your mother…we are all mothers…HA!
You got me on one of my bad girl days;0 bad puns,good mood. I am so excited! I will check my email today.
You know you can usually recover your password fairly easily, the motivation and interest, I don’t know.
“Well, we’ve got the most money! ”
I’ll agree for the sake of streamlining the argument ( Saudi Arabia has no money?), but then I would have to ask, where does this ideal of noblesse oblige come from, eh?
All systems build it in, or we might say that Machiavelli was simply a most astute observer of how men in power act.
Here are some posts where this has come up:
A Deeper Notion of Marriage
Should We Retake the Nation?
Christian Nationa