Stone Washington
Symposium – On the Apostles vs. the Squad: Righteousness vs. repulsiveness
By Stone Washington
"What matters is not your outward appearance...but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle gracious kind that God delights in."
~Apostle Peter
"I can't name a single issue with roots in race that doesn't have economic implications, and I cannot think of a single economic issue that doesn't have racial implications. The idea that we have to separate them out and choose one is a con."
~Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was a famous Greek philosopher from Athens, who taught Plato, and Plato taught Aristotle, and Aristotle taught Alexander the Great. Socrates used a simple but ingeniously profound method of teaching by asking philosophical and revelatory questions. The Greeks called this form "dialectic" – starting from a thesis or question, then discussing ideas by moving back and forth between points of view to determine how well ideas stand up to critical review, with the ultimate principle of the dialogue being Veritas – Truth.
Characters:
Jesus: "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Socrates: We shall now examine some of the acts by the Apostles, now imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit, and judge the significance of these actions as they spread the word of God throughout the known world.
Peter: Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. And with many other words I testified and exhorted before the masses, saying "Be saved from this perverse generation."
This is what the risen Lord has inspired me to spread to all unbelievers and to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have baptized countless souls and inspired many to renew themselves through praising God.
Philip: Amen, fellow brother of Christ. For we have converted so many away from evil to serve the almighty Lord. I have taught many about the secrets of faith and helped those who did not understand the scriptures. One such man was an Ethiopian eunuch whom the Lord had led me to encounter near Gaza. He was reading from the book of Isaiah the prophet but did not understand the scripture that he was reading. I taught him the spiritual meaning of the text from which he read and when we encountered a nearby body of water, baptized him in the name of the Lord. He believed with all his heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and from that moment on was transformed into a new man, rejoicing before those he encountered. I was then swiftly led away by the Holy Spirit to continue spreading the word of the Lord.
Socrates: Verily, you have spread the word of the Lord successfully and transformed many lost souls. A righteous mission indeed. What has your work produced thus far, Alexandria?
Cortez: I hold the honor of sponsoring a revolutionary bill to combat the many pollutions and gases that harm our natural environment. My initiative is called "The Green New Deal", which will transform our old grey economy into something vibrant, economically sound and socially responsible. The Green New Deal seeks to solve America's climate crisis by using quick action to get to net- zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% renewable energy by 2030. As part of my deal, I will ensure that all Americans are provided the opportunities to achieve their greatest financial potential through implementing the "Economic Bill of Rights." These rights guarantee that every American receives access to single-payer healthcare, a guaranteed job at a living wage, affordable housing and free college education.
Socrates: Hmm, interesting proposal. But won't the Green New Deal bar people from the possession of cattle, airplanes, and gas emitting vehicles, while revoking reliance of natural gas sustainability? Will It not also come with a hefty price tag of $10 trillion?
Cortez: Uhm, well...to implement real change, a great deal of money is required. The Green New Deal will prevent our world from descending into a climate crisis. As towns and cities go underwater, as wildfires ravage our communities, we're going to pay. And we have to decide whether we're going to pay to react, or pay to be proactive. I can tell you now, the cost of pursuing a Green New Deal will be far less than the cost of not passing it. People are dying!
Trump: The "Green New Deal," huh? Democrats should stay with that argument and never change. No planes, no energy. When the wind stops blowing that's the end of your electricity. How terribly undependable and unresourceful. From day one my administration has made it a top priority to ensure that America is among the very cleanest air and cleanest water on the planet. The Green New Deal would kill millions of valuable jobs. It'll crush the dreams of the poorest Americans and disproportionately harm minority communities. I will not stand for it. We will defend the environment, but we will also defend American sovereignty, American prosperity, and we will defend American jobs.
Peter: God has taught me not to call what he has created and ordained, unclean. His world has been created to last the ages. Do not insult the longevity of this world's beauty in favor of your Green New Deal policies. This world faces no immediate or unnatural crisis. You should focus on the dangers that inflict your eternal soul, which requires constant renewal through the blood of Christ our Lord. People are indeed dying, everyday from causes unrelated to what you speak of. Yet, what of their souls? What answers does your Green New Deal have for those whose souls are not saved in time for judgement day? These are the questions that I work to absolve among Jews and Gentiles alike, with the aid of my fellow disciples, spreading the good news of the risen Lord and saving souls from eternal damnation.
Omar: I cannot believe what I am hearing from this Christian. Jews are the enemies to obtaining true peace. Israeli supremacy endangers peaceful Palestinians seeking their own country. Why do they deserve salvation? There are consequences to these actions when Netanyahu vows to make Israeli occupation permanent by annexing Palestinian land in the West Bank. At the same time, we are providing Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, we should say there are consequences to these actions. And to my knowledge, in previous times, Bush and Reagan have said that.
We must support an end of the occupation of Palestine and seek to achieve a two-state solution. I believe firmly that the path to peace does not lie through violent means. We should condemn in the strongest terms violence that perpetuates the occupation. Whether it's Israel, Hamas or various individuals. We cannot also condemn non-violent means. We cannot simultaneously say we want peace and to oppose peaceful means to hold our allies accountable.
Barnabas: Your morals are terribly confused. How can you advocate for a "two-state solution" between Israel and Palestine when you are incapable of masking your own hatred of the Jewish people? If you do not ask yourself what it is you know, you will go on listening to others and change will not come because you will not hear your own truth. Your ideology is warped by radical Islamic sympathies of Muslim activists and hatred toward God's chosen people, the Israelites. It astounds me how you remain a Congresswoman. Listen to what my fellow brothers have done to spread the teachings of Jesus, namely the greatest commandment which is to: love thy neighbor as thyself.
I have witnessed to so many concerning the glorious grace of God, rejoicing before others encouraging them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord. While you are full of hate and venom, I am a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, guiding a considerable number of followers to the Lord. Contrary to your faith Omar, I shall discriminate against no Jew or Gentile, as all are welcome by God.
Pelosi: While your work is righteous, I find it alarming that you all seem to support the President's rhetoric, which is undeniably racist to members of our caucus. He has targeted four women of color through an insensitive and racist tweet. Every single member of this institution should join us in condemning the President's racist tweets. To do anything less would be a shocking rejection of our values and a shameful abdication of our oath of office to protect the American people. This is yet another example of this President seeking to "Make America White Again."
Trump: Coming from the woman whose very words were nearly removed from the official House record. You broke a major House parliamentary rule that states how lawmakers cannot malign the character of the President. How can you condemn my rhetoric, which was in no ways racist, without any care to breaking the rules? I say this again: If you're not happy here, you can leave. And that's what I say all the time. My tweet is not at all racist, which I guess some people think is controversial, despite a lot of people supporting it. I mentioned no person, no color, and only aimed my tweet against those who have uttered hateful things toward America.
Socrates: Agreed. The President's tweet did not target any one person or color and condemned only those who express hate against American values. Mrs. Pelosi, it seems your condemnation of Trump's tweet is misguided in nature. I find it interesting that you yourself have been accused of racism by members of the Squad, after they found that you alienated them regarding their minority status. Address your inner-party feud before feuding with the President.
Tlaib: Speaker Pelosi can sit down with us at any time to speak face-to-face. She needs to acknowledge the fact that we are "Women of Color" so when you do single us out, be aware of that and what you're doing, especially because some of us are getting death threats. Some of us are being singled out because of our backgrounds, because of our experiences and so forth.
Like my sister in faith Congresswoman Omar, I have also sponsored BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) proposals to reject pro-Israeli bills on the House floor. The Jewish people have disproportionately benefited from the United States and global powers following their victimization in the Holocaust, while Palestinians have been largely ignored. There's always kind of a calming feeling I tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors – Palestinians – who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out. And just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews after the Holocaust (1933-45). And I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways. But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away, and it was forced on them.
Pressley: Spot on sister. Diversity in action is greatly needed in this era where the White Christian male is predominant and governs the table of power. This is the time to shake that table...We don't need any more brown faces that don't want to be a brown voice. We don't need any more Black faces that don't want to be a black voice. We don't need Muslims that don't want to be a Muslim voice. We don't need queers that don't want to be a queer voice. If you're worried about being marginalized and stereotyped, please don't even show up because we need you to represent that voice.
Paul: And you both received quite a lot of rebuke for this twisted philosophy, didn't you? I was not so different from you at a time. Similar to Representative Tlaib's disdain for the Jews, I was calmed by the sight of Christians being persecuted by my hand, by the order of the Pharisees. I was doggedly driven to persecute that one group of people, simply because their beliefs were revolutionary and challenged the rigged status quo of established church doctrine. Blinded by my zeal for the Pharisees, the Lord Jesus revealed the blindness of my heart in a flash of light that knocked me off my horse and took away my sight temporarily. In a thundering voice, the Lord called out to me and questioned my futile mission, similar to an ox kicking against the goads. From this moment forward, I was led to the faith by the hands of the Apostles, whom I had formerly persecuted, and found my calling as one of God's greatest servants. God also taught me not to dehumanize my enemies, as you seem to have done with your comments Representative Pressley.
God has imbued me with a special spiritual power, unusual even among the miracles of other Apostles so that anyone who so much as touched what I touched would be healed of their infirmities. I would teach to those far and wide the word of God's new covenant with his children. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He [Jesus] whom God raised up saw no corruption. Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man, is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Socrates: Let us see the conclusion to this matter. It is clear that the acts of the Apostles far outweigh the actions of the Squad. Every Apostle has demonstrated a profound service for the community, inspiring countless followers to serve the Lord Jesus, confess their sins, and be renewed through God's abundant mercy. They have healed the sick, raised the dead, repaired the disabled, and have restored the faith of so many non-believers in the time following the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
These just and moral arguments, in comparison to the words of ill repute by the four Congresswomen, who are not performing a good service to those who elected them to power. Whether it is through the failed Green New Deal or anti-Israel BDS amendment proposals, you Congresswomen have not passed any key legislation into law to better assist your constituents. It would be in your best interest to abstain from in-party feuds, misguided accusations of racism, and radical socialist proposals that do nothing to advance the agenda of the Democrat Party. Learn from the Apostles on what is truly right and just.
© Stone Washington
July 27, 2019
"What matters is not your outward appearance...but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle gracious kind that God delights in."
~Apostle Peter
"I can't name a single issue with roots in race that doesn't have economic implications, and I cannot think of a single economic issue that doesn't have racial implications. The idea that we have to separate them out and choose one is a con."
~Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was a famous Greek philosopher from Athens, who taught Plato, and Plato taught Aristotle, and Aristotle taught Alexander the Great. Socrates used a simple but ingeniously profound method of teaching by asking philosophical and revelatory questions. The Greeks called this form "dialectic" – starting from a thesis or question, then discussing ideas by moving back and forth between points of view to determine how well ideas stand up to critical review, with the ultimate principle of the dialogue being Veritas – Truth.
Characters:
- Jesus
- Socrates
- Apostle Paul
- Apostle Peter
- Apostle Philip
- Apostle Barnabas
- President Trump
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Rep. Ilhan Omar
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib
- Rep. Ayanna Pressley
Jesus: "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Socrates: We shall now examine some of the acts by the Apostles, now imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit, and judge the significance of these actions as they spread the word of God throughout the known world.
Peter: Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. And with many other words I testified and exhorted before the masses, saying "Be saved from this perverse generation."
This is what the risen Lord has inspired me to spread to all unbelievers and to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have baptized countless souls and inspired many to renew themselves through praising God.
Philip: Amen, fellow brother of Christ. For we have converted so many away from evil to serve the almighty Lord. I have taught many about the secrets of faith and helped those who did not understand the scriptures. One such man was an Ethiopian eunuch whom the Lord had led me to encounter near Gaza. He was reading from the book of Isaiah the prophet but did not understand the scripture that he was reading. I taught him the spiritual meaning of the text from which he read and when we encountered a nearby body of water, baptized him in the name of the Lord. He believed with all his heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and from that moment on was transformed into a new man, rejoicing before those he encountered. I was then swiftly led away by the Holy Spirit to continue spreading the word of the Lord.
Socrates: Verily, you have spread the word of the Lord successfully and transformed many lost souls. A righteous mission indeed. What has your work produced thus far, Alexandria?
Cortez: I hold the honor of sponsoring a revolutionary bill to combat the many pollutions and gases that harm our natural environment. My initiative is called "The Green New Deal", which will transform our old grey economy into something vibrant, economically sound and socially responsible. The Green New Deal seeks to solve America's climate crisis by using quick action to get to net- zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% renewable energy by 2030. As part of my deal, I will ensure that all Americans are provided the opportunities to achieve their greatest financial potential through implementing the "Economic Bill of Rights." These rights guarantee that every American receives access to single-payer healthcare, a guaranteed job at a living wage, affordable housing and free college education.
Socrates: Hmm, interesting proposal. But won't the Green New Deal bar people from the possession of cattle, airplanes, and gas emitting vehicles, while revoking reliance of natural gas sustainability? Will It not also come with a hefty price tag of $10 trillion?
Cortez: Uhm, well...to implement real change, a great deal of money is required. The Green New Deal will prevent our world from descending into a climate crisis. As towns and cities go underwater, as wildfires ravage our communities, we're going to pay. And we have to decide whether we're going to pay to react, or pay to be proactive. I can tell you now, the cost of pursuing a Green New Deal will be far less than the cost of not passing it. People are dying!
Trump: The "Green New Deal," huh? Democrats should stay with that argument and never change. No planes, no energy. When the wind stops blowing that's the end of your electricity. How terribly undependable and unresourceful. From day one my administration has made it a top priority to ensure that America is among the very cleanest air and cleanest water on the planet. The Green New Deal would kill millions of valuable jobs. It'll crush the dreams of the poorest Americans and disproportionately harm minority communities. I will not stand for it. We will defend the environment, but we will also defend American sovereignty, American prosperity, and we will defend American jobs.
Peter: God has taught me not to call what he has created and ordained, unclean. His world has been created to last the ages. Do not insult the longevity of this world's beauty in favor of your Green New Deal policies. This world faces no immediate or unnatural crisis. You should focus on the dangers that inflict your eternal soul, which requires constant renewal through the blood of Christ our Lord. People are indeed dying, everyday from causes unrelated to what you speak of. Yet, what of their souls? What answers does your Green New Deal have for those whose souls are not saved in time for judgement day? These are the questions that I work to absolve among Jews and Gentiles alike, with the aid of my fellow disciples, spreading the good news of the risen Lord and saving souls from eternal damnation.
Omar: I cannot believe what I am hearing from this Christian. Jews are the enemies to obtaining true peace. Israeli supremacy endangers peaceful Palestinians seeking their own country. Why do they deserve salvation? There are consequences to these actions when Netanyahu vows to make Israeli occupation permanent by annexing Palestinian land in the West Bank. At the same time, we are providing Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, we should say there are consequences to these actions. And to my knowledge, in previous times, Bush and Reagan have said that.
We must support an end of the occupation of Palestine and seek to achieve a two-state solution. I believe firmly that the path to peace does not lie through violent means. We should condemn in the strongest terms violence that perpetuates the occupation. Whether it's Israel, Hamas or various individuals. We cannot also condemn non-violent means. We cannot simultaneously say we want peace and to oppose peaceful means to hold our allies accountable.
Barnabas: Your morals are terribly confused. How can you advocate for a "two-state solution" between Israel and Palestine when you are incapable of masking your own hatred of the Jewish people? If you do not ask yourself what it is you know, you will go on listening to others and change will not come because you will not hear your own truth. Your ideology is warped by radical Islamic sympathies of Muslim activists and hatred toward God's chosen people, the Israelites. It astounds me how you remain a Congresswoman. Listen to what my fellow brothers have done to spread the teachings of Jesus, namely the greatest commandment which is to: love thy neighbor as thyself.
I have witnessed to so many concerning the glorious grace of God, rejoicing before others encouraging them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord. While you are full of hate and venom, I am a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, guiding a considerable number of followers to the Lord. Contrary to your faith Omar, I shall discriminate against no Jew or Gentile, as all are welcome by God.
Pelosi: While your work is righteous, I find it alarming that you all seem to support the President's rhetoric, which is undeniably racist to members of our caucus. He has targeted four women of color through an insensitive and racist tweet. Every single member of this institution should join us in condemning the President's racist tweets. To do anything less would be a shocking rejection of our values and a shameful abdication of our oath of office to protect the American people. This is yet another example of this President seeking to "Make America White Again."
Trump: Coming from the woman whose very words were nearly removed from the official House record. You broke a major House parliamentary rule that states how lawmakers cannot malign the character of the President. How can you condemn my rhetoric, which was in no ways racist, without any care to breaking the rules? I say this again: If you're not happy here, you can leave. And that's what I say all the time. My tweet is not at all racist, which I guess some people think is controversial, despite a lot of people supporting it. I mentioned no person, no color, and only aimed my tweet against those who have uttered hateful things toward America.
Socrates: Agreed. The President's tweet did not target any one person or color and condemned only those who express hate against American values. Mrs. Pelosi, it seems your condemnation of Trump's tweet is misguided in nature. I find it interesting that you yourself have been accused of racism by members of the Squad, after they found that you alienated them regarding their minority status. Address your inner-party feud before feuding with the President.
Tlaib: Speaker Pelosi can sit down with us at any time to speak face-to-face. She needs to acknowledge the fact that we are "Women of Color" so when you do single us out, be aware of that and what you're doing, especially because some of us are getting death threats. Some of us are being singled out because of our backgrounds, because of our experiences and so forth.
Like my sister in faith Congresswoman Omar, I have also sponsored BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) proposals to reject pro-Israeli bills on the House floor. The Jewish people have disproportionately benefited from the United States and global powers following their victimization in the Holocaust, while Palestinians have been largely ignored. There's always kind of a calming feeling I tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors – Palestinians – who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out. And just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews after the Holocaust (1933-45). And I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways. But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away, and it was forced on them.
Pressley: Spot on sister. Diversity in action is greatly needed in this era where the White Christian male is predominant and governs the table of power. This is the time to shake that table...We don't need any more brown faces that don't want to be a brown voice. We don't need any more Black faces that don't want to be a black voice. We don't need Muslims that don't want to be a Muslim voice. We don't need queers that don't want to be a queer voice. If you're worried about being marginalized and stereotyped, please don't even show up because we need you to represent that voice.
Paul: And you both received quite a lot of rebuke for this twisted philosophy, didn't you? I was not so different from you at a time. Similar to Representative Tlaib's disdain for the Jews, I was calmed by the sight of Christians being persecuted by my hand, by the order of the Pharisees. I was doggedly driven to persecute that one group of people, simply because their beliefs were revolutionary and challenged the rigged status quo of established church doctrine. Blinded by my zeal for the Pharisees, the Lord Jesus revealed the blindness of my heart in a flash of light that knocked me off my horse and took away my sight temporarily. In a thundering voice, the Lord called out to me and questioned my futile mission, similar to an ox kicking against the goads. From this moment forward, I was led to the faith by the hands of the Apostles, whom I had formerly persecuted, and found my calling as one of God's greatest servants. God also taught me not to dehumanize my enemies, as you seem to have done with your comments Representative Pressley.
God has imbued me with a special spiritual power, unusual even among the miracles of other Apostles so that anyone who so much as touched what I touched would be healed of their infirmities. I would teach to those far and wide the word of God's new covenant with his children. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; but He [Jesus] whom God raised up saw no corruption. Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man, is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Socrates: Let us see the conclusion to this matter. It is clear that the acts of the Apostles far outweigh the actions of the Squad. Every Apostle has demonstrated a profound service for the community, inspiring countless followers to serve the Lord Jesus, confess their sins, and be renewed through God's abundant mercy. They have healed the sick, raised the dead, repaired the disabled, and have restored the faith of so many non-believers in the time following the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
These just and moral arguments, in comparison to the words of ill repute by the four Congresswomen, who are not performing a good service to those who elected them to power. Whether it is through the failed Green New Deal or anti-Israel BDS amendment proposals, you Congresswomen have not passed any key legislation into law to better assist your constituents. It would be in your best interest to abstain from in-party feuds, misguided accusations of racism, and radical socialist proposals that do nothing to advance the agenda of the Democrat Party. Learn from the Apostles on what is truly right and just.
© Stone Washington
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(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
